>42 



NA TURE 



[July i6, 1896 



Varanus were met with, of which two are believed to 

 be previously unrecognised. The remarkably ugly 

 MolocJi /loyn'iiiis \\a.s mci with "in the open, during the 

 day," throughout the expedition. The Snakes were not 

 so numerous as the Lizards, but Hornea pulchella, a 

 new genus and species of Elapida;, was amongst the 

 discoveries. 



It would hardly be supposed that Central Australia 

 would be a likely place for Amphibians, but wherever 

 there were water-holes frogs were found in fair numbers, 

 and Prof. Spencer gives us some very interesting remarks 

 on them. Almost all of them belonged to two species — 

 Hyla rubella and Liinnodyiiasles ornattts. On visiting 

 Charlotte Waters immediately after a heavy rainfall. 

 Prof. Spencer found the " creeks and clay-pans swarm- 

 ing with frogs." As the waters dry up, the frogs dis- 

 appear in their burrows, and remain hidden until rain 

 comes again. Certain species of them (Chiroleptes 

 platycephalus and others) gorge themselves with water 

 before they go into their retreats, and in times of drought 

 the natives dig them out and secure water enough from 

 their bodies to satisfy thirst. Prof Spencer gives a 

 figure (PI. xiv.. Fig. g) of a specimen of the above-named 

 species with its "body swollen out with water." 



As the frogs, so the fishes of the Eremian district hide 

 themselves in the deeper water-holes, but they are not 

 known to burrow. Examples of seven species were 

 obtained, five of which, representing four genera, are 

 new to science, and are described as such by Mr. 

 2ietz. 



Prof. Tate, one of the members of the expedition, 

 himself describes the Mollusca. Before the advent of 

 the party, the published information respecting the land- 

 shells of this region was limited to three species, which 

 number is now increased to twenty-five — nearly all of 

 them new to science. The facies of this part of the 

 Fauna approximates lather to that of West Australia, 

 than to any other part of the continent. 



"The limited number of genera represented, together 

 with the facts of their distribution, seem to indicate a 

 primitive population which has been maintained in 

 isolation by climatic and geological changes." 



One genus (the Central-Australian Mollusca) was pre- 

 viously known only from New Caledonia. Mr. Hedley 

 adds to Prof. Tate's article notes on the anatomical 

 structure of some of the species. 



For an account of the Crustacea of the Horn Expedi- 

 tion, we are again indebted to Prof. Spencer, who 

 remarks that the rate of growth of some of the species 

 must be very great. Not more than two weeks after 

 rain had first fallen, and probably in only a few days, 

 numberless specimens of an Apus, measuring from two 

 to three inches in length, were swimming about in the 

 water-holes, whereas before the rainfall not a single one 

 could be found. Ten species of Crustacea in all were 

 met with, Estheria packardi being the most widely 

 distributed ; whilst two {Limnadopsis sqiiirci and L. tatei) 

 are, so far as is yet known, confined to the central 

 region. 



We need not go deeply into the various groups of 

 insects which are the subjects of most of the remaining 

 pages of the volume. Butterflies are rare in Central 

 NO. 1394, VOL. 54] 



.\ustralia, and examples of only five (already known) 

 species were met with, and of moths specimens of only 

 about fifteen species were captured. On the other hand, 

 800 specimens of Coleoptera, representing 145 species, 

 were obtained, and of these sixty-two are new, and four 

 of them belong to new genera. The Coleoptera were 

 worked out by the Rev. T. Blackburn, of the South 

 Australian Museum, except the Carabidaj, which Mr. 

 -Sloane undertook. Mr. J. G. O. Teppcr informs us that 

 the Orthoptera brought back by the expedition present 

 few novelties, but that the knowledge acquired as to 

 the distribution of the species is valuable. As regards 

 the Formicida;, a special essay is contributed by Mr. 

 Froggatt on the Honey-ants. It is perhaps little known, 

 except amongst professed entomologists, that certain 

 species of this group have adopted the curious plan of 

 " turning some of their fellows into animated honey-pots." 

 Instead of placing honey in a comb as the busy bees do, 

 the ants select a certain number of workers, and disgorge 

 the honey obtained from the Eucalypti (on which it is 

 deposited by Coccida; and other insects) into the throats 

 of their victims. The process being continually repeated, 

 causes the stomachs of these workers to be distended to 

 an enormous size. This extraordinary habit was first 

 discovered in the case of certain ants in Mexico, and 

 subsequently shown by Mr. M'Cook to prevail also in 

 Colorado. It has been found to exist in Australia also, 

 and Mr. Froggatt describes and figures three ants of the 

 genus Camponotiis that pursue this remarkable practice. 

 The enormous size of the abdomen thus acquired by the 

 unfortunate worker is shown in the central figure of 

 Plate xxvii. These ants are a favourite food of the 

 hungry native. 



To sum up, we may repeat that this volume, which is 

 well printed on good paper and excellently illustrated, 

 does the greatest credit to Australia and to its enter- 

 prising citizens. They may well be pleased with Mr. 

 Horn, who has not only planned and executed this 

 important piece of work, but has also exerted himself 

 so successfully on a point that is too often neglected in 

 such undertakings — that is, on having the results 

 thoroughly well worked out, and thus made known to 

 science all over the world. 



THE WATER SUPPLY OF NEW YORK. 

 T/if Water Supply of Ihe City of New York, 1658-1895. 

 By Edward Wegmann, C.E. (New York : J. Wiley 

 and Sons. London : Chapman and Hall, 1896.) 



THIS work consists of a quarto volume of nearly 200 

 pages, with appendices and 148 plates, in addition 

 to seventy-three figures in the text. 



It was not until the year 1842 that the citizens of New 

 York were able to celebrate the completion of their first 

 water- works of importance. The works then constructed 

 soon proved inadequate to the supply, and have had to 

 be supplemented from time to time from other sources. 



In view of the agitation which is now going on for 

 improving the water supply of London, the particulars 

 given in this book, of the various steps which have been 

 taken for providing an adequate supply to the City of 

 New York, arc of considerable interest. 



In 1875, 'he then source of supply being found in- 



