SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 
Mr. A. R. McCulloch exhibited a small collection of fishes recently presented 
to the Australian Museum by Mr. David G. Stead, general manager of the State 
Trawling Industry. These had been trawled in 150. fathoms, east of Sydney, on 
the edge of the continental shelf, and included several species not hitherto recorded 
from New South Wales waters. 
Mr. A. A. Hamilton exhibited a series of specimens of Aroids from the 
National Herbarium, illustrating Chromatism, Virescence, and Multiplication of 
Spathes. (1) Anthurium chelseiensis Hort., Botanic Gardens, Sydney (H. N. 
Ward, April, 1914). (2) A. Andreanum Linden, “ Uralla,’ Concord (J. H. ~ 
Horton, July, 1917). In both examples the highly coloured pigment, which 
under normal conditions coyers the spathe, is only partially developed. On a 
portion of the surface the chlorophyll is disclosed (virescence) indicating the 
leafy origin of the spathe. In the example of A. Andreanum the spadix is sup- 
Pueeees and the spathe slightly malformed. (3) Richardia africana Kunth., 
Manly (W. Ellison, August, 1914), showing (a) a coloured leaf (chromatism) on 
the flower stem stimulating the spathe, (b) drawing by Miss M. Flockton of a 
flower grown at Summer Hill by Mrs. W. H. Hughes, depicting a supernumerary 
spathe, enfolding the normal floral envelope. (4) Richardia Hlliottiana Pent- 
landii, Sydney Botanic Gardens (C. Woolnough, January, 1920) from a seedling 
raised by H. H. B. Bradley. In this example the colouring pigment of the spathe 
is partially developed in the supporting leaf. Worsdell (Prin. of Plant Teratol., 
i, Pl. xvii) figures a similar example of chromatism in 2. Hlliottiana, and it is 
interesting to note that a seedling of this stock raised in Australia has perpetu- 
ated the abnormality. 
Mr. Fletcher exhibited a remarkable leaf of Jacaranda ovalifolia, 124 inches 
long. apparently bifurcated apically for 3 inches, one branch having 93, and the 
other 84 pairs of pinnx, with 133 pairs of pinnw on the undivided proximal portion; 
and he raised the question whether it was really a case of division of the growing 
point; or, seeing that the apparent bifurcations have pairs of pinni, whether it 
was a case of the incomplete fusion of two leaves. He showed also flowering 
branches of A. discolor with leaves with one pair, two pairs, and three pairs of 
pinne; leaves of advanced seedlings which had not yet flowered, with ten and 
eleven pairs of pinne; and reversion-shoots and seedlings of euphyllodineous 
Acacias, to illustrate the importance of taking account of the terminal sete. 
. 
ROYAL SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND. 
At the April meeting, Mr. J. B. Henderson, Government Analyst, called atten- 
tion to the records of proved petroleum occurrences in Queensland. Liquid 
saa ates has been’ found on the water from several bores, particularly around 
ongreach. This liquid solidified on being removed from the hot bore waters. 
Three samples of the petroleum wax from bores were shown by the lecturer. 
He also stated that it was definitely known that the gas which was obtained at 
the Roma bores was petroleum gas, and not coal-seam gas. It possibly carried 
a recoverable proportion of petrol. It is, therefore, quite definite that both 
solid and gaseous petroleums occur in Queensland, but, so far, no samples have 
been found of liquid petroleum from which petrol and kerosene could be distilled. 
Kerosene shales were not included by the lecturer in petroleum deposits, as these 
shales have to he distilled ere they yield oil. The most interesting deduction made 
by the lecturer was that it is practically certain that those bores on the water 
from which petroleum was found had passed through oil deposits, and that had 
the water-in the bore been pumped out oil would have been obtained. These 
oils were all obtained from great depths—from 3,000 to 6,000 feet—where the » 
enormous pressure of the water in the bore would be likely to drive the oil away 
from the bore. After a short time all the oil would be driven away, perhaps 
never to be recovered, possibly to be recovered at a later date. 
There are instances in America where bores have been abandoned as failures, 
but, later on, when pumped out, have yielded good oil supplies. The higher 
pressure of water in the bore had driven the oil away. Exactly these conditions 
were certainly established in Queeensland in some of the bores where oil was 
seen on the water. The lecturer demonstrated by a simple piece of apparatus 
how oil: or gas can be bored through and missed, how only small quantities 
are occasionally obtained while boring, and then no more comes up when 
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