890 NOTES AND EXHIBITS. 



NOTES AND EXHIBITS. 



Mr. North exhibited a set of the eggs (four in number) of 

 Aplonis fascus, lately collected on Lord Howe Island, by Mr. E. 

 H. Saunders. 



Mr. Ogilby communicated the following note on the cause of 

 death in tishes from the National Park, N. S. Wales : — 



" During the earlier part of the present month Mr. R. W. 

 Robertson, M.L.A., brought to the Australian Museum two 

 speciiueus of Black Bream {Chrysophrijs australis), which, as he 

 informed me, had been picked up dead above the weir in the 

 National Paik, aud he also stated that two or three were found 

 there daily in a dead or dying condition. Mr. Robertson, being 

 anxious to know the cause of the mortality among the fishes in 

 the Reserve, brought them to me, and a very cursory examina- 

 tion suiHced to satisfy me that death was due to the attacks of a 

 species of Saprolegnia : being cognisant from personal experience 

 of the ravages caused by the same or a similar fungus among the 

 fresh-water fi.shes of thy British Isles, I considered ic advisable to 

 notify our Fishery Commissioners of the presence of this pest, 

 and on doing .so was requested to proceed to the Park and 

 examine into the state of the fish above the weir : accordingly 

 on the following Saturday, the 16th instant, 1 proceeded thither 

 in company with Dr. Cox and Messrs. Smithers and White- 

 legge, the latter gentleman having been included at my request 

 on account of his special knowledge of diseases caused by 

 cryptogamic organisms ; notwithstanding, however, that we 

 tried every possible means of obtaining specimens, we failed 

 entirely, and would have been obliged to return unsuccessful 

 but that, at the furthest point to which our boat could go, 

 one of the employes on the Park caught by hand a large 

 fresh-water eel {Anyuilla aicstralis), which was endeavouring 

 to climb up the face of a sloping rock ; on examination, the 

 reason for this extraordinary behaviour was at once apparent ; 

 the head, and especially the soft parts surrounding the 



