i6o Keartla^d, Sped fie Name of Cacalua sanguinea. [voKxxxi. 



flock of Black Duck, and, although they were frequently 

 disturbed, the white bird always kept with them. When the 

 cucalypts are in blossom it often occurs that a flock of Musk 

 Lorikeets, Trichoglossiis concinniis, and Little Lorikeets, T 

 pusillits, are seen travelling together or feeding on the same 

 tree. At the Fitzroy "River, North-West Australia, nearly 

 every flock of Red-kneed Dottrel, lirythrogonys cindtis, which 

 I saw running or fl^ang on the swamps had a wader of some 

 other species in its company — sometimes a Greenshank or 

 Little vSandpiper. But we know that all the birds named in 

 this paragraj^h form communities of their own at breeding time. 

 Now, I am in a difflculty to determine which species my bird 

 l:)elongs to — Cacatua sanguinea or C. gymnopis, or whether I 

 shall call it C. gymnopis, late sanguinea. There he is — judge 

 for yourselves. 



Note on the Ocurrence of Monstrillid.e in Victoria. — 

 In the material collected with the tow-net at Beaumaris excursion, 

 1 2th December, were found two specimens of a sjiecies of 

 Monstrilla, a semi-parasitic copepod with a remarkable life- 

 history. Hatclicd as an oval nau})lius with three pairs of 

 appendages but no alimentary canal, it soon seeks out a Serpulid 

 worm, and, clinging to it with its hooked mandibles, it pierces the 

 epidermis of the worm by the aid of its antenucTe and works its 

 way into its body. During the bmrowing process the limbs 

 are lost, and the nauplius degenerates into an ovoid mass of 

 cells surrounded by a chitinous enveloi)e. By amceboidal 

 movement it finds its way into the blood-vessels, and finally 

 comes to rest in the ventral blood cavity of the worm. It 

 now begins to grow. At first a pair of fleshy appendages are 

 formed (which are really modified second antennae), by the 

 aid of which the parasite obtains nutriment from its host. 

 From the undifferentiated mass of cells the various appendages 

 of the adult are differentiated inside the chitinous envelope. 

 When fully develoi)ed it ruptiu'es the body wall of its host 

 and cscajies into the sea, leaving behind the second antennae, 

 which have served their purpose. In the adult animal the 

 mouth j^arts are entirely absent, the only cephalic a])pendages 

 being the first antennae. It possesses a tiny mouth opening 

 into a minute stomach, from which there is no other opening, 

 the rest of the body cavity being taken up by the very large 

 ovary. Its thoracic feet are well developed, and it swims 

 about ra))idly while the jirocess of rojiroduction is carried out. 

 The family Monstrillida? contains three genera and some 

 sixteen species. Owing to want of time for examination. I have 

 not yet determined whether my specimens are referable to any 

 known species. I think this is the first record of the family 

 Monstrillid.x- being found in .\ustralia. — J. Searle. 



