150 THE AUSTRALIAN, NATURALIST. 
new shoots arise which give off roots into the soil. The pro- 
cess is described by the author as being analogous to the horti- 
cultural operation known as “layering.” At a recent meeting 
of the Linn. Soc. N.S.W. (July, 1919), the writer read a note 
on vegetative reproduction. by means of adventitious tubers, 
and referred to the views expressed by various workers engaged 
in the investigation of this phenomenon. The concensus of 
opinion pointed to vegetative reproduction as a response to 
sexual infertility, and either interference with the root growth, 
or a sudden and exacting change in the environmental condi- 
tions, as the stimulating factor in this abnormal habit. An ex- 
ample of the latter occurrence was noted on the removal of 
some plants of the “Lotus,” Nymphaea lotus, from their native 
habitat at Lake Nyassa, where the insolation is extreme, to a 
shaded and sheltered position in a greenhouse at Kew Gardens, 
which resulted in the production by the plants of aerial tubers 
in the place of flowers. The adventitious tubers produced by 
the lotus are the equivalent of the plantlets formed on the 
Jeaves of the sundews, when transferred from the inclement en- 
vironment of the pond to the luxury of the conservatory. 
PSEUDOMUGIL SIGNIFER IN THE AQUARIUM. 
By H. BE. Fincxn. 
I am pleased to report the successful transporting home and 
the acclimatisation to aquarium life of the Blue-eye Pseudoniugil 
signifer, which I netted at the Duck River excursion. 
This, our smallest and very beautiful little freshwater fish, 
so admirably suited for the aquarium, is most difficult to handle. 
Even with great care a very small proportion, if any, of those 
caught at certain times during the year, survive. I have been 
making notes of my various catches during many years, and find 
that I have only been successful during midwinter months, then 
only losing about 5 %, whereas a save of 15 % at other times 
is almost good. Of the cateh at Duck River I only lost 6 out of 
30. I repeated the experiment 14 days later with similar re- 
sults. 
This success may be due to the mild summer which we have 
experienced. 
After a few days in the aquarium it becomes very tame, and 
lives for years. 
