144 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



They are mostly occupied by young, and very grotesque little 

 creatures they are, being born quite blind and naked. Some of 

 them are engaged in crawling about, digging their bills into the 

 sand to help themselves along. One comparatively large bird 

 has to be separated from a younger one, which he has pecked at 

 until its back is covered with sores. A few of the nests contain 

 eggs, two in number, and in others the young are just emerging 

 from the shell. Close to the rookery a nest of the Pacific Gull 

 is seen, containing two eggs, and a little further on a Blue Reef 

 Heron flies out of a rocky pinnacle. On scaling it the nest is 

 found, containing four fresh eggs. 



Leaving this interesting island, we have a fine run back to 

 Stanley, and arrive late at night. Next day we start on our 

 return to Melbourne, being some days overdue, but satisfied that 

 the results of our trip more than compensated for the perils and 

 inconveniences we had undergone. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW AUSTRALIAN PLANTS, WITH 



OCCASIONAL OTHER ANNOTATIONS ; 

 By Baron von Mueller, K.C.M.G., M. & Ph.D., LL.D., F.R.S. 



(Continued.) 

 Didiscus Croninianus. 



Trachymene Croniniana, F. v. M. coli. Annual, erect, but 

 comparatively dwarf, beset with scattered spreading somewhat 

 rigid hairlets ; radical leaves slit into rather narrow partly in- 

 cised lobes ; upper leaves few-lobed ; umbels comparatively 

 small, some of them only short-stalked ; involucral bracts mostly 

 about as long as the pedicels ; petals white ; one of the fruitlets 

 only developed, prominently wrinkled, the free portion margined 

 by a narrow membrane. 



Towards Coolgardie; Cronin. 



Tallest specimens obtained only about 8 inches high, some 

 flowering at half that height. Largest leaves measuring hardly 

 above 2 inches. Longest pedicel fully }i inch long. Petals 

 about 7i6 inch long. Anthers whitish. Fruitlet hardly '/ I0 inch 

 long, and less broad ; the rugosity on each side forming usually 

 three irregular longitudinal ridglets, the asperity scanty only. 



Nearest to Trachymene or Didiscus elachscarpus, but much larger 

 in all its parts, and the fruit-ridglets somewhat membranously 

 edged — a characteristic not otherwise occurring in the genus. 



Regrettably the name Didiscus became by some writers during 

 late years discarded in favour of that of Trachymene, a procedure 

 which involved the re-naming of all the formerly acknowledged 

 Trachymenes as Sieberas — disturbing a nomenclature in force for 

 phytography and horticulture during more than half a century. 

 The species of Didiscus are probably all deleterious, as recently 

 demonstrated by cases of poisoning of pasture-animals, when 

 feeding on D. pilosus and D. glucifolius. 



