120 THE VICTOKIAN NATURALIST. 



of the birds made during his visit to the Kimberley District, 

 N.VV. Australia. He exhibited several skins from New South 

 Wales, Queensland, and VVest Kimberley, showing slight 

 variation, and remarked that Gould had separated the north- 

 western birds from the eastern as two species under the names of 

 P. Goccineopterus and P. erythropterus. With this he did not agree, 

 as the differences in plumage were trivial, and due, he considered, 

 simply to age. The British Museum authorities now regarded 

 them as the same species under the name of P. erythropteriis. 



Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., remarked that all Mr. Keartland's 

 specimens were P. erythropterus, and not the smaller variety 

 named P. coccineopterus by Gould, and so far he had only seen 

 specimens of P. cocclneoiiterus from the north-western portions of 

 Australia, and even there both varieties seemed to be found. 

 He had several skins of the latter bird pass through his hands, 

 but none were as large as P. erythropterus. 



Mr. A. Coles contended that one of the specimens exhibited, 

 a young bird labelled " male," was of the opposite sex, the red 

 webs on the inner side of, the tail feathers being a certain 

 indication of the female sex, as in Barraband's Parrakeet. 



Mr. Keartland said tliat he was quite certain of the correctness of 

 his label, from the fact that he had killed a whole brood of young 

 Ptistes at one shot, and all had the red on the tail, and also that 

 young Barraband's Parrakeets of both sexes were similiarly 

 marked. 



2. By Mr. H. H. Baker, entitled " Notes on the Maintenance 

 of Equilibrium and Symmetry in Eucalyptus and Other Trees." 



The author said that his attention had been called to the 

 question by noticing several trees which had lost tlieir branches 

 on one side by storm, and which had made an effort to restore 

 their equilibrium by putting out fresh branches on the denuded 

 side. He then entered into the effect of the bending of the 

 branches and stems of trees on the free flow of the sap, and 

 consequently upon their growth. 



Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., remarked that he had noticed that 

 at the Zoological Gardens the Pinus insignis trees had the 

 strongest branches away from the north-west, and had developed 

 longer roots on the other side to counteract the increased 

 weight. 



The chairman said that the paper opened up an interesting 

 question, and he would like to know whether trees on the sea- 

 shore and other such exposed situations, where branches could 

 not be thrown out, owing to prevailing winds, and where the 

 upper part of the tree was sometimes at right angles to the main 

 stem, threw out additional roots to make up for their inability to 

 equalize matters above ground. 



