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THE
RROcr DINGS
OF THE
LINNEAN SOCIETY
OF
NEw S@Unre, VW ALES
FOR THE YEAR
1952
VOL. LXXVII.
WITH SIXTEEN PLATES, 411 Text-figures.
SYDNEY: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED FOR THE SOCIETY BY
AUSTRALASIAN MEDICAL PUBLISHING CO. LTD. Seamer Street, Glebe, Sydney,
and SOLD BY THE SOCIHNTY. 1958.
CONTENTS OF PROCEEDINGS, 1952.
PARTS I-II (Nos. 359-860). (Issued 3rd July, 1952.)
Pages. Presidential Address, delivered at the Seventy-seventh Annual General Meeting, 26th March, 1952, by A. N. Colefax, B.Sc. Variations on a Theme. Some Aspects of Scale Structure in Fish. (Twenty-eight Text-figures. ) i—xlvi Elections xlvi Balance Sheets for the Year ending 29th February, 1952... .. .. .. .. xivii—xivili A Check List of the Trombiculid Larvae of Asia and Australasia. By Carl E. M. Gunther 1-60 Ecological Classification and Nomenclature. By N. C. W. Beadle and A. B. Costin. With a Note on Pasture Classification, by C. W. E. Moore 61-82 A Note on the Stratigraphy and Structure of the Wellington—Molong—Orange-— Canowindra Region. By Germaine Joplin and others. (Plate i and two Text-figures. ) 83-88 Studies of Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria. I. A Note on the lEHstimation of Azotobacter in the Soil. By Y. T. Tchan, Macleay Bacteriologist to the . Society 89-91 Studies of Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria. II. The Presence of Aerobic Non- symbiotic Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria in Soils of the Sydney District. By Y. T. Tchan, Macleay Bacteriologist to the Society. (Two Text-figures. ) 92-97
CONTENTS.
PARTS III-IV (Nos. 361-362). Se (Issued 26th September, 1952.)
Ernest Clayton Andrews (Memorial Series No. 13). (With Portrait, Plate ii.)
Notes on Australasian Simuliidae (Diptera). III. By I. M. Mackerras and M. J. Mackerras. (Twenty-five Text-figures. )
Ordovician Stratigraphy at Cliefden Caves, near Mandurama, N.S.W. By N. C. Stevens. (Plates iii-iv and four Text-figures.)
Taxonomic Notes on the Genus Ablepharus (Sauria: Scincidae). III. A New Species from North-west Australia. By Stephen J. Copland. (Plate v and three Text-figures.)
A Mainland Race of the Scincid Lizard, Lygosoma truncatum (Peters). By Stephen J. Copland. (Plate vi and three Text-figures.)
The Petrology of the Cowra Intrusion and Associated Xenoliths. By N. C. Stevens. (Plate vii and four Text-figures.)
Ropy Smut of Liverpool Plains Grass. By Dorothy E. Shaw. (Plate viii and one Text-figure.)
Revision of the Genus Calotis R.Br. By Gwenda L. Davis. (One hundred and forty-five Text-figures.)
Notes on Phlebotomus from the Australasian Region (Diptera: Psychodidae). By G. B. Fairchild. (Communicated by D. J. Lee.) (Seventy-seven Text- figures. )
Australian Rust Studies. IX. Physiologic Race Determinations and Surveys . of Cereal Rusts. By W. L. Waterhouse. (Plate ix.)
iii
Pages. 98-103
104-113
114-120
121-125
126-131
132-141
142-145
146-188
189-208
209-258
CONTENTS.
PARTS V-VI (Nos. 363-364). (Issued 20th January, 1953.)
Pages.
A Corallanid Isopod parasitic on Freshwater Prawns in Queensland. By E. F.
Riek. (Seven Text-figures. ) Be ae) a les, Peak esos Oa Siege EE oe Ones A Note on the Unusual Longevity of Ciboria aestivalis (Wint.) Rehm. By
Ve leielevoweys, (Melby o< atk 0) 9 ga bel 50 Go 8 da. doe eG 40 90 262 A Note on an Unusual Spore Form in Puccinia malvacearum Bert. By W. L.
Mie Wr dow ely | KCAEhieM euaite, aaa on oo see co. ool coe Gdlesoo, oo Jos 263 A Note on the Occurrence of an Undescribed Rust on Cryptostemma
calendulaceum (L.) R.Br. By W. L. Waterhouse. (Plate x, figs. 3, 4.) .. 264 Study of Soil Algae. I. Fluorescence Microscopy for the Study of Soil Algae.
By Y. T. Tchan, Macleay Bacteriologist to the Society .. .. .. .. .. 265-269 Notes on the Morphology and Biology of Hctenopsis vulpecula Wied. var.
angusta Maeq. (Diptera, Tabanidae, Pangoniinae). By Kathleen M. I.
English. » @bleven: Text-ficunes))o ss Geen eck <i esc eee vec sree Onv ee Revision of Australian and New Zealand Species of Thelephoraceae and
Hydnaceae in the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. By
G. H. Cunningham. (Communicated by Professor N. A. Burges.) wa ee 2299) The Effect of Colchicine on the Spindle of Root Tip Cells. By Mary M.
Hindmarsh, Linnean Macleay Fellow in Botany. (Plate xi and one Text-
figure. ) Aer na ee eee Rion nee Oe | BOO-RUR A Study of the Microflora of Wheat Grains in New South Wales. By Dorothy _
iH: Shaw. and Po 'G. Valder... ack) ok ee ee ee Oe ores Yellow Spot Disease of Wheat_-in Australia. By P. G. Valder and Dorothy E.
Shaw. (Plate xii and one Text-figure.) iG. BEE WSR: Indie. esto OS gh aaiZ a Saay Australian Rust Studies. X. Further Breeding Work with ‘“Khapli’ Emmer
Wheat, an Outstanding Source of Stem Rust Resistance. By W. L.
Waterhouse er ea wees Son Mm ene i a todas) 2 ug | BRIRS BYR Australian Clover Rusts; (By (BSD) ee Mvatteni ein eet eS S355 The Culex pipiens Group in South-eastern Australia. I By Nee Wwe
Dobrotworsky. (Communicated by D. J. Lee.) (Three Text-figures.) .. 357-360 A Compound Eucalyptus Hybrid. By L. D. Pryor. (Plates xiii—xiv.) eo Ol—3 Os Variable Resistance to Leaf-eating Insects in some Eucalypts. By L. D. Pryor.
(Plate xv and one Text-figure.) ad Ae tbs © eon ql Samet Het Ee! SOAS ON Australasian Ceratopogonidae (Diptera, Nematocera). Part VI. Australian
Species of Culicoides. By D. J. Lee and E. J. Reye. (Plate xvi and ninety-
three Text-figures. ) Se mere eal TBS Ad. «oo, oa 45 ephimeemelnt et Balancegsouect (Bacteriology, Account) nei coe ie etre eo xlix ‘Abstract, (of Proceedings: \ i. sy ean users eS ce ar ae l-lv LASEOESMeMDETS) ic. ace leg) Gale ie Oe oe ee lvi-lx histor New (Genus; Species) and) Subspecies =.) een cen nee lxi MIStHOL Plates 9 hsp ert ose as re ahh Rr a ee lxi
Index a ee errr se Sh OG do bc Coe | ac! obaboheibeg
ANNUAL GENERAL MEBTING. 26th Marcu, 1952.
The Seventy-seventh Annual General Meeting was held in the Society’s Rooms, Science House, Gloucester Street, Sydney, on Wednesday, 26th March, 1952.
Mr. A. N. Colefax, President, occupied the Chair.
The Minutes of the Seventy-sixth Annual General Meeting, 28th March, 1951, were read and confirmed.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. . In appearing before you tonight to deliver the Annual Presidential Address I am aware what a privilege it is, and am also deeply conscious of the high standard which has been set by past Presidents of the Society.
As is customary, the first part of my address will be concerned with the activities of the Society over the past year. In this regard I consider it of first importance to bring before your notice the sterling services rendered respectively by our Honorary Treasurer, Dr. A. B. Walkom, and our Honorary Secretary, Dr. W. R. Browne.
Scientific societies all over Australia are today feeling the effects of the economic crisis through which we are passing. Rising costs, difficulty of obtaining grants, and falling membership, are only some of the consequences of this, and if the Linnean Society of N.S.W. is in a slightly better position than most, we can ascribe much of this to the untiring efforts of our Honorary Treasurer and our Honorary Secretary.
Dr. Walkom has looked after the financial affairs of the Society in his usual meticulous fashion and has also given us the benefit of his unique experience as an Hditor.
Dr. Browne, in his capacity of Honorary Secretary, has given his time unselfishly, and to him is due, in no small measure, the smooth running of our meetings, both Council and General. On him also has fallen a large proportion of the administrative work of the Society. As President I am in a particularly good position to appreciate just how much time and labour this has involved. Towards the end of the evening I will ask some member of the Society to propose a vote of thanks to these gentlemen as a token of our appreciation.
I also cannot let this opportunity pass without mentioning the conscientious and valuable services rendered by our paid Assistant Secretary, Miss Allpress. Miss Allpress has been with us a long time now, and I sometimes think that we rather tend to take for granted the high standard of loyalty and cheerful service that characterize her work at all times. To her I owe a special debt, in that she has provided most of the material for this first part Of my Address.
It is now my task to summarize the activities of the Society for the year 1951.
Volume 76, Parts 1-4 of the Society's Proceedings were published in 1951 and Parts 5-6 in January, 1952. Volume 76 consists of 225 + xxxvii pages, 15 plates and 236 text-figures. This is a smaller volume than the previous one owing to an increase of 50% in the cost of printing the Proceedings as from March, 1951. Financial assistance (£28 16s. 10d.) was given by the University of Melbourne towards the publication of the paper by C. G. Hlliott.
Hxchanges received from scientific societies and institutions totalled 1,667 for the year—an increase on previous years. Loans from the library, particularly interstate inter-library loans, have been requested as in the previous year. New exchanges were commenced with: Instituto de Biologia Aplicada, Barcelona, Spain; Université de Besancon, Besancon, France (“Annales Scientifiques”); Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, Canada; Shimonseki College of Fisheries,
A
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.
Shimonseki, Japan: Institut Océanographique de 1’Indochine, Nhatrang, Indochine; Museum G. Frey, Miinchen, Germany; Entomological Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan (“Mushi”) ; Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden: Museu Dr. Alvaro de Castro, Lourenco Marques, Portuguese East Africa.
Interesting programmes were given during the year at the following monthly meetings:
April: Addresses by Professor Emmens (Professor of Veterinary Physiology, University of Sydney) on “Biology and Chemistry of Sex Hormones”; and Dr. Margaret Hardy (MeMaster Laboratory, University of Sydney) on “Tissue-culture of Hair Follicles”’.
June: An address by Dr. L. G. M. Baas-Becking, entitled ‘““A Biologist Looks at the Problem of Waste’”’.
July: Lecturettes, illustrated by lantern slides, by members of the expedition to the Kosciusko area, in regard to the Glaciology, Soils, Vegetation and Land Usage.
September: Addresses by Dr. F. V. Mercer on “Biology, the Poor Relation”, and by Dr. R. Catala, a visiting French marine biologist, on his observations in the Gilbert Islands, illustrated by lantern slides and photographs.
October: A short summary by Mr. D. J. Lee of recent observations and the importance of entomological work in connection with outbreaks of myxomatosis and encephalitis in Eastern Australia.
November: Reference by the President to the sixtieth anniversary (on 7th December, 1951) of the death of the Society’s benefactor, Sir William Macleay, with the exhibition of historic personal relics; and a lecture by Dr. Anton Bruun, leader of the party of scientists from the Danish research frigate “Galathea’, on the aims and achievements of the scientific expedition, concluding with a film produced by the party’s information officer which showed the early work in fitting and equipping the ship, its trials and departure from Copenhagen.
We thank all who have contributed to these programmes.
Since the last annual meeting the names of 11 members have been added to the list, three members and one corresponding member have been lost by death, one has been removed from the list under Rule VII, and 12 have resigned. The number of members as at 15th March, 1952, is: Ordinary Members, 199; Life Members, 24; Honorary Member, 1; Corresponding Members, 2; total, 226.
Dr. R. N. Robertson resigned as a member of Council on 20th June, 1951. Members of Council testified to Dr. Robertson’s live interest in and outstanding service to the Society as a Councillor.
Dr. F. V. Mercer was elected to fill the vacancy on the Council caused by the resignation of Dr. R. N. Robertson.
Dr. A. R. Woodhill was elected a Vice-President on 22nd August, 1951, for the remainder of the session in place of Dr. R. N. Robertson, who had resigned from the Council.
In July, 1951, an application for exemption from the payment of stamp duty on cheques and receipts was granted by the Commisioner of Stamp Duties.
The total net return from Science House for the year was £577. On the resignation of Mr. J. E. Neary as caretaker of Science House a presentation was made to Mr. and Mrs. Neary on 13th June, 1951. Mr. Frank Daly was appointed caretaker as from 10th March, 1951.
Preservation of Natural Areas. A third Natural History Survey was made, under the leadership of Dr. W. R. Browne, of the Spencer’s Creek Dam site and other parts of the Kosciusko region from 30th January to 13th February, 1952, when a party of seven scientists visited the area; transport and accommodation were offered for the party by the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority.
Council decided that it was willing to be represented on the proposed Muogamarra Trust and nominated Mr. R. H. Anderson as its representative.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. ili
The Society sent a number of framed photographs and historical relics for exhibition at the Royal Australian Historical Society’s Jubilee Exhibition.
On the evening of 10th November, 1951, the Society’s aims and activities were featured by your President in the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s “Week-end Magazine” session.
We offer congratulations to: Dr. Joan Beattie on the award of the D.Sc. degree; Miss Judith Fraser on obtaining her M.Sc. degree; Dr. R. J. Noble on receiving the Outstanding Achievement Award of the University of Minnesota, U.S.A.; Miss Hilary Purchase on the award of the Thomas Lawrance Pawlett Research Scholarship of the University of Sydney, this being the first award of the scholarship to a woman; Dr. A. R. Woodhill on obtaining the D.Sc.Agr. degree of the University of Sydney; Dr. Janet Harker, F.R.E.S., on obtaining the Ph.D. degree of the University of Manchester; Dr. G. F. Humphrey on the award of the Ph.D. degree of the University of Sydney; Dr. Alex Fraser on the award of the Ph.D. degree of the University of Edinburgh; and Professor W. N. Benson on the award of the Mueller Medal by the Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science.
Linnean Macleay Fellowships.
In November, 1950, the Council reappointed Miss Mary Hindmarsh to a Fellowship in Botany for 1951 and appointed Mr. N. C. Stevens and Mr. T. G. Vallance to Fellowships: in Geology for 1951.
During 1951 Miss Hindmarsh made investigations into processes concerned with cell division in’ plants, continuing the study of the action of metabolites and poisons on various stages of mitosis. The effects of dinitrophenol and mononitrophenols on meristematic cells of onion roots were studied further. It was found that cytological abnormalities induced by nitrophenols and colchicine were not the same. Colchicine affects one stage of the cell division process, the spindle mechanism, while nitrophenols, although upsetting the spindle, have a general toxic action on all meristematic cells. These results were published in the Proceedings of the Society during the year. Since so many different chemicals appear to upset the spindle mechanism and since colchicine has been assumed to act by inhibiting spindle formation, an investigation on the presence and absence of the spindle under various conditions was begun. Preliminary examinations of slides of colchicine-treated and untreated roots showed that spindles were not apparent in cells of treated roots but were clearly seen in control roots. and in roots which had been allowed to recover in water after treatment: It seems, then,, that colchicine does not simply inactivate the spindle mechanism but either destroys the spindle or prevents its formation. :
The main subject for study by Mr. Stevens was the petrology of bathylithic intrusions in the Cowra-Gunning area. A large area between Lyndhurst and Boorowa was , geologically mapped, and the field relations between the granitic rocks and the rocks they intrude were investigated, as well as the structure in both intrusive and invaded rocks, and the relations between gneissic and massive granites. Work on the Cowra intrusion and its xenoliths was completed, and a paper on this work was submitted to the Society. Laboratory work consisted of chemical analyses of the granites and invaded rocks south-west of Cowra, preparation of microslides and air-photo inter- pretation. The mapping of Ordovician fossiliferous strata at Cliefden Caves, at the north end of the Wyangala bathylith, was also completed.
Mr. Vallance reports that during the past year field and laboratory investigations of the relations between granite and the metamorphic series in the Wagga Wagga— Adelong district, New South Wales, have been continued. Some interesting correlation between the mineralogical and chemical compositions and the field distribution of the two groups has been discovered. This, it is hoped, will throw some light on the problem of the significance of the granite and metamorphism in the region.
In November, 1951, the Council reappointed Miss Mary Hindmarsh and Mr. T. G. Vallance to Fellowships in Botany and Geology respectively for 1952. Mr. Stevens did not apply for reappointment to a Fellowship.
1\ PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.
Miss Hindmarsh proposes to continue. work on the effects of mitotic poisons on the cell division process as follows:
(1) The reversal of sulphanilamide inhibition by p-aminobenzoie acid can be obtained under certain conditions. Attempts will be made to repeat this work and to ascertain the cause of the variable results obtained in experiments with sulphanilamide and p-aminobenzoic acid.
(2) Work on the cytological action of nitrophenols has shown clearly that the action of all mitotic poisons is not the same, although most of them produce a cytological picture superficially very like that of colchicine-treated cells. Substances which upset the spindle mechanism do not necessarily possess a common mode of action and a critical review of the cytological action of all mitotic poisons is needed. In this connection it is of interest to find out first whether these substances destroy or inactivate the spindle mechanism, and second whether tumours produced in the zone of elongation of roots by many mitotic poisons are all formed in the same way. A comparative anatomical study of tumours produced by colchicine, sulphanilamide and nitrophenols will be made. At the same time, dividing cells in root tips will be carefully examined for presence or absence of spindle fibres after treatment with various substances.
(3) Observations made in 1951 suggest that p-aminobenzoic acid inhibits root growth at concentrations where it has no effect on the cell division process. Apparently, p-aminobenzoie acid does affect cell elongation or cell differentiation. For this reason it is suggested that indole acetic acid, which is known to affect cell elongation, be used in combination with sulphanilamide, colchicine and p-aminobenzoic acid to find out whether p-aminobenzoic acid has any connection with auxins in the cell.
Mr. Vallance wishes to continue his research project entitled ‘‘Geological Investi- gations in the Ordovician Metamorphic Belt of Central-Western New South Wales”.
We wish both Fellows success in their year’s work.
The Council of the Society decided that an applicant for a Linnean Macleay Fellowship who is or intends to become a candidate for the Ph.D. degree shall first obtain the approval of the Council for this.
Macleay Bacteriologist.
During the year 1951-52 Dr. Yao-tseng Tchan has continued his work on soils and his morpho-cytological and physiological work on the N-fixing bacteria isolated from the Sydney district gave sufficient information to classify them as a new species —‘Azotobacter beijerinckii var. acido-tolerans”. This species has the general morpho- cytological characters of Azotobacter but differs from the latter in its dimensions, presence of fatty bodies and a remarkable tolerance to acidity of media. After the bush fires some research was done to investigate the effect of fire on the microbiological equilibrium of soils. This work was aimed to show the relationship of bush fire and partial sterilization of soils. A new technique for the estimation of mineral elements in the soil, based cn the growth of N-fixing bacteria, was started. The principle was to estimate quantitatively these elements at the natural pH range of soils. Very serious difficulties have to be overcome before any positive results can be expected. Based on the fluorescence of the chlorophylls, a technique for the direct microscopic estimation of soil and water algae was established. It has to be improved to make it quantitative. Two papers have been submitted to the Society for publication.
Dr. Tehan gave a short course in bacteriology at the School of Agriculture, University of Sydney, during the year.
A suitable house for Dr. Tchan in Margate Street, Ramsgate, was purchased by tne Society from the Bacteriology Fund.
Obituaries. It is recorded with regret that the following members died during the year: Dr.
Robert Broom (Corresponding Member), Mr. Edwin Cheel, Professor T. Harvey Johnston and Mr. Ralph Dudingston Wilson.
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. Vv
Professor T. Harvey Johnston, M.A., D.Sc. Thomas Harvey Johnston, who had been a member of this Society since 1907, died on 30th August, 1951, at the age of 69 years, just as he was looking forward to the years of retirement following upon a very busy scientific career.
Born in December, 1881, he graduated B.A. of the University of Sydney in 1904, B.Se. (Hons.) in 1906, M.A. in 1907, and D.Sc. in 1911. This was not, however, the end of his achievement in academic spheres, for in 1908 he became an Associate of Sydney Technical College (in Biology and Agriculture), and a Fellow in 1910.
He lectured in Zoology and Physiology at Sydney Technical College, 1907-8, and during the latter year was also Assistant Director of Bathurst Technical College, N.S.W.
In 1909 he became Assistant Microbiologist in the Government Bureau of Micro- biology, Sydney, N.S.W., which position he held for two years. In 1911 he was appointed Lecturer-in-charge, Department of Biology in the University of Queensland, and after seven years was elevated to the Chair in that subject.
He acted in this capacity for three years, and in 1922 successfully applied for the Chair of Zoology at Adelaide University, a post which he held at the time of his death. During this period he was also for a time (1928-34) Honorary Professor of Botany at this university.
This very brief sketch of his academic career gives little idea, however, of the wide and active interest that he had in Australian scientific life. In fact, it would be difficult to cite any other person who gave up so much of his time in furthering the cause of the science he loved so much.
Apart from having been at various times Honorary Zoologist to the Museums at Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, he was also President, Royal Society of Queensland, 1915-16; President, Royal Society of South Australia, 1931-32: Editor, Royal Society of South Australia, 1934-35; and also President, Section D, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science, 1923. He was one of the original Fellows of this organization.
He was Chief Biologist to the B.A.N.Z.A.R. Expedition, 1929-30 and 1930-31, and acted as Honorary Editor of the Biological Reports of the Australian Antarctic Expedition (1912-14) since 1930. He fulfilled a similar capacity in connection with the B.A.N.Z.A.R. Expedition, 1931-51, and just as though he felt this weren’t enough he also functioned as a member of the Hditorial Committee for the Australian Journal for Experimental Biology and Medical Science from 1926 to 1951.
One would have thought that a man who occupied so much of his time with editorial duties would have had little time for research, yet Harvey Johnston’s output in this direction was unusually high. He published some 296 papers and reports on a wide variety of subjects, including protozoan parasites, mites, ticks, some marine invertebrates, aboriginal ethnology, and the helminth parasites of Australian reptiles, birds and mammals.
The helminthological work which gained him considerable international renown occupied the closing years of his research career, but what many people of the present generation do not realize is the tremendous debt owed to him by the pastoral industry of Australia. Harvey Johnston was one of the small band of workers who were responsible in the second decade of this century for the introduction of the cochineal insect, and later of the moth Cactoblastis, which have proved so spectacularly successful in the eradication of prickly pear.
His work did not go unrecognized among his scientific colleagues, who honoured him in 1939 with the award of the coveted Mueller Medal (Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science) for distinguished services to Australian science.
Harvey Johnston was a man of charming personality and one who acted as an inspiration to student and colleague alike. He will be sadly missed, and the sympathies of this Society go out to his family.
vi PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.
Mr. Edwin Cheel.
Edwin Cheel was born in England on 14th January, 1872, coming to Australia as a young man. After working in the Queensland canefields and in private gardens in Sydney he was appointed to the staff of Centennial Park in 1897. Subsequently he was transferred to the gardening staff of the Sydney Botanic Gardens, but soon showed an unusual aptitude for botanical studies. He was appointed to the botanical staff in 1908 and eventually rose to the position of Chief Botanist and Curator of the New South Wales National Herbarium. His botanical interests were wide. His early studies were devoted to the lichens and fungi, but subsequently were extended to most
groups of plants.
He published many papers on Australian plant life and became a recognized authority in this field. He took an active part in the work of scientific societies and was a member of this Society from 1899, a member of Council from 1925 to 1940, President, 1930-31, and Honorary Treasurer for 1928 and 1929. He was a frequent attendant at monthly meetings of the Linnean Society, bringing exhibits of botanical specimens and adding greatly to the interest of the meetings. In addition he occupied the position of President of the Royal Society of New South Wales and President of the Naturalists’ Society of New South Wales. In his public life he was a keen supporter of the Friendly Society Movement, rising to the highest position in the Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows.
Although without the benefit of an early training in science, he made valuable contributions to our knowledge of Australian plants and was untiring in his enthusiasm for science.
Advancement in our knowledge of both plant and animal life in Australia owe much to the energy and devotion of self-trained naturalists, and amongst these Edwin Cheel has a secure and honoured place. Mr. Cheel died on 19th September, 1951.
Mr. Ralph Dudingston Wilson.
Ralph Dudingston Wilson, M.Se.Agr. (Syd.), M.S. (Wis.), died on 13th March, 1952, aged 41 years. He joined the Public Service as an Agricultural Cadet in 1928 and after a brilliant career at the University of Sydney was appointed to the Biological Branch of the New South Wales Department of Agriculture in 1932. At the time of his death he held the position of Plant Pathologist, Grade III, and was in charge of investigations of diseases of vegetable crops. In 1938 he was awarded a Walter and Eliza Hall Fellowship and undertook post-graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin, U.S.A., and took his M.S. degree there.
Before returning to Australia Mr. Wilson travelled extensively, visiting agricultural research institutions in U.S.A., Canada, Great Britain and Europe. Mr. Wilson’s professional work was devoted to the study and investigation of diseases of vegetable crops, in which he made important contributions to knowledge. His investigation of bacterial diseases of beans won for him world recognition. It was due to his energy that the New South Wales Bean Seed Certification Scheme was established, and in recent years Mr. Wilson turned his attention to a group of disorders caused by deficiency of soil in available molybdenum. As a result, much more is now known concerning whiptail disease of crucifers, bean scald, and a number of scald and chlorosis diseases of lettuce, tomatoes, rockmelons and other crops.
Mr. Wilson had been a member of the Society from 1938 to 1943 and again from 1949.
Dr. Robert Broom, F.R.S.
Dr. Robert Broom, F.R.S., who died on 6th April, 1951, at the age of 84, had been an Ordinary Member of this Society from 1895 to 1902 and a Corresponding Member since 1902.
He was born in 1866 and studied medicine at the University of Glasgow. He also served an apprenticeship in the Department of Chemistry of that university as junior assistant, and graduated in 1889.
The title of his first paper, “On the Volume of Mixed Liquids’, appeared in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh during this early period of training
\
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. vii
and gave little hint of the direction in which his researches were to take him in future years.
In a sense Broom was fortunate to be on the threshold of his scientific career at a time when interest in the problems of evolution was almost at fever pitch, and he seems quickly to have made up his mind that his real life’s work lay in the biological field. He found himself particularly attracted to the problem of the evolution of the mammals, and it was this preoccupation that was partly responsible for his coming to Australia in 1892. He, no doubt, felt that the Australian monotreme and marsupial fauna would provide him with first-hand information in this field.
Over the next few years he contributed a number of papers on morphological and embryological subjects, the main object of which was to establish the phylogenetic relationships between mammals and reptiles.
A turning-point in his career came when he visited London in 1897 and became deeply interested in a collection of cynodont skulls which had been made in South Africa by Dr. H. G. Seeley. He was inspired to go to South Africa in order to make further studies of the group, and as the demands of his medical practice were not very great he was able to go on periodical collecting expeditions to the Karoo.
For a time he held the Chair of Geology and Zoology at Victoria College, Stellenbosch, and was about to enter on a particularly productive part of his carreer. Over a period of two decades, he published a number of paper on mammal-like reptiles, and also on the anatomy and classification of the Chrysochloridea and other groups of recent mammals.
In 1920 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society, and in 1928 had the honour of being awarded one of the Royal Medals. Honorary degrees were also conferred upon him by several universities.
His great monograph, “The Mammal-like Reptiles of South Africa’, was published in 1932:and fully justified the outstanding reputation he had created for himself as one of the leading figures in mammal phylogeny.
In 1934 he joined the staff of the Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, and this was to be the beginning of an epoch-making series of studies on the Taungs skull (Australo- pithecus). These studies were to be based on rich discoveries of new Australopithecus material that he himself made at Sterkfontein, Kromdraii and Swartkrans, all of which places were very close to Pretoria.
As a result of this work Broom received two great honours—the Wollaston Medal of the Geological Society of London and the Elliot Gold Medal of the United States National Academy of Sciences.
He was actively engaged in research right up till the time of his death, and even though he was over 80 years old his energies appeared to be undiminished. On his eightieth birthday the Royal Society of South Africa did him the signal honour of publishing a special Robert Broom Commemorative Volume entitled “Robert Broom: Naturalist”. This contained papers by a number of scientists on fossil reptiles, fossil men and man-like apes, the human races that have inhabited Africa in the past, and appropriately papers of an embryological nature. Broom, himself, contributed a paper on Theriodonts. The volume has a Broom bibliography at the end which reveals that at the time of publication of the Commemorative Volume he had produced 402 papers, the first of which, already mentioned, appeared in 1885. He published further papers between then and the time of his death.
This Society is honoured by its association with so great a man, and in conclusion I would like to quote D. M. S. Watson, who gives this fine appraisal of “his worth: “Broom’s life-work is unparalleled by that of anyone now living. In its range, in its mere mass, it recalls the great Victorians, Owen, Huxley and Lankester: in its quality, in the extent to which modern work in many fields can be traced back to it, and in the verve and vigour it shows, it is indeed worthy to be compared with that of the great men of the past.”
viii PRESIDENTIAL ADDRDSS.
VARIATIONS ON A THEME.
SOME ASPECTS GF SCALE STRUCTURE IN FISHES, Iam aware that in view of the wide scientific interests of this Society, the subject I have chosen is a rather specialized one; however, I hope that the inherent interest of the problems I propose to deal with will sustain your attention.
I must also confess to another object in selecting this topic. Information on fish scales is widely scattered through the literature, much of which is hard to come by. There is no single book or small group of books to which the student of this aspect of fish structure can go for information, and it is my hope that this Address will at least partly fill that deficiency. It has long been my opinion that the value of a published scientific paper, and especially of an address such as this, can be enhanced if the writer bears in mind the needs of the student as well as those of the research worker. I can refer you to a number of Presidential Addresses delivered to this Society which are particularly outstanding in this regard.
The study of the structure and development of fish scales can be approached from a number of different angles. The main title I have selected would suggest that my sole object was to present to you an account of the amazingly varied types of scale structure that arise, all as an expression of the developmental potency of a single organ—the skin. That indeed is one of my aims, but stemming from this there are matters of wider biological significance touching upon the fascinating subject of early vertebrate evolution. I will also have occasion to discuss the use of scales in the practical field of fisheries biology.
The first part of the Address will be concerned with a formal account of the structure and development of scales and related structures in the principal fish groups, both living and extinct. Purely as a matter of convenience, I will commence with the placoid scale so typical of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays). Such scales, like all others, are developed from the skin, and it will therefore be convenient to describe skin structure first.
The dogfish Scyllium may be taken as an example. The skin is primarily two- layered and consists of an outer epidermis and an inner dermis. The epidermis, of ectodermal origin, is many cells in thickness. In the outermost layers the cells tend to be flattened, but at the base of these there is a definite layer of cells of columnar or polyhedral form. These are sometimes termed the Malpighian cells, and are important in that they are constantly dividing to provide replacement for those cells of the outer strata of the epidermis which are lost through wear and tear. This Malpighian layer also plays a visible but not always understood role in the genesis of scales, and of related structures such as teeth.
Scattered among the ordinary epidermal cells will be found gland cells, the function of which is to secrete the slippery mucus which covers the surface of the fish. : That is their normal function, although as will appear later (p. xxx) at least one author has claimed that they secrete calcium salts for the formation of scales in teleosts. The epidermis very seldom contains a nerve or vascular supply.
Immediately beneath the epidermis lies the dermis, cutis or corium, of mesodermal origin. In fishes it consists of two layers—an outer, rather loosely-aggregated one with numerous cells, and a deeper fibrous one with comparatively few cells.
The cells of the more superficial layer have plentiful cytoplasm and lie. within a meshwork of loosely-arranged fibres. This part of the dermis, which has a rich network of nerves and blood vessels, has aptly been termed by Hertwig “the germinal layer of the integument” because it plays such an important part in the formation of tegumentary structures such as scales, spines, fin rays and teeth.
The deeper part of the dermis consists of a number of parallel fibrous lamellae. In any given lamella the fibres run parallel, but the fibres in adjacent lamellae tend to run at right angles to one another, and all are disposed diagonally with respect to the long axis of the body. The rows of scales are also disposed in this diagonal fashion (Klaatsch, 1890, Pl. VII, fig. 7).
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 1x
There are also vertical fibres which run straight up into the outermost layer of the dermis (Schneider, 1902, fig. 586, p. 762).
In the higher vertebrates the dermis consists largely of a densely-felted mass of connective tissue fibres. This part of the skin, when tanned, becomes leather, as implied by the alternative name ‘“corium’’, which is sometimes applied to the dermis.
The skin in fishes, as in other vertebrates, performs a number of important functions, but the one that concerns us at the moment is its ability to produce skeletal structures in the form of scales, denticles, bony plates, and so on, which primarily have a protective function. Such structures in fish present an almost bewildering array of variations, some of which are exceedingly complicated. It is thus convenient to start with a comparatively simple example—the placoid scale.
Structure of Placoid Scales (Fig. 1).
While the arrangement of these on the surface of the body and the sculpturing of the individual scales may vary a good deal from group to group, the most common form is that of a sharp backwardly-directed denticle (with, occasionally, secondary spines) projecting above the epidermis. The denticle or main spine is continuous with
NN
mesodermal - accumulation
dentine canals. \ kek j mesodermal cells accumulating odontoblasts
Se 202408 ees eR ess
ee a Se xe =u -
epidermis
dermis
pulp cavity |
A Cc a later stage
Fig. 1—A vertical section through the skin of a dogfish showing the epidermis, the dermis divisible into superficial loose, and deeper densely fibrous zones, and a placoid scale.
B-C. Early and late stages in the development of a placoid scale. (Krom Murray, ‘Biology’. Macmillan & Co., London, 1950. By kind permission of the author.)
a basal plate which anchors the seale in the dermis. The spine is capped with a hard tissue variously called enamel or vitrodentine. “Enamel” implies that it is identical with the enamel of the teeth of higher vertebrates, and is therefore of ectodermal origin. “Vitrodentine” allies it with ordinary dentine (a tissue closely related to bone) which makes up the bulk of the spine, and which is mostly a mesodermal product (see, however, p. Xxxviii). The precise nature of its origin is obscure. According to some authors the enamel is invested superficially by a delicate membrane (‘“Oberhautchen”, Schneider, 1902, p. 761).
Internally the spine has a comparatively wide branched space continuous with a still wider one towards the basal plate. This is the pulp cavity and is filled with a loose vascular tissue, the pulp. Cells (odontoblasts) at the periphery of the pulp send long cytoplasmic processes into a series of branching dentinal canals which penetrate radially into the substance of the spine and extend (as still finer canals) into the enamel cap.
The spine merges into the calcified substance of the basal plate. The latter