THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 101 
the larger coastal marsupials. The Echidna ig even now 
seen at times, a specimen being in my garden at Killara 
some few years ago; and I have also seen a native 
bear at Roseville. 
In speaking of the fauna of Sydney, I will naturally 
confine my remarks to the two groups—the butterflies and 
the shells—which I have studied more particularly. The 
warm Notonectian current running south along our 
coast brings with it many species from the tropics, which 
gain more or less a foothold in suitable spots in our har- 
bours and on our coast. I would draw your attention to 
the number of tropical species of cowries that have been 
found in Sydney Harbour and at the entrance to Botany 
Bay. True, cowries are found in Tasmania and Bass 
Straits, but these are not tropical species; whilst all the 
species of Sydney Harbour are forms such as we get on 
the coasts of Queensland and in the South Sea Islands. T 
have myself found living in Sydney Harbour, and near 
the entrance of Botany Bay, over fifteen species of cow- 
ries, and most beautiful objects they are, when seen crawl- 
ing with their mantles fully exposed. Whether these cow- 
ries are still to be found I cannot say, as it is now nearly 
twenty years since they were collected; but it.is hardly 
possible that the commoner species of that time have all 
disappeared; with one or two species very few specimens 
were obtained, and these may have succumbed to the utili- 
tarian purposes to which our foreshores have been put. 
Another curious remnant from the north is Strombus lulu- 
huanus, which was at one time to be found in a small 
area at \aucluse. Not only these species, but many other 
highly interesting forms are to be found in suitable spots. 
Who is likely to forget the first sight of Bullina lineata, 
the beautiful white shell crossed with lines of deep pink, 
the milk-white animal with its edging of pale electric 
blue, or the leopard-spotted animal of the hairy Triton. 
The flats of Port Hacking yield a wealth of interesting 
forms, such as the Natica, slowly crawling just beneath the 
surface of the mud. Here also we find the pointed Pinna 
in the mud. The first time I found this shell was by ac- 
cidentally striking my foot against it. Near by, on the 
sandy portions of the flat, was to be found the Pecten 
alive, usually with a piece of green weed attached to the 
upper valve, for purposes of concealment. I might speak 
of many other interesting forms, such as the almost ex- 
