CARCHARIDAE.

No. 54.—­CARCHARIAS (PRIONODON) MELANOPTERUS, Muller and Henle.—­Native name, MATCHET.  “Common blue shark” of the settlers.  Specimen four feet and a half long; have been seen longer.  A female had four young alive when taken.  Spiracles behind the eyes.  Caught by hook, 16th August, 1841.

No. 26—­CESTRACION Philippi, Mull. and Henle.—­Native names, MATCHET, KORLUCK, or QUORLUCK.  “Bull-dog-shark” of the sealers.  Specimen two feet and a half long.

Inhabits rocky shores, and is very sluggish; it does not grow to a very large size.  Caught by hook, 6th April, 1841.

     TRYGONES.

No. 38.—­UROLOPHUS.—­Native name, KEGETUCK or BEBIL.  “Young sting-ray” of the sealers.  Caught by seine, 4th May, 1841.

No. 28.—­Near PLATYRHINA.—­Native name, PARETT.  “Fiddler” of the sealers; Green skate of the settlers.  Eye dullish yellow; pupil sea-green, glaring in some lights; teeth transverse, like a file; spiracles two, large, behind the eye, in the same cavity; belly white, terminating at the caudal fin.

Very common in the sheltered bays, close in shore among the weeds.  Not eaten by the Aborigines, who greatly abhor them, as they do also the sting-ray.  Specimen two feet nine inches and a half long.

* * * * *

(D.) Description and figures of four new species of Australian insects.  By Adam white, Esq.  M.E.S.

The four insects here figured and described are, as far as I am aware, new.  Petasida, and Tettigarcta are interesting in the shape of the Thorax, differing widely from that in any of the allied genera, while the new species of Eurybrachys and Chrysopa are striking from their colouring and marks.

Petasida EPHIPPIGERA, pl. 4. fig. 1.

Thorax much dilated behind, depressed and rounded at the end; the side deeply sinuated behind; head pointed, antennae long; of a yellowish orange; antennae with a few greenish rings, cheek below the eye with a greenish line, head above with a longitudinal greenish line.  Thorax with a slight keel down the middle, wrinkled behind of a dusky blueish green, a large patch of an orange colour on each side in front, and a small spot of the same colour on each edge of the produced part at base; elytra orange with numerous black spots, and black at the tip, lower wings pale orange at the base, clouded with black at the tip; abdomen orange, slightly ringed with green; legs orange, with three greenish spots on the outside of the femora of hind legs.

Length 1 inch 9 lines.

Hab.  Australia.

Chrysopa MACULIPENNIS, pl. 4. fig. 2.

Head red, with a black spot on the crown; antennae short brownish black; thorax hairy; thorax, abdomen, and legs, brownish black.  Wings brown, with iridescent hues, the upper with transverse yellowish lines and spots at the base; a long yellowish line parallel to the outer edge at the end, and emitting a whitish spot which reaches the edge, three spots on the apical portion, the two on the outer edge large; basal half lower wings pale, some of the areolets yellowish; a few clouded with brown, tip of the wing yellowish.