Abstract
THESE three decades complete vol. ii. of this well-illustrated natural history of Victoria. Of the thirty coloured plates in these parts, four are devoted to Reptiles, seven to Fishes, three to Mollusca, nine to Polyzoa, two to Insects, four to Crustacea, and one to Echinoderms. Among the more noteworthy species figured may be mentioned—Cyclodus occipitalis, very rare in Victoria; the great red king crab (Pseudocarcinus gigas), from life; Sepia apama, which, though one of the commonest species of cuttlefish, does not appear to have been figured before; Trachinops caudimaculatus, McCoy, a little fish which created a great sensation by appearing in large numbers, about the middle of October 1884, off the piers at Williamstown, in Hobson's Bay, and being reported to the Commissioner of Customs as the young of the Californian salmon, introduced by Sir Samuel Wilson. The publication of such figures as are to be found in these decades will not only help to prevent such mistakes in the future, but will also be a direct means of calling attention to animals important from an economic point of view. Figures of Pyrameis itea and of P. kershawi, with their larval and pupal forms, are given; this latter species is very closely related to our own “painted lady,” the three lower spots on the posterior wings in the Australian form are of a bright cobalt blue in their centre, instead of black. In the latter end of October and beginning of September 1888, this butterfly appeared in extraordinary numbers for two or three weeks, almost darkening the sky with their general flight towards the south-east, covering the gear and decks of ships many miles out at sea, and filling the air on land from the northern parts of the colony down south to Melbourne. They were accompanied by a day-flying moth (Agrotis spina).
Prodomus of the Zoology of Victoria.
By Sir Frederick McCoy, &c. Decades 18, 19, and 20. (London: Trübner and Co., 1889.)
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
[Book Reviews]. Nature 43, 389 (1891). https://doi.org/10.1038/043389b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/043389b0