96 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
NOTHS AND COMMENTS. 
AppointmenT.—Mr. A. M. Lea, F.E.S., has resigned the 
office of Government Entomologist, Tasmania. He will shortly 
enter upon the duties of Entomologist to the South Australian 
Museum, to which position he has been appointed. 
Retrirements.—Mr. C. French, F..8., has been retired 
from the position of Government Entomologist, Victoria. He 
is succeeded by his son, Mr. C. French, junr. Mr. J. G. O. 
Tepper, who has for many years filled the position of Ento- 
mologist to the South Australian Museum, will shortly retire 
from that office. 
Linnzean Socrery.—At the last meeting of this Society, the 
exhibits were, as usual, exceedingly interesting. Mr. Gur- 
ney exhibited a complete series of specimens illustrating the 
life-history of an indigenous Braconid wasp (Opius tryont 
Cameron), a parasite of the Queensland Fruit-fly (Dacus 
tryoni)—the first parasite of fruit-flies recorded from Aus- 
tralia. He showed also a specimen of the wasp bred from 
one of two larvz of the introduced Mediterranean Fruit-fly 
(Ceratitis capitata) in a peach—the first and only case of this 
association which had come under his notice. The Queens- 
land fruit-fly is known to attack four kinds of native fruits, 
and is now taking to Citrus-fruits. The wasp has only a 
fluctuating value in checking its natural host at present; but 
if it can be encouraged to give more attention to the intro- 
duced host, it may render most useful service to fruit- 
growers. Mr. A. R. McCulloch exhibited, by permission 
of the Curator of the Australian Museum, specimens of 
Leiuranus semicinetus Lay and Bennett, and Canthigaster 
bennettt Bleeker, which he had collected at Murray Island, 
Torres Strait. Neither of these fishes appears to have been 
previously recorded from Australia, though both are well 
known from the East Indian Archipelago and the Pacific 
Ocean. Mr. Froggatt exhibited specimens of the Kurrajong 
Star-Psylla, Tyora sterculioe Froggatt, upon a pot-plant. 
showing the curious filaments produced by the larvze on the 
leaves. Also specimens of parasitic Hymenoptera, in illus- 
tration of Mr. Cameron’s paper. Mr. North exhibited a 
series of skins of the Plumed Bronze-wing, or ‘‘Spinifex 
Pigeon,’’ Lophophaps plumifera Gould, from various locali- 
ties in North-western Australia, Central Australia, Northern 
Queensland, and South Australia ; whilst Mr. Cheel displayed 
a very interesting series of specimens of West Australian 
species of Persoonia, from the National Herharium, by per- 
mission of the Director. Likewise, on behalf of Mr. Ernest 
J. Bickford, fresh flowering specimens of Ohamoelaucium 
uncinatum Schau, from a plant introduced two years ago from 
Geraldton, W.A., where it is commonly known as Wax- 
Plant. 
