THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



91 



describes the appearance, use, and struc- 

 ture of the article to the blind folk, and 

 finally the article is taken round to he 

 handled by each visitor in turn. By 

 passing his hands over it the student 

 gains by touch a. complete knowledge ot 

 its texture, weight, and size. Meanwhile 

 he is reminded of the particular points 

 not id by the lecturer. Perhaps thi'ce 

 or lour such articles will be studied b.\ 

 the party tluring their visit. In the en i 

 the t)liiid boy or girl probably carrie- 

 away a better knowledge of the things 

 studied than those who have seen them. 

 but seen them with a hasty glance. Tlie 

 blind students, so their teacher says, 

 look forward to their visit to the 

 Museum rather as a treat than as a les- 

 son. 



The Young of the Platypus. — Acting- 

 Professor L. Harrison had a novel ex- 

 hibit at the October meeting of the 

 Linnean Society of New South Wales, 

 in the shape of two young platypuses 

 in their nest. The funny little things 

 were about tliree weeks old, and looked 

 like pink sausages. In the dark nest 

 tliey were quiescent, but, when placed 

 on tile table, they displayed extraordin- 

 ary energy, tumbling about incessantly, 

 turning somersaults and twisting them- 

 selves into the most comical positions. 

 Mr. Harry Burrell, an enthusiastic stu- 

 dent of the monotremes, who has done 

 splendid work in elucidating the life 

 history of the platypus, and wlio se- 

 cured these specimens on the Nanioi 

 River, says tliat the young of both the 

 platyims and the echidna may almost 

 be said to att'ord an instance ot per- 

 petual motion. 



By the kindness of Acting-Professor 

 Harrison and Mr. Bui'rell we have been 

 enabled to make colour sketches of these 

 balnes, which will l)e subsequently cast 

 and exhibited with their nest in the 

 Museum. 



Travels of a Geologist. — Professor 

 Sir Edgeworth Da\id, trustee, has re- 

 cently returned from an extended geo- 

 logical tour, during which he visited 

 Victoria, Soutli Australia, and Western 

 Australia, in order to obtain materials 

 and information for his forthcoming 

 work on the geology of Australia. 

 Amongst other places of interest, lie 



visited tlie curious mound springs of 

 Central Australia, and examined the 

 gy]isuni deposits and salt lakes of Cape 

 Yorke Peninsula. In Western Australia 

 I'rofessor David travelled as far north 

 as Nullagine, where he inspected the re- 

 markable auriferous and diamond-beai'- 

 ing conglomerates which are found 

 there. He also examined the Collie and 

 Irwin River coal measures of Western 

 Australia, and was able to establish im- 

 portant correlations with the coal beds 

 of Eastern Australia. Sir Edgeworth 

 travelled extensively over the great Nul- 

 larbor Plains in the south east corner 

 of Western Australia; these form a near- 

 ly level and almost treeless expanse, 

 stretcliing for 400 miles east and west, 

 and almost as far north and south. The 

 distinguished scientist pays a warm tri- 

 bute to the many friends who assisted 

 him in his geological and geographical 

 researches, and speaks in the highest 

 terms of the intelligence ami fine quali- 

 ties of many of the aborigines whom he 

 encountered on his journeys. 



A Zealo!us Collector. — Mr. E. H. 

 Rainford, of Bowen, Queensland, has 

 been engaged for some time collecting 

 for the Museum on the (Queensland 

 coast. His efforts are (|uite voluntary, 

 and have already resulted in much 

 valuable material and interesting notes 

 on the habits of the animals which have 

 come under his notice. Writing of the 

 carnivorous habits of the marine worm 

 Nereis he says: "One day at low water 

 my attention was drawn by the activity 

 of some green Nereis pursuing a pink 

 worm of the same shape and size as 

 themselves — apparently they differed 

 only in colour. As soon as the Nereis 

 discovered the pink one it raced after 

 it, endeavouring to head it off; when 

 level witli the fugitive it suddenly i)ro- 

 truded from its mouth a white bladder 

 [its stomach — Ed.] which fastened on 

 to the head of its prey (sometimes 

 three or four attempts were necessary) ; 

 through tliis protuberance the Nereis 

 absorbed tlie whole of its victim fairly 

 quickly. Sometimes two Nereids would 

 attack the same worm, one the head, the 

 other the tail, and continue swallowing 

 until they met in the middle, when each 

 would go its way peacefully." 



