96 THE VICTORIAN NA.TURALIST. 



see this little stranger, of which he informed me he had only 

 seen a few imperfect specimens, which had been dredged up 

 from the bottom during one of the expeditions to the north 

 polar regions, a curious coincidence which suggests that the 

 same form of life may be expected to exist in the south polar 

 regions as is found in the north. These shells are too minute 

 for inspection without the aid of some magnifying power, but 

 amply repay closer observation under a microscope. 



Such are some amongst many of the wonders which may be 

 obtained from the ocean, but there are hundreds which it is 

 impossible to describe adequately or to preserve satisfactorily 

 in any way. The only way of seeing them in their beauty and 

 freshness is to make a tour throughout the world and capture 

 them alive, a labour which would be "found equally interesting 

 and instructive. 



I would conclude my paper by expressing the hope that I 

 have not exhausted the patience of my audience, but have, 

 perchance, excited in some the desire to prosecute a search for 

 the treasures of the ocean. 



NOTES ON SOME SALSOLACEOUS PLANTS; 

 By Baron von Mueller, K.C.M.G., M. & Ph.D., F.R.S. 

 Atriplkx Quinii. 



Slightly shrubby, comparatively dwarf, grey from minute 

 appressed scalelets ; leaves from rhomboid- to linear-lanceolate, 

 almost or quite entire ; staminate flowers mostly in clusters at 

 the summit of branchlets ; pistillate flowers mostly lower down, 

 few or two together or some singly scattered, their stalklets 

 finally conspicuous, hemiellipsoid-cylindric; the two segments 

 of the involucre renate or somewhat verging into a rhomboid 

 form, entire or distantly denticulated, upwards rather mem- 

 branous, at their base bearing a small but prominent and quite 

 renate appendage; fruit placed at the base of the involucral 

 segments close to the stalklet ; radicle ascending. 



Near Mount Margaret (Babbage); near the Grey-Range and 

 at Koorningbirri (Baeuerlen). 



This Atriplex approaches in its affinity to A. stipitatum, but 

 that species has usually broader leaves, the staminate and pistil- 

 late flowers on separate plants, the staminate clusters in inter- 

 rupted leafless spikes, the pistillate flowers on much more elon- 

 gating stalklets, and the involucral segments larger and quite 

 unappendiculated. 



This salt-bush is doubtless of pastoral value ; it is dedicated 

 to Edw. Quin, Esq., J. P., of Tarella, a leading colonist of 



