Ad THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
——J 
orange, or red; and it was found that nearly all unpalatable 
or dangerous insects were coloured with these tints.” 
It is impossible, in the short time at my disposal this 
evening, to do more than touch upon the subject. I think, 
however, that I have said sufficient to demonstrate the 
importance of colour and form as protection on one hand and 
warning on the other. My hope is that members interested in 
this question will carefully note and duly record such 
examples as may from time to time come under their notice. 
[Some interesting exhibits, illustrative of this subject were 
displayed by Messrs. Steel, Harrison, Stead, Gurney and Riley. 
These consisted of birds, fish, spiders, and insects. | 
eee 
AQUATIC INSECTS IN SALT WATER. 
Dr. C. Citron, M.A., F.L.8., Professor of Biology at Canter- 
bury College, New Zealand, records in Vol. xxxviil. of the 
“Transactions of the New Zealand Institute,” having taken 
a specimen of the widely-distributed Ehantus pulverosus, 
Stephens, in rock-pools at Island Bay, Wellington, N.Z., while 
collecting marine forms, Only one specimen was seen, but it 
seemed quite at home, and was behaving just as it might have 
done in fresh water. As this species is common in Australia, 
it would be as well if our local collectors would keep a look- 
out for it, and other water beetles, in such like localities. 
Darwin, in his “ Voyage of the Beagle,” recorded having found 
several live water beetles swimming in the ocean seventeen 
miles from land, off Cape Corrientes, and considered that they 
had probably been floated into the sea from a small stream 
which drains a lake near the Cape; he also recorded having 
found a species of Hydrophilus in a lagoon near Rio Janeiro, in 
which the water was only a little less salt than the sea. Dr. 
Chilton considers occurrences of this kind as of special value 
in the explanation of difficult questions that may arise in con- 
nection with geographical distribution In addition to the 
above instances, a specimen of an aquatic Hemipteron, Nepa 
rubra, Linn., was found by Mr. Thos. Steel, F.L.S., some 
years ago, swimming, evidently quite at home, on the harbour 
at Rose Bay, Port Jackson. 
DESTRUCTION OF NATIVE FAUNA. 
The following remarks on the destruction of our native 
fauna, made by Mr. Thos. Steel, F.U.S., President of the 
Linnean Society of N.S.W., in the course of his address at the 
Annual Meeting this year, will be read with approval by 
the members of the N.S.W. Naturalists’ Club :— 
