David George Stead

“ When swimming in clear water the animal possesses a most pleasing and beautiful appearance; but when one's limbs come into contact with its tentacles, as while wading, the most intense and painful irritation is set up, which lasts for some considerable time after (as I know to my cost) .
After travelling a few miles I landed at my destination—Ryde, a pretty little village situated in a fruit-growing district. Several hollows in this locality are a great breeding-ground for three or four species of Cicada, notably one—Thopha saccata—a large species. ”

“ Grapsus variegatus (Latr.) .—This is, without doubt, the dominant species of Crustacea in Australian waters, is distributed over a wide area, and presents great variation. They are found in great numbers all along the rocks at low tide, but scurry off into the crevices with great rapidity when disturbed. Though not pelagic, their flattened legs enable them to swim very well. They vary in colour from a deep green with faint yellow streaks to a bright yellow and red. Coast of Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island, California, and Chili. ”

“ It is at once a marvellous and strange sight to see thousands of these crustaceans on the low mud-sand-flats, marching about in regular battalions after the tide has ebbed. Scarcely ever is one to be seen singly but it is scurrying off to meet a company; and here and there will be seen an extra large one, acting no doubt as an officer. Their military appearance is considerably heightened by the colours, which are as follows:—branchiostegites dark blue (these being very prominent) ; remainder of carapace pale blue ”

“ They may be caught in tiny rock-pools under stones at low tide, and are also procured in nets, in company with Penceus esculentus. They are very remarkable for their habit of making a sharp clicking noise with the large chela when caught or irritated. The sound resembles that made by cocking a pistol very quickly, and, if the animals happen to be in a bottle, you really have to look every now and again to make sure that it is not being cracked to pieces, so sharp is the sound. Colour, light green on carapace, and traces of red on abdominal somites. ”

“ The Ceratothoa embryo is very different to the adult. The five segments of the pleon, which in the adult have coalesced, are movable upon each other. Pleon is nearly as long as pereion, but in the adult it is so insignificant as to be scarcely so long as one pereion somite. The telson too widens out posteriorly when the animal reaches maturity. Altogether the young Ceratothoa is fitted for a free existence, and no doubt the adult was the same at one time, but has been gradually adapted to living a parasitic life, thereby undergoing change of formation. Colour white. ”

“ The female is always a dull brownish colour, while the male exhibits great variation, the carapace being sometimes a brilliant green. The chelse in both sexes are tipped with red. Common on mud-flats under stones. Port Jackson.
23. Plagusia chabrus (Miers) .—This species inhabits the short red seaweed which clothes the rocks just below low-tide mark. It is very seldom seen to leave the water of its own accord, but, if it does so, returns almost immediately. It subsists chiefly on vegetable matter (Fucus and algæ) , but consumes animal matter whenever it is available. ”

“ The alighting of land-birds on ships close in shore, when the vessels are "making the land," is not an uncommon occurrence; but that a Bronze-wing Pigeon should have found a haven on a disabled vessel five hundred miles from the nearest land is indeed singular. This Pigeon is a short-flight bird, and, although it travels long distances during the hours of a long summer's day, it does it with frequent rests. ”

“ A good deal of reconnoitring is done before they make up their minds to come close, and then the smallest specimens always come first. Altogether this species forms one of the most interesting and amusing of the Crustacea. Port Jackson; New Zealand ”

“ I had the pleasure of narrating one of my zoological wanderings near Sydney. On the present occasion I propose to describe some of the objects of interest which it has been my good fortune to encounter on various rambles during the past few months.
At the time of writing the "bush" is teeming with animal life, chiefly insects, though the Reptilia play no small a part. Of the former, perhaps the Cicadas attract most attention, both by numbers and noise. ”

“ Though darting away at the slightest movement, a person may attract them by keeping his hand in the water for some time, when they will presently be seen issuing in numbers from all the cracks and crannies, though before not one was visible. ”

“ W. Haswell in that of an Australian species—Nectocarcinus integrifrons. [5]
I have spoken of Ryde as being in a fruit-growing district, which reminds me of the Fruit-Bats (Pteropus poliocephalus) . These are perhaps the orchard's greatest enemies. The fruitgrowers of the north-western suburbs of Sydney (of which Ryde is one) have annually large quantities of fruit destroyed by these "Flying Foxes," which congregate in immense numbers during the fruit season (the present time) . ”

“ One morning I went to Mosman's Bay (Port Jackson) , and walked from thence along the harbour coast. After walking for some distance, I observed two fishermen about to haul in their net; so I went out with them in their boat, and assisted in the unloading of the net. It was a poor haul (i.e. looking at it from the fishermen's point of view, but not from the naturalist's) , consisting as it did almost solely of small Discophoræ and immature pelagic Crabs (Neptunus pelagicus (Pl. IV.) and N. sanguinolentus, Thalamita sima, Charybdis cruciatus, and Nectocarcinus integrifrons) . ”

“ My attention was here attracted by the great number of large handsome red-and-black Hymenoptera (Exeirus sp.?) , which were attacking the Cicadas, relentlessly pursuing them from tree to tree. (Afterwards, on my road home, I came across a specimen of this large Wasp, hard at work dragging a large green and apparently anæsthetized Cicada across my pathway. Unthinkingly I separated them, for which I was immediately sorry, as I might have witnessed the performance of stowing the Cicada away in some hole for the use of its assailant's future progeny.) ”

“ Botany Bay is a great place for many species of Sharks, Kays, and other Flat-fishes. One Ray was procured from that locality which measured fifteen feet from "wing" to "wing."
What a hideous monster is human ignorance! We have in this city bubonic plague (Pestis bubonica) . In some of the factories hundreds of workmen have destroyed their dinnerbaskets. ”

“ A war of extermination is waged against them periodically by bodies of fruit-growers. Recently, in pursuance of that custom, a party of fifty-three fruit-growers from the surrounding districts drove to a known camp of the pest, carrying with them 5000 cartridges. ”

“ On anyone approaching they show fight at once, holding up their comparatively large "nippers" as high as they can, so that as they retreat—which they do with their "faces to the foe"—they very often roll over backwards, so eager are they to show their weapons. ”

“ Tasmania, New Zealand, Cape of Good Hope, and Chili.
24. Plagusia glabra (Dana) .—Rather common along the coast of New South Wales, where it is found in small rock-pools and crevices at low tide. It does not often leave the water, and is essentially a vegetarian. Legs and body are far more rotund than the preceding, and not at all setose. I am without doubt that Milne-Edwards' description of Heterograpsus octodentatus has been drawn from the young of this species. There is a great difference between the colour of old and young specimens. ”

“ It is armed on each side of the head with exceedingly sharp spines. When the poor unsuspecting mortal picks up one of these carelessly, it whirls round its head suddenly, and the spines inflict a wound of a very painful nature. I captured several of these, however, without being injured. Whilst thus engaged I noticed a most noisome odour arising. While I was still wondering whence this was proceeding, one of the fishermen quickly settled the point by placing one of the last-mentioned fishes under my nose. ”

“ Young ones are chiefly of a yellowish tinge, with black spots; while old ones are of a very dark colour, with traces of yellow on the metabranchial regions. They form most handsome objects in the water when the sun is shining on them, showing up their beautiful tints. ”

“ In dealing with these insects one cannot fail to notice the habit they have of spurting an acrid fluid as they fly off on being alarmed; this they eject with some degree of force, and in considerable quantity. ”

“ It is not so convex as the preceding species, and the epimera are very long. Eyes are entirely wanting. Colour sometimes dark brown, also yellow.
44. Cymodocea pubescens (Hasw.) .—The small crustaceans of this name are "rock-borers." The boring is done exclusively with the uropods, which form two strong spikes. In burrowing they do not go in head first, but stand on the one place, simply turning round and round, as if on a pivot, with their uropods lowered and cutting as they go. ”

“ Waller, who travels between New Zealand and this port, and to whom I am indebted for some interesting specimens which I hope to mention on some future occasion, that he has encountered moths and other insects whilst quite out of sight of the land, at a distance of from seventy to eighty miles from the New South Wales coast. ”

“ These last are of a semi-transparent red tinge, the disc having all over its surface large white spots. These spots become very dense near the margin, the fringe being almost entirely white. (Recently—Feb. 4th, 1900—I observed a large number of these animals in Circular Quay, Port Jackson. Some of them had been greatly mutilated by the propellers of the many ferry-boats which ply from here. In one instance I observed a specimen swimming along serenely minus its manubrium, while in another there was only three-fourths of a disc, and this still contracted rhythmically.) ”

“ It would seem almost incredible that these little frail-looking creatures should accomplish such work as this, were it not for the fact that their depredations in houses, &c, are so well known. It was only quite recently that the weighty and apparently solid roof of the Australian Museum at Sydney was found to be in places completely honeycombed by these insects. ”

“ I have observed it in tiny pools in rocky situations at Port Jackson.
13. Nectocarcinus integrifrons (M.-Edw.) .—Though adapted for a free-swimming existence, this species lives to a great extent on the bottom in shallow water, amongst seaweed. It is not of uncommon occurrence for green Fucus to be found growing on its legs and carapace, which are very setose. East coast of Australia and New Zealand. ”

“ That is to say, not any more than there might be with hundreds of other articles in daily use. The reason of their destruction is as follows:—Some of the men have discovered in their baskets the larvæ of the beetle which attacks this kind of ware. ”

“ Astacopsis serratus (Shaw) .—This animal has been given different names by different naturalists, on account of some of them getting large and some small specimens. In large examples the abdominal somites are each armed with a row of strong conical spines, but in young specimens these are either rudimentary or quite absent. ”

“ Underneath will be found others and larger species, viz. Chasmagnathus lævis, Sesarma erythrodactyla, and occasionally Pilumnopeus serratifrons. In the mud itself are two species: Helœcius cordiformis and Macrophthalmus setosus ”