THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 31 
of Hawaii, came to Sydney on a collecting expedition, after- 
wards going through Queensland as far as Cairns, looking for 
parasites of the sugar cane—Leaf-hoppers. Their collections 
have since been worked up by the staff of the Entomological 
Division of the Hawaii Sugar Planters’ Association, and the 
results ave published in ten parts. Bulletin No. 1 contains 
descriptions of a great number of new insects. Of these, 203 
new species of Homoptera and 73 new genera are added to our 
list by Kirkaldy. . Perkins describes seven new species of the 
family Stylopide—minute creatures that in Hurope are 
parasitic on bees, but in America, and now for the first time 
recorded from Austraha, on frog-hoppers ; he also describes 64 
new Parasitic Hymenoptera, among which are 41 species of 
the Dryinide; 26 species of the “ Big-eyed Flies,” family 
Pipunculide, and seven species of the curious moths whose 
lary feed upon the waxy exudations of frog-hoppers, belonging 
to the family Hpipyropide. 
EXCURSIONS. 
Ponp Lire ry Centenntat Park. 
The Club’s excursion, on April 7th, was made to Centennial 
Park for the purpose of examining pond life there. A fair 
number attended, and glorious autumn weather contributed 
somewhat to enjoyment of the expedition, whilst the number 
of interesting things observed touched all to a keen zest. 
Submerged near the bank of the first pond approached was 
the little bladderwort Utricularia, a plant which has reversed 
the common rule of nature and devours animals instead of 
supplying them with food. A number of leaves of the plant 
are modified into little oval bladders: at the narrower end 
these bladders have an opening which is surrounded both 
externally and internally by stiff hairs, and is provided with a 
trap-door which opens inwards in such a way that little 
creatures can easily push their way in, but cannot get out 
again. It is mostly tiny crustacians and the like that get 
caught, but some of the larger species of Utricularia trap 
even little fish. After many unavailing attempts to get ont, 
the little captive dies, and its body soon breaking up, its 
substance is absorbed by the cells lining the bladder. 
In the same pond, besides many Desmids and Diatoms, a 
plant called Batrachospermum occurred ; this plant belongs to 
the Ithodophycew (red seaweeds), and is one of the three 
genera that occur in fresh water. In another pond, so large 
as to be a small lake, the water was coloured bright green, and 
on examination the colour was found to be due to small green 
Algae suspended in it. Every cubic inch of the water con- 
tained millions upon millions of these tiny plant cells: what 
