IIUHN EXPEDITION NAKKATIVE. 117 



the Olio vvick'ly spre;wl .species and, wluire tliere was saiul, there the l^lacks withouL 

 clillieulty obtained specimens of the burrowing frog, Liiiinodynasies oniatus. 



Lizards were not especially abundant, only eleven species being found. 

 Amongst the Geckonidie species of Heteroiiota and Geliyra were found, and 

 amongst the Pygopodidte the thin bodied and elongate Lialis burluni. The 

 Agamida", so nuuu'rous in tiie sandy and loamy pl/iins, weie only represented by 

 the widely spread AmpJiibolurus reticuhitiis, whilst the most abundant forms 

 belonged to the family Scincidie wjiicli was represented by such widely spread 

 forms a.s Egernia ivhitii and Hiitulia lesiiciirii. In addition to these two, three 

 species of skinks, viz., Rhodoiia bipes and Ablcplianis greyi and biirtoiii were found 

 here and nowhere else, and a single specimen was seen of a new red-tailed variety 

 of Ablepharus lineo-ocellatus which is somewhat widely spread, being found from 

 Alice Springs in the north to the Goyder River in the south. 



A considerable amount of time was sj^ent in collecting insects of various 

 kinds : — under stones by the water-side there was of course the common little carab 

 Tachys spcnccri and two species of 8taphylinid:e, a small black and a larger black 

 and red one {Pliilonthus s/ibcingulalits and Cryptobius inasiersi). Turn uj) any 

 stone by the side of a water-hole in the James aiul McDonnell Ranges and you 

 will be sure to find the first and at least one of the latter two. 



The flowering shrul)s were as usual disappointing. Cassia arteniesioides was 

 covered with masses of bright yellow blossom, but scarcely a single insect was to 

 be secured by shaking except certain Curcu'lionidte which were everywhere more 

 in evidence than any other form of beetles. I never saw an insect in the Cassia 

 flowers, and it was a curious fact that though everywhere the shrubs were 

 flowering luxuriantly the pods formed were but few in numljer and most of thOm 

 contained only ill-formed seeds. If the flowers Ije entomt))>hilus as is most 

 proljably the ca,se then they were evidently suffering from a lack of insect life 

 which is probably to bi; associated with the low temperature at night-time, and 

 the frecjuent occurrence now that it was (July) mitl-winter of a luting south east 

 wind during the day-time. 



To secure beetles in Central Australia you really want to be there during 

 the rainy season — in fact during a succession of sc^asons for just before and just 

 after a heavy rainfall they appear for a short time and then rapidly disappear. 



Howevei', during our three days' spell at Palm Creek forty seven species were 

 collected of which twenty-five were new. To anyone who h.is had the experience 

 of collecting in Central Australia tlui-ing the dry mouths when at night your water 



