OCCASIONAL NOTES. 



I.— CLIMBING HABITS of an AUSTRALIAN SNAKE. 



Mr. Percy G. Peard, of the Public Scliool, Dal wood, New Soutli 

 Wales, recently forwarded some snakes for identification from the 

 vicinity of Lismore, Richmond Rivei-. 



Respecting llojducephalus stephensii, Krefft, Mi-. Peard writes : — 

 " I neglected to mention, in describing the ' Banded specimen,' 

 that it was caught climbing an ironbark tree." 



This is an extremely interesting obsei'vation, and confirms any 

 suspicion one may have had as to the use of the notched keels of 

 the ventral plates. 



When describing the species, Krefft drew attention to the 

 similarity in structure to members of the genus Deud?-ophis. Mr. 

 Peard's happy remark shows that the structural peculiarity has 

 been independently developed for tree-climbii:ig purposes in two 

 widely different genera of reptiles. 



In future, therefore, Hoplocephalus atephensii, If. bitorquatus, 

 and, perhaps in a lesser degree, //. buuyaroides, should be regarded 

 as partially arboreal in habit. 



Edgar R. Waite. 



ll.^PSEUDAPUlilTIS UEVILLII, Cuviku c^- Valen- 

 ciennes, A Fish new to Western New South Wales. 



As this fish is known from South Australia, it might naturally 

 be assumed to occur in the western waters of our State. 



Dr. C. C. Cocks, of Wentworth, Darling River, has forwarded 

 a specimen to the Trustees for identification, remarking that it 

 was caught by one of the oldest fishermen of the district, who had 

 never seen its like before. To Dr. Cocks, hhnself an angler (if 



