THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 175 



On this evidently rare and autumnal-flowering Draksea has 

 been bestowed the name of Robt. Hunt,' Esq., C.M.G., F.G.S., 

 Master of the Sydney-Mint and Vice-President of the Com- 

 mittee of the Technological Museum there, in recognition, how- 

 ever inadequate, of his favouring for a long while the collecting 

 journeys of the discoverer of this plant. 



Two observers have drawn into doubt the irritability of the 

 labellura of D. irritabilis, a characteristic on which, in 1S56, I 

 founded the specific name of that plant. But Mr. Baeueiien 

 also noticed in D. Huntiana^ that at the slightest touch the 

 labellum snatches across to the anther and stigma, subsequently 

 returning with slowness to its remote positions. On one specimen 

 before me is observable, that the new growth of D. irritabilis 

 commences with leaves ; these however have withered away, 

 when the stem advances to the flowering state. Unrecorded 

 localities of D. irritabilis are : Cave-Creek (W. Armitt), New- 

 castle (R. Fitzgerald). D. elastica occurs on Stirling's Range 

 (F. V. M.), at Geographe-Bay (Miss Bunbury). 



Of the nearly-allied genus Caleya we have species now from 

 the following localities, also : — C. major, Airey's Inlet (Mrs. E. C. 

 Parke), Barghurk-Creek (J. Johnson), Moe (Dr. Lucas), Fulham 

 (Mrs. Martin), Lai Lai Creek (Weidenbach), Richmond-River 

 (Fawcett). The empty bract is, in some instances, placed near 

 the stem-base ; occasionally as many as six flowers occur. C. 

 minor, UUadulla (Baeuerlen). The plant however, which as 

 such is mentioned in the " Fl. Austr." from New England, proves 

 to be a small state of C. major. C. nigrita, Upper Swan-River 

 (Miss Sevvell). 



VICTORIAN SHARKS. 



By a. H. S. Lucas, M.A., B.Sc. 



(Read befote the Field Naturalists' CUtb of Victoria, x\tJi 

 January, 1889.^ 



I HAVE thought that it will be convenient to put together a brief 

 account of the members of this sub-order of fishes which are to 

 be met with near our coasts. Whether seen swimming around, 

 or, as has occasionally happened, within, our public baths, or 

 captured after an exciting chase by a crew of indignant fishermen 

 and exhibited at one of our seaside resorts, or when tossed on 

 the shore contemptuously as the nets are emptied, or when 

 pulling familiarly at the line which the disgusted amateur is 

 trailing for flathead or snapper, the shark, great or small, when- 

 ever and wherever he appears, is interesting. 



It is easy to tell a shark or dog-fish (for dog-fish are but small 

 sharks) from one of the ordinary bony fishes. The shark has 

 five gill-slits on each side of his neck ; other fish a single, 

 usually wide, slit protected by a number of flat bones arranged to 



