The South Australian Naturalist. 
131 
Membracidae, the members of which are remarkable because 
they have the thorax greatly enlarged and often developed 
into fantastic forms. 
Two species of snakes are said to he taken on the island, 
the Brown Snake and the Death-adder, but they are both 
rarely seen. Goannas are common, living in old penguin 
burrows and two specimens were dug out alive. They are 
said to keep the numbers of snakes down. 
Eeevesby Island was next visited. It is composed of 
three nearly separate island masses, joined together by sand- 
spits and sandliills. The northernmost section has been 
cleared and here wheat is cultivated. Most of the middle 
section is coimred with a scrub composed chiefly of juniper 
bushes, while the southern and largest section, about two 
square miles in area, is high and partly covered Avith juniper 
scrub, with one patch of three or four mallee trees on the 
summit of the hill. BetAveen this section and the middle 
one there is an area of saltpan country on which the station 
house is built. This portion of the island is thickly infested 
with death adders (AcanfJiophis anfarctica) , which are so 
numerous that 89 AAmre said to have been killed during the 
previous year. The house and poultry-yard are surrounded 
by a snake-proof fence about 8 ft. high, built of sheet iron, 
but in spite of this many are killed within the protected 
area. On setting fire to a small clump of shrubs near the 
house, two were discovered in a fcAA^ minutes, escaping from 
the flames. They feed on the penguins, which frequent the 
sandhills, but the snakes have never been seen at the other 
house, which is situated at the north end of Eeevesby, although 
penguins are quite as frequent in the sandhills' there. There 
are no goannas native to the island, but the tAvo specimens 
taken at Spilsby Island v/ere liberated Avith the hope of pro- 
viding a check on the snakes. 
In burning the bushes for snakes many insects were cap- 
tured escaping from the flames, includhag several tree grass- 
hoppers (Coryphistes obscurobrunnetts) and the Mottle- 
winged Mantis ( T enodera australasiae ) . Another, very 
small mantis, of which tAvo specimens Avere obtained, belong- 
ing to the genus Paraoxypilus, is probably new, but both arc 
unfortunately immature. In the small patch of mallee several 
beetles and other insects Avere taken under bark, including 
the cockroaches, Oniscosoma granicollis, and Platyj^osteria 
amlis. Under stones several small apterous cock-roaches 
