A description of the anatomy of the Ornithorhynchus paradoxus

Two specimens of this curious animal, lately brought from New South Wales, the one male and the other female, and both full grown and perfect, having been submitted to the inspection and close examination of Mr. Home, by Sir Joseph Banks, this gentle­man has availed himself of the favourable opportunity to draw up the full account of all that is hitherto known concerning its habits, of its external appearance, and internal structure now before us. The animal has hitherto been only found in the fresh-water lakes, in the interior parts of the above-mentioned country. It does not swim upon the surface of the water, but comes up occasionally to breathe. It chiefly inhabits the banks of these lakes, and is supposed to feed in the muddy places which surround them; but the particular kind of food on which it subsists is not known.

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-62
Author(s):  
Deane Fergie ◽  
Rod Lucas ◽  
Morgan Harrington

This article eschews the singularity of much disaster, crisis and catastrophe research to focus on the complex dynamics of convergent crises. It examines the prolonged crises of a summer of bushfire and COVID-19 which converged in Eurobodalla Shire on the south coast of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, in 2019–2020. We focus on air and breathing on the one hand and kinship and the social organisation of survival and recovery on the other. During Australia’s summer of bushfires, thick smoke rendered air, airways and breathing a challenge, leaving people open to reflection as well as to struggle. Bushfire smoke created ‘aware breathers’. It was aware breathers who were then to experience the invisible and separating threat of COVID-19. These convergent crises impacted the ‘mutuality of being’ of kinship (after Marshall Sahlins) and the social organisation of survival. Whereas the bushfires in Eurobodalla drew on grandparent-families in survival, the social distancing and lockdown of COVID-19 has cleaved these multi-household families asunder, at least for now. COVID-19 has also made plain how the mingling of breath is a new index of intimacy.


1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (114) ◽  
pp. 231-235
Author(s):  
Maxwell R. Banks ◽  
Eric A. Colhoun ◽  
David Hannan

AbstractThe effects of past glaciation in what is now Australian territory were first recognized on Macquarie Island, probably by David Ramsay, in 1821. The recognition by Darwin in 1836, and reporting by Milligan in 1848 of ice-transported pebbles and boulders in late Palaeozoic marine rocks in Tasmania, showed on the one hand participation in and on the other familiarity with the controversy in Great Britain at that time on the origin of erratics and drift currents. Reports by Clarke (1852), Daintree in 1859, Selwyn (1860), and Gould (1860) of the effects of land ice on Mount Koscuisko (New South Wales), Bacchus Marsh (Victoria), Inman Valley (South Australia), and the Central Highlands (Tasmania), respectively, reflect the increasing recognition in Great Britain of the erosional and depositional effects of glaciers. Daintree, Selwyn, and Gould were all closely connected with A.C. Ramsay, the main British protagonist of the glacial theory at the time, whereas David Ramsay and Milligan were probably influenced by Robert Jameson of Edinburgh.


1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (114) ◽  
pp. 231-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maxwell R. Banks ◽  
Eric A. Colhoun ◽  
David Hannan

Abstract The effects of past glaciation in what is now Australian territory were first recognized on Macquarie Island, probably by David Ramsay, in 1821. The recognition by Darwin in 1836, and reporting by Milligan in 1848 of ice-transported pebbles and boulders in late Palaeozoic marine rocks in Tasmania, showed on the one hand participation in and on the other familiarity with the controversy in Great Britain at that time on the origin of erratics and drift currents. Reports by Clarke (1852), Daintree in 1859, Selwyn (1860), and Gould (1860) of the effects of land ice on Mount Koscuisko (New South Wales), Bacchus Marsh (Victoria), Inman Valley (South Australia), and the Central Highlands (Tasmania), respectively, reflect the increasing recognition in Great Britain of the erosional and depositional effects of glaciers. Daintree, Selwyn, and Gould were all closely connected with A.C. Ramsay, the main British protagonist of the glacial theory at the time, whereas David Ramsay and Milligan were probably influenced by Robert Jameson of Edinburgh.


The author, having received a male wombat alive from one of the islands in Bass’s Straits, had an opportunity of observing its habits in a domesticated state, and of examining the peculiarities of its internal formation after death, particularly the mechanism of the bones and muscles of its hind legs, which have not been described either by Geoffroy, in his account of its internal form, or by Cuvier, who has described several parts of its internal structure in his Lecons d’Anatomie Comparée . The stomach of the wombat resembles closely that of the beaver, and differs so much from that of the kanguroo, and other animals of the opossum tribe, that it forms an extraordinary peculiarity. An account of the dissection of a female wombat having been received from the late Mr. Bell, Surgeon to the Colony at New South Wales, Mr. Home has inserted Mr. Bell’s description, with remarks especially on the state of the uterus, which was double, and impregnated on each side; that on the right side was as large as a pullet’s egg. The os tincæ was filled with a thick gelatinous substance. When a longitudinal incision was made into its cavity, its coats were found lined with the same jelly, in the centre of which was an embryo wrapped up in very fine membranes, that appeared to have no connexion by vessels with either the uterus or the gelatinous matter. These facts, says Mr. Home, throw considerable light on the mode of propagation of this very curious tribe of animals. They confirm, in the most satisfactory manner, the observations contained in a former paper on the kanguroo, which required further evidence, as the specimen on which the observations were made had been sent to England preserved in spirits, and the parts had become very indistinct, from being coagulated and long kept.


1970 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-67
Author(s):  
Virginia Macleod

Warriewood is on Sydney's northern beaches, between Mona Vale and North Narrabeen, in the Pittwater local government area.This was once a 'wet' part of the coast. Lagoons and swamps were typical of the northern beaches and east coast of New South Wales. Narrabeen Creek flows through the middle of Warriewood, and Mullet Creek marks its southern boundary. Early nineteenth-century maps mark most of the land between the south-east corner of Pittwater across to Mona Vale Beach and south, including Warriewood Valley, as swamp. The local Guringai Aboriginal people would have found these swamps rich in food supplies – fish, birds, plants and naturally fresh water.


1969 ◽  
Vol 9 (40) ◽  
pp. 541 ◽  
Author(s):  
PW Grogan ◽  
DS Teakle

Seven out of eight maize inbred lines developed at Lawes in Queensland from open-pollinated varieties were resistant to maize dwarf mosaic disease when exposed to natural infection in the field. Five of the seven resistant inbred lines failed to become systemically infected when inoculated with infectious sap in the glasshouse. By contrast, only three out of twenty lines introduced from the U.S.A., and two out of eight lines developed at the Grafton and Glen Innes Breeding Stations in New South Wales, were resistant in the field. All three resistant lines from the U.S.A. were systemically infected when inoculated in the glasshouse, but the two resistant lines from Grafton in New South Wales were not. The resistant Lawes and Grafton maize inbred lines would appear to be better sources of genes conferring resistance to maize dwarf mosaic disease than the other lines tested.


1967 ◽  
Vol 7 (24) ◽  
pp. 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
P McInnes ◽  
TJ Grainger ◽  
MD Smith

Data are presented on the recovery and reproductive performance of 2 1/2-year-old maiden Merino ewes after a prolonged period of undernutrition. The 217 sheep had been hand-fed on a submaintenance ration in pen feeding trials at Glenfield, New South Wales. During the seven months of the trials they had lost 6 kg (28 to 22 kg) body weight. They were transported to Condobolin in south-western New South Wales, divided into two treatment groups and run on good quality pastures. One group was joined immediately (May 1959) and again ten months later, and the other group was mated after six months at Condobolin (in October 1959) and again 12 months later. The ewes recovered rapidly. The mean weight of both groups had reached 30 kg within six weeks and 40 kg within six months. In the first year 73 of the 100 May-mated ewes bore lambs, but only 38 of these lambs were weaned. Ewes bearing lambs had a higher body weight at the start of joining and gained more during joining than the barren ewes. At the other three joinings (October 1959, May 1960, October 1960) lambing percentage was from 86-89 and weaning percentage from 62-69-both normal for the district. The proportion of twin lambs (3-6 per cent) was low. Wool weight in 1959 was not affected by time of mating or by pregnancy.


1976 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 551 ◽  
Author(s):  
RDJ Tilzey

The fish fauna of all major streams within the Lake Eucumbene catchment in south-eastern New South Wales was sampled by electrofishing or poisoning with rotenone. Galaxias coxii was found in only four, and G. olidus in only one other of the 27 streams sampled whereas the introduced salmonids (Salmo trutta or S. gairdneri, or both) occurred in all but the stream containing G. olidus. Values for galaxiid biomass were low in comparison with those for trout where both occurred together. Sampling in 1971 and 1974 in the one stream observed in 1971 to contain only G. olidus spanned an invasion by S. gairdneri and by 1974 the galaxiid species had completely disappeared below a natural barrier to trout, but above this barrier the biomass and population structure of G. olidus had not changed greatly compared to the 1971 values. This indicated that the presence of S. gairdneri was the sole environmental factor causing galaxiid disappearance below the barrier. Historical data for the catchment area suggested that the introduction and subsequent success of trout are primarily responsible for the present, much fragmented galaxiid distribution.


1978 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 167
Author(s):  
VR Squires

In order to assess the current level of stock watering facilities on pastoral properties within the western Riverina district of New South Wales and to relate this information to paddock size and vegetation type, large of areas of land (785,000 ha) within the region were surveyed. Paddock boundaries and the location of watering points were plotted. Watering points were classified as to type. Three broad vegetation types were represented: chenopod shrublands (Atriplex and Maireana spp.) degraded grasslands (Stipal Danthonia spp.), and mallee woodlands (Eucalyptus socinlis F. Meull., E, oleosa, F. Meull.) Size of paddocks was related to the dominant vegetation type. On the degraded grasslands in the eastern part of the study area the mean paddock size was 746 ha; on the chenopod shrublands it was 780 ha, and in the Malleedominated areas it was 1,553 ha. The number of permanent watering points per paddock varied from one to four. Less than half the paddocks (43%) had fresh water available as well as saline waters from sub-artesian bores. Almost half the paddocks (47%) were so large, or the watering points so positioned, that the sheep would need to walk more than 3 km to reach the most remote parts of the paddock when temporary waters had dried up. Overall 18% of the land in the non- mallee areas was more than 3 km from permanent water. Therefore the majority of the land could be used in all seasons. Generally the central and northern Riverina district is adequately watered. It would be uneconomic to supply permanent water in the mallee woodlands. In some paddocks in the chenopod dominated area extra watering points may be justified.


Soil Research ◽  
1976 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 381 ◽  
Author(s):  
GJ Osborne

Six surface and subsoils known to contain native intercalary ammonium were examined to assess the importance of ammonium fixation when nitrogen fertilizers were applied, the availability of native and recently fixed intercalary ammonium to plants, and the effect of potassium on fixation. Only one soil, a grey soil of heavy texture (Ug 5.4), fixed significant amounts of added ammonium sulphate, the level of intercalary ammonium being increased by 55 % in the surface and 100% in the subsoil. The native level of intercalary ammonium was reduced by 8 and 17% by the growth of plants in the red-brown earth (Dr 2.23) and the grey soil of heavy texture, respectively, but was unchanged in the other soils. The addition of small amounts of potassium prior to the ammonium did not affect fixation; however, additions of 500 ppm reduced the fixation of a 200 ppm solution of ammonium by 80 %. Intercalary ammonium is not considered to be important in the nitrogen economy of five of the six major farming soils of the slopes and plains area of southern New South Wales. The sixth, the grey soil of heavy texture, is an alluvium associated with the Murrumbidgee River and its tributaries, and as such is used extensively for irrigated agriculture. Because this soil can fix large amounts of ammonium, the use of ammonium or ammonium forming fertilizers is not recommended.


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