51 



from Central America. It is a very handsome garden flower, 

 with valuable medicinal qualities. It can be more easily got 

 rid of, but is chiefly remarkable for the rapid way in which has 

 diffused itself. One observes it everywhere. With it, curiously 

 enough, we have a butterfly of great beauty introduced from 

 Central America or California, Daneis erippus. This insect 

 was unknown in Australia until the plant just named began 

 to spread. 



The mention of a Lipidopterous insect causes me just to 

 allude to the great difference there is between East Australia 

 and Tasmania in the department of natural history. Large 

 and beautiful diurnal lepidoptera are very common in East 

 Australia, whereas they are uncommon or unknown in this 

 Island. In the tropics the variety and beauty is astounding, 

 and the numerical abundance of beautiful species is equally 

 surprising. I append a list of the names of a few of the more 

 common noticed by me, and I may add that I have seen no 

 such species in Tasmania, Daneis limniacea, D. erippus, Hypo- 

 limnas lassinassa, Eurycus cressida, Omithoptera, Eichmondiana, 

 JPapilio sempronius, P. erithonius, Euplea, Calydryas, Jalmena 

 ictinus, Acmma pygmea, &c. These are the common species 

 which one meets everywhere, but the list would be very much 

 extended if a list of species were given. 



I proposed in this paper to say something about the land 

 and fresh water mollusca, but I find that is so connected with 

 what I should wish to remark about the mollusca generally, 

 that I must forego any observations, and hope that perhaps I 

 may be able to return to the subject before I leave the island. 

 I will say, however, that the land mollusca afford a very valu- 

 able standard of comparison for small differences in the 

 natural history of different but neighbouring provinces. I 

 have found in North East Australia that where the peculiar 

 features of situation or soil gave a well defined character to 

 any locality, the land mollusca were always also peculiar 

 and well marked, and if the district was small, the habitat of 

 such peculiar species or variety was confined. Thus Helix 

 Whartoni is found confined to one small island inside the 

 Barrier Reef, and Helix Coxeni to another. I regard one of 

 these at least as a mere variety of EC. Incei, to which also 

 many other so called species may be reduced. But they are 

 well marked, and constant varieties of one form, and restricted 

 now by geographical features to one habitat. On the main- 

 land, however, in open country, one species sometimes has an 

 immense range without any variation. Thus Helix pachystyla 

 is found all over the plains of the table land as far as Peak 

 Downs. To the south its place is taken by a small variety, EC. 

 pachystyloides, and to the north by H. cerata, perhaps a 



