THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 2038 
broken branch, the sapwood of the tree having grown tightly 
around the stem of the smaller’plant. 
The tendency for the heartwood of our hardwoods to decay 
-makes these so-called natural grafts not rare. Sometimes as 
in the well-known case at Hawkesbury College, the graft grows 
-so fast as to split open the host plant. 
—W. M. Carne. 
Insects on Warries: Collecting at Kurrajong on Janu- 
ary 25th, I was successful in taking some beetles not recordea 
in Mr. Gurney’s “List of Insects on Wattle Trees’? (Aust. 
Nat. Vol. ii., p. 58). The species are as follows :—Diphuce- 
phala rufipes, Waterh. found on dying flowers; Ditropidus 
canescens, Chap. on foliage; and Oreus australasiac, Boisd., 
this latter apparently preying on scale insects. Further, I 
took Chalcopterus variabilis, Bless., which was very common, 
numbers of individuals being present on nearly every tree 
(wattle) in the district, running about or sunning themselves 
on the trunks. A. MusGrave. 
Coccinella transversalis: Some years ago I found, at Rich- 
‘mond, N.S. Wales, this common ladybird beetle feeding on 
‘secretions from the glands on the tips and main stems of Cow- 
pea. Possibly such secretions of plants are important food 
‘supplies to aphis and scale-eating ladybirds in the absence of 
‘their particular insect food. —W. B. Gurney. 
' r 
FEATHERED FRIENDS. 
(Birds Protected Until 1924.) 
It is notified in the ‘‘Gazette’’ that the following birds have 
“(under the provisions of the Birds Protection Act) been abso- 
lutely protected for the whole State until June 30, 1924 :— 
Skylark (English), white-belliel sea eagle, seagulls of every 
description, brush turkey, bustard or plain turkey, stone 
