COLLECTION MADE BY W. S WILL E-K EXT, F.L S., F.Z.S., ETC. 229 



tion of the subject will, I am inclined to think, indicate the 

 desirability of adopting a middle course, and lead to the establishment 

 of several of the hitherto imperfectly defined species on a sounder 

 basis, and around which a greater or less number of the sub species 

 or varieties may then be satisfacorily grouped. In order to arrive 

 at this more desirable position, however, much careful work has to 

 be accomplished, and especially with reference to the acquirement of 

 a more perfect knowledge of the structural and developmental details 

 of the living animals that secrete the shells, upon which alon Q their 

 specific distinctions have hitherto been based. In so far as the 

 opportunities will be afforded me of, in such manner, investigating 

 the specific varieties indigenous to the Queensland Coast, I shall 

 hope to communicate a further report to some future meeting Oj? 

 the Society. 



The remaining Mollusca collected being of interest from a 

 museum rather than an economic standpoint, I have asked Mr. 

 Hedley, who is making this branch of zoology a special study, 

 to record any observations of interest that may be attached to 

 them. I may briefly mention here, however, that one great 

 prize in the form of a Pearly Nautilus, Nautilus pompilius y 

 with the living animal was narrowly missed. Early one 

 morning on the return voyage from Cambridge Gulf to Port 

 Darwin, some of the hands reported that a floating nautilus 

 shell with what was graphically described as " something like a 

 cauliflower sticking out of it," had just been passed. Captam 

 Vereker immediately ordered the ship to be put about, boats were 

 lowered, and a careful search was made along the wake just passed, 

 but without any result, the nautilus having evidently taken alarm 

 and descended again to its ocean bed. 



Time has not yet permitted of my working sytematically 

 through the collection of Crustacea. V includes, however, a large 

 edible form of crab that excavates deep burrows in the mangrove 

 swamps in Cambridge Gulf and the neighbourhood of Port Darwin, 

 and is allied to, if not identical with, the Moreton Bay species, 

 Scylla serrata. Many varieties of prawns were taken with the aid of 

 v 



