INTRODUCTION — WAITE. O 



to obtain tliis pretty slicll, jukI so well did they succeod tliat it is 

 now almost exterminated tVom its old haunts; the species, T. 

 Laviarcki, however, also occiu's in deeper water outside the iiai'hour, 

 and examples were obtained by tlie "Thetis." The collections 

 made by the "Astrolabe" liave betm fully examined and the 

 results published. Many intei'esting obsei-vations on the fauna 

 of the coast are recorded.* 



H.]\[.S. "Fly," together with her tender the " Bi'anible," was 

 in Sj'dney several times between 1842 and 1<S45 refitting for her 

 surveying cruise. She also put in at Port (Stephens, but it is not 

 clear if she dredged in our waters. The specimens obtained may 

 have been collected at low tide. A crustacean, Xantho depLanatus, 

 White, is described from Garden Island, Port Jack son. f 



The surveying work of the "Fly" Avas continued by H.M.S. 

 " Rattlesnake," and in the years 1848 and 1849 she also took in 

 supplies at Sydney. Several dredgings were made, principally in 

 Bass and Torres Straits, but specimens are also recorded from 

 Port Jackson and Jervis Bay. J At Cape B3'ron, an immature 

 Gasteropod was taken and afterwards named by Gray 2Iac- 

 gillivrayia 2:>elagica.^ 



In 1857 H.M.S. " Herald" visited our waters, and in April of 

 that 3^ear dredged off Port Stephens and Cape Three Points in 

 70-80 fathoms. Of Mollusca obtained may be mentioned Fleuro- 

 toma suavis, Smith,|| and of Polyzoa Lumclites crassa, Tenison 

 Woods, L. angulojmra, Tenison Woods, and species of Sele^iaria.*^ 

 I am not aware of any collected results of this early expedition of 

 the " Herald"; the material was scattered, some Mollusca going to 

 London, while the Polyzoa remained at the Macleay Museum 

 in Sydney. It was evidently taken charge of by Mr. W. S. 

 Macleay, who, as is apparent from the latter work quoted, was on 

 board when the dredgings were made. 



The following year, or thereabouts, the Austrian frigate 

 ■" Novara " called at Sydney during her voyage round the world 

 in 1857-9, and made collections in our waters. The results of the 

 expedition were published in Vienna.** 



When H.M.S. "Challenger" visited Australia in 1874, the 

 trawl was put down several times off New South Wales, and many 



* Voyage de 1' "Astrolabe," iv., 1S33, pp. 323-4. 



t Voyage H.M.S. " Fly," ii., 1847, p. 337. See also Appendix. 



X Voyage H.M.S. "Rattlesnake," ii., 1852, App., pp. .368-374. 



§ Loc. cit., i., p. 45. 



Ii Smith— Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. (6), ii., ISSS, p. 305. 



IT Tenison Woods —Trans. Koy. Soa. S.A., iii., ISSO, pp. 5, 7, 9. 



** Reise der Osterreichschen Fregatte Novara, 1869. 



