80 
NiCHOLLS — New blind AmpJripod from Victoria. 
ahcphardi) aii<l, ulon^sidt*, were found two terrestriui forins^ Tali- 
trus fiph'aticiis and ('uharis ltd infiian us. On tlie Mt. Buffalo 
Plateau^ under logs and leaves, I took a. few Talitrus (probably T. 
sylvalicLis) and an Oniseid, not yet identifie<l. ik)tli species of 
Phreatoicus described from I'iastern Australia have been taken at 
comparable and even greater heights. 
The \'ict()i-ian sjiecimoiis (jf N conipharpus spvnccri^ first re- 
eeive<l by Sayce, si'em to have i)eeii taken from a precisely similar 
situation, though at a much lower altitude, yet these retained well- 
developiMl ('yes. From Tasmania n numiter of specdes of Neoni- 
pharpvs have been rc'corded by Thomson and Geoffrey Smith, but 
ap])arently all of these occur in o[)eii wat(‘r anil none aia' blind. 
It is j)vo})able, therefore, that N. speiircri normally liccs for 
a considerable ])art of the year in open water, wliile the Mt. P>uffalo 
f{n-in has ix'come permanently ada])ied to a life in darkness. It 
seems not to occur in Lak(^ Gatani (into \vhich the bog drains^, nor 
in tile Xew R('servoir, both of which liave Ijeen made practically 
pennaJH'iit and coinjiarati vely di'cp in recent years by the con- 
stniction of a dam near the original (uitlet. Apart from these 
two small lakes, there seems to be oji the Phiteau no standing 
water. The lesser cr(*('ks ajid runm'ls would be likely to fn'cze 
solidly during the (piite sevc'ia' nnd prolonged winter se'asmi, wliile 
the many sliallow swamps would also be liable to become completely 
dry.'" Only in the sheltered waters In'iieatli the surface of the bog 
would these Am])hi])ods be likely to survive u])on the Blat('au in 
a r('trcat s('mire from Indh freezing and dessication. Fxcejd for 
these two (hmstaceans and a few insect larvae, the waters of this 
area seemed devoid of life at the time of my visit. 
in size, Nroiiiplnirf/as ohriciii is smaller than any species of its 
genus described hitherto, my largest siK'cimen baredy ‘exceeding 5 
mm. As a further adaptation, probably, to life in' these sunless 
peaty waters, there are a number of accessory branchiae. ft is 
highly ])robabie that the water beneath a foot or so of moss (much 
of it dead), would Ik* but compai'ati vely poorly oxygvnated. It is 
I lu* PlnrafoicKs sp. which occurs abundantly and wid(*spread 
over the Plateau, seems much more able to survive a considerable 
<legT(*e of dessication. A large number of specimens were taken on 
<>m‘ occasion (Feb. 14th) curled up on the surface of some rapidly 
•Ipving mud. beneath a piece of I, ark. Some of these were taken, 
uith the underlying mud, and kept without water, in a small 
lyniden box, till my return to Perth on March 4th. Placed in w iter 
they promptly unrolled and continued to lead an active existmicJ 
m the laboratory f,n- several w(vks. when they all died during tie' 
prevaimice of a short spell of hot weather. I have similarlv taken 
/. l-u,to,n and P. palustris curleil up in practically dry mud.' 
