BY J. H. MAIDEN AND E.. BETCHE. 58? 



We are indebted to Mr. C. Hedley, F.L.S., for the following 

 note upon his specimens — " I gathered the accompanying plants 

 during the last week in September, 1907, on a mud-flat, at low 

 water, on the western shore of Mer, the largest of the Murray 

 Islands. Haddon* has recorded and figured the Murray 

 Cymadocea as the food of the dugong. Observing this, I asked 

 a native to point out to me the dugongi food — in pigeon English, 

 ' You go catch'em proper kaikai belonga dugong.' He took me 

 to a mud-flat just uncovered at low-water of neap tide, thickly 

 grassed with Zostera. Hidden among the Zostera and evidently 

 close cropped by the dugong, was the Cymodocea. The flowering- 

 season had not long passed, but I was able to secure the fruits 

 which you have examined." 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XLIX. 



Gymodocea[?) ciliata (Forsk.) Ehrenb. 



Fig. A. — Plant in fruit. 



Fig. B.— Top of a leaf, magnified. 



Fig.C. — Portion of a leaf still more magnified. 



Fig. D. — Fruit-carpel. 



Fig.E. — Fruit-carpel opened. 



Fig.F. — Fruit-carpel showing two seeds. 



Fig.G. — Vertical section of fruit-carpel. 



Fig. H.— Soft prickles covering the carpel, magnified. 



Fig. L— Seed. 



Fig.K. — Vertical section of seed. 



* Haddon, "Head-Hunters, Black, White and Brown," 1901, pp.151-2, 

 fig. 16, 



