Sir J. Richardson on Australian Fish. 273 



WilPs observations^ and have found distinct traces of fluorine. 

 Some however have denied its presence in plants. Amongst the 

 former is Dr. Wilson, who, in an able paper read before the Royal 

 Society of Edinburgh in 1846, " On the solubility of fluoride of 

 calcium in water," states that he had detected distinct traces of 

 fluorine in crude American potashes. Until lately, I must con- 

 fess that I looked with suspicion on the statements referring to 

 the occurrence of fluorine in plants ; but I have now had ample 

 opportunity of convincing myself of the truth, that there are 

 plants which contain fluorine. In my former investigations I 

 failed in detecting fluorine, owing to the presence of silica ; for I 

 find that this substance interferes with the usual method of test- 

 ing for fluorine. 



The plan which I found to answer the purpose is one suggested 

 by Dr. G. Wilson. He recommends to precipitate the hydro- 

 chloric acid solution of the ash of a plant with ammonia, to col- 

 lect the precipitate on a filter, and to add chloride of barium to 

 the clear solution filtered from the ammonia precipitate. The two 

 precipitates thus obtained are well dried, and separately exa- 

 mined for fluorine in a platinum or leaden vessel in the usual 

 manner. 



Following Dr. Wilson's plan of procedure, I was enabled to 

 detect distinct traces of fluorine in the ash of specimens of Ar- 

 meria maritima grown near the sea-shore, and also in the ash of 

 the same plant grown in the nursery near Edinburgh. I like- 

 wise found fluorine in Cochlearia officinalis and Plantago mari- 

 tima, but was unable to detect it in Canaster tobacco. If we re- 

 collect that tobacco leaves are soaked in a considerable quantity 

 of water in the manufactories, and if we bear in mind that fluoride 

 of calcium is soluble in water, as shown by Dr. Wilson, we can- 

 not be surprised that no fluorine should be present in the ashes 

 of Canaster. 



XXVI. — Notices of Australian Fish. By Sii' John Richardson, 



M.D.,r.R.S.* 



In the third volume of the 'Zoological Transactions;' the 'Annals 

 and Magazine of Natiiral History,' vol. ix.; a report on the " Fish 

 of New Zealand," made to the British Association in 1842; the 

 Ichthyology of the Voyage of the Sulphur, and especially in the 

 Ichthyology of the Antarctic Voyage of the Erebus and Terror, com- 

 pleted ra February 1848, I have described various species of Austra- 

 lian fish. Among other sources of information to which I had re- 

 course, a collection cf drawings, made by Depiity Assistant Commis- 

 sary General Neill, in 1841, at King George's Sound, is particularly 



* From the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, April 9, 1850. 

 Ann. <^- Maff. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol. vii. 18 



