2o4 iH . Queensland Naturalist. Vol. 1 
The Department of Public Instruction also issues Nature 
Study Leaflets to teachers, to guide them in their work, 
that are of merit as far as they go. 
The non-official Queensland Educational Journal often 
again contains articles on nature study that conform to a 
high though special standard. But these seldom relate to 
biological topics, or are treated from the point of view of the 
biologist. I am especiedly encouraged to dwell on their 
excellence, seeing that they are the outpourings of a fountain 
of knowledge so replete, on which the club itself has been 
privileged to draw with such advantage. But all these 
are like cries in the wilderness, where thirstiness for the 
living water from the fountain of biological knowledge 
everywhere prevails. 
NOTES ON THE HABITS OF A FEW INSECTS. 
By A. A. Girault. 
1. Flies Reacting to the Odor of Carbide. — During the late 
afternoon of January 19, 1912, while refilling an acetylene 
lamp in a forest near a cane field in the Mulgrave district 
(near Cairns), North Queensland, a large number of flies 
were suddenly noticed swarming over a spot on the forest 
floor, several feet away. Observation showed that they were 
gathered about a small amount of the nearly “ spent ” 
carbide, which had just been dumped from the chamber of 
the lamp on to the ground several minutes previous to the 
appearance of the flies. This residue had the distinct, 
disagreeable odor peculiar to carbide, and it is obvious that 
the flies had been attracted by it. They were not feeding 
upon it, but continued around it for half an hour or so, or 
until I left. On another spot, several fresh lumps of carbide 
were placed (about fifteen feet away) and moistened. Flies 
soon began to gather. The facts show how very sensitive 
is the sense of smeU in muscoid flies, and how their food is 
found. All the species were muscoids belonging to the group 
which frequent decomposed flesh ; Musca domestica Linnaeus 
formed a small proportion of them, but the majority appeared 
to be a single specie resembling a Lucilia. Their sudden 
appearance was the more noticeable because they were absent 
or unobserved previously. The same thing has been observed 
in primitive jungles when, at times, the absence of insect 
life appears to be total, they are so little seen or heard. 
2. Tettigids Swimming. — Going through the grass to the 
edge of a small pool of water, about half-a-dozen tettigids 
hopped into the latter, and it was surprising to see with what 
ease they swam, using for that purpose the posterior tibiae 
