the VICTORIAN NATURALIST Vol. 86, No. 4 April, 1969 Published by the FIELD NATURALISTS CLUB OF VICTORIA In which is incorporated the Microscopical Society of Victoria Registered in Australia for transmission by post as a periodical 45 cents COUNCIL 1969-1970 President: Mr. E. R. Allan, 9 Mowbray Street, East Hawthorn 3123 20 4661 Vice-Presidents (2): Mr. T. Sault, 118 Gordon Street, Balwyn 31,03 SO257 Mr. R. W. McKellar, ‘’Carramar’’, May Street, Elsternwick 3185 Secretary: Mir DJ: Eee; Springvale 3171 15 Springvale Road, 546 7724 Assistant Secretary: Mr. R. Condron, 96 Shannon Street, Box Mill 3126 86 8976 (Bus.) Treasurer: Mr. D. McInnes, 129 Waverley Road, East Malvern 3145 122 2427 Assistant Treasurer: Mrs. E. King, Flat 5, 77 Chapman Street, North Melbourne 3051 Editor: Mr. G. Ward, 54 St. James Road, Heidel- berg 3084 385121 (Bus.) (Private leave message at 45 2793) Assistant Editor: Mr. P. Gahan, 4 Cromwell Road, South Yarra 3141 Librarian: Mr. P. Kelly, 260 The Boulevard, East Ivanhoe 3079 49 5765 Assistant Librarian: Miss M. Lester, 14 Tivoli Place, South Yarra 3141 26 1967 74 Excursion Secretary: Miss M. Allender, 19 Hawthorn Avenue, Caulfield 3162 63 7030 (Bus.) Residual Council (5) : Mr. J. Strong, Housekeeper, Legislative Council, Parliament House, Spring Street 3000 Mr. A. Fairhall, 14 Wallen Road, Car- negie 3163 58 2009 Mr. |. Morrison, 788 Elgar Road, Don- caster 3108 Mr. J. T. Curliss, 74 Miller Street, Car- negie 3163 Mr. A. J. Lewis, 27 Tram Road, Don- caster 3108 848 2244 Subscription Secretary: Mrs. N. Lewis, 1 Billings Street, Spring- vale 3171 546 4649 Genery’s Scientific Equipment Supply 183 Little Collins Street Melbourne (one door from Russell Street) Phone 63 2160 Microscopical stains and mountants. Magnifying lenses and insect nets. Excellent student microscope with powers from 40X to 300X, resolution: 20,000 lines per inch. $29.50. Standard laboratory equipment, ex- perimental lens sets, etc. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 The Victorian Naturalist Editor: G. M. Ward Assistant Editor: P. Gahan Vol. 86, No. 4 12 April, 1969 CONTENTS Articles: Wildflowers Study Tour in Western Australia, oe ges 1968. By Elizabeth K. Turner o 96 A Short Biography of William Mounticn Bale ‘By Haan ip Smith and Jeanette E. Watson oe 105 Features: Readers’ Nature Notes and Queries 7 $e - a et es 102 Book Review: “Australian Rocks and Minerals” .. 2 ue ua _ _ en 104 Montmorency District Junior F.N.C.: Wielding a Big Club (Report of initial Meeting) A a a a. Cit Field Naturalists Club of Victoria: Annual Meeting Report 7 a - oe ~ ey te te | gs Botany Group Meeting Report oe = a ue <7 a fa 114 Front Cover: This head study of the Gum Emperor Moth, shortly after emergence from the cocoon, was photographed by Graham Pizzey. Note the feelers, indicating a male moth. April, 1969 5) Wildflower Study Tour in Western Australia. At the beginning of September, 1968, the writer was privileged to be one of a party of thirty assorted per- sons to join a Wildflower Study Tour of six days, arranged by the W.A. Government, travelling by bus North from Perth. My tour across the Nullar- bor and through the south-west areas of W.A. with the F.N.C.V. in August and September, 1963, had whetted my appetite to see more of the glories of the Western wildflowers before culti- vation and so-called progress had com- pletely eliminated part of their habitat. The tours are provided with a bus driver, a hostess and a botanist; this latter post being filled by Mr. Bill Tothill, a keen naturalist who had traversed the route so often that he had a remarkable knowledge of where to find unusual specimens, and where to see the varieties of plants in abund- ance. As accommodation, meals and cups of tea were all provided, the most strenuous exercise one had to do was getting in and out of the bus, and investigating the environment while the bus waited. North-East to the Darling Escarpment Our first morning-tea-stop was on the Darling Escarpment, north-east of Bullsbrook and overlooking the Chit- tering Valley. The eucalypt woodland was ablaze with the red and green of Mangles Kangaroo-Paw (Anigozan- thos manglesii) and with patches of blue Leschenaultia biloba which var- ied in colour from pale sky blue to deep saxe. In the scrub amongst the weird blackboys, (Xanthorrhoea preisii) 96 September 1968 by ELIZABETH K. TURNER there were mats of blue-violet Dam- piera and the delicate blue Morning Iris (Orthrosanthus laxus), the ubi- quitous yellow Native Buttercup (Hib- bertia hypericoides) and bright yellow tufts of Dryandra polycephala on leg- gy wands. This area rather resembled the Kings’ Park flora, in that there was an abundance of purple Sower- baea multiflora, Conostephium pendu- lum, Synaphaea polymorphia which occurred in most areas on our tour, and that lesser relative of the Kanga- roo-Paws’, the yellow cone flower (Conostylis). Eriostemon spicatus with lilac flowers was common, and there were startling clumps of the deepest violet Calytrix brachyphylla, and a relative of the Daphne family, sweet-scented Pimelea suaveolens with large, yellowish-green bracts; also lots of the weird waving russet-coloured Stirlingia. Among the smaller flowers of this forest, the most eye-catching were the stands of Cowslip Orchid (Cala- denia flava), Droseras macrantha and D. menziesii climbing to 3 or 4 feet on the undergrowth, also the flat- faced Stylidium reduplicatum with tremendous triple-plate-like flowers in creamy-white, which was hailed by all the uninitiated as an orchid at first sight. I found also one of my favourites, the little heath-like Andersonia with pink calyx and blue corolla, which is a delight when viewed under the lens. There was such an abundance to see that some of us forgot about the tea boiling on a sort of gas-primus stove at the back of the bus! Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 Through the Eucalypt Woodlands We then had wayside stops to ad- mire large stands of golden-yellow Lambertia multiflora or Grevillea pilulifera which from a distance look- ed like a fluffy white Hakea. A little further north, we stopped to admire patches of the red pea-flowered crin- kle-leafed poisonous Gastrolobum vil- losum, Hovea sp. with enormous violet flowers, pink Boronia inornata and Hybanthus calycinus, one of W.A.’s violets. At the next roadside stop was a rare sight which has made me person- ally more appreciative of the Hibber- tia family—these were beautiful shrubs of Hibbertia miniata about 2 ft. high, covered with large orange cup-like flowers about 14 inches in diameter, with central crimson or saffron col- oured stamens; here also we saw the quite rare white, daisy-like bushes of Asterolasia pallida. Along the roadside were clumps of blue and = snow-white fan-flowers Scaevola sp. and numerous bushes of Calothamnus sanguinius with its red pronated paws, and masses of the blue false blind grass, Stypandra im- bricata. In one area, Bill Tothill col- lected Dryandra nobilis with tall gold balls up to 3 or 4 inches in diameter. We then made an interesting detour through the grounds of Keaney Col- lege, now an Agricultural College, but until the recent English law prevent- ing the migration of orphan boys, this was the so-called “Boy’s Town” of the Roman Catholic Church. On the hillside here, were Cycad palms, over which Clematis aristata was heaped in snowy-white profusion. Our next roadside stop was to ad- mire the tawny cats’ paws (Anigo- zanthos humilis) and the smaller 12 inch red and green Anigozanthos bi- color. We had a cold chicken and salad lunch near a gravel pit in the woodlands and then drove on to visit April, 1969 the native mission at New Norcis, built by Dom Salvadore in 1866 and still maintained by Spanish Monks, who long for their homeland. Further north, we came upon the first of the Feather flowers, the pink Verticordia picta and the golden Verticordia grandiflora, and later, the beautiful scarlet Verticordia grandis. In this area we saw our first furry white lamb’s tails (Lachnostachys verbascifolia) . Into the Irwin River District Our overnight accommodation was in a small, green and white railway train on a siding at Watheroo, and for our evening entertainment Bill Tothill showed slides of his own photographs of the best of the wild- flowers from numerous tours. The worst inconvenience at this stop was when the lights on the carriages fail- ed and we had to go to bed by torch light, but as the bunks were comfort- able and warm it mattered little! An early morning cup of tea was available in the railway yard and we left soon after breakfast for points north through Coorow and Three Springs. This area carries mainly York gum or Jam and extensive sand plains; the conditions are warmer than in the districts to the South-West, and the vegetation is earlier. Cultivation is so extensive along both sides of the high- way that the wildflowers make their chief display along railway cuttings and roadsides. In sandy country we saw our first stands of woody pear (Xylomelum angustifolium) and the tall, beautiful orange Banksia prionites with heads like hypertrophied acorns. Close by was a bush of crimson Hakea bucculenta, easily 10 feet high; also we found specimens of an engag- ing dark-purplish leaf-eating cater- pillar with a hooked tail, which, when disturbed, reared up and backwards in extreme opisthotonous and stuck 97 Photo: Author Hakea bucculenta his fearsome looking feet and bristles well out in front of him. A crimson mat of bells of Marian- thus erubescens covered some of the yellow flowering Acacias along the way; the commonest shrubs seemed to be the lilac-pink Baeckea cam- phorosmae and_ other species’ of Myrtaceae. A_ beautiful prostrate Hemiandra gardneri with scarlet flow- ers about one inch in diameter was found. We were delighted by the love- ly copper-cups (Pileanthus peduncu- laris) and by an attractive rose-pink flower, looking like an_ over-sized Baeckea, called Commersonia pul- chella, and belonging to the Sterculia family; along with the Keraudrenia of which we saw many _ purple-violet species, and with the Thomasia which had felty-hair and_ bright-coloured purplish-pink calyces. There were startling patches of feathery smoke-bush (Conospermum incurvum), and I was much in de- 98 mand as a photographic contrast med- ium in my scarlet blouse. Hibiscus farragei was found cover- ed with lilac-violet flowers; and the herb-like plant about 2 feet high with apricot, green and brown bract-cov- ered heads turned out to be Gelez- nowia calycina, a member of the Rutaceae family that I had not met before. There were bushes of large pink Isopogon baxteri which would have added colour to any suburban garden. Here, yellow and white cone flowers made perfect wreaths with the flowering edges raised 3-4 inches above the sand. The bright waving spikes of the gold Grevillea erio- stachya all pointed in the same direc- tion, and the weird dull-crimson un- opened cones of the Grevillea leucop- teris topped with satiny-white flower spikes, projected for 3-5 feet above their thick dark-green foliage, and gave the impression of being one plant shooting up through another. We travelled most of the day through Mallee and mixed Wattle- Scrub through which the winding Ir- win River appeared to have to cut a series of terraces; yellow pennants (Loudonia aurea) added colour to the roadsides. We stopped to photograph a hillside of pale-pink Schoenia cassi- niana and an enormous tree of red flowering Hakea multilineata, and later to afford similar treatment to the Eucalyptus rudis, the famous Green- ough trees near the coastal sand dunes; these thick-trunked eucalypts “lean- ing on their elbows” as Bill said, sloped almost horizontally in a direc- tion away from the sea. Three Nights at Geraldton That night and the following two, were spent in luxury in a motel at Geraldton, overlooking vast sand dunes and the Indian Ocean which beckoned so strongly that we walked over for a swim. The next day was Vict. Nat.—vVol. 86 spent exploring Geraldton and en- virons, and being entertained in the evening with films of the underwater discoveries of the wrecks of Dutch galleons off the W.A. coast. North to the Murchison River and Heath Scrub Country The following day we continued northward through country covered with York Gum (Eucalyptus loxo- phleba), Wattles, Sheoke (Casuarina cristata) and spiky Hakeas, through Northampton to the Murchison River and on to the coastal heath scrub. Here we found another red and yel- low-green member of the Leschenaul- tia species, Leschenaultia linarioides, and the orange and red one-sided bottle brush (Beaufortia squarrosa) and I was surprised to find the blue climbing Cheiranthera species. We passed the original stone hut built for Drummond, the naturalist, and although now roofless, the wood- en slats and floor boards cut more than 100 years ago, are in excellent condition. We had lunch at the Mur- chison River and found bushes of Cassia and of pink and blue Eremo- phila; I always feel like giving a priv- ate cheer for the Eremophila—they bloom so bravely and handsomely in tough places. Near the river, a peculiar April, 1969 cactus-like, almost prostrate shrub was found which had scarlet, sickle-shaped pea flowers, fully 2 inches high; this was probably Brachysema aphyllum. Also there were abundant patches of lemon-yellow and white Cephalipterum drummondii and Helipterum species, and some Calandrinia linifolia, a suc- culent member of the Portulaca fam- ily, with magenta flowers, called Para- keelya in Central Australia. There were also sweet smelling pinkish mulla mullas, (Trichinium and Ptilotis) and we found our old Victorian friends the blue buttons (Brunonia australis) in flower. At one roadside stop there were dozens of bushes of pale pink Grevillea petrophylloides, and some rocky outcrops covered with gold and pink Feather-flowers. East to Mullewa and Back to Watheroo Next day, 6th September, we left Geraldton and travelled E.N.E. most- ly over undulating farmlands to Mul- lewa, between carpets of pink and white Schoenia, yellow and_ white Cephalipterum and bushes of purple Keraudrenia interspersed with blue Dampiera, with the yellow of the wattles forming a higher layer of vegetation. The only hills were the small, distant Koolonooka hills with Beaufortia squarrosa Photo: Author Se) obvious red scars made by the West- ern Mining Corporation, extracting iron ore. At our first stop I noted the blue Halgania species and bushes of rose- pink Isopogon adenanthoides; \ater a shocking-pink Calythrix muricata and masses of golden Podolepis. All day we passed bushes of beautiful Hakea bucculenta with creamy-crimson tint- ed spikes, and we saw the enormous orange heads of the Banksia ashbyi. At one stop there were clumps of powder-blue Dampiera wellsiana \ook- ing rather like the garden Love-in-the- Mist. There was a bright red showy Grevillea dielsiana and a pure white one G. candicans. At Mullewa, the Country Women’s Association provided lunch in the Town Hall Annexe, and later we visited a private zoo where the ani- mals and birds were well fed, but their enclosures were inadequate and de- nuded of vegetation. We preferred to see the flocks of galahs, corellas and black cockatoos in the wild, with the frequent green flashes of the ‘28 parrots” on the wing. At Morowa we stopped to photo- graph the profusion of “everlastings” along the railway siding; there were pink Schoenias and yellow and white Cephalipterum and some Ptilotis with soft pink inflorescences. Later, we passed numerous bushes of a pale pink Thryptomene, softer and wispier than our Grampians variety. Hidden away in the scrub we found the cop- per-coloured native pomegranate (Balaustrion microphyllum) and some fine bushes of native foxglove (Pity- rodia axillaris). Probably the most fantastic sights of all were the wreaths of Leschen- aultia macrantha, perfect circles from 8 to 24 inches in diameter, edged with flowers in red and yellow, these covered a gravelly area and looked as though the place had been gar- landed for a festival, so neatly were they laid about. Here also was a weird furry, pale Anthotroche blackii with purple-black velvety stars; to my surprise this belonged to the family Solonaceae. There was a most beautiful Mela- leuca steedmanii of intense scarlet, edged with golden anthers and some purple Melaleuca conothamnoides. At the afternoon tea stop we in- spected the inside of a termites’ hill and finally sped southwards in the darkness to our railway-carriage bunks at Watheroo, singing as we went. Golden Lambertia grandiflora Photo: Author Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 South via the Coastal Plains through Badgingarra On our 6th and final day we traver- sed wild heath scrub country near the coast, where the bush is quite virgin and covered with Banksias, Nuytsias and xerophytic greyish vegetation en- lightened by carrot-orange bottlebrush tufts of Eremaea beaufortioides, yel- low Verticordia, violet Calytrix, white furry Astrolomas and Isopogons in yellow and pink. There were also some dusty-pink Hakeas and a red Lam- bertia species. In some areas there were stunted Eucalypts with large fruits like the bowl of a smoker’s pipe; Bill called these “blackbutt”. In a clearing we found many black Kangaroo-Paws, (Macropidia fuliginosa), these have much larger seeds than the other Kangaroo-Paws and are in a separate genus. One rather dusty bush of red- bugle (Blancoa canescens) was found. We came to the edge of the Darling Escarpment at Dinner Hill, and here we saw a Hakea with tough thorn- edged leaves shaped like a shell. From this vantage point we looked over the plains to Badgingarra where later, the women of the Progress Association provided lunch for us in the hall; they also had on display and for sale, wildflowers from their area. The bus travellers were keen to obtain the fruits of two Banksias be- cause of their amusing shapes; one, Banksia candolleana, had fruits which resembled Donald Duck with his curly beak open, and the other species look- ed like a little bird sitting on its nest. I also found the ugly drum-stick heads of the Dasypogon bromeliaefolius cov- ered with tiny cream flowers. To Perth via the Jarrah Forests and Across the Moore River Afternoon tea was near Regan’s Ford across the Moore River and it April, 1969 was a pleasure to see trees and water again. Here there was blue Boronia and pink Thryptomene and clumps of tall Donkey Orchids (Diuris emargi- nata); I counted 54 stems in one group. There were also numerous bushes of a shrub looking vaguely like a green variety of Boronia mega- stigma, and known locally as “false boronia”’, however the flowers were of two sizes with six coloured sepals, the female flowers being larger than the male—I think a type of Euphorbia. From here south through Gingin we passed through swampy country with many fine paper-bark Melaleucas and patches of Anigozanthos mang- lesii and A. viridis, the shades of green in the latter making it one of the most beautiful of the Kangaroo-Paws. In this area also we found a bush of Burtonia scabra about 4 feet high and just as wide and covered with purply- blue pea flowers. Concluding thoughts We returned to Perth on the even- ing of the 6th day, having covered a leisurely 950 miles with many delight- ful wayside stops. Each member of the party was presented with a small book of coloured photos of the wild- flowers, with some pages for notes and autographs. We saw and admired many hund- reds of species of flowers and foliage, too numerous to mention in this art- icle; most of the party refrained from picking any of the flowers, except for bunches of the profusely growing everlastings. Those of us who were keen conservationists were somewhat dismayed on one or two occasions only, by the enthusiastic picking of a few species, but on the whole we consider the tour well conducted, worthwhile, and reasonably priced. 101 Readers’ Nature Notes and Queries These columns are available for all members, young and old, to bring before others their own observations in nature. Correspondence may be sent to the Editor, 54 St. James Road, Heidelberg. Dotterel’s Odd Nesting Site These notes come from Mr. R. A. Young of Shean’s Creek, Victoria. It was brought to my attention by Bill Osborne, a student at the Benalla High School, that a Black-fronted Dotterel (Charadrius melanops) was nesting in a very unusual place. The nest was located about 1 foot from the bitumen in the gravel shoulder on the Lurg Road, 8 miles north-east of Benalla, Victoria. The nest was simply a shallow depres- sion in the gravel and contained two very well camouflaged eggs. The eggs were cream coloured with numerous brown and blue-grey markings, giving them an overall dark coloration which matched the colour of the gravel almost perfectly. The nest was located at the intersection of the two co-ordinates in the lower picture. Photo: Author Black-fronted Dotterel on nest Photo: Author The Black-fronted Dotterel usually nests along watercourses. In this case, the nearest water was a very small paddock dam about 200 yards away. The area sur- rounding the dam was well trampled by livestock and generally unsuitable for nesting. The only suitable area for nesting was a small creek (Joyce’s Creek) ap- proximately half a mile away. The dotterel did not move from the nest as vehicles passed within inches, but when approached on foot she would leave the nest and perform a broken wing act in order to lure the intruder away from the nest. Upon returning to the nest two days later it was found that the eggs were gone. There were no signs of egg shell fragments or disturbances to the nest, indicating that the eggs were probably removed by a person. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 A WC NX S ANN Eggs of the Black-fronted Dotterel Photo: Author Two Bird Notes Mrs. Ellen Lyndon of Leongatha supplied these two notes. Yellow-faced Honeyeaters When staying at the neat little camp- ing park at Nowa Nowa in East Gipps- land recently (9-10 November), we watched a pair of Yellow-faced Honey- eaters carefully working over the branches and leaves of Acacia pruimosa, the Frosty Wattle, under which we were parked. This is a late summer or autumn flowering wattle and it seemed unlikely that sufficient insects could be present to warrant such constant activity. Further observation showed that the birds visited each leaf in turn and applied their bills for an instant to the gland on the leaf stem. I could detect no taste of sweetness in the gland myself but apparently the honeyeaters found them worthwhile. A. pycnantha is not native to the district but has been planted as an ornamental tree. Worthy of note also were two fine specimens of Eucalyptus crenulata, the Zebra Gum, which finds that sheltered spot to its liking. White Starling A pure white starling has been reported April, 1969 on a number of occasions feeding among a flock of normally colored birds south of Leongatha along the Inverloch road. The Silky Daisy From Miss Jean Galbraith of Tyers in Victoria, come these interesting notes. Reading the plant lists at the end of the pleasant account of the Beech- worth Excursion (Vict. Nat., Nov. 1968) I delighted in the mental pic- tures they brought to mind, and thought of the discoveries and adven- tures associated in one’s memory with different plants. One that has a special place in my memory is Silky Daisy, Celmisia sericophylla (which some- how got its name a little mixed in printing). It grows, as the alternative name suggests, only in the Bogong area, and is larger, and, because of its broader ray florets, looks whiter than Silver Daisy, C. longifolia. In Big River and Watchback Creek (two of the three localities where it is known to be) it grows actually in water or within reach of spray; but at McKay Creek, where it is most abundant, it extends from the stream far up the hillside. The adventure I personally associated with it is the discovery that unlike C. longifolia, it dies down to the creeping rootstock after flowering. This could almost be deduced from the foliage of the two species. The leaves of C. longifolia are hard—dquite tough enough to endure months under heavy snow; those of C. sericophylla are as soft as silk, broad and thin and silver grey, as limp in texture as those of the other species are firm. When botanizing above Watchback Creek with a technical officer from Bogong Forestry Office in 1963, I suggested we visit a patch of C. seri- cophylla which I remembered. We plunged through snowdrifts and wet undergrowth to the creek, visible only here and there between 103 snow-ridges. Swollen by melting snow it poured over rocks which at one point were quite covered by mat- ted rhizomes of C. sericophylla as thick as one’s finger. There was none of the silver grey 8 to 10 inch foliage I remembered from the flowering season in January. Many rhizomes were bare, but others, apparently uncovered a few days sooner, had sprouting leaves, rarely an inch long, in pale gold star- like tufts at the nodes. Even the shining white flowers, _ which I first saw in late January when those of C. longifolia were fading, were not as memorable as those pale gold leaves which in a few days would be grey-green. This was on 19th Oct. Since the overwintering foliage of C. longifolia was full grown and ready for work it is not surprising that that species flowers before C. sericophylla, although the flowering of the two species overlaps. Illustrated Lecture Mr. Claude Austin will lecture on “Odd Pictures of Odd Places in Australia”, at the National Herbarium on Friday 30 May. F.N.C.V. members and friends are invited to attend by the Native Fauna Conservation Society. Book Review Australian Rocks and Minerals By JOHN CHILD Periwinkle Press: This book gives an elementary in- troduction to the main aspects of geology, including earth structure, rocks, minerals and fossils. While it is good to see an introduc- tory book using Australian examples, this one has too many wrong and mis- leading statements to be recommended. In the preface the author states “I know very little geology myself’. Such statements as “marble which is formed from sandstone” and Mount Dandenong as a location for basalt are inexcusable in a book of this type. Poor explanations of many basic concepts show a lack of understanding of these by the author and would make comprehension difficult for a reader with little background knowledge of the subject. This situation is not helped by diagrams like those supposed to represent crystals of feldspar and mica. Bad choice of examples for a number of the photographs along with poor 104 1968. Price $1.25 reproduction in some of the colour plates also detracts from the value of the book to a beginner. A mistake occurs in plate 19 where jasper is labelled as cairngorm and cairngorm crystals are labelled as jasper. Photo- graphs should help in identification of the rocks and minerals portrayed, but in certain cases in this book the speci- mens could not be identified without their labels! The worst example in- volving bad choice of specimens is a photograph labelled “Trilobite” which in fact only shows the pygidium (tail) of a trilobite. Not much better than this is a colour plate labelled ‘“Pegmatite” which is certainly not recognizable as such. Unfortunately, this book will put many wrong ideas in beginner’s minds. Such ideas are often difficult to change. A. W. BEASLEY, Curator of Minerals, National Museum of Victoria. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 A Short Biography of William Mountier Bale F.R.M.S. (1851-1940) Victorian Natural History Pioneer, His Bibliography and New Names List By BRIAN J. SMITH* AND JEANETTE E. WATSON?+ During the latter half of last cen- tury, when much of the flora and fauna of the newly colonized conti- nent of Australia and the seas around it were still unknown to science, Vic- toria was singularly fortunate in hav- ing a great many very capable amateur and professional natural scientists to describe the new forms and put the entire study of Australian natural history on a firm scientific footing. Some, such as Professor Bald- win Spencer and Professor McCoy, worked in very many fields, contri- buting significantly to them all; while others specialized in just one field of endeavour and, in many cases, be- * Curator of Invertebrates, National Museum of Victoria. + 74 Nimmo Street, Essendon, Victoria. April, 1969 came an authority in that field of study; such as Dr. A. Dendy on sponges, C. H. Mapleston on polyzoa and J. H. Gatliff on molluscs. Into this latter category should be placed William Mountier Bale F.R.M.S., one of the 56 original members of the Field Naturalists’ Club of Victoria. He was an amateur microscopist who specialized in the Hydroida, a group upon which he became a world auth- ority. He can rightfully be called the father of the study of hydroids in Australia as he published 14 authorita- tive papers on them in which he des- cribed over 120 new species and many new records for Australia. William Mountier Bale was born on ist February, 1851, at 11 Palace New 105 Road, Lambeth, London, the eldest surviving son of William Dalling Bale, a carpenter from Devon, and Ellen Martha neé Mountier. The family sailed for Australia early in 1853 and came straight to Melbourne where they lived for the next seven years, as another son and two daughters were born in Richmond, Victoria in that period. They then moved to Castlemaine, Victoria where a further son and daughter were born in 1861 and 1864. Bale joined the Public Ser- vice on Ist August, 1867 as a Pupil Teacher at State School No. 282, George Street, Collingwood and pass- ed in Art of Teaching, 2nd Division of Competency in 1869. He then taught until January 1876, after which he joined the Department of Trade and Customs as a Clerk, 4th Class. On November 3rd, 1873 he married Marion Adams. By September 1879 he had attained the position of Tide Surveyor and in 1888 was appointed Landing Waiter, 3rd Class. He was appointed Acting Landing Surveyor in 1901, Inspector 2nd Class, Landing Branch in 1904 and finally Senior Inspector Excise, Excise Branch, a position he held until his retirement on February 28th, 1911. Since 1885 he had been living in Walpole Street, Kew, the house still being held in trust under the will of his only child, the late Miss A. M. E. Bale. It was, however, Bale’s interest and dedication to microscopy and natural science which, we are sure, really gave meaning to his life. His first and abid- ing interest in life appears to have been microscopy and no-one who has examined any of his slides can doubt his skill in slide making, particularly whole mounts. He joined the Micro- scopical Society of Victoria in August 1878 and published his first scientific paper in the Journal of the Society in 1880 “On Covering Fluid Mounts to avoid Leakage or Running-in’. Also 106 in this issue he published a paper “On the Selecting and Mounting of Diatoms’’, giving a hint of his interest in this complex group of protophyta. However, although he became noted as an expert on local Victorian dia- toms and amassed a great many slides, notes and reference works on the group, he never published anything on their systematics as far as we have been able to ascertain. Bale was an advocate of the value of scientific societies and was one of the founder members of the Field Naturalists’ Club of Victoria, being elected a member in May, 1880. In- deed he was the only one of the 56 original members to live to see the Club’s diamond jubilee. He was not a frequent attendant of Club meetings and was said to have been of a retir- ing disposition, but was always friend- ly and willing to help (see Vict. Nat., 57, p. 140). About this time he must have trans- ferred his principal interest to the Hydroida for he published his first paper on the group in 1882, after reading it to the Microscopical Society of Victoria on June 30th, 1881. This was an authoritative paper which must have taken a great deal of prepa- ration, for, in addition to describing one new genus and twenty-nine new species, he gave a complete literature survey of the species already described for South-eastern Australia and re- corded many species for the first time for this area. At this time his interest in general microscopy and in the Microscopical Society of Victoria was still very great and he was elected secretary of the Society in 1882. Also in this year he read a paper on micro- meters which included a simple meth- od for making an eye-piece micro- meter. This paper was published in the Southern Science Record and was con- sidered of such high standard that it was reprinted in the Journal of the Vict. Nat.—vVol. 86 Royal Microscopical Society of Lon- don, to which he was elected Fellow late in 1882. However Bale was already special- izing in the hydroids and after his paper, was receiving regular corres- pondence about Australian hydroids both from other parts of Australia and from many of the leading workers in the field overseas. As a result of dis- cussions with Mr. Haswell of the Aus- ‘tralian Museum, Sydney, the Trustees, on 27 November 1882, asked Bale to compile a Catalogue of Australian Hydroid Zoophytes and awarded him the sum of £25 to assist in compiling and writing the manuscript. This was a monumental undertaking, being not only a complete survey of all that was then known about Australian hyd- roids, but also a major original con- tribution to hydroid research, as it contained many new facts about their life and habits as well as many new locality records and descriptions of twenty-three new species. This work was hailed as a significant addition to the world knowledge of the group and established Bale as a world authority. Some idea of its importance can be gathered from the review of the Cata- logue in Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. of September 1885 in which it is stated, “Tt will thus be seen that the work is a valuable contribution to the litera- ture on zoophytology, and will form an important landmark in the history of the Australian zoophytes”. He continued this work steadily until about 1910 when he was ap- proached by the Department of Trade and Customs with a request to under- take the work on the hydroids to be collected by the F.I.S. “Endeavour” on a Series of faunal surveys in deep water off the southern and eastern coasts of Australia. This Bale agreed to do and the result was a massive, comprehensive report in three parts April, 1969 brought out in 1914 and 1915. This included descriptions of two new genera and twenty-five new species and varieties, as well as much addi- tional knowledge of the hydroid fauna and its systematic relationships. After this he continued his work for some years but failing health was beginning to make this difficult. On 10 July 1923, he donated 336 hydroid slides, many of them types, and a complete catalogue of their his- tory and status to the National Mus- eum of Victoria. The co-types desig- nated here were the only slides he ever specifically designated as such. In 1930 he was so incapacitated by encephalitis that he found it impos- sible to work with his microscope. His condition grew worse over the years and after refusing an offer by the British Museum to purchase his slides, he donated his entire hydroid slide collection of over 1100 slides to the National Museum of Victoria in March, 1937. It was his intention to catalogue this collection, identifying types, as he had done with the first series, but he found the task too much for him. Finally, in May, 1940, he donated nearly 450 books and reprints on hydroids to the National Museum and all his diatom slides, books and reprints to the Herbarium. He died on 4 October 1940, at the age of 89. Recently, while carrying out re- search work on the Bale hydroid col- lection, one of us (JW) discovered that many of Bale’s notes, original drawings and much of his correspond- ence with many overseas workers were still in existence, being held in trust under his daughter’s will. These have now been acquired on loan to the National Museum from the Executors and will be of considerable assistance in research on the collections includ- ing the elucidation of many of the type specimens. LOw BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM MOUNTIER BALE References marked with an asterisk (*) are papers containing the original publication 1880 i of anew name. On Covering Fluid Mounts to avoid Leakage or Running-in. J. microsc. Soc. Vict., 1: 57-60. Reprinted in slightly abridged form in JI. R. micros. Soc., 3: 864-866. On Selecting and Mounting Diatoms. J. microsc. Soc. Vict., 1: 65-69. Notes on Insect Eggs. J. microsc. Soc. Vict., 1: 69-71. on ous Diatoms in Symmetrical Groups. J. microsc. Soc. Vict., 1: 97-99. 97-99. Notes on Dry and Balsm Mounting. J. microsc. Soc. Vict., 1: 101-105. On the Hydroida of South-Eastern Australia, with Descriptions of Supposed New Species, and Notes on the Genus Algaophenia. J. microsc. Soc. Vict., 2: 15-48, pl. 12-15. On Recent Improvements in Microscopy. Sth. Sci. Rec., 2: 75-80. . How to Make an Eye-piece Micrometer. Sth. Sci. Rec., 3: 13-16. Reprinted in slightly abridged form in JI. R. micros. Soc., (2) 3: 570-572. Catalogue of the Australian Hydroid Zoophytes. Australian Museum Publ., pp. 1-198, pl. 1-19. Closing Glycerine Cells. J/. R. micros. Soc., (2) 4: 478. The Genera of the Plumulariidae with Observations on Various Australian Hydroids. Proc. R. Soc. Vict., 23: 73-110. On Some New and Rare Hydroida in the Australian Museum Collections. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., (2) 3: 745-799, pl. 12-21. List of Victorian Hydroida. Vict. Nat., 5: 130-133. Further Notes on Australian Hydroids, with Descriptions of Some New Species. Proc. R. Soc. Vict., (n.s.) 6: 93-117, pl. 3-6. . Further Notes on Australian Hydroids—II. Proc. R. Soc. Vict., (n.s.) 26: 114-147, pl. 12-13. Report on the Hydroida collected in the Great Australian Bight and other Localities. F.J.S. “Endeavour” Report, 2: 1-62, pl. 1-7. Report on the Hydroida collected in the Great Australian Bight and other Localities. Part II. F.J.S. “Endeavour” Report, 2: 166-188, pl. 35-38. Further Notes on Australian Hydroids—III. Proc. R. Soc. Vict., (n.s.) 27 (1972-93. pl 11-13: Report on the Hydroida collected in the Great Australian Bight and other Localities. Part III. F.J.S. “Endeavour” Report, 3: 241-336, pl. 46-47, Further Notes on Australian Hydroids—IV. Proc. R. Soc. Vict., (n.s.) 31 (2): 327-361, pl. 16-17. . Two New Species of Bryozoa. Proc. R. Soc. Vict., (n.s.) 35: 108-113, pl. 8. Report on some Hydroids from the New Zealand Coast, with Notes on New Zealand Hydroida generally, supplementing Farquhar’s List. Trans. N.Z. Inst., 55: 225-268. Further Notes on Australian Hydroids—V. Proc. R. Soc. Vict., (n.s.) 38: 13-23. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 List OF NEw NAMES PROPOSED BY WILLIAM MOUNTIER BALE This list is set out alphabetically accord- ing to species with the original genus name included. The first of the two num- bers after each name is the number of the paper in the bibliography in which the original description appears, the sec- ond number is the page number in that publication. The abbreviation (n.n.) after the name denotes a new name (nomen novum) put forward by Bale to replace an invalid name of an already ‘described species. The asterisk (*) before a name denotes that at least part of the type series is present in the collections of the National Museum of Victoria. As acanthostoma Sertularia 6: 11 * aglaophenoides Plumularia 9: 126 * alata Plumularia 12: 782 * angulata Cryptolaria 17: 166 * angulata Orthopyxis 18: 82 * angulosa Obelia 12: 752 * angulosa Sertularella 14: 102 * arenosa Sacculina 20: 333 * armata Aglaophenia 17: 175 * ascidioides Aglaophenia 6: 20 * asymmetrica Plumularia 16: 29 * aurita Plumularia 12: 784 * australis Halocordyle 14: 94 * australis Ophiodes 20: 336 * australis Pennaria 9: 45 * avicularis Halicornopsis 6: 14 Azygoplon 12: 773 * baileyi Halicornaria 9: 177 * bakeri Aglaophenia 20: 353 * bicornis Sertularia 6: 10 * bidens Sertularia 9: 70 * billardi Aglaophenia 16: 33 * birostrata Halicornaria 16: 49 Bonneviella 20: 330 * briggsi Aglaophenia divaricata 23: 22 * buskii Plumularia 9: 125 * caliculata Plumularia 12: 780 * calycifera Aglaophenia 17: 178 * carinata Aglaophenia 14: 105 * carinifera Aglaophenia 17: 181 * chiltoni Thecocarpus 22: 261 * ciliata Nemertesia 17: 170 Cladocarpella 19: 303 * compressa Plumularia 6: 31 * cornuta Plumularia 9: 132 * costata Campanularia 9: 56 * coughtreyi Obelia 22: 230 * crassiuscula Sertularella 22: 240 * crenata Sertularia 9: 86 * cruciata Nemertesia ciliata 19: 300 * cylindrica Antennularia 9: 146 * cylindrica Sertularella 12: 765 * cystifera Aglaophenia divaricata 19: 314 April, 1969 mentioned briefly above, Bale did not designate type specimens in the species descriptions; however, for some species, he did identify type specimens in notes he donated to the Museum when he presented the specimens in 1923. Of the species without such identified specimens, it is fairly easy to recognize, by elimina- tion, specimens which must have been part of the type series, by the locality and date on the slides. It is planned in the future to publish a catalogue of all the hydroid types held by the National Museum with complete information as to their exact status. * dannevigi Aglaophenia 16: 41 * decumbens Aglaophenia 16: 48 * distans Hypopyxis 17: 167 * delicatula Plumularia 6: 28 * dubia Sertularella divaricata 12: 761 * edentula Sertularella 22: 237 * farquhari Thuiaria 22: 244 * fenestrata Thuiaria 9: 116 * flexuosa Lineolaria 9: 62 * flexuosa Plumularia 14: 115 * furcata Halicornaria 9: 178 * geminata Sertularia 9: 78 * geniculata Sertularia 12: 768 goldsteini Claviporella 21: 112 (n.n.) * goldsteini Plumularia 6: 29 * gracile Halecium 12: 759 * gracillima Sertularia 23: 18 Halicornopsis 6: 14 * haswellii Halicornaria 9: 180 * heterogona Thecocaulus 22: 255 humilis Campanulina 22: 235 * humilis Halicornaria 9: 182 * hyalina Plumularia 6: 29 * jlicistoma Aglaophenia 6: 21 indivisa Plumularia 6: 27 * indivisa Plumularia filicaulis 9: 134 * indivisa Sertularella 6: 12 * intermedia Halicornaria 16: 53 * Jaevis Sertularella 6: 12 * lata Thuiaria 6: 14 lendenfeldi Aglaophenia 11: 28 (n.n.) Levinsenia 19: 260 * longitheca Sertularella 12: 762 * macrocarpa Aglaophenia 12: 791 * macrocarpa Sertularia 9: 80 * macrotheca Sertularella 6: 13 * maplestonei Sertularia 9: 70 * marginata Campanularia 9: 54 * matthewsi Catenicella 21: 109 * mccoyi Aglaophenia 6: 24 * megalocarpa Aglaophenia 16: 45 minuscula Sertularia 20: 340 (n.n.) * minuta Sertularia 6: 9 * muelleri Sertularia 15: 133 109 * multiseptata Cladocarpella 19: 304 * nana Sertularia 23: 17 * nodosa Obelia 22: 230 * opima Plumularia setacea 22: 254 * parvula Aglaophenia 6: 23 * parvulum Halecium 12: 760 * peregrina Sertularella 23: 19 * phyllocarpa Aglaophenia 12: 793 * platycarpa Orthopyxis 18: 79 * plumosa Aglaophenia 6: 22 * pulchella Plumularia 6: 30 pumila Campanularia 16: 4 pumiloides Sertularia 6: 9 pusilla Sertularia 19: 271 (n.n.) * pygmaea Sertularella 6: 13 * quadridens Thuiaria 9: 119 * ramsayi Plumularia 9: 131 recta Sertularia 6: 11 * rostrata Halicornaria 22: 264 * rufa Campanularia 9: 54 Sacculina 20: 332 * scandens Halicornaria urceolifera 16: 51 * scandens Lafoea 12: 758 * serrulata Campanularia 12: 757 * setaceoides Plumularia 6: 28 * sinuosa Aglaophenia 12: 790 * sinuosa Thuiaria 12: 772 * solidula Sertularella 6: 12 * spinulosa Campanularia 12: 756 spinulosa Plumularia 6: 30 * subdichotoma Sertularella 12: 761 * subventricosum Synthecium 16: 5 * superba Aglaophenia 6: 19 * tasmanica Aglaophenia 16: 37 * tasmanica Sertularella 19: 283 * tenuis Sertularia 9: 82 tenuissima Aglaophenia 17: 179 thompsoni Aglaophenia 6: 21 * tridentata Campanularia 14: 98 * tuba Sertularia 9: 87 tubulifera Halicornaria 17: 187 tubulosa Plumularia 14: 114 turgida Plumularia 12: 779 undulata Sertularella 19: 284 variabilis Sertularella 12: 764 wattsii Plumularia 11: 23 * whiteleggei Aglaophenia 12: 794 * wilsoni Orthopyxis 18: 78 wilsoni Pennaria 15: 116 wilsoni Plumularia 23: 21 (n.n.) zygocladia Plumularia 17: 171 %& x% AIA divaricata y. * * “& ray Acknowledgments We wish to express our thanks to Mr. Stokes, a nephew of Mr. Bale now living in Mr. Bale’s house in Kew, for all his assistance in fur- nishing us with many old family re- cords; also to the Perpetual Execu- tors and Trustees Association of Aus- tralia for making it possible to use Mr. Bale’s original notes; and the fol- lowing for their assistance in supply- ing various pieces of information: Dr. J. Yaldwyn, Australian Museum, Syd- ney; Mr. J. Willis, National Herb- arium of Victoria; Commonwealth Archives Office, Middle Brighton, Vic- toria; Commonwealth Archives Of- fice, Canberra; Education Department, Melbourne and the General Register Office, Somerset House, London, U.K. The photograph of Mr. Bale was from an original supplied by Mr. Stokes. NOTICE Dr. D. H. Ashton and Mr. N. Scarlett from the School of Botany, University of Melbourne, are preparing a map of the Melbourne and Metropolitan area, showing the occurrences of Eucalyptus species or other native trees, with a view to reconstructing the limits of the original vegetation. Any member or person able to help in this matter should contact either of the above-mentioned people. The main species required are— Red Gum—E. camalulensis Yellow Box—E. melliodora Yellow Gum—E. leucoxylon Swamp Gum—E. ovata Manna Gum—E. viminalis (heath and gum forms) 110 Peppermint—E. radiata Mealy Stringy Bark—E. cephalocarpa Messmate—E. obliqua Grey Box—E. microcarpa Red Stringy Bark—E. macrorrhyncha Red Box—E. polyanthemos White Sallee—E. pauciflora Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 Wielding a Big Club “My boy collects insects and things; what should I do about it?” This familiar question posed by many mothers resulted in the forma- tion of a Junior Field Naturalists’ Club last week, at Montmorency. Victoria. {t happened something like this: One mother, having the usual prob- lems associated with an enthusiastic “entymologist’”’ for a son, (the sudden shortage of jars from the kitchen, the bedroom full of impaled specimens, the pins disappearing from the sewing box) discussed it with another mother who had a similar headache (the hunt for escaped catches under the furni- ture, the blue-tongued lizard leering at her from her clothes basket), and an idea was born. One evening, nine parents met to talk over the possibility of such chil- dren with a similar interest, sharing their experiences locally, and _ the nucleus of a committee was formed with the idea of convening a meeting. The usual story followed. The ad- vertisement was placed in the local paper, hidden between the classifieds and the sports pages; the news was spread by word of mouth; the an- nouncement was made at school; the Scout Hall was booked; the guest speaker arranged; and the fingers crossed. And then the avalanche. I now know why they call it a Club. After the en- thuisasts began pouring in, I felt as though I had been beaten over the head. Despite the humble organization, the untimely downpour; and the acres of mud to traverse; one hundred and thirty-five would-be Field Naturalists of all shapes and sizes filled the hall, and queued up at the Secretary’s table to list their names. At the long tables in the centre of the room, they reverently placed their labelled exhibits— April, 1969 A black snake. A box of seashells. A stalactite. Rocks from South America. Giant mushrooms. A recon- structed bird skeleton. A _ red-back spider, butterflies, lizards, caterpillars. A lively brown snake. A sluggish white- lipped snake. Dragonflies. Lava speci- mens. The queue at the door disap- peared out into the night, and the organizers kept glancing at their watches, wondering if they should have booked the Myer Music Bowl. Soon the meeting began, with stragglers arriving throughout. Mr. Dan McInnes, of the Hawthorn Club, agreed to conduct the meeting for the first time to set the pattern, showing how it was done on his side of the Yarra; and after the general business was disposed of, the young exhibitors took the floor in rotation, and in- troduced themselves and their exhibits one by one to the enrapt audience. Some of the descriptions were detailed and precise. Some were homely. But all shared one thing; enthusiasm and unselfconscious pride in their discovery in nature. The eyes around the room were all focused on the speakers, who ranged from eight to eighteen, and the wonder of it was that the eight-year- old and the eighteen-year-old had so much in common. After the exhibitions, Mr. McInnes as guest speaker, set up his microscopes and specimens, and introduced pond life to the group in a light and easily absorbed talk. Demonstrating both simple and sophisticated equipment, Mr. McInnes (perhaps knowingly) made certain that quite a few Mont- morency mothers were going to have to deal with wet socks that week-end. President Ray Wilton resumed the chair and closed the meeting, but the next problem was getting people to go home. At an earlier stage, Dan McInnes had said that Juniors present 11] would be able to tell their children that they had attended the first meet- ing of the Montmorency District Field Naturalists’ Club. A committee mem- ber was later heard to remark wryly— “This lot is so keen, they won’t have time to have any children!” Again our sincere thanks to Dan McInnes and the members of Haw- thorn Juniors, who tabled so many exhibits, and to the first-mentioned mother, Mrs. Cookson, who, through her children’s association with Preston Juniors, was the prime mover in the formation of this Club. The guest speaker for the meeting on 11 April will be Mrs. Hough, who will talk on Honey-eaters. JOAN CALLANDER, Secretary. OFFICE-BEARERS Montmorency District Junior Field Naturalists’ Club President: Ray Wilton Vice-President: Ron De Bruchy Secretary: Joan Callander Treasurer: Lorna Cookson Committee: Dawn D‘Alton, Joyce Howard, Ron Callander. Field Naturalists Club of Victoria Annual Meeting—12 March, 1969 Approximately 80: members attended, with the President, Mr. Eric Allan, wel- coming them and any visitors to the 89th Annual Meeting. The minutes of the February meeting were taken as read after the motion of Mr. A. Swaby and Mr. A. Fairhall was passed. The minutes of the previous Annual Meeting, as published in the Vict. Nat. for April, 1968, were taken as read on the motion of Mr. R. Garnet and Mr. W. Woollard. New members, whose names appear ing the March 1969 Vict. Nat., were elec- ted on the motion of Messrs. McGavin and McKellar. Correspondence was received from the National Parks Authority, stressing the importance of Regulation 36 of the National Parks Act 1958; which in gen- eral states that— No person shall remove any bones, remains, artifacts or other ethnological relics from any National Park without permission from the Authority. Further correspondence was received from Miss Mary Ball, who, although hav- ing been conferred with honorary mem- bership of the club, still wishes to pay her subscription of $5.00 because of the Club’s good work. On the motion of Miss Butchart and Miss Morley the meeting accepted the Secretary’s Annual Report as printed in the Vict. Nat. Mr. A. Swaby, at this point, commented that more liaison be- tween the F.N.C.V. and affiliated country Nell 72 clubs should be encouraged. He added that country members had the environ- ment for field study, and that we in the city had the facilities and libraries for research. Mr. D. McInnes moved, and Mr. T. Sault seconded the motion for the adop- tion of the Balance Sheet and Statements as published in the Vict. Nat., and the meeting approved. Mr. McInnes commented on the ex- cellent work done by Mrs. J. Strong in her position of Sales Officer, and that of Mr. P. Kelly as librarian. Mr. McInnes then moved the same Auditors, Messrs. Danby Bland and Co., be appointed for the coming year. Election of Office-bearers Since the list of nominations was pub- lished, Mr. M. Longford, for personal reasons, had to withdraw from the nom- inated position of Minute Secretary. Mr. Condron therefore resumed this position, leaving the Council to appoint Mr. R. McKellar to the position of Vice-Presi- dent. The F.N.C.V. Office-bearers for 1969- 70° are: President—Mr. E. R. Allan. Vice-President—Mr. T. Sault. Mr. R. McKellar. Secretary—Mr. D. Lee. Assistant Secretary—Mr. R. Condron. Treasurer—Mr. D. McInnes. Assistant Treasurer—Mrs. E. King. Editor—Mr. G. M. Ward. Assistant Editor—Mr. P. Gahan. Librarian—Mr. P. Kelly. Vict. Nat.—Vol. 86 | Assistant Librarian—Miss M. Lester Excursion Secretary—Miss M. Allender. Residual Councillors—Messrs. A. Fair- hall, A. Lewis, I. Morrison, J. Strong, P. Curliss. The President, at this stage, thanked the Office-bearers and Councillors of the past year, and commented upon the amount of valuable work done by them. The Secretary announced that current copies of the F.N.C.V. “Memorandum and Articles of Association” were now available at a cost of 35 cents. Miss J. Woollard had several copies of the excel- lent “Nature Trail” pamphlet, from The Gould League at 2 cents each. The Presidential Address followed, and took the form of a glimpse of the F.N.C.V. in the past; an evaluation of the club at present; and a hopeful look into the future. From the past, Mr. Allan brought to light such things as the beginning of the F.N.C.V. in 1880, with their first three years of proceedings being published in the “Southern Science Record”; the names of early members, such as Baron F. von Mueller, Dr. Lucas as editor, and Mr. Dobson, M.L.C., as President. The name of Coghill came into the early years of the club and continued until 1967. In 1884 approaches were already being made to the government regarding matters of concern—boys with catapults were shoot- ing at birds in the Fitzroy Gardens. In the same year, Gregory and Lucas made an early visit to Wilson’s Promontory, using the steam train to Trafalgar, and thence by pack horse. In 1887 an excur- sion to King Island was made. F. G. A. Barnard, in 1892, became editor; and in 1893 the first nature show was held with admission being 1/-. By 1894 membership had risen to 229, and the Victorian Naturalist was already being sent to overseas subscribers; and from the turn of the century on, “camp- outs” were becoming quite regular events. In 1928, a change was made in the club badge, from the form of a shell to the present bloom of correa; and in 1939 the proposal and appearance of the National History Medallion award took place. The venue for meetings was changed in 1948 from the National Museum Theatrette to the National Herbarium, and the club became an Incorporated Company. This brought the President to com- ment on present conditions, in which April, 1969 the club is in a generally healthy state; is still a force in the community; and the field excursion still forms an important facet of proceedings. One problem, however, does arise, and this is the difficulty in obtaining office- bearers. In the future, the President stressed the importance of our continued vigilance, and the need to press for more areas for the preservation of fauna and flora. He hoped that replanting of roadside verges now being denuded of trees would be undertaken. He considered the possibility of large scale planting of areas on a similar basis to the annual Bird Ob- servers’ Club tree-planting operation; together with the encouragement of far- mers to realize the benefits of tree- planting on their properties. He also hinted at the possible for- mation of a Union of Field Naturalist Clubs which may have more effect in the influencing of major groups; and at the same time prevent much overlapping of information and research. It was also suggested that perhaps a new position, that of Liaison Secretary, may be created on Council. Mr. Allan concluded this most in- teresting address with a fine collection of F. G. A. Barnard Ins slides, projected by Mr. I. Morrison, de- picting his trip* to Wilson’s Promontory; and showing glimpses of the vegetation and rugged beauty encountered travelling both to Sealers’ Cove and the lighthouse. The appreciative audience showed their feelings by loud applause at the con- clusion of the address. Mr. W. Woollard at this stage, no doubt prompted by the earlier reference to pack-horse travelling, recalled a trip made by his father, himself as a boy, and Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, in 1906. He told of their trip to Yarra Glen by a pair in hand, and of the comment by a local storekeeper at that town, that their particular outfit would never make Warburton; and insisted that he hire a pair of horses and a driver for 10/- per day. This offer was accepted, only to find that not long afterwards one of the horses had collar sores, and the other was broken winded. The trip from McVeigh’s to Yarra Falls had then to be made by pack-horses. Under the heading of General Business, Mr. Baines suggested that publication support be given for a book on the flora of Wilson’s Promontory, under prepara- tion by Ros Garnet, and now almost com- pleted. Mr. Taylor drew attention to a brochure on the Mallacoota National Park, obtainable from the National Parks Authority or Tourist Bureau for 20 cents. Exhibits M. North showed a bloom of the green variety of Correa reflexa from Jumping Creek Road, Warrandyte. D. M. Parkin exhibited a cone from the Burrawong Palm (Macrozamia), a native of Australia growing in southern N.S.W. This particular cone was from their own tree, planted at Ivanhoe in 1927. The first cone appeared 20° years later, weighed 9 lb., and took 18 months to mature. (Ref. Wildlife, Sept. °44.) Two Amy Fuller paintings of wild- flowers were on display. Mr. A. J. Swaby displayed a bloom of Rhododendron lochae, the plant whose location Baron v. Mueller prophesied correctly, 20 years before its discovery on the peaks of Bellenden Ker Range in Queensland. Also displayed by Mr. Swavy was Epilobium billardierianum, and a * This particular trip, unlike that of Gregory and Lucas, was not done by steam train and pack-horse.—Ed. 114 seed of Crinum flaccidum (Murray or Darling “lily”), the progress of germina- tion of which he would show at the April meeting. Mr. T. Sault displayed a specimen of Snowflake Obsidian from South America; some Selwynite from Knowsley East in Victoria, together with Malachite from the same location. He also showed the skull of a Black-tailed Wallaby from the coastline of Westernport area. He stated that the future of these animals in this area was uncertain due to development. Mrs. E. King exhibited a specimen of Acacia botrycephala (Sunshine Wattle) syn. A. discolor. Mr. A. Fairhall showed two fine garden-grown specimens of Sturt’s Desert Pea (Clianthus formosus) and _ Sturt’s Desert Rose (Gossypium sturtianum). The President displayed photographs of early club camp-outs; and drew attention to the bird photographs appearing on current country telephone directories. An account of the first younger mem- bers’ bush-walk, held in the Moorooduc area and led by Mr. T. Sault, was tabled for perusal by members. Botany Group Meeting Reports 13 February, 1969 Twenty-five members and friends were present, with Mr. Fairhall in the chair. The speaker for the evening was Mr. W. Woodman, whose subject was “Nature in South Africa”, Mr. Woodman said that as a boy he had been interested in native flowers, and showed some slides of Vic- torian native flowers and their environ- ment. He felt that South Africa showed something the same sort of pattern as Australia, and when the opportunity came he decided on a tour of South Africa, calling at Johannnesburg, Durban, Cape- town and Windhoek. He showed some excellent slides of scenery and flowers seen during his trip, including some of Australian Eucalypts and N.S.W. Wara- tahs which were flowering well in the Kirstenbosch Gardens, and _ included slides of various Proteas, which are of course natives of South Africa. He fin- ished his talk with some slides taken in the Etosha Game Reserve at Windhoek, including elephants, lion, giraffe and others. Mr. Fairhall thanked Mr. Wood- man on behalf of members for a very interesting talk. Vict. Nat.—Vol.. 86 F.N.C.V. DIARY OF COMING EVENTS GENERAL MEETINGS Monday, 14 April—Annual Meeting at National Herbarium, The Domain, South Yarra; Commencing at 8 p.m. i. Minutes, Reports, Amendments. 2. Correspondence. 3. Subject for the evening—‘“Melbourne to Broome via Adelaide”. J. Ros. Garnet. New Members (a) Ordinary: Mr. Adrian Borsboom, 39 Springs Road, Clayton 3168. (Interest: Fauna, Rep- tiles and Insects.) = Mr. R. A. Dale, 88 Rostrevor Parade, North Box Hill 3129. (Mammal Survey.) Mrs. R. B. Johns, 19 Kawarren Street, North Balwyn 3104. (Botany and Geology.) Mr. W. Scholten, 10 Boyd Avenue, Clayton 3168. (Microscopic. ) (b) Joint Ordinary: Mr. G. A. W. Johnson and Mrs. Irene Johnson, 20 Sydare Avenue, Chad- stone 3148. (c) Country: Miss J. Collishaw, P.O. Box 427, Bendigo, Victoria 3550. 5. General Business. 6. Nature Notes and Exhibits. GROUP MEETINGS 8 p.m. at National Herbarium unless otherwise stated. Wednesday, 16 April—Microscopical Group. Subject—‘Marine Algae; its identifica- tion and preparation for Microscopical Examination”. Mrs. F. Ducker. Thursday, 1 May—Mammal Survey Group meets in Fisheries and Wildlife Dept. Library Rooms, Flinders Street Extension, at 7.45 p.m. Friday, 2 May—Preston Junior F.N.C. meeting in Rechabite Hall, 251 High Street, Preston at 8 p.m. Also, Hawthorn Junior F.N.C. meeting at 8 p.m. in Town Hall because of Anzac Day falling on usual night. Monday, 5 May—Marine Biology and Entomology Group. Mr. H. Wilson, Burnley Horticultural College. Wednesday, 7 May—Geology Group meeting. Thursday, 8 May—Botany Group meeting. Friday, 9 May—Montmorency District Junior F.N.C. meeting in Scout Hall, Petrie Park. F.N.C.V. EXCURSIONS Sunday, 20 April—Mt. Dom-Dom and Fernshaw. The coach will leave Batman Avenue at 9.30 a.m. Fare $1.60. Bring two meals. Friday (Anzac Day), Saturday and Sunday, 25-27 April. Leongatha and Walkerville. Mr. and Mrs. Lyndon are helping with this week-end. Accommodation has been booked at the Leongatha Motel for Friday and Saturday at $5.50 for bed and breakfast. Dinner is available at the motel, but members should arrange picnic lunches for the week-end. Coach fare is $7.00, and should be paid to the Excursion Secretary when booking. Cheques should be made out to Excursion Trust. Coach leaves from Gas and Fuel building in Flinders Street at 9.00 a.m. 29 August-21 September—Western Australia. The party will leave Melbourne by train on Friday evening and arrive in Perth Monday morning. A coach has been chartered and will go as far north as Northampton, then down to Albany, across to Busselton, and back to Perth. Accommodation will be mainly on a D.B.B. basis, and members will be responsible for their own lunches. The cost will be approximately $260.00, and a deposit of $50.00 should be paid immediately, and the remainder by 1 August. Booking should be made with the Excursion Secretary, Miss M. Allender, 19 Hawthorn Avenue, North Caulfield, 3161, and all cheques made out to Excursion Trust. April, 1969 lS Field Naturalists Club of Victoria Established 1889 OBJECTS: To stimulate interest in natural history and to preserve and protect Australian fauna and flora. Patron: His Excellency Major-General SiR ROHAN DELACOMBE, K.B.E., C.B., D.S.O. Key Office-Bearers, 1968/69 President: Mr. E. R. ALLAN Vice-Presidents: MR. JEFFS, MR. T. SAULT Hon. Secretary: Mr. D. LEE, 15 Springvale Road, Springvale (546 7724). Hon. Treasurer: Mr. D. E. McINNEs, 129 Waverley Road, East Malvern, 3145 (211 2427) Hon. Editor: Mr. G. M. Warp, 54 St. James Road, Heidelberg, 3084. Hon. Librarian: Mr. P. KELty, c/o National Herbarium, The Domain, South Yarra;;314i1. Hon. Excursion Secretary: Miss M. ALLENDER, 19 Hawthorn Avenue, Caulfield 3161. Subscription Secretary: Mrs. N. E. Lewis, 1 Billing Street, Springvale 3171. (546 4649).) Sales Officer: Mr. B. FUHRER, c/o National Herbarium, The Domain, Sth. Yarra. Group Secretaries: Botany: Miss M. BuTCHART, 23 Loch Street, Hawthorn East 3123 (82 1616). Geology: Mr. T. SAULT, 9 The Avenue, West Rosebud. Microscopical: Mr. M. H. MEYER, 36 Milroy Street, East Brighton (96 3268). Mammal Survey: Mr. P. Homan, 40 Howard Street, Reservoir 3073 Entomology and Marine Biology: Mr. J. W. H. STRONG, Legislative Council, Parliament House. Melbourne 3002. MEMBERSHIP Membership of the F.N.C.V. is open to any person interested in natural history. The Victorian Naturalist is distributed free to all members, the club’s reference and lending library is available, and other activities are indicated in — reports set out in the several preceding pages of this magazine. Rates of Subscriptions for 1969 Ordinary Members .. ae ae ke a he ays 393 ais +4 ne sie $7.00 Country Members .. hs 4 ae aS a % ate ae oe ie aie $5.00 Joint Members me 2 Ge ee aa aie te ae sae ae td $2.00 Junior Members bite a5 at au ii ae se ie an $2.00 Junior Members receiving Viet. “Nat. ae be a sie a a si Re $4.00 Subscribers to Vict. Nat. ae an eee 6 ars fe aie os ee ua $5.00 Affiliated Societies nee he ae os ee airs au $7.00 Life Membership (reducing after 20 years) ae 5 ae it BS -- $140.00 The cost of individual copies of the Vict. Nat. will be 45 cone: All subscriptions should be made payable to the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, and posted to the Subscription Secretary. Brown Prior Anderson Pty. Ltd. 5 Evans Street Burwood 3125 NIAN INSTITUTION L'