460 NAIURAL SCIENCE. June, 1893. 



deserves its evil reputation in this matter, but until its innocence be 

 established he recommends its wholesale destruction. 



The common sting-ray, Tvygon pastinaca, is most destructive, and 

 Cestracio7i philippi, the Port Jackson shark, makes use of its crushing 

 teeth to very evil effect among the oysters. Boring sponges, birds, and 

 various other forms of life prey on the oyster, but the most de- 

 structive pest is the small worm, Leiicodore cUiata, whose ravages were 

 first described by Mr. Whitelegge. 



In a special chapter, entitled " Food and Fancy Fishes," the 

 author deals with some of the goo recorded species of Queensland 

 fish. Among food-fishes, those of the Northern district belong to 

 the Indo-pacific or Oriental region. The trumpeters and barracutas, 

 which are so important in the fish-markets of New Zealand, are 

 practically unrepresented in Queensland. The best known forms are 

 Latcs calcarifer (the " Cockup" of the Calcutta market), and the smaller 

 Lates colononim. INIullets, gurnards, sea-pikes, flat-fish, and many 

 well-known forms abound. Eight species of herring (Clupea) 

 have been recorded, but, as yet, have not been utilised for com- 

 mercial purposes. Altogether, the " unvintageable sea" seems to be 

 remarkably prolific, and Mr. Saville Kent makes out a good case for 

 regarding the Barrier Reef as one of the most remarkable com- 

 mercial advantages of Queensland. In a concluding chapter entitled 

 " Potentialities," he points out how, under proper scientific advice, 

 this commercial advantage admits of almost indefinite extension. 

 As the population of Australia increases, the value of so large an 

 area of prolific sea-life will become almost inestimable, and, quite 

 apart from the scientific value of Mr. Saville Kent's beautiful volume, 

 Queensland is to be congratulated on taking so efficient means as the 

 assistance of this work to develop its resources. On the side of 

 practical utility it were hard to see how Mr. Saville Kent could have 

 done better work. He has surveyed the actual resources of the reef 

 and has shown the small use that is at present made of them, 

 bringing to the task not only a trained scientific mind, but a large 

 special experience. 



To those who spend their days in laboratories and museums, and 

 who will eagerly turn to the separate scientific accounts that have 

 been, and will be, published on Mr. Saville Kent's collections, this 

 work is equally invaluable ; for here are the animals, not as speci- 

 mens with names new or old, hinging on some obscure point in 

 anatomy or doubtful question of priority, but the animals alive, in 

 their actual places in the world, in their crowded environment of 

 friend and foe, of sunlight and waters. In this short sketch of 

 the book very little has been said of its most valuable scientific 

 feature — the faithful and minute account it gives of the actual 

 appearances presented by a living coral reef; but as the value of 

 this account is inseparably associated with the beautiful photographic 

 plates, those interested must be referred to the book itself. 



