40 
The Queensland Naturalist August, 1932 
On the mountain plateaux are developed what to a 
botanist from the tropical and sub-tropical parts of Aus- 
tralia are perhaps the most interesting feature, viz., the 
highland or Alpine Moors. It was interesting to see all 
over these a common fern, (rlcichcnia dicarpa , of the 
Queensland low moor, though here at 3.500ft. and over it 
was reduced to a plant a few inches high. A characteristic 
plant of the high moor is Aslelia alpina (known locally as 
Artichoke or Wild Pineapple), covering very large areas 
and ascending the hillsides in depressions or where swampy 
conditions prevailed. A characteristic shrub of the area 
is the conifer Phacrosphaera Ilookcriana, forming dark 
green cupressoid bushes about 4ft. high, badly attacked in 
many instances by a sooty mould. A similarly shaped 
bush, but of a more greyish green was the composite 
/fclichri/sum baccharoidcs , known locally from its resinous 
character as Kerosene Bush. Very abundant and in full 
Mower at the time of my visit was Boronia ritriodora 
(Thyme), its citron fragrance very noticeable as the low 
bushes crushed in walking over the moors. A common low 
spreading bush about 2ft. high in parts was Melaleuca 
squumea. 
No account of the moors would be complete without 
some reference to the solid cushions about lft. high and 
2-3ft. in diameter formed of a mixture of small moss-like 
dowering plants, principally Compositae and Epacridaceac 
MONSTERS OP THE DEEP. 
(Resume of a lecture delivered by Mr. T. C. Marshall 
before the Queensland Naturalists' Club, 20th June, 1932.) 
Of the five main groups of vertebrate animals the 
fishes are the lowest. They are cold-blooded, their limbs 
are shaped in the form of fins and they breathe by means 
of gills. Strictly speaking, the sharks and rays arc not 
true fishes, but belong to a group known as the Sealaehians 
or Cartilaginous Pishes. They differ in that they lack a 
true skeleton, having only cartilage in place of bone. 
Australia, with its numerous rivers and lakes, sur- 
rounding seas and reefs, contains 1,900 species of fish, in- 
cluding the sharks and rays. Of this number at least 1,095 
occur in Queensland. 
The question is often asked, “Do sharks lay eggs or 
bring forth their young alive t” Generally speaking, very 
few species lay eggs, but those that do are mainly the 
smaller and less harmful ones. Most of the Wobbegongs, 
Dog Sharks and Blind Sharks lay eggs, which are curious 
horny coloured bags or cases. They usually have tendrils 
to anchor them to seaweeds or other objects and they are 
frequently washed, up on seashores. Most of the man-eat- 
