194 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXV. 



the mount, but have been destroyed by visitors or fire ; however, 

 there are yet some fine Black Wattles and abundance of the 

 shrubby Cassinia aculeata to assist in adding variety to the scene. 

 High up in a crevice on the southern face we noticed a solitary 

 tree-fern ; probably others formerly existed, but have been removed 

 by visitors. The mount for many years was private property, but 

 some years ago was repurchased by the Government and placed 

 in the hands of trustees as a national reserve, and for the 

 residents for many miles round has become a favourite picnic spot 

 and meeting place at holiday time, while, were it nearer town, 

 it would doubtless be better known to city folks than it is. 

 Having ample time before the train left for town, we had some 

 refreshment, and then walked back to VVoodend, thoroughly 

 pleased with the outing, Melbourne being reached after a fast run 

 in the special train. — H. W. Wijlson. 



The Ant-house Plant of Queensland, &c. — Some notes 

 about an exhibit sent from near Cooktown, and shown at our 

 meeting last night, may be of interest to biologists. The Ant- 

 house Plant, Hydnofhyium Jormicarium^ is found growing as an 

 epiphyte on the trunks of melaleucas (tea- trees) and mangroves 

 in the tidal mangrove swamps of North Queensland, New 

 Guinea, and many islands of the Malay Archipelago. It bears 

 fleshy green leaves and small white flowers. Its bulky, gall-like, 

 thorny stem is tunnelled throughout, the tunnels being occupied 

 symbiotically by colonies of small brownish-black ants, which 

 take refuge there to escape from the Green Tree Ant, (Eco'phylla 

 virescens, which would make slaves of the small black ants, but 

 they cannot follow them into the tunnels. It would be interesting 

 to know whether the tunnels which exist in the plant would 

 develop without the presence of the ants, or whether the ants 

 cause the plant to become swollen after the manner of gall 

 insects, many genera of which belong to the same order (Hymen- 

 optera) as the ants. As some young plants were growing on one 

 of the specimens, I have given them to Mr. F. Pitcher, of the 

 Botanical Gardens, to see whether it will be i)ossible to i^row 

 them in one of the hot-houses there, away from the presence of 

 the ants. — R. W. Armitage. Carlton, 9th March, 1909. 



Grasses and their Identification. — Mr. L. Rodway, 

 Government Botanist of Tasmania, has issued, under the direction 

 of the Council of Agriculture of that State, a 32-page pamphlet 

 with the title " Grasses and their Identification." He deals with 

 about one hundred species, indigenous or introduced to Tasmania, 

 giving such details as will help the observer to correctly determine 

 the various species. Two plates of figures are included, but many 

 of the figures are so small as to be of little service. The publication 

 will be extremely useful as an aid in studying a difficult subject. 



