NATURE 



241 



THURSDAY, JULY 16, 1896. 



THE ZOOLOGICAL RESULTS OF THE HORN 



SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION TO CENTRAL 



A USTRALIA. 



Report on the Work of the Horn Scientific Expedition 



to Central Australia. Part ii. Zoology. 410, pp. 431, 



plates 29. (London : Dulau. Melbourne ; Melville, 



1896.) 



IT is becoming quite the fashion, we are glad to say, 

 nowadays for private individuals who possess the 

 necessary means, to send out scientific expeditions at 

 their own cost. This laudable practice has long been 

 prevalent in the United States, where, many years ago, 

 the e-xpense of Louis Agassiz's journey to South America 

 was borne by a friend interested in science. In 

 England we have at present the " Jackson-Harmsworth 

 Expedition "to Franz-Josef Land generously sustained by 

 Mr. Harmsworth ; and other examples of similar muni- 

 ficence are well known. Our more advanced colonies 

 are now following these excellent precedents, and the 

 entire cost of the successful expedition into Central 

 Australia, of which some of the results are now before 

 us, has been borne by Mr. William Austin Horn, of 

 Adelaide, who, we believe, also devised the plan of 

 it. But not only was the plan Australian and the 

 means to carry it out provided in Australia, but the 

 members of the expedition were Australian, the re- 

 sults have been worked out in Australia by Australians, 

 and the reports on the results printed, illustrated, and 

 published in Australia. Australia may therefore be well 

 proud of the Horn Expedition, and thankful to Mr. Horn 

 for having projected it and carried it out. 



It having been suggested by scientific men that in the 

 last geological epoch, when the rest of the continent was 

 submerged, the MacDonnell Ranges in Central .\ustralia 

 existed as an island, and that, consequently, older forms 

 of life might still be found in their more inaccessible 

 parts, Mr. Horn determined to try and solve this ques- 

 tion in a practical manner. His proposal was received 

 with great favour all over Australia, and Mr. Horn was 

 fortunate enough to secure the services of Prof. Spencer 

 of Melbourne, Mr. Watt of Sydney, and Prof. Tate and 

 Dr. Stirling of Adelaide to carry it out. Mr. Winnecke 

 was selected as surveyor and meteorologist. The party, 

 completely equipped and accompanied by camel-drivers, 

 collectors, prospectors, and others — sixteen in all, with 

 twenty-six camels and two horses — left Oodnadatta, the 

 northern terminus of the railway from Adelaide, on 

 May 6, 1894. Mr. Horn himself escorted them to a 

 point 1000 miles north of Adelaide. Here he left them 

 to proceed into the recesses of the " Eremian region," 

 where they devoted about three months to their explora- 

 tions. The greater part of this time was spent in what 

 is termed the " Larapintine " district, where the Mac- 

 Donnell Ranges run up to an altitude of 5000 feet, and 

 are drained by the Finke River, of which the native name 

 is the Larapinta. We will now proceed to examine the 

 results arrived at from the study of the zoological collec- 

 tions made by the expedition in this district. 



The volume before us contains articles on the Mammals, 

 NO. I 394, VOL. 54] 



Amphibians and Crustaceans, by Prof. Spencer ; on the 

 Birds, by Mr. North ; on the Reptiles, by Messrs. Lucas 

 and Frost ; on the Fishes, by Mr. Zietz ; and on the 

 Molluscs, by Prof. Tate. Various leading groups of In- 

 sects are reported on by Mr. Lower, the Rev. T. Black- 

 burn, Mr. Tepper, Mr. Sloane, and Mr. Froggatt. Mr. 

 H. R. Hogg writes on the Spiders, and Mr. W'aite 

 specially on the difificult group of Mice (Muridas). There 

 are some additions made in an appendix. 



From Prof. Spencer's report on the Mammals we learn 

 that examples of twenty- six species, representing all the 

 five orders of Mammals met with elsewhere in Australia, 

 were secured, of which the Marsupials were naturally the 

 most numerous, twelve of the species being referable to 

 this group. Four of these are assigned to new specific 

 forms, which Prof. Spencer has named Phascologalc mac- 

 donnellensis, Sminthopsis larapinta., S.psammcphilus, and 

 Dasyuroides byrtiei. The so-called " Marsupial Mole " 

 {Notoryctes typhlops) is the single representative of the 

 only family of Marsupials confined exclusively to the 

 " Eremian region." This little animal is still extremely 

 rare and difficult to obtain, but more than forty speci- 

 mens have passed through Prof. Spencer's hands, and 

 some interesting details are given about it. Dr. Stirling, 

 its original discoverer, and Prof. Spencer are now en- 

 gaged upon an investigation of its teeth, fur, and repro- 

 ductive organs. 



As regards the latter. Prof. Spencer has already come 

 to the conclusion that Notoryctes is " merely a Marsupial 

 modified so as to adopt the burrowing habits," and is 

 " in no manner whatever an intermediate form between 

 Monotremes and Marsupials." 



The bird skins obtained during the Horn Expedition 

 by Mr. G. A. Keartland are reported upon by Mr. North, 

 the ornithologist of the Australian Museum, Sydney. 

 They are referred to seventy-eight species, amongst 

 which are five novelties already described in The Ibis 

 for 1895. Mr. Keartland's useful field-notes are given, 

 as also his remarks on twenty-two other species observed, 

 but of which no specimens were obtained. .A.s a rule, 

 the species belong to well-known Australian genera. One 

 of the most remarkable is the Alexandrine Parrakeet 

 {Polytelis alexandraf), described by Gould in 1863, of 

 which little, however, was known until recently. This 

 beautiful bird appears to be a characteristic inhabitant 

 of the Eremian district, and was met with in abund- 

 ance at Glen Edith. Mr. North has made a new genus 

 of it — Spathopteriis — which appears to be quite un- 

 necessary. We may add that living specimens of it, of 

 both sexes, are now to be seen in the Zoological Society's 

 parrot-house. 



The Reptiles of the Horn Expedition consist of 

 Lizards and Snakes. The former are referred by Messrs. 

 Lucas and Frost to forty species, amongst which, how- 

 ever, are counted some specimens obtained by Prof. 

 Spencer (during a second visit to the same district 

 in the winter of 1895. I" the dry and hot interior of 

 Australia, Lacertine life is, as was to be expected, abun- 

 dant, both in individuals and in species, and eight forms 

 are described by the authors as new and characteristic 

 of the Eremian district. The Geckos, Agamids, and 

 Skinks are the prevailing families here, as in the rest 

 of Australia. Besides these no less than six species of 



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