THE VICTORIAN NATDEALIST. 153 



Wales along the East coast, and is also generally distributed 

 over the isles of the S.W. Pacific. It is a strong flier — a flight 

 of 300 or 400 miles is not without record — and in this way we 

 can readily explain its presence in Melbourne this year. Albert 

 Park has been a very garden of butterflies. The pretty Danais 

 Petelia simply took possession. This is a not uncommon species 

 in Queensland and New South Wales. Two specimens, at 

 least, of Papilio Macleaniajius have been seen this year. 

 Pieris ega, a beautiful white butterfly, occasionally found near 

 Marysville, but having its home in the northern colonies, has 

 this summer been hailed as a prize by many a young collector, 

 and Pieris Teuionia has simply swarmed. We are most glad 

 to hear that several of these great rarities have been seen 

 and captured by young collectors. We wish them continued 

 energy and success, but ask them to note their captures in the 

 Naturalist. — T. P. Lucas, Balaclava, ist March. 



Platypus in the Yarra. — Two old pupils of mine, Messrs. 

 Grove and Nye, while boating recently on the Yarra, just above 

 the Johnston-street Bridge, observed a platypus swimming about. 

 They gave chase, and succeeded in effecting a capture, and 

 kindly brought me the specimen alive. It was a ycung male, 

 about fifteen inches in length. I fed him, and placed him in a 

 warm nest, after watching him swim and dive a while. But he 

 seemed to have been injured by the oar during capture, and he 

 died twenty-four hours after I received him. It is, I think, 

 some time since one of these animals has been met with so near 

 Melbourne. — A. H. S. Lucas. 



Experiments with a Tadpole. — In the late Mr. Denton's 

 little book, " Is Darwin Right 7' there occurs the following 

 statement : — " If tadpoles be kept in the dark they will never 

 turn into frogs." Being sceptical as to the truth of the state- 

 ment, I resolved upon putting it to the test, and accordingly 

 captured two tadpoles of the beautiful golden-green frog 

 ( Ranoidea aureaj in the Fitzroy Gardens. I placed them in a 

 wide-mouth glass jar and put them in a dark cupboard, where 

 not the faintest gleam of light could penetrate. This was on 

 the 2oth January last. I replenished the water each night. On 

 the second day one of the tadpoles died. I removed the dead 

 tadpole and well washed the jar, re-filled it, and returned the 

 living tadpole ; but it also died on the seventh day, I believe 

 owing to absence of light. Hence, I conclude, whatever truth 

 the statement mentioned may contain, it is based on the fact 

 that under such conditions they never live to pass through the 

 metamorphosis from the tadpole state into the mature batrachian. 

 — S. H. Wintle. 



