Nov., 1908.] THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 91 



that Australia possessed no indigenous member of the cat tribe, 

 or of the hoofed animals, while the presence of certain other 

 groups were facts which doubtless indicated a change of geographi- 

 cal conditions at some former time. A restored picture of the 

 Diprotodon, a gigantic creature of the kangaroo type, was given, 

 with particulars of its probable mode of life. The Platypus and 

 Echidna were referred to as two of the most remarkable animal 

 forms at present existing on the globe. The great group of mar- 

 supials, in which is included almost all the Australian mammals, 

 indicated that Australia had long been cut off from the other parts 

 of the world. Attention was drawn to the Ceratodus or Queens- 

 land Lung Fish, a member of a family of which there are only 

 three living genera, one found in South America and the other in 

 Central Africa. The Minnow or Mountain Trout (Galaxias) was 

 another instance of similarity between forms in Australia and 

 South America, for a Galaxias is found in the streams of Chili 

 and Patagonia. Even in lower forms, such as beetles, three of 

 the largest groups — Buprestidae, Curculionidae, and Cerambycidse 

 (Longicornes) — were equally characteristic of the two continents. 

 Our fresh-water tortoise is closely allied to a South American, and 

 in addition to these relationships it was pointed out that certain 

 relationships exist with South Africa and New Zealand, with the 

 former more particularly as regards the flora, and, taken altogether, 

 the evidence points to a great southern land mass, with a more 

 genial climate than that now experienced towards the south pole, 

 as place of origin of the ancestors of a great many of our Aus- 

 tralian forms. 



The lecture was followed with great interest, and at the close 

 a number of questions were asked, the replies to which amplitied 

 several points raised. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Snakes. — Mr. J. Booth, M.I.C.E., mentioned that two snakes 

 recently found at Croydon had been identified by Mr. J. A. 

 Kershaw, F.E.S., as Denisonia 7iigrescens, a species which had 

 not been previously recorded for Victoria. 



EXHIBITS. 



By Mr. J. W. Audas. — Coral from Magnetic Island, near 

 Townsville, N. Queensland. 



By Mr. F. G. A. Barnard. — Flowering branches of Acacia 

 acinacea, from Studley Park, with many of the flower headlets 

 transformed into galls by insect agency. 



By Mr. G. Coghill. — Flowering branches of Acacia pycnantha, 

 from Tunstall. 



By Mr. C. French. F.L.S. — Specimens of male and female 

 of a new timber-feeding moth, Hepialus (Chargia), sp., and 

 female of Hepialus (Chargia) scripta, Scott, from Western 

 Australia. 



