98 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. [ 



Vol. XXIX. 



Mr. F. Pitcher thanked the author for opening our minds to 

 fresh thoughts in connection with the acacias., and suggested 

 that the committee should arrange for a further discussion of 

 the subject at some future meeting after members have had 

 an opportunity of perusing the paper in print. 



Mr. A. D. Hardy, F.L.S., endorsed the remarks of Mr. Pitcher, 

 as he thought that members were hardly prepared to discuss 

 such a paper at a few minutes' notice. 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard said that he had examined leaves and 

 phyllodes of acacias from time to time, and the different 

 technical terms that had been applied to them seemed to 

 amount to word-splitting. 



Dr. C. S. Sutton said that the subject was a fascinating one, 

 and afforded great scope to the imagination. 



The president remarked that the author had opened up 

 another large field for research, and hoped that members would 

 embrace the opportunity and study these plants as living 

 things. 



2. By Prof. W. Baldwin Spencer, C.M.G., M.A., F.R.S., 

 entitled " A New Species of Kangaroo." 



In the absence of the author, who is still engaged on official 

 work in the Northern Territory, this paper was read by Mr. 

 J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S. The author described as a new species 

 a kangaroo which occurs among rocky ranges on the East 

 Alligator River, Northern Territory. The animal is said to be 

 an active climber, and, according to the natives, inhabits caves 

 and rock shelters, out of which it is driven by the smoke of 

 fires when the country is being burnt off. Being stupefied by 

 the smoke, the kangaroo, so the natives say, comes out of the 

 caves " rubbing its eyes," and can then be speared. The animal 

 is considered rare, and apparently has a limited range. 



The president said it was interesting to add another mammal 

 to the list of Australian animals. 



Mr. G. A. Keartland thought that there were other new 

 species in the North-West, and hoped that the author would 

 have the opportunity of recording further additions to our 

 fauna. 



Mr. A. D. Hardy said it was gratifying to know that the 

 Club had not been forgotten by the author of the paper, though 

 so far away, and asked what was the difference between a 

 wallaby and a kangaroo. 



Mr. J. A. Kershaw explained that the difference was only 

 an artificial one — viz., measurement. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Mr. F. P. Spry said that recently, while collecting ants in 

 the vicinity of Port Melbourne, he had found under a stone a 

 colony of a small black ant belonging to the genus Iridomyrmex. 



