go Skarle and Shf.phard, Visit to Lakes. [vqKXXXH. 



After great difficulty, increased by the strong wind blowing 

 and lapping the water into wavelets capped with a soapy spume 

 or foam, some casts were made, with very poor results, and we 

 had to be content with the use of the hand-nets from any 

 stump jutting into the water. 



Lake Gnotuk was not very prolific. An amphipod, probably 

 a species of the genus Chiltonia, was fairly numerous. The 

 only rotifer found was Brachionus Mulleri, a brackish water 

 form, the specimens agreeing closely with the type. Three 

 species of I ope pods not yet described, and probably new, were 

 taken. One of these is interesting from the fact that speci- 

 mens of the same genus, Marsenbiotus, have been raised from 

 dried mud received by one of ns from Labrador, Newfoundland. 

 Experiments were made in iqii, when it was first obtained 

 from hake Gnotuk. A jar of the lake water containing the 

 animals was brought to Melbourne, and evaporation allowed 

 to take place slowly, the object being to see how the animals 

 behaved owing to the increasing salinity. Maraenbiotus con- 

 tinued to live and reproduce until two-thirds of the water had 

 evaporated. At this stage the water was so dense that the 

 animals swam through it with great difficulty, and soon after 

 disappeared altogether. This experiment lasted over five 

 months. 



We next tried Bullen-Merri, which is separated from Gnotuk 

 by a strip of land some 700 or <Soo yards across, but is about 

 150 feet higher level. The water in Bullen-Merri is fresh and 

 clear, and. as we wen well sheltered from the wind, we hoped 

 for more success with the tow-net, but were disappointed again, 

 as 1 he mi scraped along the shelving rocky bottom and was 

 damaged. We therefore again had recourse to hand-netting, 

 and filled our bottles in this way. 



A former visit to the lake may be mentioned, when one of us 

 had a somewhal exciting adventure, lie had been informed 



by residents of ('amperdown that the lake was bottomless, 

 and that no lite existed in it. lie was also informed that there 

 was a boat in the vicinity of the lake. SO he determined to get 



the Use ol the boat Hid •, what tile to\\-llet Would diseovel 



in the way "i animal lite. Aftei persisted inquiry he found 

 that the boat belonged to a swimming 1 lub. I he 1 ustodian was 

 found, and permission to use it readily granted: but doubt 

 was expressed ;i- to it-, condition, as it had not been in the 

 v.atei tea two years, ["here was then a difficulty in finding 

 an oarsman the day bein • a itormy one but one was at las1 

 iied. ')n getting the boat afloal he found the joints in the 

 planking had all >prung, and the watei entered freely in 

 miniature fountains. Being determined aol to 1"-'' the oppor- 

 tunity, so hard to get, oi using the tow-net. he persuaded his 



