84 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



^ of an inch long, from whitish to a deep red colour, about as 

 long as the sepals. Hypogynous scales obliterated. Carpels 

 y 2 line long, truncate, abruptly short-pointed by the style ; finally 

 erecto-patent and much exserted ; each carpel usually containing 

 two seeds. Seeds minute, about +\ of an inch long, narrow 

 ellipsoid, brownish, shining, faintly striate. 



Flowering October. — Sandy desert, Lowan, Dimboola shire, 

 1892 (rare), F. Reader. 



In general appearance the simple forms of this species resemble 

 T. verticillaris ; when branched it is not unlike T. macrantha ; 

 in colour, however, it recalls T. purpurata and T. pedicellosa, 

 with which latter species it may be found associated. It differs 

 from I 1 , verticillaris chiefly in the leaves being broader, more 

 concave, blunt ; in the petals being as long as the sepals ; in the 

 truncate, abruptly short-pointed carpels beinj; twice as long as the 

 calyx ; and in the ellipsoid, faintly striated seeds. The seeds of 

 T. verticellaris are broader and faintly rugular-striate. 



This new species is closely allied also to the European Tillcea 

 muscosa, L., but the petals and carpels exhibit distinct specific 

 characters. T. exserta may readily be distinguished from other 

 species by the truncate and abruptly short-pointed carpels being 

 twice as long as the calyx. In a growing state, and seen through 

 a magnifying lens, the striking rugosity and translucency of the 

 whole plant remind of T. verticillaris and T. macrantha, but this 

 peculiarity is much more developed in T. exserta, and giving the 

 plant a beautiful and distinguishing character. 



The late Baron von Mueller, knowing the advantages I had of 

 studying this plant in a growing state, suggested that the differ- 

 ence between it and T. verticillaris could best be recorded from 

 living plants. I accordingly forwarded to him a description, 

 accompanied by excellent sectional drawings executed by Mr. J. 

 P. Eckert, of Minyip ; this, however, after further research, has 

 required some slight modifications, which are embodied in the 

 present description. 



A NEW ROTIFER— LACINULARIA ELLIPT1CA. 

 By J. Shephard. 

 (Read before the Field Naturalists' 1 Club of Victoria, 12th July, 1897.,} 

 On 1 2th December, 1896, during the Club excursion to Heidel- 

 berg, a Rotifer was found which appears to be new, and I now 

 propose to describe and name it as Lacinularia elliptica. A 

 shallow lagoon near the Yarra was found rich in Rotifera, par- 

 ticularly the colonial forms. Free-swimming clusters were very 

 numerous, and a large number were obviously L. nutans, and this 

 nearly caused the oversight of the subject of this paper. This 



