32 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



manent habilation, but a temporary egg-case." Professor Owen, 

 however, states that the fresh shell, being permeable to light, it 

 was obvious that light would act in developing the coloured spots 

 on the body of the Argonaut. 



It is quite true that the animal can, and sometimes does, when 

 greatly frightened, leave its shell, but does it re-enter it again ? 

 Sir F. M'Coy states, regarding a specimen which he kept alive 

 for some time. " that when greatly frightened it abandoned its 

 shell ?,nd darted away with great velocity, but got hack into it 

 again when left alone." According to Madame Power, "the 

 constant result of depriving the Argonaut of its shell is a gradual 

 loss of vital power and ultimate death within a few hours at 

 furthest." Again, Mr. A. Adams, in giving the results of his 

 observations on a number of specimens which he captured 

 during the voyage of the Samarang, and kept in captivity, says 

 that, although the Argonaut can readily disengage herself from 

 the shell, "she has not the power — or, more properly, the 

 sagacity — to re-enter her nest, but, after darting and wounding 

 herself against the sides of the vessel, soon becomes languid, and 

 very shortly dies." 



These results, being from observations made on the animals 

 in captivity, where, being confined in a limited space and under 

 frequent observation, they would naturally be in a continual 

 state of alarm, maj' not apply to the animal in its natural environ- 

 ment. As shown above, the death of the animals was really the 

 result of injuries received in their endeavour to escape from con- 

 finement, and no doubt accelerated by fright ; therefore, if the 

 animal in the free state were by any means deprived of its shell, 

 it may still survive its loss. The probability is that, under 

 natural and healthy conditions, the animal never leaves her shell, 

 but carries it about with her continually as a receptacle for her 

 eggs. The opportunity is now afforded any of our members who 

 may be inclined to take the matter up to endeavour to complete 

 our knowledge of the habits of these Argonauts. 



EFFECT OF A CLOUDBURST. 



Bv F. L. BiLLINGHURST. 

 [Read be fur e the Field Naturalists' Cluh of Victoria, Vltli May, 1902.) 

 On the 31st December, 1901, the Little River, which joins 

 the Acheron at Taggerty, was observed to rise about a foot, and 

 the garden of a settler living near it was flooded. For two or 

 three weeks afterwards the water was so muddy as to be unfit 

 for drinking, though it is usually one of the clearest of mountain 

 streams. Such an occurrence naturally created some curiosity, 

 and a search was made for its cause, which appears to have been 

 the bursting of a cloud on a range of hills known as tiie Blue 

 Range, which runs parallel with the Alexandra-Taggerty road 



