THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 123 



of which several young plants had appeared, a circumstance 

 which he had not before noticed in Victorian specimens of this 

 fern. 



He also drew attention to an abnormal growth of a rose, in 

 which the stem of the rose is continued from the centre of the 

 flower for several inches beyond the ring of petals, and bears 

 several leaves. 



Mr. G. A. Keartland mentioned an exhibit by him of the eggs 

 of five species of honey-eaters and a bower-bird, two of which, 

 tlie Yellow-backed Honey-eater, Mdithreptus Icetior, and the 

 Guttated Bower-bird, Gldaniydod-,ra guttata, being the type 

 specimens. 



Mr. G. A. Pritchard remarked on the abnormal growth of two 

 species of shells, the common Mussel and the common Cockle, 

 which he exhibited, one valve of which was very much smaller 

 than the other. 



Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., drew attention to an exhibit by the 

 National Museum of a rare species of burrowing frog, which had 

 been recently received by the Museum, and which Professor 

 Spencer identified as Philocryphus Jiavoguttatus, Fl. The 

 specimen, which was a male, was captured at Tongio West, East 

 Gippsland, Victoria, and is the first recorded specimen from this 

 State, previously recorded only from New South Wales. This 

 species is peculiar in having its first, second, and third fingers 

 furnished with several black, horny, acute tubercles, one of which, 

 on the first finger, being much larger than the others. 



He also mentioned a recent capture at Port Fairy of a Basking 

 Shark, Cetorhinus maxinms, Gunn, which he had been able to 

 examine. The specimen was a male, and similar in every respect 

 to the specimen described and figured by him in the August 

 number of the ^ aturalist, xix., page 62, though much shorter. 

 As this specimen had not been previously opened, he was able 

 to secure a sample of the food from the intestines, as well as 

 to observe the peculiar whalebone-like gill-rakers, which had been 

 removed from the previous specimen before reaching the Museum. 



Mr. A. Coles also made some remarks on the same specimen, 

 particularly with regard to the gill-rakers, which he had observed 

 while stuffing it. 



Mr. A. J. Campbell remarked on a large double-yolked egg of 

 the Mutton-bird which was exhibited by Mr. J. Gabriel. 



EXHIBITS. 



By Mr. F. G. A. Barnard. —Growing Victorian ferns — Ophio- 

 glossum vu^gatum, collected on Sandringham excursion, July, 

 1902 ; Asplenmni hidbiferum, collected at Mathinna Falls, on 

 Healesville excursion, November, 1900; also abnormal growth of 

 rose. 



