* frwiiBif, 



Published by the Gordon Technical C^lh^iJK^agJjSvthe 



Allied Associations. Af 2m, ^ v 



4 



OCT 23 2943 





Vol. IV.— No. i. NOVEMBER, 1898. No. 13. 



/!// communications to be addressed to the editor, Mr. H . 

 E. Hill, at the Gordon Technical College, Geelong, Victoria, 

 Australia. 



The editor is not responsible for the statements in any paper. 



NOTES. 



Dealing with the subject of the acclimatisation of animals, 

 in the report of the proceedings of the Sixth Annual Conference 

 of Producers of W. A., an article by Mr. R. Helms, 

 contains the following remarks : — " I am very much opposed 

 to indiscriminate acclimatisation regarding reputed beneficial 

 animals. With the best meant intentions great bunglings 

 have been committed, of which Australia may furnish sufficient 

 examples. Even in connection with the acclimatisation of 

 humble bees, this work has been bungled. The two species 

 introduced into New Zealand are Bombtis terrestris and B. 

 hortorum. The first is useless for the fertilisation of clover 

 because it is one of the two species whose tongue is too short 

 for reaching the nectaries, and, as already stated, it bites holes 

 at the base of flowers, and B. hortorum, according to Hermann 

 Muller, the famous observer and author on the fertilisation of 

 flowers by insects, never visits red clover in Germany. It 

 appears, however, that in New Zealand this insect has taken 

 to visiting clover, which, if true, has proved that the well- 

 intentioned, though bungling acclimatisation of it, has been 

 a success against all rational expectation." 



Publications for the library should be addressed to the 

 hon. librarian at the college. 



The hon. curators of the museum beg to acknowledge 

 with thanks receipt of the following : — Q. Agric. Jnl., Vol II., 

 Part 6 and Vol. III., Parts 1 and 2, Vol. I, Part 1 ; Cat. Aust. 



