^^m^' '.^'^ ^fWy ■^m ■-S it FOR THE PEOPLE FOR EDVCATION FORSCIENCE \ LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY ' nrjnd at A.M.H.H. ^'iV^'^fT^r L ^ 0 Victorian Naturalist: THE JOURNAL & MAGAZINE OF THE ^Iil ^atuitalbts' Club af "^ittaria, MAY, 1901, TO APRIL, 1902. 113011. BDltor : MR. F. Q. A. BARNARD. The Author of each Article is responsible for the facts and opinions recorded. /IR e I b 0 u r ti e : WALKER, MAY & CO., PRINTERS, MAOKILLOP STREET (off 390 LITTLE COLLINS STREET). 1902. INDEX TO VICTOKIAN NATURALIST ^vTOIj. 2^T7-IIZ. PAGK uEgotheles riifa - - - 89 ^Egotheles rufescens - 60, 89 Among the Waterfowl in Eiverina - - - 3 Amytis gigantura - - 27 Ants, Queensland Green Tree - - - 136, 141 Argonauta nodosa - - 174 Australian Birds, Descrip- tions of Young of - 19 Australian Birds, Mallo- phaga from - - - 155 Australian Birds, New Nests and Eggs of- - 31,79 Birds of Eiveriua, Amongst 168 Birds of Western Australia 164, 175 Birds, Some North- West Queensland - 45, 56, 75 Books, Notices of — Carpenter on the Micro- scope - - - - 67 Handbook of Destructive Insects of Victoria - 15 Monograph of the Erysi- phacese - - - 110 Nests and Eggs of Birds Breeding in Australia and Tasmania - - 66 The Emu - - - 99, 188 Botanical Trip to Emerald - 96 Bush-Lark, A New - 25, 80 Coccid, A New Victorian - 59 Colpoccphalu7n vincuhi'ta - 158 Dredging in Port Phillip - 149 Dragon-flies, Victorian - 173 Dune Sand, Incrustations in 47 Eggs of Rainbow Pitta - 15 Emerald, A Botanical Trip to 96 Eocene Deposits at Moonee Ponds . - _ 61 Eucalyptus dives in Victoria 124 Eucalyptus Trees, Snow on 108 Field Naturalists' Club — Annual Report - - 34 Excursions — Beaumaris - - - 113 Botanical Gardens - 85 Bulleen - - - 161 Ferntree Gully - - 161 Gembrook - - - 116 National Museum - 72 St. Albans - - - 101 Springvale - - - 133 Exhibition of Wild Flowers 103 Proceedings, 1, 17, 33, 53, 69, 85,101, 113,133,145,161,173 Twenty-first Anniversary - 39 Fish, A Burrowing - - 65 Flowers, Hints on Drying 130, 142 Furneaux Group, Visit to - 181 Galaxias - - - - 6o Gembrook Camp-Out - - 116 Grampians, A Trip to Mallee and - - - 80, 89 Granite and Silurian of Upper Werribee - - - 40 Grass-bird, A New - - 27 Helodromas ochropus - - 163 Heterodoxus macropus - - 159 Homeria colUna - - - 70 Honey-eater, Yellow-tinted 32, 80 Incrustations in Dune Sand - 47 Kangaroo, Parasite from - 159 Lecanium australis - - 59 Lipeurus albus - - - 157 Lipeurus giganteum - - 156 Lipeurus ibis - - - 156 Eipeurus menura - - - 157 Lobelia goiddii - - - 104 Mallee, A Naturalist in - 8 Mallee and Grampians, Trip to 80, 89 Mallophaga from Australian Birds - - - - 155 INDEX. Mallophagous Parasite from Kangaroo - - - 159 Malurus asstmilis - - 29 Mentqjon menicra - - - 158 Menopon psittacus - - 1 58 Minah, Yellow - - - 32 Mirafra looodtvardi - 25, 80 Moonee Ponds, Eocene Deposits at - - - Gl MoorabooHte - - - 63 Mutton-birds, Destruction of 134, 146 Myzantha lutea - - - 32 National Museum, Visit to - 72 Naturalist in the Mallee, A - 8 New Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds - 31, 79 Nightjar, A New Owlet 60, 89 Nirmns menivra - - - 157 Nirmus setosivm - - - 157 Notes — Australian Anthropology 32, 67, 112, 160, 188 Australian Birds at Crystal Palace - - - - 52 Australasian Ornithological Union - - - - 52 Baron von Mueller Grave Memorial - - - 132 Butcher-bird - - - 172 Geology of Lake Eyre - 160 Hall, Mr. E. - - - 100 Helix aspera Carnivorous - 143 King Island - - - 68 Lesser Golden Plover - 68 Moth Taxidermy - - 68 National Touring Associa- tion - - - - 68 Nature Study - - - 100 Opossum, The Common - 143 Notes — Parrakeets - - - 16 Perip'atus - - - 144 Quagga, The True - - 16 Sword-fish in Port Phillip 100 Table Cape Fossils - - 84 Walhalla Goldfield - - 159 Where the Birds Go To ! - 18 Obituary Notices — Gillespie, The Late J. T. - 112 Smart, The Late C. - - 32 Tate, The Late Professor 88,112 Ocean Beach, Sorrento - 105 (Ecoj)hi/lla smaragdina 136, 141 Pachycephala lanioides - 30 Pitta, Eggs of Eainbow - 15 Plants, Western Australian - 104 Port Phillip, Dredging in - 149 Fseud()(jeri/i/oiie fenehrosa - 78 Ptiloti's fl.avescens - - 32,80 Queensland Birds, Some North- West -45, 56, 75 Eiverina, Amongst Birds of 168 Eiverina, Waterfowl in - 3 Sandpiper, Note on Green - 163 Silurian and Granite of Upper Werribee - - - 40 Silver-eye, Yellow - - 31 Snow on Eucalyptus Trees - 108 Sorrento, The Ocean Beach - 105 Superb Warblet, Purple- backed - - - 29 Tate, The Late Professor - 88 Thickhead, White-bellied - 30 Waterfowl in Eiverina - 3 Werribee, Geology of Upper 40 Western Australia, Among Birds of - - - 164 Zeolite, A New - - - 63 Zosterops hitea - - - 31 ILLUSTRATIONS. Incrustations in Dune Sand (2) 48 I Map of Werribee Gorge and Mallophaga, New Species of 158 | District - - - 40 ERRATUM. Page 68, line 34 — For " Zeurera " read " Zeuzera.." THE 1^ i c t o r i a ^t |l it t xt r a 1 1 0 1* Vol. XVIIL— No. 1. MAY 7, 1901. No. 209. FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held in the Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 15th April, 1901. Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A. (one of the vice-presidents), occupied the chair, and about 40 members and visitors were present. REPORTS. A report of the Club's visit to the Zoological Gardens on Saturday, 23rd March, was read by Mr. U. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., who acted as leader on the occasion. Much interest was taken in the Scrub Turkeys, and a number of young birds of various ages hatched out this season were seen ; also some young Brown Quail only a few days old, which looked like mice running about. Among recent additions noticed was a Malayan Tapir. An account of the Club's visit to the Geological Department at the University on Saturday, 13th April, was given by Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, who said that an interesting afternoon had been spent. Prof. Gregory demonstrated the different methods of taking the specific gravity of minerals, the cutting of rock sections, &c., and then pointed out the arrangement of the collection, and called attention to some of the more noteworthy specimens. The hon. librarian acknowledged the receipt of the following donations to the library : — " Handbook of Destructive Insects of Victoria," part 3, by C. French, F.L.S., Government Ento- mologist, from the Department of Agriculture, Victoria; " Hand- book for Melbourne Meeting, Australasian Association," 1900; " Records of Australian Museum," vol. iv., No, i, from the Trustees, Sydney ; " Queensland Flora," part 3, by F. M. Bailey, Government Botanist, Brisbane, from the author ; " Proceedings Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, Victoiian Branch," vol. xviii., part 2, 1900, from the Society ; " Guide to the Western Australian Museum, Perth," from the Director ; Nature Notes, March, 1901, from the Selborne Society; Science Gossip, March, and Knowledge, March, from the i)roprietors ; and " Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds," by A. J. Campbell (purchased). ELECTION OF MEMBERS. On a ballot being taken, Mr. G. B. Pritchard, Mantell-street, Moonee Ponds, was duly elected a member, and Mr. Jos. A. Hill, Kevvell, a country member. THK VICTORIAN NATURALIST. GENERAL BUSINESS. Mr. F. Wisewould drew attention to the approach of the 21st anniversary of the formation of the Club, and after some discus- sion, in which Messrs. Barnard, Tisdall, Sayce, and others joined, moved — " That some form of reunion be held to celebrate the 2ist anniversary of the Club's foundation." This was seconded by Mr, H. T. Tisdall, and carried. PAPERS READ. 1. By Mr. R. Hall, entitled "Descriptions of Young of Some Australian Birds." The author described young forms of the Mallee Hen, Wonga Pigeon, White-faced Ternlet, AV'inking Owl, Boobook Owl, Owlet Nightjar, Spotted Pardalote, Horsfield's Bush-Lark, Wattle- cheeked Honey-eater, White-shafted Fantail, and the Grass-bird, and exhibited specimens of some of them. 2. By Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., entitled " On Certain Incrusta- tions in Dune Sand." The author quoted various opinions as to the formation of these curious structures, so common in the sandhills of the southern coast, and gave his own conclusions about their origin, exiiibiting specimens in illustration of his remarks. The paper gnve rise to considerable discussion, in which Messrs. Le Souef, Barnard, Campbell, Sayce, and Shepherd joined. NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. Mr. H. T. Tisdall called attention to a malformed lemon exhibited, which he said was one of many similarly shaped. Mr. A. J. Campbell read a note from Mr. H. Kennon, record- ing the occurrence of a pair of Pied Oyster-catchers at Auburn. EXmiilTS. By Mr. A. Coles. — Pair of Green Goose-Teal, Netlopus pul- chrllus, from D?,ly River, Northern Territory. By Mr. C. French, jun. — Destructive Longicorn Beetle.^;, Uracanthus triangularis, breeding in Hakea nodosa, a new food plant for this insect, from Oakleigh. By Messrs. Fulton and Grant. — Bergus latro, Leach, or Cocoa- nut Robber Crab, Pacific Islands. By Mr. R. Hall.^ — Specimens in illustration of his paper. By Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A. — Specimens and photographs in illustration of his paper. By Mr. G. E. Shephertl. — Eggs of Short-tailed Petrel (Mutton- bird), collected at Ca])e WoUomai ; Black-throated Grebe and Australian Goshawk, taken at Somerville. ]>y Mr. F. Spry. — Trilobite (n. sp.), Cyphasjns spryi, Gregory, from Yarra improvements; Encrinurus (sp.) and Homalonotus THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. (sp.), from Domain-road sewer and Yarra improvements ; also Dyke Rocks, from sewer, Flinders-street and Jolimont. By Mr. E. H. Swan. — Curious nialfoimation of a lemon grown in the Dandenong Ranges. After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. AMONG THE WATERFOWL IN RIVERINA. By D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S. {Read hef ore the Field Nuturulists' Cluh of Victoria, llth Feb., 1901.) In December last I was enabled, in company with another member, Dr. C. Ryan, to visit some of the swamps in the Riverina district of New South Wales, situated not far from the River Murray, and, although late in the season, we were fortunate in finding many waterfowl nesting, but most of the nesis had young birds in. The most interesting sight was a small colony of the following birds : — Black Cormorants, Phalacrocorax carbo, Little Black Cormorants, P. sulcirostris, Nankeen Herons, Nycticorax caledonims, Plumed Egret, Mesopltoyx plnmifera, White Egret, Herodias timoriensis, Yellow-billed Spoonbill, Plat- ibis Jlavipes, White Ibis, Ibis molucca, Straw-necked Ibis, Carfh- ihis sphiicolUs, and a single nest of the Wedge-tailed Eagle, Aquila audax, from which the young had flown. All these birds were nesting together over the space of about an acre, and it was an exceedingly interesting sight, and shows how the large majority of birds prefer building in company, hawks included, even to the little Yellow-rumped Tit, Acantliiza cJirysorrhoa, which often builds in the lower portion of the nest of the Wedge-tailed Eagle, prob- ably in most cases for self-protection. The site of the rookery was not far from the River Murray, on swampy land on which tall, smooth-barked red gum trees grew thickly, and it was in the slender upjjer branches of these trees that the birds nested, which consequently, in most cases, made it impossible to get at them. Much dead wood lay on the ground, and a few aquatic plants grew in the damper places or in the water, but no grass. The locality had a strong fishy perfume, from the excreta and the remains of dead fish, small crayfish, &c. The Little Black and the Pied Cormorants were, as is usually the case in these colonies, by far the most numerous, and they built their nests close together, often getting as many as possible in one tree. Some were built over loo fe.t from the ground, but they seem to prefer nesting on low trees if they are to be obtained, and occasionally on the dead timber lying on the ground. The two kinds have their nests together ; it is practically impossible to distinguish one from the other, or the eggs either. The nests are large, with very little depression in tlie centre. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. The ordinary clutch is four elongated white eggs, which are unevenly covered with lime. Tiie young are fed with partially digested food, the little ones putting their beaks well into the throat of the parent bird to receive it, the old bird seeming to jerk the food up. On losing the down the young of the Pied have only a comparatively small patch of white on the breast and do not get their full plumage until the third year. When dis- turbed they frequently climb out of their nests on to the higher branches, and, to help themselves up, frequently insert their head or neck into a fork above them, but occasionally the fork is narrow, and the bird, being unable to extricate itself, gets hung. But many of the young just tumble over the edge of the nest on to the ground below, the concussion frequently killing them if the soil is hard ; but if they fall in the water they at once dive, and, keeping their body under water, put up their head through some vegetation or alongside some fallen brushwood or timber, and try to escape notice by remaining perfectly still, and they frequently succeed. The Black Cormorant is not nearly so numerous, and they build on the highest and most inaccessible branches they can find, and not necessarily close together like the smaller kinds. Nankeen Herons were also plentiful, and their nests, which were situated high up on very slender branches, were rather bulky structures and composed of twigs and well lined with eucalyptus leaves, green twigs with the leaves attached being often used in building. Many broken egg-shells from which the young had been hatched were lying on the ground. The clutch consists of three very light blue eggs, but when they are first laid they are of a light green colour, but soon turn to the delicate blue shade. My brothers in Western Australia, in mentioning about a rookery of these birds that tliL-y visited on one of the islands, state that they nested there under bushes or ledges of rock, many making practically no nest except a few twigs, and again others only half a nest, if the site was situated on sloping ground, to prevent the egg rolling down hill, but they also found some beautifully constructed nests in the caves and sides of the cliff, where they looked very picturesque against the filigree rockwork as a background. The eggs varied a good deal in shape and size. The principal item of the food of the Riverina birds seemed to consist of small crayfish or yabbies, and remains of these crustaceans were plentiful beneath the trees on which their nests were. In every case I noticed it was the male bird sitting on the nest, and not the female — she was either away hunting for food or sitting on a branch close by, and on one occasion I observed her feeding the male as he sat on the nest, but do not know if they do it regularly or not. The young were mostly very small at the time of our visit. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. White Egrets were not plentiful, as over one hundred of these birds had been shot at this breeding-ground some years pre- viously. They built bulky stick nests lined with leaves high up in the eucalyptus trees, but in thicker branches than the Nankeen Herons. All the nests had well advanced young in, and it was a beautiful sight to see these stately birds standing on their nests, with three well-fledged young in, the dark background of eucalyptus foliage making their snowy white plumage stand out with great effect. When the parent bird flew on to the nest with food, uttering her discordant note in doing so, the young stretched out their long necks, and, opening their beaks expectantly, vigorously waved their heads from side to side, squeaking to the best of their ability as they did so, and as most of the different young in the rookery were doing the same more or less whenever they saw an adult bird near them, the air was full of their various cries, both from adult and young. Both parent birds feed the young, but not always in turn. The eggs are of a delicate blue colour, four being the full clutch. They vary considerably in size. These birds are unfortunately much sought after for the sake of their plumes, and, as before mentioned, many were cruelly destroyed in this rookery during the nesting season for the sake of the few feathers to be obtained from them, and the young were left to perish, showing what cruelty some men can inflict for the sake of a small monetary gain. These Egrets are the most beautiful and graceful birds of their kind we have in Australia. One nest of the Plumed Egret was observed situated high up on a thin bough, with one of the birds sitting on and the other standing close by. Several Yellow-billed Spoonbills had their nests on the out- skirts. They were not much more than a platform of sticks resting on a thick horizontal bough or fork and lined with a few leaves. They also had young, and three is the ordinary clutch, although occasionally four are noticed. Their eggs are pure white. These birds are nowhere very plentiful in southern Australia. Their white plumage makes them very conspicuous. Strange to say, a few of the Straw-necked and White Ibis were here. They had probably missed their usual nesting-place, so did so here, and as the lignum and other low bushes they generally build on did not grow here, they built well up in the trees instead, on a thick horizontal bough if possible, and their young evidently have to stay in the nest until they can fly. Ibis always prefer nesting with their own company, but occasionally then single pairs of biids are unable to lind the nesting colony, and perforce have to build elsewhere, in comj)any with other birds if possible, but occasionally a'i)air will be found nesting entirely tiiE Victorian naTuralisI'. alone, either of ihe Straw-necked or White, but it does not often occur. We were able to visit a lake not far from this locality, and were fortunate in finding several waterfowl nesting. The lake itself was well fringed with red gum trees, and in the shallower water near the edge various water weeds grew in profusion, as well as patches of bulrushes, and these rushes in many places also lined the banks. We found many nests of the Tippet Grebe, Fodicipes crisiahts, and it gave us great pleasure watching these birds as they disported themselves on the clear water or hunted for their insect food among the weeds. Their floating nests were of con- siderable size, about 9 inches in diameter on the surface and 7 inches in depth, and were composed entirely of green water weeds, and floated low in the water. They were generally situated among tiie bulrushes, probably to escape observation. The eggs were very little above the level of the water, and, of course, were always wet. The birds almost invariably covered up the eggs with the weed before leaving, but if disturbed suddenly when sitting they have not time, so leave them un- covered, but that seldom occurred. They also leave their eggs for a considerable time during the heat of the day, often for hours, letting the sun keep the eggs warm for them, and also the internal heat of the mass of weeds that compose the structure helps considerably in the incubation, and the eggs being covered up both keeps the bottom heat in and prevents the sun from scorching the eggs. Some of the water weeds growing in these swam])S seem to have the property of discolouring and staining. For instance, when wading about among them wliere they grew thickly our toe nails were all stained a deep bluish-black, and it was with considerable difticulty that it could be erased. The eggs of the Grebe also apparently get stained in the same way. They are white when first laid, but in a day or two get a dirty- looking brown. Some weeds stain much darker than others, consequently in some cases the eggs will be irregularly stained light brown and in other cases very dark. Three eggs in the ordinary clutch, although four, and occasionally five, are met with. The little ones leave the nest as soon as hatched, but often seem to rest on it during the night, treading it quite flat, and also drawing the weeds of which the nest is comjiosed well out into the water on one side, which forms a kind of platform, and the birds evidently get on and leave the nest on that side. Several nests of the Australian Goot, Fulica australis, were found. Some were partly floating and partly resting on the bul- rushes among which they were built ; others again were situated at water level among the branches of fallen timber or by the stump or root of a tree. Those built among the bulrushes in the deeper water were mostly composed of that material, with a few The VICTORIAN NATURALIST. twigs and bunches of eucalyptus leaves added, and occasionally some of the rushes just about the nest would be broken down and bent over. Those built in the shallower water near the bank, and away from the rushes, were composed almost entirely ot twigs and leaves. One floating nest was noticed which was com- posed entirely of water weed, the eggs being about 4 inches above the level of the water ; it was away from any rushes or other shelter. The number of eggs in the different nests varied from five to nine. Several Musk Ducks, Biziara lohata, were seen, either diving for their food in the deeper water or searching for Crustacea and other insects among the water weeds nearer the bank. They nested either on the shore in hollow logs and similar places, or among the bulrushes over the water. These they bent down where they were thick and matted them together at the water level, sometimes adding a few more. These nests were very rough, loose structures, with practically no lining, a portion of the lower part being immersed in the water. The eggs are of a very pale green colour, and frequently show scratches on, apparently irom the feet of the bird, showing that the outer coating of green is soft when the egg is first laid. Otlier species of birds were seen, but they had evidently finished nesting, such as Black Moorhens, (hdliimla tenebrosa, Marsh Terns, Hydroclielidon hybrida, &c. Our visit to the lake was a most fascinating and interesting one, and we could sit for hours with a strong pair of field glasses watching the antics of the various birds as they disported themselves on the water. Black Swans, Cygnus at.ralus, liad their floating nests among the reeds and rushes, and in their immediate neighborhood they had pulled ofi" the grerter portion of the tops of those plants wherewith to construct their nests, and these were very bulky structures and maintained my weight when I scrambled on to one. Bee-eaters, Merops ornalus, were noticed on the sandy rises in which they nested. These birds lay about five eggs, one every other day, consequently, as they are hatched in the order in which they are laid, the oldest bird will be about ten days old when the youngest is hatched. The illustration here shows a nestful of young birds and a heavily incubated egg from one nest, and it will be noticed that they are all in difterenl stages — the oldest nearly fledged and the youngest in down. The burrow the parent birds make is about 2 feet in depth, in a slanting direction, with a small chamber at the end, but no nest is made, the pure white and nearly round eggs being laid on the sand. Their food con- sists largely of beetles, and the floor of the nest is generally plen- tifully bestrewn with the wing-cases of these insects. [The paper was illustrated by a series of lantern slides. — Ed. Victorian iValuralititA THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. A NATURALIST IN THE MALLEE. By C. French, jun. [Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, llth Feb., 1901.) The district known as the Mallee occupies the north-western corner of Victoria, and may be briefly defined as having South Australia and the River Murray for its western and northern boundaries, while an imaginary line drawn from Swan Hill through Donald and Dimboola to Serviceton will give roughly its eastern and southern limits. This area of some 18,000 square miles, which was formerly regarded as uninhabitable, and in great part desert, has gradually been penetrated from various directions by pioneer settlers, who have found many portions suitable for wheat- growing, and have been followed by the necessary railways for conveying their produce to market. Thus no less than six lines of railway now enter this area at different points. From this it will be seen that though to some extent possessing a fauna and flora peculiarly its own, sufficient difference of soil exists to give considerable variety to the natural history of the Mallee. Having arranged to spend a brief holiday in the district for the purpose of collecting such natural history specimens as might prove of interest, we decided to make Hopetoun, about 250 miles north-west of Melbourne, our starting point. From thence we went westerly some twenty-five miles to Lake Albacutya, thence northerly to Lake Bambrook, and back to Hopetoun vut Pine Plains. Soon affer passing Murtoa typical specimens of the Mallee flora, such as Svvainsonias, Helipterums, and Helichrysums begin to appear. At Hopetoun the first plants to attract one's attention are the common everlastings Helipterum corymbijlorum and Ilelichrysum obtiisifolium, the former extending probably for hundreds of miles, its white flowers making the plains look as if a snowstorm had recently taken place. It is singular that these plants are not used for florists' work, especially for funeral wreaths, as the flowers last for a considerable time and do not fall to pieces so easily as many other everlastings. Lake Albacutya, distant from Hopetoun about twenty-five miles, was selected as our first collecting ground. On the way sandy Mallee country was passed, the whole of it a huge flower garden. The beautiful large blue-flowered Aster, A. exul, grows everywhere, and as we proceeded further such plants as Loudonia helirii, resembling Stackhousia liitari/olia, Jjusijpelaliini. behrii, a shrub belonging to the SterculiacecC, Erysimum blennodioldes, a crucifer- ous plant with pink and white flowers, and the small yellow- flowered Helipterum jesseni were noticed. Nearing Lake Alba- cutya the Mallee eucalypt, Eucalyjytus gracilis, was noticed in flower, while the White-plumed Honey-eater, Ptilotis penicillata, THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. and the Graceful Honey-eater, P. omata, were to be seen feeding on the nectar. The colour of the former bird is much lighter than the specimens usually met with in the vicinity of Melbourne. Arrived at Lake Albacutya we decided to spend a few days collecting in the vicinity. The " Native Hollyhock," Lavattra plebeja, grows here abundantly, and on account of its tall spikes of beautiful bluish flowers should be introduced into our gardens. On the sandhills near the lake some very fine specimens of Cassia sturtii, a shrub with beautiful yellow flowers, were found, artd on the leaves of the introduced Flat ^Veed, Bi/poc/ueris glabra, was noticed a fungus, Puccinia Ideracii, which according to Mr. D, M'Alpine, the Government Vegetable Pathologist, is new for Victoria. This fungus attacks the young plants only, covering the leaves with small black shining spots, each nearly the size of a pin's head. Another fungus, Septorii tabacina, M'Alpine, was also found attacking the Native Tobacco, Nicotiana suaveoleris, and has been described by Mr. M'Alpine in the Victorian Naturalist, vol. xvi., p. 141. Lake Albacutya is a fine sheet of water, having an area of about twenty square miles, but presents a peculiar appearance owing to the great number of small dead trees standing in the northern end of the lake. This fact would tend to show that at no very distant period the lake must have been dry, and that for some years. The Little and the Little Black Cormorants had just finished building their nests in these dead trees, but the nests were as yet without eggs. The only aquatic plants growing in the lake were Azolla Jiliculoides and a species of Nitella. On the edges of the lake grew large patches of Clienopodiiun atriplicinum, which is regarded as a splendid fodder plant in these parts. Australian Coots and Black Swans were seen in dozens, swimming on ihe lake, also the Australian Tippet Grebe, the Pelican, and several species of ducks, but as the latter were some distance from us we had difticulty in identifying the species with certainty. The Black-fronted Dottrels, J'Jgialitis melanops, were everywhere to be seen running along the edge of the water, and though a diligent search was made for their eggs we were unsuccessful. This Dottrel, as is well known to oologists, has the habit, as a protec- tion to her eggs, of smearing them over with mud, which makes their discovery exceedingly difficult. From Lake Albacutya we went to Lake Bambrook, a much better collecting ground for the naturalist. Birds, plants, and other specimens of natural history were here in profusion. Among the commoner plants were Ileliotropiam curassavicuin, Styphelia cordifolia, a tall-growing species with small flowers ; Boronia ccerulescens, bearing blue and white flowers, and many others. As in Lake Albacutya the only water plants growing here were Lemna and Nitella. That noble-looking bird, the White-bellied 10 fHE VICTORIAN NATURAtlSt. Sea Eagle, Halia'ef.us leucogaster, was observed hovering over the tops of the tall Red Gum trees, Eucalyptus rostrata, and after a search its nest, a huge structure, was discovered. Fully a couple of cartloads of material must have been used in its construction. It was composed of dried sticks, was lined with dried eucalyptus leaves, and was ready for eggs, while close by was a nest of the White-fronted Heron containing two young birds. Insects were exceedingly scarce, owing to the exceptionally dry season. The beetles captured were Bolbaceras sloanei (being new for Victoria), ScarapJiites assimilis, S. hirtipes, Epilectus fortis, Neocaretium elovgatum, Carenum antliracinum, C. gracile, C. cordipenne. C. scaritioides, Euryscaplius minor, Hypharpax dei/rollei, H. niierioris, Dromius crudelis, Clivina melanopyga, Chlcenius australis, Leptopodus iridipennis, and Sariicus obesula. At night many specimens of " Frog Hoppers," Membracidse, representing a fair number of species, were attracted by the light. By placing a piece of newspaper on the ground they would alight on it, and were then captured. These specimens have been forwarded for naming to Dr. Coding, a specialist, who is at present engaged on a work on the Membracidas of Australia. Lepidoptera right through the Mallee were conspicuous by their absence, though now and again a straggling specimen of Ileliolhris arinigera, one of the most destructive of moths, was met with, and was the commonest species seen by us. Probably later in the year this part of the country would yield some rare species. Amongst the red gum trees bordering on these Mallee lakes is the home of the parrots, parrakeets, and cockatoos. The first species generally met with is the Ring-necked or Barnard's Parrakeet, Barnardius barnardi, which is the commonest. The adult male is a very handsome bird, the combination of green, blue, yellow, and crimson being very striking. The Rose Hill Parrakeet, Platycercus eximins, is rathtr rare in these parts, only a couple of specimens being noticed. The Black-tailed Parra- keet, PohjteHs melanura, which is also known as the " Rock Pebbler " — though how it obtained this name I cannot imagine, for where these handsome birds abound there are no rocks what- ever, and no pebbles, the nearest being over a hundred miles away — is only found in the timber bordering on the lakes. Other species met with were the Redrumped Parrakeet, Psephotus hcemntonolvs, Cockatoo Parrakeet, Calopsittacus novce-hollandioi, Warbling Crass-Parrakeet, Melopsitiaais uiidulaii(s\ and the hand- somest of all, the Many-coloured Parrakeet, Psephohis miiUicolor. Many of their nests were found in the hollow spouts of the gum trees, but the eggs in most instances were heavily incubated. Cockatoos were very numerous, the Leadbeater's, Cacatua lead- beateri, Great Sulphur-crested, Cacalua galerita, and the Black Cockatoo, Calyptorhynchusfunereus, being the three species. A tflE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. ll nest of the first species was discovered in the hollow trunk of a Murray Pine, Callltris verrucosa, and contained two eggs. Porphyry-crowned Lorikeets, Glossopsittacus jMrphyocephalas, were also nesting in the hollow spouts of trees. The rare Night Parrakeet, Geopsittacus occidenlalis, exists here, but we were unable to find any speciiTiens. On the small sandy rises were numbers of the funnel-shaped traps of the " Ant Lion," Myrmelion, into which many ants, flies, &c., fell an easy prey. These sandy ridges are natural flower gardens. One of the Native Honeysuckles, Banksia ornata, Grevillea pterosperma (with orange flowers), Halgania cyanea, H. lavandulacea (a showy plant with deep blue flowers), Eremophila brownii (with reddish- brown flowers), Podolepis siemssenia (with panicles of golden- yellow flowers), Acacia hakeoides, Bceckea crassifoUa (with its small pink and white flowers), with many others, grow luxuriously. Parasitic on the branches of Acacia hakeoides was noticed the rare scale-insect Lecanium mirificum. Many " Bull Oaks," CasiLurina glauca, were found dead or dying, and on examining them the remarkable coccid (named after my father, the original finder, by the late Mr. W. Maskell) Frenchia casuarinai, like so many hundreds of small pieces of wood plugged into the trees, was found to be the cause of the destruction of these fine timber trees. This coccid is also common around Port Phillip, where it attacks the " She Oaks," Gasuarina qiiadrivalvis, and it is only a matter of a few years before all the smaller Casuarinas will be com- pletely destroyed. Mr. Maskell has placed this genus amongst the Brachyscelidae, as he states it seems impossible to place it else- where. He further states that " it is not clear by what process the burrowing into the bark is effected. The larva does not seem to do it, at least to any great depth. As for the gall-like swellings of the plant, they may be accounted for in the usual way as the result of irritation caused by the suction of the insects." Yet I see nothing to indicate that this coccid has any organs of irrita- tion not possessed by other coccids. Thus this question of gall- formation needs further investigation. We next reached Pine Plains, another good collecting ground. Here the two species of eucalyptus, E. gracilis (the common Mallee) and £. rosirata, with Murray Pines, Gallitris verrucosa, are the principal timber trees. Under the bark of the dead Murray Pines many specimens of the rare black carab beetle, Gigadema intermedia, were collected. On the sand-hills, amongst the fallen leaves, several showy beetles, also belonging to the Carabida3, were secured, and transferred to the collecting bottle. In the thick JNLallee we came upon several of the large mound nests of the Mallee Hen, Lipoa oceUata. As an interesting description of these egg-mounds was published in the Victorian Naturalist, vol. xvi., p. 149, there is no necessity for me to 12 THE VICfORIAN NATURALIST, repeat it here. Scrub-Robins and the Chestnut-backed Ground- Thrush were fairly common here. Jhijeria viscosa, Calotis ct/mbicantha, Prostanthera coccinea (with showy scarlet blossoms), Pimelea microcephala, the " Quandong," Santalum aciLminatum (a tree of about twelve feet in height, with drooping leaves, and particularly handsome when bearing its orange to crimson fruits), Grevillea aquifo/ium, Halgania lavandulacea (a showy plant when in bloom, having deep blue flowers), Helichrysum obtusi/olium, Stipa elegantissiina (a most beautiful and ornamental grass, well worthy of cultivation in gardens), Yfaitzia acuminata, Goodenia geniculata, (a remarkable woolly variety), G. pinnatijida, and many other plants, are found in this locality. On the plains the " Wa.\\B.hy Gra.ss," Banthonia penicillata, is the principal fodder grass. The "Lignum," Muehlexbeckia 2)olygonoides, covers the marshy ground, and in these bushes were numerous nests of the '• Babbler," Fomatostomus super- ciliosus, containing eggs. The White-plumed Honey-eater, Ftilotis penicillata, was nesting in the melaleuca bushes. Acres of acacias, such as A. calamifolia, A, farinosa, and A. hrachyhotrya, are met with, and, according to the late Baron Von Mueller, no less than thirty-six species of acacias have been found in the Mallee districts. Here also fine plants of Cryptandra suhochreata, Airip.'ex semibaccatum (a splendid fodder plant), Westringia riyida (with bluish-white flowers), Helipteruin moschatum, and II. Jloribitndum were added to the collection. In the dead timber were several nests of the Crimson-bellied Parrakeet, Psephotus Jicematorrhous, which is also known as the " Bull Oak " Parrakeet, on account of its preference for the Casuarina ("Bull Oak") country. Peaceful Doves, Gilbert's Thickhead, Yellow-rumped Pardalote, Corcorax, Bee-eaters, White-faced Xerophila, Black- backed Superb Warbler, Red-throat, Black Honey-eater, Lanceo- lated Honey-eater, Tree Martins, Spurwing Plover, Red-capped Robin, Brown Hawk, Australian Goshawk, Black-backed Crow- Shrike, &c., &c., were the principal birds in this part of the country. It is noteworthy that many of the plants growing in the Mallee are identical with those found on the heath grounds at Chelten- ham and Sandringham, so familiar to the botanists of the Club. For instance, such plants as Pimelea oclophylla, Aolus villosa, Ileliclirysum apiculatum, Stackliousia linavifolici, Leptospermum loivigatani (a small-leaved variety), Caladenia patersoni, Praso- phyllum elation, Plerostylls villata, and Goodenia geniculata are common in both places. The Tea-tree, Leptosperinuin kevigatum, abounds everywhere on the sandy rises. The usual height, as far as was met with at Pine Plains and other localities visited, was from four to eight feet. Equally common with this was the shrub Dodoncea viscosa. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 13 Very few species of fodder grasses seem to exist in these dry localities, the principal ones being the " Porcupine Grass," Triodia irritans, " Wallaby Grass," Daulhonia peniciUata, Ayrostis solandri, Poa fordeana, F. nodosa, and F. ramigera. Of the " Porcupine Grass " the seed stalks and seed heads are the only parts eaten. But so fond do the horses appear to be of these heads that in places where the tussocks were growing very closely together we had great difficulty in getting our steeds away from them. The " Wallaby Grass" is also very nutritious, these two forming the principal fodder grasses of the arid Mallee. The caterpillars of the " Army Worm," Heliothris armigera, and a species of Agrotis had caused a vast amount of damage to the " Wallaby Grass " abovementioned, but, by way of compensa- tion, the " Caterpillar Fungus " had attacked them, and the whole lot were probably destroyed. This would appear to be the same species of fungus which destroyed such numbers of cater- pillars near Bacchus INIarsh last September. It seems to attack them in the following way : — " The caterpillars generally crawl to the top of the stems of the juncus, &c., and fasten themselves tightly on, and as the fungus nearly always starts in the lower part of the body, though in some cases it may commence from the head, it gradually causes the caterpillar to decay, and in numerous instances pieces may be seen dropping off. I frequently noticed the lower half of the caterpillar had fallen away, while the remaining part was still living. The caterpillar finally rots away, the head and fore legs only remaining fastened to the plant. The caterpillars when attacked by the fungus soon exhibit a sickly appearance, assuming a light greyish colour, but the fluid in the body of the grubs dying from the effect of the fungus is of a dark greyish-green. So rapidly do the caterpillars succumb to the fungus that on returning to the spot where I had observed apparently healthy grubs the day before, I collected fully two hundred, either dead or dying, and in a few hours after- wards there was not a living specimen to be found, only their remains hanging to the tops of the plants. This fungus was first discovered m Victoria by Mr. C. C. Brittlebank, who made some interesting observations for Mr. D. M'Alpine, who has identified it as an Entromopthora, a group now recorded for the first time in Australia, and Mr. M'Alpine proposes the name Entromoptlwra australis for this species. If this fungus could be utilized in attacking these " Cut Worm " caterpillars which cause so much damage to the crops in this and other colonies, it would prove a great boon to cultivators. Mr. Froggatt, the Government Ento- mologist of New South Wales, has also found a fungus in his colony closely allied to the one under notice. Having spent a few days in this interesting spot we started for Vallum, about 20 miles from Hopetoun. This is another good 14 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. locality for the botanist, as such plants as Astej- picridi/olius, Solanian esuriale, S. simile, Acacia brachybotrya, Calocephalus So7ideri, Myosorus minimus (commonly called the "Mouse-tail" Plant), Cassinia arcuata, Eriostemon pungens, Lognnia liitifulia, Brachyconie pacliyptera, Ilelichrysum leucopsidium, E remopliila longifolia (the finest tree in the Mallee, bearing white flowers), Dampiera lanceolata (with beautiful blue flowers), Billardiera cymosa (also with blue flowers), Senecio d'altoni, Fittosporum jjhillyroides (a species having a peculiar drooping habit and minute yellow flowers), Calycothrix tetragona, and Thryptomene ciliata — the two latter are beautiful flowering shrubs well worthy of introduction into small gardens, being of easy growth, and doing well near Melbourne in sandy soil — together with many other interesting species, grew in abundance. The common showy everlasting, Helichrysum lucidum, a well-known native plant, which is now cultivated all over the world, grew to fully four feet in height. The Bower-birds were rather scarce ; only two or three were seen, but one of their bowers or playing grounds was met with. It was about three feet long and two wide, and at one end a quantity of bones, pieces of coloured glass, wire, lead, strips of red cloth, &c., were strewn about. On counting, the bones, principally the vertebrae of sheep, were found to number about one hundred and fifty pieces. Growing on the flats were our little orchid friends, Plerostylis riifa, var. mitchelli, Caladenia 2)aterso7ii (the " Spider Orcliid "), and the sweet-smelling Praso- phyllum fascum. The rare plant, Teucrium sessiliflortim, and the blue-flowered geranium, Erodiam cygnorimi, grew in abundance. The only lizards observed were the common Rough-backed Blue Tongue, Trachydosaurvs rugosus, and the Lace Iguana, I/ydrosatirins varius. The former was noticed feeding on the flowers of the " Blue Bells," Wahlenbergia gracilis. Snakes were exceedingly scarce, the Brown Snake, Dlemenia superciliosa, being the only species noticed. Occasionally several of the small species of snakes are found, and also the " Death Adder," Acanthophus antarcticus, but the latter appears to be rather rare in Victoria. The foregoing somewhat disjointed notes will, I hope, serve to give some idea of the natural history of the Mallee, and I can safely guarantee any botanist, ornithologist, or entomologist who can spare the lime for a few days' investigation of that i)ortion of our colony during the months of September, Octol)er, or November in a favourable season, a most interesting outing, with the further possibility of adding new species to the lists of our fauna and flora, THR VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 15 DESCRIPTION OF EGGS OF THE RAINBOW PITTA, riTTA IRIS. By D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S. The eggs of this interesting bird were found on the Daly River, in North-Western Australia, on 24th December, 1900, and a description of the parent bird sent. As is well known, this is the only Pitta known in North-Western Australia, and it has a wide range, extending from Cape York, Queensland, right across to the north-west coast, inhabiting the thick scrubby country of the coastal districts. The nest was situated, as usual, on the ground, and contained four eggs — the full clutch. They are very blunted at the smaller end, and nearly round in shape ; the tex- ture of the shell is fine and somewhat glossy, and white in colour, with a few roundish small blackish markings, mostly on the larger end, where they form an irregular zone ; but some have the markings more scattered over the egg than others. The few mark- ings beneath the surface are purplish-grey. The measurements are :— (a) .91 x .80 inch, (6) .92 x .79 inch, (c) .93 x .81 inch, {d) .93 x .80 inch. BOOK NOTICE. Handbook of the Destructive Insects of Victoria. Part iii. By C. French, F.L.S., Entomologist to the Department of Agriculture, Victoria. Melbourne, 1900. Price, 2s. 6d. After a lapse of seven years, for which the author is not responsible, we have to record the publication of the third part of the " Handbook of the Destructive Insects of Victoria." Where there is so much to be done in tiie way of spreading information as to the best means of coping with the insect pests so destructive to our fruit and grain crops, it is greatly to be regretted that the Department of Agriculture lias not sufficient funds at its disposal to issue these excellent handbooks at much shorter intervals. The part under notice contains twenty-nine chapters, twenty of which are descriptive of insects, while eight are devoted to descriptions of our most useful insectivorous birds — a valuable addition in sucli a book. The birds dealt with are the White-eyebrowed Wood- Swallow, the ^Vhite-rumped Wood-Swallow, the Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo, tlie Pallid Cuckoo, the Restless Fly-catcher, the White-sliafted Fan-tail, the Brown Tree-creeper, and the White- throated Tree-creei)er. In order that there may be no mistake on the part of agriculturists and fruit-growers as to their feathered friends or foes, each bird is illustrated by a coloured plate. Among the insects dealt with are the common Victorian Locust, of which a full account of its life-history, together witli illustrations of its own parasitic destructors, is given ; the dreaded Son Jose Scale ; the Cut-worm Moths; the Phytomyza Leaf Tunneller; and the Painted Aj^ple Moth. Other insects figured, such as the Gum Emperor 16 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Moth ; the Wattle Goat Moth, the Caper Butterfly, the Banksia Beetle, Uracanthus trianyalaris, and the Banksia Borer, Cyria imjierialis, might come under the heading of what may be termed " collectors' insects," as they are large and mostly showy creatures, but, if we except the Emperor Moth, which has taken to the so-called Pepper trees, Schinus molle, as a food-plant, though no doubt very destructive to our native vegetation, have not as yet developed a taste for cultivated trees and plants. A chapter on cyanide fumigation, and appendices containing descriptions of spray pumps, &c., with illustrations, and a list of insect and blight- destroying agents complete the volume. The plates are by Messrs. C. C. and T. A. Brittlebank, and have been printed in colours by Messrs. Sands and M'Dougall Limited or Troedel and Co., and reflect great credit on both artists and printers. The author is to be congratulated upon the conciseness and clearness of his directions for dealing with the various pests, and it is to be hoped that Part iv., which he says is in preparation, will be published before many seasons are past. The True Quagga. — The Zoologist for February contains an interesting article by Graham Renshaw, M.B., on the true Quagga, which now, alas, can be counted among the extinct animals of South Africa. Though this animal once existed in countless herds both in Cape Colony and what was recently the Orange Free State, and was proved to be an animal which could have been domesticated and made serviceable to man, yet so great was the slaughter of them for the sake of their hides that not a single living specimen now exists, and, what is more to be regretted, they are represented in very few museums. Mr. Renshaw has been at considerable trouble to get a complete census of all the remains treasured up in museums, with the following result : — England possesses three stuffed specimens, three skeletons, and two skulls ; United States, one skeleton ; Continent of Europe, ten stuffed specimens and several skulls or skeletons ; while South Africa possesses only one, and that Vi foal, in the Capetown Museum. Thus has Eqnus quagga almost vanished from the face of the earth, yet strangely enough its native home is a continent infested with with the Tsetse P'ly, and cursed with horse-sickness, where it might have been of immense service to those who have been the means of its extermination. Parrakeets. — Mr. \V. T. Page, F.Z.S., in Nature Notes for March gives a list of parrots and parrakeets which may be kept out of doors all the year round in England. Among the species mentioned are several Australian ones, such as the Rosella, the Cockatoo Parrakeet, the Red-backed Parrakeet, the Pale-headed Parrakeet, the King I>ory, and Pennant's Parrakeet. This latter has bred out of doors in Yorkshire, one of the coldest and bleakest English counties, THE ^ I c t o x: i It ^ I %Xatnvali&t. Vol. XVIIL— No. 2. JUNE 6, 1901. No. 210. FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held in the Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 20th May, igor. Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A. (one of the vice-presidents), occupied the chair, and about 50 members and visitors — included amongst whom was Mr. J. H. Maiden, F.L.S., of Sydney — were present. REPORTS. The hon. librarian acknowledged the receipt of the following donations to the library : — " Mineral Resources of New South Wales," by Edw. F. Pittman, Government Geologist, from the Department of Mines, Sydney ; " Report of the Trustees of the Australian Museum, Sydney," for 1899, from the Trustees ; " Pro- ceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland," vol. xvi. (1900), from the Society ; Queensland Agricultural Journal, April, 1901, from the Department of Agriculture, Brisbane; Nature Notes, April, 1901, from the Selborne Society ; Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, vol. xi., part 3, from the Museum ; and Boletin Inslituto Geologico de Mexico, No. 14 (1900). ELECTION OF MEMBERS. On a ballot being taken, Mr. H. J. Grayson, University, Mel- bourne, was duly elected a member of the club. GENERAL BUSINESS. Nominations of office-bearers for 1 901-2 were made, and Messrs. R. Hall and F. Pitcher were elected to audit the accounts for the year 1 900-1. A committee, consisting of Messrs. F. Wisewould, F. G. A. Barnard, and J. F. Haase (with power to add to their number) was appointed to arrange for a social gathering to commemorate the twenty-first anniversary of the foundation of the Club. PAPERS READ. 1. By Mr. J. F. Haase, entitled " Notes on Collecting Lepi- doptera." The author briefly related some of his experiences when collecting, mentioning that on a hot day he had found a damp spot in a shady situation a great attraction to butterflies. 2. By Mr. A. W. Milligan, Perth, VV.A. (communicated by Mr. F. G. A. Barnard), entitled " A New Species of Mirafra (Bush-Lark) from Western Australia." 18 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. The author described, under the name Mirafra woodwardi, a new species of Bush-Lark, somewhat resembling Mirafra horsfieldi, but being larger and more robust than that species. 3. By Mr. A. W. Milligan, Perth, W.A. (coannunicated by Mr. F. G. A. Barnard), entitled " A New Amytis (Grass-bird) from Western Australia." The author described as Amytis gigantura a Grass-bird which he considered new, and gave particulars of its dimensions in relation to other members of the genus. Mr. G. A. Keartland and Mr. R. Hall both remarked that in the absence of specimens it was difficult to say whether the birds described should not be regarded as varieties of known species. On the motion of Mr. A. J. Campbell a vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Milligan for his papers. 4. By Mr. James Lidgett (communicated by Mr. F. G. A. Barnard), entitled "A New Victorian Coccid." The author described, as Lecanium australis, a new scale insect, which is remarkable in being found inhabiting the borings made in timber trees by the larvae of Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. EXHIBITS. By Mr. E. Anderson. — A series of the moth Smyriodes aplectaria, bred from larvae found on Ricinocarpus pini/olius. By Mr. A. Coles. — Stubble Quail, Goturnix pectoralis ; also an albino specimen of the Australian Pipit, Anthus australis, from North Essendon. By Mr. C. French, jun. — Rare Buprestid Beetle, Ghalcopliora albivittis, Hope, in wood of Eucalyptus amygdalina, near Dande- nong Ranges. By Mr. J. F. Haase. — Case of Victorian butterflies. By Mr. T, S. Hall, M.A. — Fossil shell, Cynthia praeputialis, Heller, from Bream Creek. By Mr. G. A. Keartland. — Kurdaitchashoes, as worn by the natives of Central Australia. By Mr. D. Le Souef. — Type clutch of eggs of Rainbow Pitta, Pitta iris, described in Victorian Naturalist, vol. xviii., p. 18. After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. Where the Birds Go To. — In a recent issue of the Daily Mail (London) some account was given of a sale of bird skins in that city. One firm sold no less than 2,151 female Birds of Paradise, while another had 847 and a third 531 ! These were sold in lots of 50 or 60 at from i6s. to 24s. per skin. One of the firms had 1,181 Impeyan Pheasants, together with large quantities of Osprey feathers, skins of parrots, jays, owls, crested pigeons, and other birds. A line of 1,000 lately deceased "Pretty PoUies " went off at i^d. each ! THK VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 19 DESCRIPTIONS OF THE YOUNG OF SOME AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. By Robert Hall. (Read be/ore the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, loth April, 1901.) As I have not been able to find any description recorded of the early phases of certain of our native birds, I propose to briefly describe such as have come under my notice, and have placed examples of most of them upon the table for inspection. For the opportunity to describe the young of the Mallee Fowl, Lipoa ocellata, I am indebted to Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., Assistant Director of the Zoological Gardens, Melbourne, where a number of these birds have recently been successfully hatched ; and, in the absence of Professor Spencer, F.R.S., Director of the National Museum, Melbourne, skins of certain of the species have been kindly placed at my disposal for description by Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., Curator of the Zoological Department of the Museum. The species are numbered and arranged in accordance with the " Key to the Birds of Australia and Tas- mania," recently published. 29. NiNOx BOOBOOK, Lath., Boobook Owl. Fledgling, female, 15/11/97. Locahty, Heytesbury, Victoria (per Mr. Geo. Graham). Recently in nest. Whole of upper surface rich brown, except hind neck, which is grey washed with rufous, and composed of very short feathers • forehead feathers tipped with white ; lores and fore part of eye- brow snow-white, the rachis of each lore feather being black and bristling ; tail indistinctly barred ; wing quills and coverts marked very much as in adult; under surface white, the throat faintly washed with rufous, the chest clearly washed with rufous • breast heavily blotched with clear rufous ; lower part of abdomen and under tail coverts white, the feathers being long and soft; tibia] rufous-feathered ; tarso-metatarsus white-feathered; toes bear small white hirsute feathers. Length of wing, 9 inches ; tail, 5.3 inches; culmen, 0.95 inches. 32. NiNOX CONNIVENS, Lath., Winking Owl. Immature skin. Culcairn, N.S.W., 1 5/1 1/98 (per Mr. W. J. Stephen). This specim.en was secured with the adult female. The under surface exhibits the key to the species, but a white collar extending from the throat, forming a complete circle and traversing immediately above the interscapulum, would lead one to anticipate another species. General plumage above dull slaty-brown ; rump and upper tail coverts greyer ; white spots on sooty-brown quills appear brighter than in adult owing to the greater contrast ; throat white, the rachis of each feather brown ; 20 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. the throat nestling feathers are long and silky ; tail feathers show three faint bands, and are terminated distally each by a strong white mark ; dull white featliers at the head of metatarsus ; toes feebly provided with abnormal hirsute feathers ; bill black, except at base and tip of culmen, which are light horn. Length of wing, 8.75 inches; tail, 4.9 inches; culmen, i inch. 49. Strepera CUNEICAUDATA, Vieill., Grey Crow-Shrike. Nestling, 28/9/99. Locality, Nhill, Victoria. The general plumage is darker in colour than that of the adult, agreeing more with the sub-species S. plumbea, Gld. The feathers of the forehead, crown, and back are faintly rayed, the tips being brown ; tips of wing quills greyish-white ; under tail coverts greyish-white ; tail quills, which are very short, are mostly white; feathers of lores stiff; bill brownish; middle portion of culmen orange ; legs and feet greyish flesh. Length of wing, 5 inches; tail, 2.3 inches; culmen, 1.4 inches. 133. Rhipidura albiscapa, Gld., White-shafted Fan-tail. («) Young. Mitcham, Victoria. The whole of the dorsal surface deep slate colour, and much darker than the grey of adult ; primary coverts have a double row of cinnamon-coloured edges to the feathers ; secondaries edged with ochreous buff; throat feebly marked by white, with a black mark beneath; no white mark behind eye; chest, breast, and abdomen sandy buff; no distinct white on tail, except upon the shafts of all but the middle two ; bill and legs black. Length of wing, 2.6 inches ; tail, 3 inches. (6) Immature female, 3/8/96. Warragul, Victoria. Dorsal surface not so dark as in (rt), but not the grey of the mature bird ; throat whiter than in (a), but not so white as in adult ; breast and abdomen not so ochreous as in (a), but deeper than the pale ochreous buff of the adult ; white mark at rear of eye ; the amount of white on tail about intermediate between that of {a) and adult. Length of wing, 3.05 inches; tail, 3.75 inches. 183. Megalurus gramineus, Gld., Grass-bird. Immature skin, male, 29/12/99. Altona, Victoria. Upper surface uniform tawny, with a few black streaks on the interscapulum ; barb of middle quill of tail black ; under surface fawn, tending to white from the chin to the breast, below which it is more tawny ; no streaks upon the under surface, a single small one upon one of the lower throat feathers ; wings very much as in adult, except that the edges to secondaries are fulvous ; bill yellowish, other than the ridge of mandible, which is dark brown ; legs brown, under i)ortion of feet yellow. Length of wing, 2.05 inches; tail, 2.2 inches. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. ^1 344. Ptilotis cratitia, Gld., Wattle-cheeked Honey-eater. Young male skin, 25 9/99. Nhill, Victoria (per Messrs. C. and C. Smart). General appearance similar to adult, excepting fleshy wattle extending from gape down each side of the throat, which is dull orange in lieu of lilac ; crown greenish ; forehead grey ; under parts dull yellowish-white and yellowish-grey ; bill black, with base of under mandible yellow ; legs and feet brown. 379. Pardalotus punctatus, Temm., Spotted Pardalote. Immature skin, 5/1 1/99. Loch, Victoria. Head spotted with pale yellow ; all feathers of back broadly and faintly marked with yellowish-brown ; upper tail coverts and rump tawny ; tail black and spotted ; wings black, with white spots, except first and second quills, and all smaller than in adult; the whole of under surface pale tawny ; no yellow on throat ; loral spot brown, with pale yellow tips ; cheeks and sides of neck uniform tawny ; bill black ; legs flesh colour. Length of wing, 1.35 inches ; tail, 0,8 inches. 421. Mirafra HORSFiELDi, Old., Bush-Lark. Skin, immature male, recently from nest, 18/12/97. Essen- don, Victoria. Before me at the moment are five skins, showing as many clearly defined phases in the plumage development of the species. As the bird matures, the black of the dorsal surface gives place to a ruddy greyish-brown, while the chest and breast markings lose the black, blotchy appearance through many stages till the dark rachis of the oldest bird is very narrowly defined upon a fawn or rufous-fawn ground colour. The throat in the adult assumes a clear white. Very Young Male Skin. — Crescent-like narrow edge to each feather of the upper surface pale brown, the feathers other than these being deep brownish-black ; chest heavily blotched with deep brownish-black, the centre of it being less dark, owing to the peripheral portion of each feather being of a cream colour; eye- brow fulvous ; throat dull, impure white; outer tail quills show less white than in adult, and more deep brownish-black ; the centre quills are more strongly rufous-marked than in adult ; cheeks blackish ; lower edges of each mandible showing distinctly yellowish against the other portion of the dull-brown bill ; primaries very strongly marked with rufous. Length of wing, 2.7 inches; tail, 1.9 inches ; culmen, 0.4 inch. 440. tEgotheles nov.e-hollandi/E, Lath., Owlet Nightjar. While making the Catal. Birds Brit. Mus., xvi. (1892) Mr. Ernest Hartert remarks (p. 646) : — "There are few groups of birds about which our knowledge is less complete than the genus ^gotheles. We do not know whether one species possesses a 22 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. greyish and a rufous phase, and we do not know the changes in plumage which are produced by season and age." Concerning the rufous phase, I have never seen it in Victoria, either in immaturity or aduh stage. Still it may yet appear to us. From Derby, in the North-West, I have skins that agree in measure- ments with the well-known form, but they are very rufous. The young bird described below I take to be of the grey phase. In any case it now provides a record of at least one phase of the young of the species. Fledgling. — Mounted specimen. National Museum. When killed it was nearly ready to fly. General appearance brownish- grey, as in adult; nuchal collar narrow and indistinct, but quite perceptible ; the band anterior to it is just visible on the lateral parts ; tail bars are brown, and only visible, the whitish ones of the adult not being yet clearly shown ; the outer webs of the longest primaries creamy white when compared with the brown of the adult ; a rufous mark beneath the eyes. The blackish markings of the adult, I am disposed to believe, will not be represented without a moult of the present plumage. The present example distinctly tends to the brownish grey phase of the species and not to the rufous one, presuming the two phases to be one and the same species. Length of wing, 3.4 inches ; tail, 1.5 inches. 561. Leucosarcia PiCATA, Lath., Wonga-Wonga Pigeon. Whittlesea, Victoria, 28/1/00. Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria's excursion. Young, about three weeks from nest, judging by bare forehead and chin. The specimen bears a strong resemblance to the adult, though it differs from that described in the British Museum in so far as the centres to some of the flank feathers are clearly marked and similar to the adult. The flank feathers appear in this specimen to be the last to mature, although beneath the wings the coverts are not fully developed. Chin, base of forehead, and around gape bare of feathers ; lores featherless but for a few " blacks " immediately against the eyes ; forehead, upper throat, breast and abdomen creamy white ; a white horseshoe-like mark around the chest, the head of it joining the white of the breast ; flanks creamy white, the feather centres conspicuously marked with black ; under wing coverts white-edged ; crissum fawn ; whole of under surface (except chest), crown, hind-neck, and wings brownish-grey ; rump and tail feathers deep grey ; outer feathers of tail white-tipped ; leg feathers deep brown, edged with cream ; feet coral red ; upper gular area slate ; bill brown ; eyes dark brown. Length of wing, 7 inches; tail, 6.1 inches. 566. LiPOA OCELLATA, Gld., Mallcc Fowl. The chick is born with prominent wing quills, which are more THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 23 tlian 4 inches in length on the fourth day. The first moult begins about the fourteenth day, both quills and contour "down" (neossoptiles) being shed ; the latter are being displaced by contour feathers. Specimen A. — Young ; four days old. Skin, 3/3/00. Under surface tawny, a tawny brown pectoral band joining the same (though deeper) colour on the neck ; crown tawny brown, from which down to the tail the colour deepens, where it becomes a deep brown; flanks like breast; spot before and behind eye almost naked ; surrounding the ear is a circle of black down-feathers ; quills deep slaty-brown ; coverts same, tipped with brown ; down coverts tawny brown ; no appearance of tail quills ; bill horn-black, the lower edges of prongs pale coloured ; legs and feet dull yellowish-grey. Total length, 8 inches; wing, 4.4 inches; tarsus, 1.25 inches; culmen, 0.75 inch ; middle toe (without claw), i inch. Specimen B. — Skin, male, 14 days old, 13/2/00. Crown of head brown, marked with black, which are the quills of the coming black feathers ; terminal parts of some of the old feathers still adhering ; soft parts round the eyes pinkish-red, blending into cinnamon-brown over a large area; lores yellowish- pink ; ear coverts short, slender, and dark ; featherless tracts behind the eyes ; short yellowish-brown plumage beneath the eyes ; chin and throat quite feathered with original downs ; nape a shade darker than crown ; neck still darker, with black feathers coming on sides of lower neck and chest ; the new feathers rapidly displace the original ones, which are pushed out and still adhere to the exposed ends of the new plumage for some time ; breast cinnamon-brown ; original downs as coverts to black tail quills ; flank (towards shoulder) feathers mostly new and still coming, certain of the original long cinnamon-brown plumage remaining ; humeral feathers show a long bar of black ; wing primaries short, with coverts agreeing in colour ; secondaries shorter ; secondary coverts strong, fringed (downy), and faintly rayed with black, at ends cinnamon-brown ; beneath the old secondary coverts may be seen new blackish quills appearing ; under wing coverts are brown downs ; bill deep brown to black, the lower edges of bottom mandible pale coral red ; nostrils oval, yellowish within, dark outside, quite exposed ; the feathers directed towards nostril short and cinnamon-brown ; legs and feet dull yellowish-grey, nails being dull yellowish-brown, lighter at tips (0.45 inch long) ; iris dull yellowish-brown. Total length, 11.75 inches; length of wing, 6.5 inches; culmen, 0.75 inch; tarsus, 1.7 inches; middle toe (without claw), 1.2 inches; tail, 2.7 inches. In this specimen the outer secondary (next to primary) of each wing was shed in the cage, and was being replaced in each 24 THE VICTOKIAN NATURALIST. by another which is much shorter than the adjacent primary and secondary. The bird was born with these shed quills, which were 14 days old at fall. Mr. Le Souef could get me no further information, as this living specimen died next day. From a special yard of 13 young birds (about 14 to 30 days old), Mr. Le Souef collected 60 shed wing quills, ranging from 6.5 to 2.4 inches. Colour uniform nutty-brown, the under surface duller and lighter than the upper. The barrel of each feather has left the bird quite clear of its early covering. The largest are the primaries, the smallest primary coverts. The intermediate sizes, judging from the median position of the vane, are secondaries. This appears to me a first moult, although we dare not handle a specimen to see if new quills were replacing the old. Specimen B. succumbed in the cause of science, at a heavy financial loss. Only 16 tail quills were amongst these 60, and they were all damaged in the barrel and not moulted. In the tail of the Gallinse there are from 10 to 12 stiff radii bearing rami, springing from a slender rachis. The caudal region of specimen A shows a neossoptile to be 1.5 inches long (sheath, 0.35 inch) and with 40 rami springing from it — 27 visible from the slender but firm rachis in a bilaterally symmetrical way ; 13 as if from the base of the rachis at the head of the barrel, but with the origin hidden. Some of the rami from this bunch branch. In specimen B the original contour feathers in several cases are existing an inch away from the body upon the tips of the new feathers that have displaced them. In the Melbourne Zoological Gardens Mr. Le Souef pointed to two birds, about half the size of an adult six months old. They were ten weeks old. At the time (10/3/00) twelve young were in the " Zoo," ranging from three days to three months in age — the very successful results of the Assistant Director practically acting as their foster parent. Specimen C. — Ten weeks old. 10/3/00. Head dull red, shading into dull saffron-yellow at upper neck ; lower neck dull saffron- yellow ; head and neck not feathered, showing bristles. Specimen D. — Ten weeks old. 10/3/00. Much like the adult in miniature; duller neck colours; separation between feathered and unfeathered parts of neck sharp ; breast lineated like adult. Specimens three months old show the red and yellow of the neck clear and featherless. 651. Sterna nereis, Old., White-faced Ternlet (Little Tern). Locality, Snake Island, Victoria (25/12/98), per Messrs. C. and C. Smart. Nestling about four days old. Whole of under surface in white down; forehead white, with THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 25 spots black and confluent ; crown white, with three conspicuous black lines ; nape white, spotted with black; hind neck and sides of neck have neossoptiles, with conspicuous sheaths enclosing the bases ; back and rump white, with blackish-brown patches ; wings with short quills bursting at their tips, the other portions in white down ; the lesser and greater wing coverts have each a bar of light brown upon them ; axillaries brown, barred with black ; lores white ; bill brown; no tail quills ; legs and feet dull yellow; eyes umber. DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF MIRAFRA (BUSH-LARK) FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA. By Alex. W. Milligan, Perth. (Communicated by F. G. A. Barnard.) {Read before the Field Naturalists^ Club of Victoria, 20th May, 1901.) Mr. Bernard H, Woodward, F.G.S., the Curator of the Perth Museum, recently handed to me for identification a Passerine bird (in skin), stated to have been shot by the Museum Collector on the sand tracts near Onslow, on the north-west coast of this State. After a careful examination I find it to be a new Mirafra, and I propose to name it Mirafra woodwardi, as a tribute and an appreciation of the very valuable services rendered by that gentle- man not only to Australian ornithology, but also to science in general. The bird under notice is a true scutelliplantar, showing with distinctness the scale divisions on the hinder aspect of the tarsus — a rare characteristic in the Passerines. It also possesses many of the other distinguishing characteristics of one or other of the Alaudidae to which 1 propose to briefly refer. In general, and comparing it with the members of the Alaudine family, it is like the Enj^lish Sky-Lark, Alauda arvensis, in that it has the diminutive first primary quill, and that it exhibits a perceptible crest, but it is unlike it in that it lacks the straight hind claw, and it shows an inequality in the length of the secondary quills as compared with the primaries. It is like the Calandra Larks, genus Melanocorypha, inasmuch as it possesses the stout vaulted mandibles characteristic of that genus, and that the wing is more pointed and that the secondaries do not reach the tips of the primaries, but unlike it in that it is smaller in size and the long straight toe is absent. It is like the Calandrellce inasmuch as it possesses the rudimentary first primary and the curved hind claw, but unlike in that the secondaries are not as long as the primaries, and that it possesses a crest, which the Calandrellre do not. It is like the Galerit?e, or Crested Larks, inasmuch as it possesses a crest, although not in such a pronounced form, and in the general 26 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. resemblance in length of the hind claw, but unlike in that the Galeritre have slender bills and the first primary generally well developed. In particular, and comparing it with the Mira/ra horsfieldi, it is much more robust, and handsomer, possessing as it does a rich rufous brown, which predominates (although lighter on the under surface) instead of the indistinct ashen grey of Mirafra hors- fieldi. The spur, also, on the hallux is somewhat longer and the crest more perceptible and pronounced than in the latter. I have appended a specific description, as also a table of the respective measurements of M. javanica, M. secmida, M. hors- fieldi, and the member of the genus now being described. Reference to that table will show that the last-mentioned is materially longer and bigger than the African form or the Australian forms, both as regards total length, wings, tail, and tarsi. Mirafra woodwardi, sp. nov. Chin, throat, and fore-neck pale bufif, deepening into an irregular band of ferruginous blotches on the chest, and again fading into a uniform pale buff on the breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts; flanks and thighs a deeper buff; and the under surface of the wings a uniform fawn, showing dark marking on web towards the extremities; tail feathers (12 in number) terminating evenly, the outer feather at either side passing almost to white ; under-web darkish, with many of the remaining tail feathers alternating buff and blackish on either side of shaft. The whole of the surface (excepting the nape), and extending from the head to and including the tail, a rich, rufous brown, relieved with saggitate blackish centres and shafts marked with an indistinct band of greyish feathers. The secondaries do not cover the tips of the primaries; crest distinctly perceptible; mandibles stout and vaulted, and slightly compressed at sides ; upper mandible horn-colour, deepest at culmen ; lower mandible paler at point, fading into white ; legs brown ; irides dark brown. Locality, Onslow, Western Australia, Comparative Table of Australian Mirakk/K and Mirafra javanica. Total Member of Genus. Mirafra javanica ,, secunda ,, horsefieldi ,, woodwardi I regret that at present I am unable to give any particulars regarding its song or nidification, but I hope to do so later on. Length. Culmen. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. 5 5-2( (5-5i ■ .. 0.6 . r 2.851 ■12.95/ ■■ I 1.8 ( ■ ) 1-9 1 ■ .. 0.9 5 ... 0.5 . .. 2.8 .. . 1.8 . .. 0.7 5-3 ... 0.55 . .. 2.9 .. . 1.8S . ., 0.85 5-75 ... 0.5 . .. — 2.25 . .. 0.95 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST, 27 DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF AMYTIS (GRASS-BIRD) FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA. By Alex. W. Milligan, Perth. (Communicated by F. G. A. Barnard.) {Read hefore the Field Naturalists' Cluh of Victoria, 20th May, 1901.) Whilst recently examining two birds in spirits, sent me by Mr. Bernard H. Woodward, F.G.S.. the Curator of the Perth Museum, I had need, for the purposes of comparison, of such of the genus Amytis and the genera aUied thereto as were locally available. The only skin of the genus referred to, readily procurable, was one thought to be Amytis macrura, but a brief examination sufficed to show that it was not that bird, and, further, that it did not answer to any other member of that genus hitherto described. I have, therefore, to declare it a new species, and I base my declaration on the following external and structural differences, taking A. macrura as a type : — Firstly. — The five rictal bristles characteristic of the genus are not so pronounced as in A. striata (a skin of which has since been furnished me), the two bristles nearest the nostrils being only just discernible to the naked eye. Under a powerful lens both A. striata and A. gigantura show six rictal bristles, the sixth being rudimentary. .Secondly. — The mandibles are less robust than in A. striata. Thirdly. — The total length, as also the length of the wings and tail, exceed in a material degree those of any other member of the genus. A table of measurements is subjoined for comparison. Fourthly. — Material differences in the colour of and dispositions of colour in its plumage compared with the other members of the genus. These differences and dispositions may be summarized as follows : — Present. — {a.) Rusty-red shoulder patch of J. textilis. Absent. — (6.) Black cheek stripe oi A. textilis. (c.) Chestnut-red upper surface, dark fore part of crown, bright ferruginous lores, and white fore-neck and breast of A. striata. (d.) Black cheek stripe, ashy-white lores, brick-red streak at forehead base, and dark brown ear coverts of A. macrura; and (e.) White lores, white cheeks streaked black, white under surface of body, and bright rufous sides of yl. goyderi. The feather striations are very distinctly and regularly marked. The following is a specific description of the new species : — 28 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Amytis gigantura, sp. nov. The whole of ihe upper surface extending from the forehead to and including the wings and tail a uniform dull brown, with the feathers of the head, neck, cheeks, mantle, tail, and wing coverts striated with white, the striations more numerous and emphatic on the head and nape ; tail feathers (lo) not striated, but shafts brighter brown than the web ; chin, throat, and breast with lighter wash of brown tending towards fawn ; feathers distinctly striated with white ; abdomen still lighter, with striations fainter ; a bright chestnut patch on each side of spring, but in front of thigh ; under wing coverts light chestnut ; under surface of tail feathers brown ; shafts white at base, but becoming brownish towards extremities ; web of tail feathers open, and shafts robust and distinct ; primaries brown with bright brown shafts ; first primary diminutive, second longer but much shorter tlian third, third distinctly shorter than fourth, the fourth and remaining ones almost of even length ; mandibles bright brown ; legs dark brown ; total length culmen, wing, tail, and tarsus as per table. Locality, Mt. Magnet, Western Australia. The specific name of macrura, which would have been specially appropriate, having already been allotted, I propose that it receive the scientific name of Amytis gigantura (Gr. gigas + oura), and the vernacular name of the "Western Grass-bird." Comparative Table of the Genus Amytis above referred to. Culmen. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. 0.45 0-55 ■ 0-55 ■ 0.45 . 0.5 It may be of some interest to know that the birds in spirits mentioned in the first paragraph were specimens of Carter's Desert-bird, and to which I had assigned a new genus. Sub- sequently the description of that bird in the Victorian Naturalist was brought under my notice, and which proved their identity. Total Member of Genus. Length. A. textilis ... . 6.3 A. striata ... . 6.8 A. macrura .. 6.5 A. goyderi ... •• 5-5 A. gigantura •• 7-25 2.45 .. • 3-25 • • • 0.95 2.45 •• ,. 3.4 . .. 1.05 2-55 • .. 3.1 . I 2.05 . .. 2.8 . .. 0.85 2.75 • •• 3-75 • .. 0.95 The Little Kingfisher. — Up to the date of the publication of Mr. A. J. Campbell's work on " Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds" the eggs of the rare Little Kingfisher, Alcyone picsilla, Temm., had not been discovered. However, on the 14th February, 1901, in the Cape York district, Queensland, a nest was found in a bank of a creek, containing five eggs, probably the full clutch. The eggs are nearly round in shape, texture of shell fine and glossy, and colour pearly white. Measurements. — (i) .82 x .72, (2) .79 X .71 inch. — T. A. Brittlebank, Myrniong. 27/5/01. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 29 DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS MALURUS. By Alfred J. North, C.M.Z.S., Ornithologist, Australian Museum, Sydney. Malurus assimilis, sp. nov. Adult male. — Forehead, crown, and sides of the head purplish- blue, passing into a rich cobalt on the feathers round the eye and the ear-coverts ; sides of the neck and a collar on the hind-neck velvety-black ; mantle and upper portion of the back purplish- blue ; lower portion of the back and rump velvety-black ; scapulars chestnut-red ; wings brown, the quills narrowly edged externally with brownish-white ; tail dull blue, all but the two central feathers tipped with white ; a triangular-shaped mark in front of the eye, the cheeks, throat, and upper portion of the breast deep black, the feathers on the sides of the breast tipped with deep purplish-blue ; remainder of the under surface dull white, slightly tinged with pale brownish-buff on the flanks and under tail coverts ; thighs brown ; bill black ; legs and feet dark fleshy-brown ; iris dark brown. Total length, 5 inches ; wing, 1.9; tail, 2.8; bill, 0.35; tarsus, 0.8. Adult female. — General colour above brown ; wings brown, the quills narrowly edged externally with brownish-white ; tail dull blue ; lores and a narrow circle of feathers round the eye rich chestnut ; cheeks, sides of the neck, and all the under surface dull white washed with fulvous, paler on the throat ; sides of the breast and flanks fulvous-brown ; bill reddish-brown ; legs and feet dark fleshy-brown ; iris dark brown. Habitat. — Gulf of Carpentaria, inland portions of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, Central Aus- tralia. Types. — In the Australian Museum, Sydney. I purpose distinguishing this species by the vernacular name of Purple-backed Superb Warbler. A nest of this bird in the Museum collection, taken by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett at Mossgiel, New South Wales, in October, 1885, is a dome-shaped structure, with a narrow entrance near the top ; out- wardly it is formed of fine silvery-white dried grasses and flowering plant stalks, the inside being slightly lined at the bottom with plant down. Externally it measures 5 inches in height by 3 in width, and across the entrance i inch. It was built in a Needle Bush, Hakea leucoptera, at a height of 5 feet from the ground, and contained three eggs. The eggs are oval in form, the shell being close-grained and its surface smooth and lustreless. They are of a dull-white ground colour, which is sprinkled over with dots, spots, and blotches of faint pinkish-red, the markings predominat- ing, as usual, on the larger end. Length — {a) 0.62 x 0.5 inch; 30 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. (b) 0.63 X 0.5 inch ; (c) 0.65 x 0.47 inch. A set taken by Mr. James Ramsay at Tyndarie measures — (a) 0.62 x 0.5 inch ; (b) 0.66 x 0.47 inch; (c) 0.65 x 0.47 inch. The above-described species belongs to that section of the genus Malurus in which the adult males are distinguished by their chestnut slioulders, and is more closely allied to M. lamberti. For a number of years past it has been known that the inland form of M. lamberti differs in colour from typical specimens obtained near the eastern coast of Australia. More than a quarter of a century ago Dr. Ramsay pointed out that the New South Wales birds differed in the tint of colouring from those procured in South Australia.* Subsequently Mr. George Masters made reference to two specimens obtained by Mr. K. Broadbent at the Gulf of Carpentaria, and stated that it may prove to be a distinct species, but for the present (at that time) he looked upon it as a local variety of M. lamberti.f These differences in colour have recently been brought more prominently under my notice while working at the Maluri, and on comparing a series from widely separated parts of the continent. Adult males from the Gulf of Carpentaria, Western Queensland, Western New South Wales, North-Western Victoria, and the inland portions of South Australia, hitherto recognized under the name of Malurus lamberti, may at once be distinguished, when compared with typical examples of that species, in having the crown and sides of the head purplish-blue instead of deep cobalt ; moreover, the feathers round the eye and the ear-coverts are rich cobalt instead of turquoise-blue, and the mantle and upper portion of the back purplish-blue instead of cobalt-blue. In the colour of these parts the species here characterized by me under the name of Malurus assimilis more closely resembles M. pulcherrimus. Both Western Australian representatives of this section of the genus, however, M. pulcherrimus and M. elegans, are widely separated from M. lamberti and its allies in having the throat and upper portion of the breast dark blue instead of black. DESCRIPTION OF THE WHITE-BELLIED THICK- HEAD (FEMALE). By Robert Hall. The distinguishing characters of the female of the White-bellied Thickhead, Pachycepha/a lanioides, Gould, have not, as far as I am aware, appeared in print, and as two skins of this bird have recently been received from Mr. J. P. Rogers, of Derby, North- west Australia, I take the opportunity of recording a description * Proc. Zool. Soc. 1 875, p. 589. + Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., vol. i., p. 53 (1876). THE VICTOKIAN NATURALIST. 31 of them. Mr. Rogers kindly supplied me with the particulars of the soft parts. Adult female, Derby, W.A,, 21/3/01. — Whole of upper surface brownish grey to grey, being nearest ashy-grey on the forehead, becoming grey as it recedes, and greyest on the upper tail coverts ; the feathers of forehead and crown showing blackish centre streaks ; wing coverts and quills brown to greyish-brown, the secondaries broadly margined with light grey, and the longest primaries narrowly on the outer margins ; first primary of one wing dull cinnamon-brown, being displaced in the other by a new grey feather ; tail greyish-brown, greyer below than above ; chin and throat white, with a brown stripe along the rachis of each feather ; under tail coverts white ; chest, breast, abdomen, and flanks pale brown, each feather streaked down the midrib with blackish-brown ; lores creamy white ; narrow circle of feathers round eye white ; ear coverts brownish, slightly lustrous ; scapulars pale brown ; under wing coverts white with dark lines ; bill, upper mandible brownish-black, lower greyish, with the cutting edge brown ; legs leaden grey ; feet brown ; irides reddish-brown. Total length, 8.25 inches; culmen, 0.75 inch; wing, 3.85 inches ; tarsus, i inch ; tail, 3.35 inches. NEW NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. By Robert Hall. The following nests and eggs, with skins of the birds, have been forwarded to me from Derby, North-West Australia, by Mr. J. P. Rogers, a careful and enthusiastic field naturalist recently in Derby : — ZosTEROPS LUTEA, Gld., Yellow Silver-eye. Nest. — Cup-shaped, shallow, firm, made of pale straw-coloured fibrous grasses, and plentifully spotted upon the external portion with whitish clotted spider webs ; no special internal lining ; nest suspended from horizontal twigs of a mangrove. Dimensions over all. — Diameter, 2.5 inches; depth, 1.5 inches; egg cavity, 1.75 inches broad x 12.5 inches deep. Eggs. — Clutch a. — Three to the sitting, 17/3/01. Colour uniform pale bluish-green. Dimensions. — Axis, 0.65 inch ; dia- meter, 0.5 inch. Clutch b. — 18/3/01. One egg, one large nest- ling, and one bird recently hatched. Egg. — Axis, 0.6 inch ; dia- meter, 0.5 inch. Both nests were placed upon a small mangrove bush, at about four feet from the ground, and when Mr. Rogers visited the second one (6) on 26/3/01 he found high floods had drowned the young birds. 32 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST, Myzantha lutea, Gld., Yellow Minah. Nest. — Bowl-shaped, slightly oval in shape ; the rough outer portion made of short lengths of twiners, fastened together with wool, the inner part of the same materials more closely woven ; lining of fine rootlets and grass fibre. Measurements. — Externally, 8 inches x 7 inches, with depth 3.75 inches; internally, 3.75 inches x 3 inches, with depth (egg cavity) 1.6 inches. Mr. Rogers remarks the nests were placed in green sprouts growing from the broken end of a limb of a Bloodwood tree, at about 20 feet from the ground. Eggs. — Two clutches, 9/3/01. In appearance they vary con- siderably. a. Two to the sitting. Ovate glossy surface, salmon coloured, mottled all over, but especially at the larger end, with reddish- chestnut ; spotted with purplish-grey, as if partly beneath the surface, and not conspicuous. Dimensions. —a^. Axis, i inch; diameter, 0.75 inch. d^. Axis, 0.95 inch ; diameter, 0.7 inch. b. Three to the sitting. Long oval, dull reddish-buff, blotched and streaked with dull purplish-red or ruddy-brown fairly regularly all over the egg ; pale purplish blotclies of small and large areas appearing as if beneath the surface. Dimensions. — Axis, i.i inches ; diameter, 0.75 inch. Ptilotis flavescens, Gld., Yellow-tinted Honey-ealer. One fresh egg being found in the nest alone would tend to indicate the sitting to be two or more. 2/3/01. -E"^^.— Uniform dull salmon-colour, sparsely spotted, except at the broader end, which has a zone of dull red spots. Dimensions. — Axis, 0.75 inch; diameter, 0.5 inch. Ornithology has lost a promising student by the death of Mr. C. Smart, who was recently found drowned in a high tank on a farm at Pomborneit, where he was staying. It is supposed that, while in pursuit of his favourite hobby, he attempted to capture some owls or other night birds, and, missing his footing, struck his head against the tank and fell into it in an insensible con- dition, and was thus drowned. He and his brother, Mr. H. C. Smart, were getting together a good representative collection of Victorian birds, many of which had been exhibited at the Club meetings. The last news of Professor Spencer's expedition was from Barrow's Creek, about 1,200 miles north of Adelaide, and some 500 miles from its starting point. The professor writes that everything was so far satisfactory, and that he was sending back many hundreds of feet of cinematograph films of native dances, ceremonies, &c. ; also a number of phonograph records of native songs and speech. THE ^tjctoviaxi naturalist. Vol. XVIII. —No. 3. JULY 4, 1901. No. 211. FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. The twenty-first annual meeting of the Club was held at the Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, loth June 1901. Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A. (one of the vice-presidents), occupied the chair, and about 50 members and friends were present. CORRESPONDENCE. From Mr. J. H, Gatliff, regretting his inability to attend the meeting, and desiring his name to be withdrawn from the list of nominations for the Committee for the ensuing year, owing to pressure of private business. REPORTS. A report of the excursion to Aitken's Hill, Somerton, on Satur- day, 25th May, was given by the leader, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., who said that the outing was rendered rather unpleasant by the strong north wind which had to be faced in reaching the hill, which, though of volcanic origin, did not present any unusual features. The view from it, however, was worth the exertion expended. During the afternoon a search was made for a deposit of limestone marked on the geological maps near Broad- meadows, but which when found did not yield any of the fossils it is recorded to contain. The hon. librarian acknowledged the receipt of the following donations to the library : — " Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales," 1900, part iv., from the Society; Queens- land Agricultural Journal, May, 1901, from the Department of Agriculture, Brisbane ; copies of " Australian Butterflies," by A. S. Olliff, F.E.S., from the New South Wales Naturalists' Club, Sydney ; Hawkeshury Agricultural College Journal, vol. ii., part 6, from the College; Nature Notes, May, 1 901, from the Selborne Society, London ; and Knowledge and Science Gossip, May, 1901, from the proprietors. ELECTION OF MEMBERS. On a ballot being taken, Mr. W. G. T. Stevens, Elm-road, Elsternwick, was duly elected an ordinary member, and Mr. A. W. Simpson, " Cornalla," vid Deniliquin, N.S.W., a country member of the Club. ANNUAL REPORT. The hon. secretary, Mr. G. Coghill, then read the twenty-first annual report for 1 900-1, which was as follows : — ^fiTbl 34 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. " To the Members of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria. Ladies and Gentlemen, — The twenty-first annual report of the Club for the year ending 30th April, 1901, which your Committee have now tlie honour of presenting to you, sees the Club, as it should be in view of its age, in full vigour, and ever gaining in workers and popularity. " During the year the membership has increased to 155, com- prising 139 ordinary, 2 life, 10 honorary, and 4 country members. The last have come in under the alteration to rule 4, whereby persons residing beyond a radius of 15 miles from the G.P.O. are deemed country members, and pay an annual subscription of I OS., with the same privileges as ordinary members.- "The meetings have been well attended, and when papers have been illustrated by limelight views the hall has been crowded. The papers read have been more numerous and diversified than usual. They comprise 22 on zoological, 9 on botanical, 5 on geological, and 4 on general subjects and trips ; total, 40. The authors were — Messrs. D. Best, C. C. Brittlebank, A. J. Campbell. A. Campbell, C. French, jun., Fulton and Grant, J. H. Gatlifif, T. S. Hall, M.A., R. Hall, T. S. Hart, M.A., G. A. Keartland, J, A. Kershaw, F.E.S., D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., J. G. Luehmann, F.L.S., Geo. Lyell, jun., D. M'Alpine, Dr. Macgillivray, J. H. Maiden, F.L.S., A. J. North, C.M.Z.S., G. B. Priichard, F. M. Reader, H. T. Tisdall, and O. A. Sayce. Besides these, five papers on birds or nests and eggs new to science, by Mr. A. J. North, C.M.Z.S., were printed in the Naturalist. "The extra number of items on the business papers for the meetings have caused rather fewer natural history notes to be read, but the exhibits have been good, and the interchange of ideas over them shows out prominently how " live " our club is. Cannot more members bring exhibits ? A little trouble taken in this way is well repaid by the interest shown at our meetings and by the pleasure afforded other members. " The seventeenth volume of the Victorian Naturalist has been completed, under the editorship of Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, whose never-tiring energy in working for the Club are deserving of all praise, and who now receives our hearty thanks. The appearance of the Naturalist has been much improved by the kindness of Mr. E. H. Swan, of the Triumph Engraving Company, in gratituously providing half-tone blocks when required, and we take this opportunity of recording our thanks to him. " We hail with satisfaction the publication of Mr. A. J. Camp- bell's work on ' The Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds,' and consider it a matter of congratulation that a member of the Club has done such good work, thus placing on record many results of the Club's outings or his fellow-members' observations. '' A ' camp-out ' was held in November at the Maroondah Weir, THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 35 Healesville, and proved a success in almost every way, nearly all branches of natural history observers being represented in the party, and some interesting work being recorded. "The programme of excursions drawn up for the year has been carried out and some very instructive and enjoyable afternoons spent. We again plead that members should strive to attend these outings in larger numbers, as being one of the best ways for them to get to know their fellow-members and to revive or quicken the love for natural history pursuits. The annual picnic was held at Blackburn, and was again a most pleasant re-union. " The only course of practical evenings was a series of four on botany by Mr. H. T. Tisdall, which were much appreciated. " The exhibition of wild flowers in conjunction with the October meeting was not quite up to the standard of past years, though, to somewhat counterbalance this, almost all the specimens were named. " The Club has during the year had letters written to the proper quarters relative to the destruction of the Wattle (Acacia, various species) ; the spread of the Water Hyacinth, Pontederia speciosa ; and of the Iris, Romulea hulbocodium ; the keeping closed of the Lake Moodemere Reserve at Rutherglen ; and the too early opening of the Quail season — all, we trust, with some result. " Our National Museum has been re-opened in its new quarters at the Public Library buildings, the change in the appearance and display being a great credit to the director, Professor W. Baldwin Spencer, F.R.S. We trust the Government will shortly complete the buildings, and thus give room for the exhibition of the treasures now stored away, and consequently of little present use to students. " We have to thank the various authors of papers, contributors of illustrations, leaders of excursions, and demonstrator at prac- tical evenings for their aid in the work of the Club, and Messrs. Morton and Coghill for the use of their offices for committee meetings. " The hon. librarian reports that the library has been increased by nearly 200 volumes and parts of proceedings, &c., and that it is in good repair and the books arranged systematically. The necessary binding has been done, and records of all donations made, wliile members have availed themselves of the books rather more thah formerly. " We are glad to say that, despite heavy additional demands for the printing of the Naturalist, the finances show a slight improvement. The year commenced with a credit balance of ;^4 2S. 3d., and concludes with one of ^'j 8s. 3d., with all accounts paid, the receipts having been ;i^ir8 14s., and the ex- penditure p^i 15 8s. " In concluding this report we cannot refrain from thanking 36 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. those gentlemen who, twenty-one years ago, entered so energet- ically into the formation of this Club, and to some of whom its continued success is in a large measure still due, for having founded a Club which has so decidedly met a want and given pleasure to so many. "We trust that all members will endeavour to keep the Club not only up to, but above its present standard, and never forget that the member they introduce may become one of the best workers in the Society. " Signed, on behalf of the Committee, " T. S. Hall, Vice-President. " Geo. Coghill, Ho?i. Secretary. •' Melbourne, loth June, 1901." The report was received and adopted, on the motion of Messrs. H. T. Tisdall and F. Wisewould. FINANCIAL STATEMENT. Mr. J. F. Haase, hon. treasurer, read the financial statement for 1 900- 1, which was as follows : — Receipts. To Balance, 30th April, 1900 ,, Subscriptions ,, Victorian Naturalist — Subscriptions £e 10 6 Sales 3 14 0 Advertisements 4 10 0 Reprints ... 5 13 6 £9^ 6 o A - 1x8 14 o £122 16 3 By Victorian Naturalist — Printing Reprints Expenditure. ,, Rooms — Rent and Attendance... ,, Library — Books Periodicals ... Binding Insurance ... ;^8o 4 o 4 13 6 ;^84 17 900 2 10 5 I o o 206 066 ,, Printing and Stationery ,, Postages, &c. ,, Balance 10 8 o o 12 6 10 10 -^115 8 o 7 8 3 ;^I22 16 3 J. F. HAASE, Hon. Treasurer. 2)01 k April, 1 90 1. Audited and found correct. 30M May, 1 90 1. FREDERICK PITCHER, |^^ ROBERT HALL, ^Auaitors. THE VICTOKIAN NATURALIST. 37 The following statement of assets and liabilities was also read : — Assets. Balance in hand ... ... ... ... ... £"] 8 3 Arrears of Subscriptions, say ... ... ... 30 o o Library and Bookcases ... ... ... ... 125 o o ;^l62 8 3 Liabilities, Subscriptions Paid in Advance ... ... ... ;^3 15 o On the motion of Mr. R. Hall, seconded by Mr. D. Le Souef, the statements were received and adopted. OFFICE-REARERS FOR I9OI-2. The following office-bearers were declared duly elected, being the only nominations received : — President, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A. ; vice-presidents, Messrs. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., and O. A. Sayce ; hon. treasurer, Mr. J. F. Haase ; hon. librarian, Mr. F. E. Grant ; hon. secretary, Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S. ; hon. assistant secretary and librarian, Mr. J. M'Caw. A ballot for five members of committee resulted in the election of Messrs. E. Anderson, G. Coghill, J. Gabriel, G. A. Keartland, and F. Wisewould. A vote of thanks to the retiring office-bearers, with special mention of the services rendered to the Club by the retiring hon. secretary, Mr. Geo. Coghill, was proposed by Mr. F. Wisewould, seconded by Mr. A. J. Campbell, and carried by acclamation. The newly-elected president, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., thanked the meeting for the vote, and Mr. G. Coghill acknowledged the special reference to his work. PAPERS READ. 1. By Mr. G. B. Pritchard, entitled " Eocene Deposits at Moonee Ponds." The author gave the locality of a recent discovery of Eocene fossils near Moonee Ponds railway station, giving a list of the principal specimens identified, and comparing them with the species obtained in other localities. 2. By Mr. G. B. Pritchard, entitled " On a New Zeolite (Mooraboolite)." The author recorded the occurrence in the Moorabool valley, near Maude, of a new variety of ZeoUte, which he proposed to call Mooraboolite, and gave a description of it and its chemical constituents, which to some extent resembled Natrolite, but the relatively high percentage of potash contained undoubtedly marked it as a new variety. 3. By Mr. VV. V. Fitzgerald, F.S.Sc, communicated by Mr. R. Hall, entitled " Plants New to Western Australia." 38 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. The paper included the description of a Lobeha, which the author regarded as new, and named L. gouldii, in honour of the finder, Mr. L. H. L. Gould, of Mount Malcolm. The plant flowers profusely late in September, and bears comparatively large violet flowers. He also recorded several plants from Western Australia for the first time. Mr. F. G. A. Barnard remarked that in some respects the new Lobelia resembled L. toppii, recently described by Mr. J. G. Luehmann, F.L.S., Government Botanist, also from Western Australia, and that it was a pity specimens had not been for- warded in illustration of the paper. 4. By Mr. R. Hall, entitled " A New Species of ^^gotheles (Owlet Nightjar)." The author briefly pointed out the distinguishing characters of this bird, which had been forwarded to him from Derby, North- western Australia, and which he proposed to name J'jgotheles rufescens, the Rufous Nightjar. The nearest allied species is /E. albertisi, Sclater, from New Guinea. The type specimens will be presented to the National Museum, Melbourne. Messrs. A. J. Campbell, G. A. Keartland, and D. Le Souiif congratulated Mr. Hall on the good work he was doing in the birds of Australia, and considered the new species a good one. NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. Mr. E. Anderson read an extract from a recent publication on the new mammal, the Okapi, H elladother him John stoni, resembling an ass and a zebra, from the Congo Free State, portions of which had just been received in England. The President took the opportunity of mentioning that Prof. J. W. Gregory, D.Sc, had been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London, and congratulated the Club on the fact that another of its members had received that high honour, EXHIBITS. By Mr. E. Anderson. — A series of bred specimens of Selidosema exprimataria. By Mr. T. A. Brittlebank — Eggs of the Little Kingfisher, Alcyone fusilla, from North Queensland. By Mr. A. Coles. — The skeleton of a Native Cat, the skull of which was firmly fastened within the dried skin of a lizard as when found. By Mr. C. French, jun. — Scale insects, Lecanhim Jrencld, Mask., on banksia, from Cheltenham. By Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S.— Red-shouldered Phasma, Tropidoderus rliodomns, M'Coy. After the usual conversazione the meetinu' terminated. THK VICTOKIAN NATURALIST. 39 FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. TWENTY-FIRST ANNIVERSARY. A MUSICAL re-union in commemoration of the twenty-first anniver- sary of the foundation of the Club — 6th May, 1880 — was held at the Vienna Cafe, CoHins-street, on Tuesday evening, the 25th June, 1901. The president, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., occupied the chair, and there was a good attendance of members and their lady friends. Letters apologizing for absence and conveying good wishes for the future of the Club were read from the Rev. J. J. Halley and Mr. A. H. S. Lucas, M.A., Sydney, former presidents ; from Dr. T. P. Lucas, Brisbane, one of the first vice-presidents ; and from Mr. A. J. North, C.M.Z.S., Sydney, and Mr. F. C. Christy, C.E., two of the " original members " of the Club. Of the " original members " on the Club roll, numbering 56, in the interval of twenty-one years about one-third have passed away, while several have removed to other colonies, leaving only 14 who have remained members throughout the term ; of these pioneers, nine were present at the re-union, two reside out of Victoria, the remaining three being unable to attend. In addition to these Lieut. -Colonel Goldstein and Mr. W. T. Kendall, two of the first committee, were also present. Towards the entertainment of the company, Mr. A. J. Campbell kindly placed his albums of views taken during the King Island, Kent Group, and Furneaux Group expeditions at the disposal of the committee, and the editor, by a complete set of the Naturalist, showed to some extent what the Club had ac- complished. After an overture by Mrs. Freedman, and songs by Miss Meta Haase, Mr. C. Dunlop, and Mr. Hector Lightfoot, Mr. C. French, F.L.S., one of the Club's founders, gave " Some Early Reminiscences of the Club," in which he described the misgivings with which he and Mr. D. Best and the late Mr. D. Kershaw called the preliminary meeting, and their surprise at the number of interested persons who responded to their appeal. Mr. French's remarks proved very interesting to many present, and he was fcUowed by Mr. D. Best (the first honorary secretary), Lieut.-Colonel Goldstein, and Mr. W. T. Kendall, who added some recollections of the "early days" of the society. Songs by Mrs. F. G. A. Barnard and Mr, Walter Wyatt concluded the first part of the programhie. After an interval, during which light refreshments were handed round, the president announced that he then had a very pleasing duty to perform, in the presentation to Mr. Geo. (^oghill, the retiring honorary secretary, of a set of "Chambers's Encyclopiedia," half-bound in morocco, which iiad been subscribed for by his fellow-members as some recognition of the good work he had done as hon. secretary during the past four years, and bearing in mind that he had acted as assistant hon. secretary for six years in 40 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. the earlier history of the Club, and had always been an enthusiastic and hard worker on the occasions of the wild flower exhibitions. Mr. Coghill briefly returned thanks, and said that he would always treasure the volumes as a reminder of the many happy evenings he had spent with the members of the society. After a song by Mr. Arthur Ellemor, and a recitation by Miss Carrie Haase, Mr. F. G. A. Barnard said that he desired to present to the Club, through the president, a framed record he had prepared, showing the office-bearers during the twenty-one years, together with a list of the original members, and tablets stating that 550 papers had been read at the meetings, and seventeen volumes, containing 3,084 pages, of the Victorian Naturalist had been published as the visible results of the twenty-one years' existence. The president, in accepting the gift, said that it would be an interesting exhibit in the Club's meeting-room, and trusted Mr. Barnard would long continue to work for the Club as heartily as he had done in the past. After songs by Messrs. Lightfoot and Wyatt, and a vote of thanks to the performers had been carried by acclamation, the National Anthem was sung. All the members present contributed their signatures to a memento of the evening, which will be framed and hung up in the Club room at the Royal Society's Hall. The evening proved such a success, both musically and socially, that hopes were expressed that it would not be long before the Club attempted another such gathering. NOTES ON THE LOWER SILURIAN AND GRANITE OF THE UPPER WERRIBEE. By C. C. Brittlebank. {Read hefore the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, VMli Avgust, ICOO.) The district referred to under the above name commences about 5^ miles west from Bacchus Marsh, extends to the junction of the Stony Hut with Pyke's Creek, and is situated in the parishes of Gorrockburkghap and Gorung. The country is drained by the Werribee and its tributaries, viz., Myrniong and Pyke's Creeks, all of which run in a more or less south-easterly direction. Within this area the geological formations are of great interest, and comprise — Lower Silurian ; Granite ; Glacial Series (Bacchus Marsh Sandstones) ; Bacchus Marsh leaf beds (Miocene of the Geological Survey) ; Older Volcanic ; Clay, Sand, and Pebble beds ; Newer Volcanic ; and Recent. It is my intention to give a brief sketch in which an attempt will be made to show some of the features of the Lower Silurian and their relation to the Ingliston Granite, which is visible over an area of about 12 square miles. AL PARK, THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. ^ 41 The Silurian to the east of the Granite, as well as the eastern boundary of the latter, is shown on the Geological Survey Quarter Sheet Map No. 12, N.E. (Bacchus Marsh), and the sections accompanying the map show the folding of the Silurian and clearly indicate the intrusive nature of the Granite. However, in working out the sections given herewith I have obtained somewhat different results from those given by the Geological Survey. At the time of the survey the sections were clothed with a dense scrub woven together by various climbing plants. This, together with the surface soil, has, owing to the intro- duction of rabbits, been almost entirely removed ; however, I find the map accurate in boundaries, position, and direction of watercourses, hill shading, &c., and greatly regret that the country to the west is beyond the pale of the survey. Starting from the first exposed section of Silurian on the Werribee River about 5^/^ miles west from Bacchus Marsh, and following the river and gully beds beautiful sections are seen ; they vary in height from a few to over 500 feet, and are composed of clay, slate, quartzite, quartzose, and sandstone bands all highly inclined, the dip ranging from 30° to 90°, the average being about 70°. Generally speaking the dip to the west is higher by 10° to 20°. Several anticlines have been observed in which the dip to the west is from 40° to 50° greater than the eastern leg. Current bedding, or, rather, a rapid thinning out of sandstone and other beds, and probably ripple marks, have been observed. Anticlines and synclines follow in fairly rapid succession, on an average six to the mile. Following the axes of the folds to the south, some are observed to gradually die away, while others become more strongly developed, and fresh folds appear. Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., has recorded a similar feature in a paper read before the Royal Society of Victoria, loth May, 1894, entitled "The Geology of Castlemaine, with a Subdivision of Part of the Lower Silurian Rocks of Victoria and a List of Minerals." The pitch of the anticlines is fairly steep, being between 8° and I5^ Several have, however, been observed with the pitch as high as 60°. When seen in section, with the pitch towards the observer, they are somewhat difficult to make out. Generally speaking local movement has been detected in the immediate neighbourhood of anticlines with an abnormal pitch. Faulting has not been detected to any great extent. One of about 40 feet, and many others of less amount, have been observed. In cross-faulting the movement has been from west to east ; several beautiful examples of slight faulting are to be seen in the cuttings on the Ballarat and Melbourne railway line. Cleavage is developed in certain portions of the Silurians, almost if not quite obliterating the bedding planes, generally 42 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. dipping to the west between 30° and 90° ; but in many places cleavage has been observed dipping 25° to 85° E. Sometimes, though rarely, it coincides with the bedding. Ten chains west from the starting point beautiful cleavage is seen in fine-bedded clay slate ; where the more strongly developed planes intersect bedding of slightly different colours the junction has been drawn into finely serrated lines. At 52^ chains below the junction of the Myrniong Creek with the VVerribee a peculiar structure has been developed in massive blue crystalline beds. Where seen in section, numbers of fine, light-grey, irregular, ripply bands can be clearly traced, dippmg 30° W. So closely do these bands resemble bedding of different colours that one might be easily deceived as to their nature. Closer inspection, however, shows that these bands cut through both legs of an anticline. From the westerly dip and their position they most probably represent cleavage planes which have been lost owing to the great change the slate bands have undergone. Along the axes of folds a close-set radiating jointing has been developed. Very frequently thin sheets or films of quartz have formed in the wider joints. This fine jointing is best observed in the finer argillaceous beds. Spurs and veins of quartz, several inches in thickness, penetrate the fractures in the quartzites and sandstones on the crest and in the trough of anticline and syncline. Where alternating bands of clay, slate, and sandstone occur, cleavage has been developed in the former beds, and to such a marked degree that had the sandstones been absent it would be impossible to ascertain the true dip. Over the whole Silurian area the strike is fairly constant, vary- ing from N. 2° E. to N. 15° E., generally N. 10° E. Numerous quartz-felsite and other dykes cut the Silurians, almost always through or near to the axis of an anticline — that is, in a more or less north and south direction. Several examples can be seen in the cuttings on the Melbourne-Ballarat line, east from Ingliston, and also to the north and south of the pile bridge on the same line, and in the Werribee Gorge. At right angles to the above there is a second series, which cut both the Silurians and older dykes, often passing into the overlying glacial beds. An example of this can be seen a few yards below the junction of the Myrniong Creek with the Werribee, where a branching almost vertical dyke has weathered out, leaving narrow openings. Darwin when at Albany observed a series of parallel dykes running east and west, and not far away a second series of eight ranging at right angles to the former ones. In passing I might mention that all the quartz-felsite dykes are of much greater age than the glacial deposits of Bacchus Marsh. There is not the least evidence to support the theory that the THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 43 dykes have been forced through the Silurian to the under surface of the glacial beds. In all cases where the junction has been observed the hard dyke rock shows striation and polishing by ice action. As the visible eastern boundary of the Granite is approached the Silurian rocks show contact evidence at a distance of i8 chains. It is therefore my intention to give a more detailed account of the section between the junction of the Myrniong Creek and the Granite country on the west. From the junetion up the river to the first anticline, 8.17 yards distant, the normal features of the Silurian are observed. On the south bank the anticline is seen in section, exhibiting radiating jointing or cleavage, with the usual quartz films. The pitch is S. 10° W. at 15°. Proceeding up the river the dip suddenly increases from 75° to 90°, and continues for 2.50, when it becomes inverted, and dips east at 75°. The massive sandstone and quartzite forming this fan-like structure are seamed with quartz veins and spurs, with here and there strings and threads of granite. Following closely upon the overturned strata, a syncline is observed overthrown 25° W. Within two chains and a half two anticlines and a syncline are developed, with the same angle of overthrow. A quartz reef three feet in width passes through the bedding, and can be traced to the top of the hill, 400 feet in height. At the spot where we should expect to find the second anti- cline a steep gully runs up the face of the section. The rocks on either hand of this gully are greatly altered, and contain very numerous flakes and spangles of whitish mica, quartz and felspar crystals ; fine threads of granite and quartz penetrate the walls of Silurian. Parallel jointing is strongly developed, dipping at 30° W. In the bed of the gully, when cleared from fallen rock fragments, granite is exposed. I think there can be little doubt that the granite is part of a dyke which has weathered out, leaving the altered rocks on the east and west. Westerly for seven chains purple slates and quartzites, con- taining patches and nests of schistose rock, together with strings and a vertical dyke of granite 9 to 12 inches wide. Contortion and pseudo-ripple markings are well developed ; the latter appear more extensively in localiiies which have been subjected to the greatest strain and pressure. In sheltered places sulphate of copper and other mineral salts (some extremely acid) coat the surface of the rocks. Shallow caves and hollows have been formed by the continued action of these salts, which have probably been derived from the decom- position of copper pyrites. At the large bend in the river a syncline occurs, the dip being W. 90° E. 60°, and continues at the latter angle to the junction with the Granite, off which they lie. 44 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. A similar feature is observed several chains to the south-west, but owing to the angle of junction being somewhat in the same direction an additional anticline and syncline with minor flexures come in on the south-east, the anticline being beautifully shown in the face of a somewhat remarkable peak. At the actual junction the Granite has invaded the Silurian along the bedding planes and joints. Some narrow veins appear to be composed of quartz, and others — one of which is five yards wide — of felspar, with a little quartz, greatly resembling graphic granite. In places the Silurian is fractured, the fragments being mixed through and partly absorbed by the granite. Small slabs of quartzite, sandstone, and nodular clay slate are observed at some distance from any known contact point, and, strange as it may appear, they still retain the normal strike and dip. In many cases these fragments have been absorbed by the Granite, the only evidence of their once existence being a darker ))atch of finer crystallized material. Similar gradual changes from sedimentary to granular rock can be observed in many places. The Granite in contact with and for some little distance west of the Silurian is of a slightly different type to that forming the mass, a fibrous or gneissose structure being developed. Jointing is well marked, one set being east and west with a dip of 70° N., another set N. 12° E. at about 90°. Numerous quartz veins intersect the granite, and several large bodies of rock, probably dykes, run in a north and south direction ; these being some- what harder than the country rock, they can be traced over the surface for a considerable distance. The Granite country is generally open and undulating, with tors and bosses showing above the surface. Along the water- courses cliffs and bluffs, more or less steep, have been cut by the streams. The Granite extends to the west for two and a quarter miles, the junction with similar sections of Silurian being observed a few yards above the junction of Pyke's Creek with the Werribee, and continues to within a few chains of the Ballarat and Melbourne road. The sections seen in the cuttings on the railway between Ingliston and the gate-house No. 24 are, owing to their recent exposure, of a much lighter colour than the Werribee and Pyke's Creek sections. Several bands of blue-black shale are inter- bedded with the light-coloured rocks ; they appear to be more numerous than they really are, owing to folding. In conclusion, I would call attention to the vegetation growing on the various geological formations. Perhaps the most striking illustration of this is seen to the south of the Granite junction in the Werribee River, where a dense growth of Prostanthera THE VICTORIAN NATUKALIST. 45 lasiantha covers the Silurian, and not a single plant crosses over to the Granite country. Following the junction, the boundary is clearly defined, a dense forest of stunted Stringybark covering the poorer slate country. I was unable to find a single specimen on the Granite soil, over which Gasuarina, Yellow Box, Banksia, and Blackvvoods are thinly scattered. I have to thank our fellow-members, Mr. A. J. Campbell for his great kindness in paying the district special visits to obtain the photographs with which these notes have been illustrated, and my brother Tom for help in the field. [The paper was illustrated by a fine series of limelight views of the various sections, &c. The publication has been delayed for the preparation of a map of the district. — Ed. Vict. Nat.'\ SOME NORTH-WEST QUEENSLAND BIRDS. By Wm. Macgillivray, M.B., B.S. {Read before the Field Naturalists^ Club of Victoria, llth March, 1901.) Thinking that an enumeration of the principal birds from a little-known part of Queensland, together with a short description of their habits and general economy, would be of interest to the ornithological members of the Club, I have put together these notes from information imparted and skins and eggs sent me from time to time by my brother, who has been a resident of the district in question for over thirty years, and have supplemented them in places by my own recollections of eight years spent there over twenty years ago. The area to be dealt with is that surrounding and especially to the east of Cloncurry, a small mining township situate about 200 miles south of Normanton, the chief port on the Gulf of Carpentaria, and about 150 miles east of the Northern Territory border. The country surrounding the town is hilly and scrubby, becoming more stony and barren as one approaches the ranges to the south and west, which form the watershed between the Gulf rivers and those of the interior system to the east, and in every direction beyond the ranges the country opens out into undulating downs or plains, covered with a luxuriant growth of grass and herbage and intersected at varying intervals of 10 to 20 miles by creeks which run during the rainy season and are dried into waterholes for the rest of the year. There is as a rule no timber on the plains, though the creeks are bordered by a stunted form of eucalyptus, locally known as " coolibah," with bauhinias, acacias, and other bushes and shrubs. Nearer the ranges one finds more scrub, especially of a hard-wooded species of acacia, known popularly as the " giddia " or " gidgee." The climate is dry and warm for the greater part of the year. The 46 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. rainy season begins towards the latter end of December and lasts throughout January and February, and it is then that all vegetable growth takes place. The plains become clothed with grasses, and insectivorous, grain-eating, and aquatic birds find food sufficiently abundant to enable them to undertake the duties of rearing their young. Rain occasionally falls during the winter months, but never in any amount, tlie days being usually dry and warm and the nights cold, but rarely to the extent of frost. CoRVUS CORONOIDES. — The Crow is fairly numerous, building in the trees along the creeks during and after the wet season, but the Raven has not been identified with any degree of certainty. Struthidea cinerea. — The Grey Jumper is occasionally seen, but is more numerous further north and on the Flinders. Chlamydodera maculata. — The Spotted Bower-bird is the usual species met with, and is found near Cloncurry on the scrubbier creeks. The bowers, adorned with the usual heaps of land shells, bones, feathers, and other rubbish, are usually to be found under an overhanging bauhinia or acacia. Any nests found were placed in giddia trees, eggs being laid in January and February. T/ENiOPYGiA CASTANOTis. — The Chestnut-cared is by far the commonest and most numerous of the finches all over the district. It is found in flocks of greater or less magnitude along every creek, and its nests are seen in every conceivable situation from the under part of an inhabited nest of the Allied Kite on a high tree to the lowest bush. Emblema picta. — This beautiful little Painted Finch is only met with in the ranges south of Cloncurry. Bathilda ruficauda. — The Red-faced Finch shares with Bicheno's Little Finch the honour of coming second to the Chestnut-eared in point of numbers. The Chestnut-breasted, Munia castaneithorax, the Black-throated, Poephila cincta, and the Gouldian Finch, Poephila gouldice, are less frequently occurring forms. Mirafra horsfieldi. — The Bush-Lark is a songster which evidently finds the long grass of the plains to its liking, as the species is well represented. Cinclorhamphus cruralis and rufescens. — Both these Song- Larks are present. Climacterls, sp.— a Tree-creeper, very dark in colour, is commonest in the ranges. SiTTELLA leucoptera.— The White-winged Tree-creeper is usually found amongst the giddia and box timber, and nests in the wet season. Entomophila rufigularis.— The eggs of the Red-lhroated Honey-eater show the same variations noted by Mr. Kearlland in the north-west. The nest is an elongated bag-shaped structure, THE VICTORIAN NATUUALIST. 47 suspended by its rim from the smaller branches of a prickly acacia, often very low down, Entomophila picta. — The Painted Honey-eater is not so numerous as its congener ; usually found in the tea-tree along the creeks. Ptilotis LEiLAVALENSis. — This Honey-cater is quite a common bird, although comparatively new to science, the type having been sent to me by my brother about two years ago, and kindly described by Mr. A. J. North iu the Australian Museum Records last year. Found along all the creeks, haunting blossoming gums and tea-tree, feeding on these and to a certain extent on smaller insects. Ptilotis sonora. — A few specimens of the Singing Honey- eater are to be seen in the scattered timber on the sand ridges and clumps out on the plains. Manorhina flavigula. — This Yellow-throated Minah is very numerous, and have been twice noted by my brother feeding the young of the Koel. Philemon sordidus. — The Little Friar-bird is fairly plentiful in the eucalyptus scrubs about Cloncurry, and nests in April and May, DiCMUM hirundinaceum. — The little Mistletoe-bird is quite a common sight in these latitudes, as its favourite food, the berries of the mistletoe, is to be had in abundance. My brother noted that many of these little creatures were drowned in the water-troughs during the dry season. Pakdalotus rubricatus. — Several nests of the interesting Red-browed Pardalotes were obtamed during July and August. Gymnorhina tibicen. — Magpies are common, and are no doubt of this species, though eggs are constantly very much smaller than New South Wales or Victorian specimens. (To be continued.) ON CERTAIN INCRUSTATIONS ON WOOD IN DUNE SAND, By T, S. Hall, M.A. ( With two Plates.) {Read heforc the Field Naturalists' Cluh of Victoria, loth April, 1901.) Skirting our coast line almost everywhere from the eastern to the western boundaries of the State is an accumulation of blown sand, forming usually rolling dunes, in some places of loose, shifting material, but in others more or less compacted into stone. The width of this fringing deposit varies very much in different places. Generally speaking it fades away gradually in its inland extension, a fact due to its wind-formed nature and seaward 48 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. origin. Fresh additions come from the seaward, and close to the coast bare drifting sand dunes are common, while, as we pass inland, vegetation makes its appearance, and we may get the dense scrub-land of the Nepean Peninsula, or the well-grassed, park-like country of Cape Otway or Warrnambool. The boundary of the loose dunes is ever shifting ; now they are marching inland, overwhelming roads, fences, and paddocks, as on the coast line near Barwon Heads, where the old road for miles is destroyed, and is now scarcely traversable even on foot, though thirty years ago it was, I believe, a beautiful grassy track. In other places again the line of vegetation has crept seaward to the very cliffs, and the shifting sandy billows have been frozen as by a magic touch. The struggle between shifting sand and plant life is a keen one, and the victory now lies with the one and now with the other ; a too rapid advance is here repulsed, and here again there is a steady forward march. It is with certain phenomena of this shifting border line that I wish to deal at present. Occasionally when the drifting sand is blowing away there are exposed to view thickets of what, at first sight, appear to be petrified stems and roots of shrubs. The nature of these curious bodies has long ago been worked out, for they are not confined to Australian shores, but are found in other parts of the world ; but popular misconception as to their nature makes it appear advisable to give some account of them. In one of his presidential addresses Prof. Ralph Tate tells us that the first recorded geological observation for Australia relates to these pseudo-fossils, for in 1791 Vancouver, who discovered King George's Sound, says that Bald Head was covered with a coral structure, by which he meant the objects in question. Flinders thought they were petrified trees when he saw them about ten years afterwards. In 1836 Charles Darwin visited Bald Head in company with Captain FitzRoy, and his explana- tion, though not the correct one, is a closer approach to the truth than that of the two previous observers. He says in his " Journal of Researches " : — " According to our view, the beds have been formed by the wind having heaped up fine sand, composed of minute rounded particles of shells and corals, during which process branches and roots of trees, together with many land shells became enclosed. The whole then became consolidated by the percolation of cal- careous matter, and the cylindrical cavities left by the decaying of the wood were also filled up with a hard pseudo-stalactitical stone. The weather is now wearing away the softer parts, and in consequence the hard casts of the roots and branches of the trees project above the surface, and, in a singularly deceptive manner, resemble the stumps of a decayed thicket." Jukes, in his " Sketch of the Physical Structure of Australia," CO H O o cc z o CO z o \- < I- co 3 CC o THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 49 describes similar structures near Fremantle, and ascribes them to " stalactites formed in the sand by the percolation of rain water dissolving and taking up the carbonate of lime found in the sand, and redepositing it in fantastic forms wherever a predisposing cause happened to determine it." This is correct as far as it goes, but it does not go far enough. Selwyn, in describing the dunes of the Schanck district, quotes Jukes's remarks with approval both as to character and as to mode of formation. Tenison-Woods, in his " Geological Observations," considered that they had nothing to do with trees, while R. Etheridge, jun., described them, but did not discuss their origin, simply calling them concretions. Who it was who first divined the true method of their form- ation I am unable to say, but Moseley* has put the whole thing so concisely that a restatement of the case seems scarcely justifiable, excepting in order to give some slight amplification. In speaking of the sand dunes near Cape Town he says :— " The White Sand is calcareous. As it shifts before the wind it, in many places, buries bushes growing near the shore. These die, and their stems, buried in the sand, decay, and in so doing set free a certain amount of acid, which brings about a solution and a redeposit of calcareous matter in the sand. The sand im- mediately surrounding the stems is thus cemented into a solid mass, which encrusts the remains of the bark. The wood decays away and a pipe with a wall of cemented calcareous sand is the result. The sand shifting again, these pipes, which are often branched, are left exposed on the beach." The whole subject of the action of these acids is discussed by Julienf in one of those encyclopaedic papers which must always be studied by anyone interested in the weathering of rocks. We shall refer to Moseley's explanation later, and will first consider more closely the nature of the objects and of the rocks in which they occur. An examination of a series of specimens will show that in almost every instance they are really tubular structures composed in the mam of carbonate of lime, which forms a ground mass in which are embedded rounded grains of quartz. The proportion of quartz grains will vary in different localities, and will depend on the nature of the original sand of the dune. At times scarcely any quartz will be visible, but the axial part of the tube will be formed of compact, ringing limestone, which is seen to be composed of concentric coats, and which is denser nearer the axis than towards the periphery. Sometimes the structure is solid, the tube being filled up. Externally the tube frequently * •' Notes by a Naturalist on the Voyage of H.M. S. Challenger." t " Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science," 1879. 50 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. passes quite gradually into the loose dune sand. A little search- ing among the fragments of the pipes which lie strewn over the surface of the sand will soon be rewarded by finding some specimens in which there loosely lie in the cavity of the tube one or more dried and decomposing roots of a shrub. Which is first, the tube or the root ? Was the tube formed round the root, or did the root find the tube ready made and pass down it ? This is a question to which we shall return later. The next point to consider is the nature of the sand of those dunes in which these structures are found. An examination with a hand lens will show that it is very far indeed from being composed entirely of quartz grains, but that a very large pro- portion consists of small polished fragments of shells and other calcareous organisms, the proportion, it is almost needless to remark, varying with the locality ; thus, in some of our Victorian dune sands there is said to be more than 90 per cent, of lime, while at Sorrento a very rough estimate of a sample with the imperfect means at my disposal gave me somewhere about 50 per cent, Mr. W. H. Green, M.Sc, tells me that a piece of the dune rock from Sorrento which he subsequently examined for me contained 48 per cent, of lime. Speaking in a general way, then, and without fixing our atten- tion on the exact percentage of lime in the tubes, we see that they only differ from the loose sand in the fact that the lime they contain is no longer in the form of separate grains, but is in a solid mass. We must look for something which will dissolve carbonate of lime and redeposit it ; and, moreover, as there is such a manifest resemblance in the form of the objects in question to roots, we may point the finger of suspicion at the roots themselves and inquire what they have to do with it. Darwin's explanation was, as is quoted above, that the sand was compacted into rock by the action of percolating calcareous matter, that the roots of the plants decayed and left a cavity which was subsequently filled with lime precipitated from solution. But the pipes occur in loose sand, which would not leave a cavity on the removal of the roots, which is a fatal objection as far as our specimens are concerned. The origin of the percolating calcareous matter is, moreover, left in doubt, and is a question we must discuss. If we consider the products of decomposition set free during the decay of roots, and remember that acids are excreted by roots during life, we shall find that we have an agency at hand which will satisfy all re- quirements. We know that the roots of a living plant contain an acid sap which is capable of acting on substances with which the cells are in contact ; thus a piece of polished marble in a flower-pot will be found to have an imprint of the rootlets etched on its surface. But during decay a still greater supply of acid is set free. Decomposition is in the main a process of oxidation, THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 51 and the final products of the slow oxidation of organic material are the same as those produced by its combustion by fire. How- ever, in slow decay a vast number of chemical bodies are formed, one after the other, as more and more oxygen is seized on by the decaying substances, and this decay is — it is hardly necessary to remind you — brought about almost entirely by the action of living bacteria, at any rate in its earlier stages. Amongst these chemical substances is a series of acids called collectively " humic " acids, from their constant occurrence in humus or decaying vegetable matter. Some of these acids have as active a solvent power as the so-called mineral acids, such as hydrochloric or nitric. Amongst them two, crenic and apocrenic acids, stand out in efficiency. Most of the salts that they form are soluble in water, and are in their turn readily oxidized to carbonates and oxides, most of which are insoluble. Thus we have surrounding the roots, both dead and alive, but more especially when dead, a series of substances set free which are capable of completely dissolving the shelly fragments, and on further oxidation of redepositing the lime as carbonate in a compact form. With the complete disappearance of the root the increase of the tube ceases, and a period of decay sets in, brought about by a similar series of changes, or, when the tubes are exposed on the surface, partly by unequal contraction and expansion due to variations in temperature and partly by the carbonic acid in rain water, and once more we get loose sand. We see, then, that the name " petrified wood," which is popularly applied to these objects, is a misnomer, for in a true petrification the organic material is replaced particle by particle by the petrifying substance. Nor are they casts, as Darwin held, for the root is still there while they are forming, and a cast is made by filling a space left after the removal of an object. That from which a cast is taken is a mould, but as one of their essential characters is their structural difference from the loose sandy matrix in which they lie the term mould or impression is inapplicable. The term incrustation, which I have used, and which is implied in Moseley's explanation, is in itself open to objection, since we generally understand that an incrustation is closely applied to the incrusted object, whereas in the present case a zone of non-indurated material often surrounds the root. Again, it does not 'seem right to apply the term concretion, for the material composing a concretion is collected from the neighbour- hood and concentrated at a given spot by what the wise term concretionary action, and we have no evidence of concentration in the present case. However, the least objectionable term seems to be the one adopted, namely, " incrustation," and moreover it is one which most nearly suggests the method of formation of these objects, which are so frequent a source of wonder to the seaside holiday-maker, and which are generally spoken of as petrified trees. 52 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. The reproduction of the photograph, kindly lent me by Mr. D. Le Souef, shows the roots of living shrubs laid bare by the drifting of the sand, and also, at a lower level, the incrustations. The other plate is from a sketch of a branching, slender specimen in which the resemblance to roots is unmis- takable. Australasian Ornithological Union. — A meeting of gentle- men interested in ornithology was held at the residence of Dr. C. Ryan, Collins-street, on Wednesday evening, 12th June, the outcome of the gathering being the formation of an organization under the title of the Australasian Ornithological Union, among the chief objects of which will be to collate and disseminate up-to-date information relating to the avifauna of Australasia, and to secure protection to useful birds from ruthless destruction. At the meeting it was announced that their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York had signified their willingness to become patrons of such a society in the event of its formation. In connection with the union a periodical, to be called the Emu, will be published, in which will appear from time to time scientific papers dealing with subjects of special interest to members. Provisional appointments to office were made as follow : — Committee : Colonel Legge (Tasmania), Mr. J. W. Mellor (South Australia), Dr. C. Ryan and Mr. G. A. Keartland (Victoria); secretary, Mr. D. Le Souef; treasurer, Mr. R. Hall; joint editors, Messrs. A. J. Campbell and H. Kendall. Rules and regulations for the government of the organization were adopted, and it was determined that the first general meeting of members should be held at Adelaide in October next. Already some 60 gentlemen resident in the various States of the Common- wealth, and others living in New Zealand, have expressed readi- ness to become members of the union. — The Melbourne Age. Australian Birds at the Crystal Palace. — Aviculture is apparently growing apace in Britain, where Australian birds are particular favourites. At the Crystal Palace Bird Show, held last February, in the Grass-Finch and Mannikins class White-eared Grass-Finches, Poephila leucotis, and Black-ringed Finches, Stictoptera a^mulosa, secured second and third prizes respectively. In the Parrakeet class a female of the Golden-shouldered Parra- keet, Psephotus chrysopterygius, took second prize, the fourth falling to a Red-shouldered Grass-Parrakeet, Neophema pulchella. In the class devoted to all species not provided for in the schedule, the first three prizes fell in the order mentioned, viz. — Regent-bird, Sericulus vielinus , Masked Wood-Swallow, JriamMS personatus ; Sacred Kingfisher, Halcyon sanctus. The Avicul- tural Magazine remarks that the first two of these birds were absolutely faultless, but the last looked rather sad in its confined quarters. THE 1^ i c t o r i a II ^t a t u r a 1 1 0 1. Vol. XVIIL— No. 4. AUGUST 8, 1901. No. 212. FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held at the Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 8th July, 190 1. The president, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., occupied the chair, and about 40 members and visitors were present. REPORTS. A report of the Club's visit to the National Museum on Satur- day, 15th June, was given by Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., who acted as leader on the occasion. He stated that some time was spent in looking over tlie Museum Library and examining many of the rare volumes it contains — an opportunity which most of those present had not had before. The galleries were then visited, when the leader briefly pointed out the arrangement of the collections in the main hall. The large collection of mounted specimens temporarily stored in one of the galleries was inspected, in which were noted a beautiful specimen of Grevy's Zebra, Equus grevyi, the largest and most recently discovered species ; a very fine Kiang or Tibetan Wild Ass, Equus hemionus, from Ladak, in Tibet ; and a pair of the delicate little Klipspringers, Oreolragus sahator, from South Africa — all recent additions. The collections on the ground floor were next visited, and the fine groups of Black Swans, Lyre-birds, and Native Companions, each arranged with their natural surroundings, and in all stages from the egg to the fully adult birds, were specially admired, as was also the attractive group of Regent Bovver-birds, with the bower, &c., in its natural position. The afternoon, however, proved much too short to permit of more than a hurried glance at the majority of the specimens exhibited. The hon. librarian reported the receipt of the following donations to the library : — " Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds," by A. J. Campbell, from the Government ; Queensland Agricul- tural Journal, June, 1901, from the Department of Agriculture, Brisbane ; pamphlets on various subjects from Department of Agriculture, Sydney ; Knowledge and Science Gossip for June, 1 90 1, from the proprietors. CORRESPONDENCE. From the Inspector of Fisheries (Department of Ports and Harbours), replying to a letter from the secretary of the Club re- garding an alteration in the close season for Quail, and stating that the question will shortly receive attention. 54 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. ELECTION OF MEMBERS. On a ballot being taken, Mr. Clifton Brown, Wesley College, was duly elected an ordinary member, and Mr. F. P. Dodd, Warburton-street, North Ward, Townsville, Queensland, a country member. GENERAL BUSINESS. Mr. G. A. Keartland, referring to the alteration desired in the Game Act, thought that a committee representing the Club, sports- men, dealers, &c., should be appointed to confer together and furnish a report on the question to the Minister before any altera- tion is made in the existing Act. He stated that both quail and ducks were shot during the breeding season. After considerable discussion, in which Mr. Keariland's remarks were supported by Messrs. Le Souef, Barnard, Mattingley, and R. Hall, it was moved by Mr. G. A. Keartland — " That steps be taken to form a com- mittee representing the various interests of naturalists, dealers, sportsmen, and agriculturists to draw up suggestions for the assistance of the Minister before any alterations are made in the existing Game Act." This was seconded by Mr. D. Le Souef, and carried. Mr. F. Wisewould moved — " That Messrs. G A. Keart- land, D. Le Souef, and R. Hall be appointed to represent the Club on the Committee." Seconded by Mr. O. A. Sayce, and carried. Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, at the instance of Mrs. Martin, drew attention to the neglected state of the fence surrounding the giant tree at Neerim, Gippsland. Four acres had been reserved by the Government to preserve this tree from damage, but the fence has fallen into disrepair. Mr. Barnard thereupon moved — " That the Lands Department be communicated with, and attention drawn to the neglected state of the fence, and ask that it be repaired." This was seconded by Mr. G. A. Keartland, and carried. Mr. F. G. A. Barnard took occasion to hand over to the president, as a present to the Club, another framed record, prepared by himself, containing a copy of the programme and the autographs of all the members present at the musical reunion held on the 25th June last to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Club. The president said he had very great pleasure in accepting this, the second valuable present from Mr. Barnard to the Club, and, in thanking him on behalf of the Club, said that it, to- gether with the record of the office-bearers presented at the anniversary meeting, would be looked upon in the future as valuable mementos of the past history of the Club, and moved — " That a vote of thanks be accorded Mr. Barnard for his valuable gifts to the Club," which was carried by acclamation. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 55 PAPERS. 1. In the absence of Mr. J. G. Luehmann, F.L.S., his paper on " Some New Australian Plants " was postponed. 2. By Mr. T. S. Hall, MA., entitled "A New Burrowing Fish." The author gave an interesting description of the curious habit of a small freshwater fish from Tasmania, belonging to the genus Galaxias, which was found lying in damp earth, several inches below the surface. This peculiar burrowing habit among fishes had not been recorded before, either from Victoria or Tasmania. A fish belonging to the same family (Galaxidge) but to the genus Neochanna, had however been met with in New Zealand by gold- diggers in almost dry diggings, and when placed in water had swum about, on some occasions living for several days. Unfortunately only a single specimen, in poor condition, of the Tasmanian form had been received. Some discussion followed, in which Messrs. LeSouef, Keartland, Barnard, Coghill, Kershaw, J. Stickland, and Sayce took part. An apology was received from Mr. H. T. Tisdall, stating his inability to be present to read the joint paper by himself and Mr, C. C. Wallis, entitled " A Botanical Trip to Emerald." NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. The president, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., mentioned the discovery of the fossil remains of a new mammal at Table Cape, Tasmania, and which had been recently described by Professor Spencer, F.R.S. Mr. F. G. A. Barnard drew attention to a statement in an article on " Canadian Life " in a recent issue of the Leisure Hour, in which it was stated that the principal fur used in Manitoba was that of the Australian Wombat, and tliought the statement rather re- markable. In a short discussion which followed Mr. A. Mattingley stated that the skins of the Koala or Native Bear were exported from Victoria as " Wombats';" and Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., stated, as a somewhat singular fact, that hundreds of Native Bears had been killed this winter by the severe cold. Mr. R. Hall mentioned that a specimen of the Lesser Golden Plover, Charadrius dominicus, Miill., had been shot in the bay last month (June) by Mr. C. Smart. EXHIBITS. By Mr. C. French, jun. — Life-history of destructive moth, Pinara nana, from Western Port, Victoria. The caterpillar of these moths caused considerable damage to young fruit trees in the Somerville district during October, November, and December of last year. By Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A. — A burrowing fish, Galaxias, sp., from Tasmania, in illustration of his paper. 56 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. By Mr. T. S. Hart, M.A. — Calcite, aggregates of crystals (mainly rhombohedra) in basalt, from Ascot mines, near Ballarat. By Mr. J. Stickland. — Specimens of the freshwater algre Pandorina morum, under the microscope. By Mr. F. Wisewould. — Land shells from Queensland, in- cluding Papuina mayana, new to science. After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. SOME NORTH-WEST QUEENSLAND BIRDS. (Co7itiniied.J By Wm. Macgillivray, M.B., B.S. {Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, llth March, 1901.) Cracticus. — Two species of this genus are common. Pachycephala rufiventris. — The loud and pleasant note of the Rufous-breasted Thickhead is a familiar one in the gidgee scrubs ; it is a little smaller tlian the Victorian bird, and has that faded appearance which has been mentioned as characteristic of many Northern species. It nests in January and February. WooD-S\VALLO\vs are quite common, the Black-faced, Artamus melanops, being the prevalent species, the White-browed, Masked, and Little being nearly as numerous. AcANTHiZA CHRYSORRHOA. — Skins, uests, and eggs of the Yellow-rumped Tit are like Victorian specimens in every respect, and the birds are equally as common. Ephthianura tricolor and E. AURiFRONS.--Both species of chat are common during the rainy months, when they breed amongst the saltbush of the billabongs or any stunted scrubs. Lalage TRICOLOR. — Judging by the numbers of the White- shouldered Caterpillar-eater eggs in collections from the Gulf, that part of Australia would seem to be specially favoured as a breeding haunt. MiCRO-XA pallida. — This little bird is a smaller and paler edition of our own well-known Fly-catcher. Its habits are very similar ; it may often be seen on stumps or fence posts, sallying forth at intervals to capture some luckless insect ; its nest, how- ever, is somewhat more substantial, and eggs very like but smaller than those of M. fascinans. PETRfi:CA BicoLOR. — The Hooded Robin frequents the giddia, where its nest may be found in October and November. Mr. North, to whom I submitted a skin, states that " it is smaller than average New South Wales and Queensland skins, but not so small as Gould's M. picata, the bill being comparatively larger." The eggs are decidedly smaller than Victorian ones, but are other- wise similar. Malurus. — Two wrens frequent the polygonum and under- THK VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 57 growth of the creek banks — a red-backed one, possibly M. dorsalis, and another which I take to be M. lambertL Rhipidltra tricolor. — This familiar Fan-tail is seen around almost every homestead. Both the bird and its eggs are smaller than Victorian examples, but are in every other respect identical. I have distinct recollection of some epidemic killing off nearly all these little birds on the downs country during one autumn. They first became unable to fly, and then, becoming weaker, gradually died in the course of a day or two. Lagenoplastes ARIEL. — The Fairy Martin, the principal representative of the swallows, is never very numerous. MiCROPUS PACiFicus. — The VVhite-rumped Swift is usually seen for a time during the wet season, and the Blacks, seeing it always on the wing, are firmly convinced that it is a bird without legs. EuROSTOPUS ARGUS. — The Spotted Nightjar is most often met with amongst the spinifex and stones of the ranges, where it is tolerably common. tEgotheles, sp. — Examples of this genus have been noted only, but not handled, so that the species could not be deter- mined. PoDARGUS PHAL/KNOIDES. — The Freckled or Moth-plumaged Frogmouth is a bird whose mournful moaning call — very like that of the Victorian representative — and general appearance has im- pressed the Blacks with a belief that it is a child of the Evil One, or, as they term that mysterious creation of superstition and ignorance, the " debbil-debbil." The nest is generally con- structed in December, and usually contains a clutch of two eggs, although my brother once took four from a nest in a tree only a few yards from his house. EuRYSTOMUS AUSTRALis. — The noisy Dollar-bird is quite a common spectacle all over the district. . Merops ornatus. — Bee-eaters remain throughout the year, and nest in October and November. A very favourite food is a white butterfly, the imago of a processional caterpillar. Halcyon sanctus. — The Sacred Kingfisher, its red-rumped congener, and Leach's Jackass look after the interests of the Kingfishers. CucuLus pallidus. — The Pallid Cuckoos are present during the spring and summer months. EuDYNAMis cyanocephala. — The Koel arrives with the first summer rains, generally about the end of December, and does not take its departure until about May. Scythrops nov/E-hollandi/e. — The Channel-bill arrives and departs about the same time as the former bird, and both are fairly numerous. Crows (C. coronoides) are the usual foster- 58 THE VICTORIAN NATUKALIST. parents chosen, and have often been noted feeding sometimes one and at other times a pair of young cuckoos. Centropus phasianus. — The Coucal, once very numerous, is now becoming scarce. It is a very handsome bird, and its pecuhar call once heard can never be iorgotten. Ptilosclera versicolor. — The handsome Varied Lorikeet frequents the bloodwoods (eucalypts) when in flower. Calyptorhynchus. — A Black Cockatoo is often seen in the scrubs near Cloncurry. Cacatua galerita and roseicapilla. — The White and Rose- breasted Cockatoos are well-known residents, and breed along the creeks in the larger gum trees. C. sanguinea. — The Blood-stained Cockatoo, which seems to be quite indistinguishable from the Bare-eyed, C. gymnopsis, is in point of numbers the commonest cockatoo in the Gulf district, and, in fact, in all the western border of Queensland, coming as far south as the neighbourhood of Broken Hill, in New South Wales, where it breeds yearly and is fairly numerous. In the Gulf they nest during the wet season, the usual clutch being three, placed, like those of other cockatoos, in the hollow spout of a tree — most often one of the stunted coolibahs which line the watercourses. I do not know of a more mischievous bird. They go about in immense flocks, and usually commence the day by flying out at sunrise on to^the downs to feed for about two hours upon seeds and a small bulbous plant, which grows in patches, and which they dig up. They then fly in together to the creek, and take possession of two or three unfortunate trees — unfortunate because they amuse themselves by biting off all the leaves, smaller twigs, and stripping off bark until the trees are left quite bare, when they go to some other. This amusement is kept up until late in the afternoon, when they all fly off on to the plain for another meal, coming in just before dusk to roost. Calopsittacus nov^>hollandi^. — The Cockatoo Parrakeets are more numerous some seasons than others, and they usually nest after the winter rains. Ptistes erythropterus. — The Red-winged Lory occurs in twos and threes, and may often be seen leeding on the bell- shaped, honey-laden flowers of the bauhinia, a tree that sheds most of its leaves before flowering in early spring. Melopsittacus undulatus. — The Warbling Grass-Parrakeets, though common at all times, come in enormous numbers when conditions are unfavourable elsewhere. I well remember one breeding season when they were in such numbers along the scantily timbered creeks that all ordinary holes and spouts soon became occupied, and the birds had recourse to hollow logs on the ground, where they nested side by side along the entire THE VICTOKIAN NATUKALIST, 59 length, all stages, from fresh eggs to young birds, being seen in the same log. Geopelia cuneata and G. tranquilla. — Of these two doves the former is the commoner, its frail little nest being often seen in low bushes and shrubs in the spring, and later on again in tlie early autumn months. HiSTRioPHAPS HisTRiONiCA. — The Flock Pigeon was for many years more numerous than any other bird inhabiting the fertile downs of the Gulf country. Twenty years ago it was no uncommon sight to see these birds flying in to water in an unbroken succession of mobs from fifty to several hundreds each for two hours or more at a time from the plains in all directions. Nothing could be heard near the waterhole but the clatter and whirr of wings as each mob alii^hted near the water, each bird running down to the edge, dipping its bill once or twice, and then off again to the plains for the night. I have frequently taken this bird's eggs over twenty-five years ago when resident in the district. The Flock Pigeon is essentially a ground bird, never perching. (To be continued.) A NEW VICTORIAN COCCID. By James Lidgett. (Communicated by F. G. A. Barnard.) {^Reml before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 20th May, H»U1.) Lecanium australis, sp. nov. Adult female naked, brown in colour, with several blotches of lighter ground colour or nearly yellow scattered irregularly over the dorsum, and occupying about half of the area of that region ; ventral surface yellowish, concave, and usually crowded with scores of young larvae. In shape semi-globular, with several longitudinal rather deep furrows, which give the dorsal region a ridged appear- ance. Along these furrows are placed some shallow depressions, in which the spiracles are situated. These are rather large, and bivalvular in shape, with immense trachea. Mentum mono- merous ; rostral setae long and coiled ; dermis chitinous, with many scattered triangular gland-spots ; marginal spines entire, but very small ; abdominal cleft distinctly lecanid, lobes rather large ; antennae and feet entirely wanting. Diameter of insect averaging J^ to 3^-in. long, obovate ; upper ones small, linear, entire, 2 to 4 lines long, all dilated at the base, but not stem-clasping. Flowers large, violet, singly terminating long branch-like peduncles. Peduncles usually prominently two-winged. Calyx tube shortly turbinate, lobes linear, almost subulate, 4 lines long, exceeding the tube when in flower, equalling it when in fruit. Corolla ^ to nearly i in. long, the middle lobe broadly obovate or obcordate, with a dark yellow blotch at the base ; the lateral ones a little shorter and oblong, the upper ones very short, incurved, and more or less hairy. Anthers all tipped with a dense short tuft of white bristles. Capsule broadly obovoid, about 4 lines long, 2^^ to 3 lines broad, slightly tapering at the base. Seeds small, ovate, dark brown, convex, prominently tubercular-rugose on the back, and with a prominent rib on the inner face. Locality. — Between Mount Malcolm and Mount Leonora; L. H. L. Gould. The systematic position of this species would be between L. rhytidnsperma, Bentham, and L. tenuior, R. Brown, differing from the former chiefly in the more or less winged peduncles, and in the fruit; from the latter in the much shorter and broader capsule, and in the seeds, besides minor details. Mr. Gould states the flowering period to be late in September, the plant flowering profusely, and forming large patches, in ferruginous, gravelly, or sandy soil. Cakile maritima, Scopoli. Rottnest Island, Fremantle, Bunbury. Eryngium vesiculosum, Labillardiere. Sparingly at Midland Junction. Ophioglossum vulgatum, Linne. Near Fremantle (rare). THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 105 THE OCEAN BEACH, SORRENTO. By D. Le Sou'ef, C.M.Z.S. {Read be/ore the Field Naturalists' Cluh of Victoria, 9th September, 1901.) The Ocean Beach at Sorrento is always a place of much interest to a naturalist, either in watching the mighty rollers coming irresistibly towards the shore, which, as they reach it, rear their mighty crests and curling over come tumbling down with a thundering roar, which seems to make the ground one stands on tremble ; or in studying the geology of the weather-worn cliffs ; or in watching the various sea birds searching for their food in the broken waters, or perhaps casting their keen eyes along the beach, as they fly overhead, for any food that may have been thrown up by the waves. As the tide recedes it leaves barriers of rock exposed, and in the various pools of crystal-like water may be found many examples of small fish, crustaceans, and seaweed. Each pool is in itself one of Nature's beautiful pictures, while at the end of the reef, where the water is of a considerable depth and where the huge, long, trailing masses of Kelp are kept in ceaseless motion by the restless sea, larger crayfish and fish are to be found, and they can often be seen on or near the sandy bottom, where the Kelp is not so thick. The cliffs of hard dune sandstone rock are fissured in all directions. The ceaseless action of the waves is slowly but surely wearing them away, faster in some places than in others, according to the resisting power of the cliffs. A sandy beach seems frequently to be a sign of a rising coast, and rocky cliffs of a receding coast line, where masses are continually falling, being undermined by the action of the waves ; but it is not an invariable rule, as, for instance. Albatross Island, out in the Straits, which is rising, yet for all that has a rock-bound coast without a particle of sand or beach, and no anchorage, but in course of time it may have both. The dune sandstone reefs, which Professor J. W. Gregory says are post-eocene, are covered at high water, and they are ex- ceedingly hard, probably owing to the mineral action of the sea water, and therefore they wear away comparatively slowly. In them, and well towards the outer edge, has lately been found the fossil remains of a large extinct kangaroo, which Professor Gregory has identified as belonging to the genus Palorchestes. Visitors as a rule would never think of looking for fossil remains in these rocks ; however, this specimen is plainly visible in the stone, but is only exposed when the tide is well out. The white bones stand out clearly in the dark rock. It is often surprising to see what immense power the waves have ; for instance, a block of stone weighing about four tons, and which was well in towards the shore, had been lifted up and 106 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. moved several feet by tlie waves. In the hard stone one frequently notices small holes, sometimes very numerous, and almost honeycombing the rock in places. They were apparently filled with a much looser material than the surrounding rock, which was easily washed out by the action of the sea. They seem to be the former burrows of the Sand-hoppers, Talorchestia j)ravidactyla, which are exceedingly abundant in the sand on the sea coast in the present day, and no doubt they were equally plentiful in the ages gone by when this sandstone was forming. In the cliffs, where the sand is much more consolidated than it is in the sand hummocks above, the holes of these little crustaceans will be seen. Many of them will be found empty, but some are inhabited, while others contain only the dried skins of the furmer occupants ; these are generally in the extreme end of the burrow. As a rule the holes are made in colonies, often several hundred yards from the sea, and, being in consolidated sand, gradually get filled by loose wind-blown dry sand ; thus many would probably have only their entrances blocked, and when the sand is hardened into rock the contents of the burrows would be easily washed out by the sea, as they appear to be in the stone at the water level. The cliffs facing the sea are often very interesting, as below at the sea level is the hard sandstone, a little higher up is consoli- dated sand and half-formed dune rock, often mixed with bands and deposits of limestone, and on the top the ordinary dunes of sand, which are generally covered with dense vegetation. When this growth gets destroyed by fire or other means, the wind blows the unprotected sand into hummocks or dunes of varying sizes, often making deep gaps in the more consolidated sand by so doing, and frequently exposing the dead roots of former vegeta- tion, which have become encrusted with lime and sand. Some of these incrustations are of fair size, while others are very fine and delicate in structure, and when broken they, along with the shells and pebbles, find their way to the bottom of the hollows formed, and, being heavier than the sand, do not so easily get blown away. Many of these incrustations are hollow, through the roots having rotted away, but others have the roots still in them. A recent paper [Victorian Naturalist, xvii., p. 47) by Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., gave some account of the formation of these incrustations. In some places broken limpet and other shells are very plenti- ful, and all except the limpets more or less broken, giving one the idea that in days gone by the natives used these places to break and eat the shell-fish. This is more probable from the fact that stones are frequently found with them, that seemed to have been used for the purpose of breaking them. The shifting sand hummocks are often of a considerable size, THE VICTOUIAN NATURALIST. 107 and engulf trees and other vegetation in their march, which is, of course, caused by the wind. For instance, a vessel that was stranded over one hundred years ago on the coast near Warrnam- bool is now so completely buried by the sand that, although con- siderable search has been made for it of late years, the exact whereabouts of the vessel cannot be found ; it is supposed, how- ever, to be now some distance inland. The Sand-hoppers, Talorchestia pravidactyla, are very numerous and it is very interesting to watch their habits, especially during the summer months, for during the cold winter vveather tliey are very sluggish and do not often appear. They form the favourite food of the Hooded and other Dottrels that frequent the sea coast. These lively little crustaceans prefer keeping just above high-water mark, but when the tide is out they often burrow in the sand nearer the sea. However, the incoming tide drives them back again, and if a wave comes up higher than usual to where they are congregated under the sand, they come out in a hurry and go helter skelter, as fast as they can jump, to higher ground. They seem to have a strong aversion to being caught by a wave. As a rule they live from four to seven inches from the surface, but they are fond of congregating in the damp sand under bunches of dead seaweed that lie on the surface just above high water mark. The Dottrels know this habit of theirs, con- sequently you see them go from one bit of seaweed to another and turn it over on the chance of getting a dainty morsel. One would think that the Sand-hoppers would choose a safer place by this time, as countless thousands must get eaten every year by birds from under the seaweed. Their food consists occasionally of carrion that may be thrown up, but principally of the softer kinds of seaweed, especially the seed-tubes of Kelp, and that ihis is evidently their mainstay will be noticed from the fact that many of these tubes lying on the beach pbout high water mark have been almost completely eaten by these crustaceans. They, of course, attack the lower part that is half-buried in the sand, and crowding thickly under a piece, soon demolish it, unless a Dottrel discovers their whereabouts and quickly demolishes them instead. They seldom appear above the sand during the day, evidently fearing their enemies ; but as the shades of night come on the scene they will be noticed coming to the surface in countless thousands — or I may say millions — and it is then also that they chiefly feed. As before stated, they often have their numerous burrows in the hardened dune sand near the top of the cliff, as well as on the beach. Along the beach dead Penguins, Eudyptula minor, are occasionally picked up, sometimes being washed up dead by the waves, but at other times they come ashore alive, but, being in very poor condition and evidently much enfeebled, soon die. 108 THE VICTOKIAN NATURALIST. They probably feel their powers going, so if in the proximity of of land make their way to it and end their days in peace on the shore. Mr. T. Fowler picked up a dead Penguin on the Ocean Beach that had tried to swallow a Mullet which was too large for it and was consequently choked. The fish was half-way down the bird's gullet head first, but a fin had caught in the throat, which prevented it from being ejected. On the piles of the pier and baths at Sorrento, and also on similar structures round Port Phillip Bay, Mussels, Mytilus latus, are very plentiful, but are apparently kept down to a great extent by a shellfish, Ptirpura succincta, which seems to feed on them. Nearer Melbourne, where children and others paddle about the piers at low water, these shells are collected, consequently there the mussels are much more plentiful, not being preyed on, and it is astonishing how quickly they will cover the piles in dense bunches between high and lower water mark. The Purpura shells grow to a fairly large size, and though plentiful on the piles cannot be easily detected, on account of the seaweed and other marine vegetation growing on them. The largest Mussels seem the first to be attacked, and after the shellfish has killed its prey — although exactly how it does it I am not yet in a position to state -^it remains there until it has completely devoured the occupant, leaving the empty shell hanging loosely by the byssus to the pile, but the waves soon wash it off, and thus many of the piles have been nearly denuded of Mussels by these shellfish. One is often struck how frequently in summer Swallows, Hirundo neoxena, may be seen flying about over the bay near the shore after their insect prey, presumably because the insect prey is there in the first instance. On one cold, windy day I counted one hundred and seventy of these dear little birds sunning themselves on the side of the baths which was sheltered from the wind ; they were sitting in long rows, closely packed together, resting, and only a little way above the water. [The paper was well illustrated by a series of sixteen lantern slides. — Ed. Vict. Nat.~\ THE EFFECT OF SNOW ON EUCALYPTUS TREES. By D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S. {Read before the Field Naturalists'' Club of Victoria, dth Sept., 1901.) This winter there have been heavy falls of snow in many of the higher parts of Victoria. I purpose showing by illustrations the effect snow has on eucalyptus trees growing on the lower ranges, which only have snow on them in an exceptionally cold winter. Of course, in the higher mountains of Victoria, the upper parts are deeply covered with snow every winter, but there the trees are small, with their branches short and generally very twisted, which THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 109 enables them to withstand a great weight of snow and bend with- out breaking, but in the lower country it is otherwise. Last June, in company with JMr. K. M. M'Kenzie and Mr. Glen Lewis, I was enabled to visit the Blue Ranges, near Taggerty, after a heavy fall of snow. These ranges, about 3,500 feet above sea level, seldom have snow on them, and I was told by local residents that none had fallen on them in any quantity during the last seven years. They were covered with fair-sized eucalyptus trees, wattles, and other vegetation, with occasionally large bosses of dacite. We ascended one of the spurs, and when about three-quarters of the way up snow was first encountered. It lay on the ground about four inches deep, and bent down the heads of the tough bracken fern, and as we rested for a time we heard the beautiful clear notes of the Lyre-birds, Menura superba, in the deep gullies on either side of us. As we ascended the snow gradually became deeper, and the ferns and other vegetation on the ground were entirely covered with a beautiful snowy mantle. When about 3,000 feet up snow was noticed on the trees, lying along the surface of the larger branches, and as we ascended it gradually became more plentiful, not only covering the tops of all the branches, both large and small, but also enveloping the bunches of leaves, so that as they hung down they had the appeal ance of huge white blossoms. The trees at the top of the range were practically covered with snow, for on one side the trunks, right up from the ground, as well as the branches and leaves, were enshrouded in white, and when the sun shone out the scene was indescribably beautiful and dazzling. The photographs, however, fail to do justice to the beauty of the scene But what a scene of desolation, as far as the trees were con- cerned, as the weight of snow held by the large bunches of drooping leaves had in most cases proved too much for the branch, and it had broken, giving the appearance of someone having climbed up the trees and cut each of the branches with a tomahawk on the upper side, so that they had fallen and hung by the splinters. There did not seem to be a tree but what had the greater number of its branches broken in this manner, thus being practically ruined. The ground also was covered with fallen green branches ; some were lying on the surface, but the greater number were buried in the snow. Later on in the year, when the snow has all melted and the broken branches dried, the forest will have a very desolate appearance, with the ground covered more or less with dead branches and many of the trees dead also. It was curious to see the effect the snow had on the young Wattle trees (Acacias). There were groups of them, of various sizes, up to about 15 feet high. The gradual accumulation of 110 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. snow on their feathery leaves had slowly but surely bent them right over, their heads lying on the ground and their trunks forming a bow. The snow then gradually covered them right over, and each tree was represented by a soft white mound. Of course, if not kept too long in that position, many will resume their uprightness, but some will never recover. At the time of our visit the thaw had set in, and we had to steer clear of the trees, as masses of snow and branches were continually falling. All along the top of the range the snow was about lo feet in depth, and, as the top was not frozen, it was very difficult to scramble along. One of us had a pair of top boots on, and as their owner drew his foot out of the soft snow he filled the upper portion of his boot at the same time ; consequently we had to stop every ten minutes or so while the aforesaid boots were taken off and emptied. The tracks of various animals, such as Dingoes, Foxes, Wallabies, and Wombats, were plainly seen in many places. The tracks of the Wombat were deep and broad, as, being a heavy animal with short feet, it had to beat its way through and con- solidate the snow to enable it to get a foothold — a very laborious proceeding, consequently these animals did not stray far from their burrows. But the Wallabies find the greatest difficulty in travelling, as they sink so deep in the snow, and thus have great difificully in jumping ; when they have taken a hop, they stop and look round for a time, apparently to try and find a firmer foot- hold. Many of our smaller marsupials, such as the Dromicia (Flying Mouse), lie dormant during the winter, as well as snakes and other reptiles. When the spring sets in, and the snow melts, there will probably be a considerable rise in the Murray River, which will mean that the various swamps along its banks will be filled, and consequently the various waterfowl will be enabled to breed again this season, as they did last. It is not often that there is enough water in the swamps to enable the birds to nest for two years in succession, for without plenty of water there is lack of food, both for parents and young. [The paper was illustrated by a series of lantern views. — Ed. Vict. NatA BOOK NOTICE. A Monograph of the Erysiphace/I-:. By Ernest S. Salmon, F.LS. Memoirs of the Torrey (New York) Botanical Club, vol. ix., 1900. This is a work of 292 pages, illustrated by 175 figures, and deals with a very important group of fungi, usually spoken of as " Mildews," which are parasitic in habit, and many of thtni of great economic importance. In a very lucid introduction the THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Ill family is defined and limited to six genera — viz., Podosphcera, SphcerotJieca, Uncinula, Microsphcera, Erysiphe, and Phyllactinia. Then the morphology and life-history of the group are given. The superficial mycelium is attached to the host-plant by means of haustoria in the epidermal cells. The reproductive phase is characterized by the production of an oidium or conidial stage, adapted for rapid reproduction during summer and early autumn, followed by the perithecial stage, in which the asci containing spores are formed, and these resting-spores carry the plant over the winter. A rapid historical survey is made from the first mention of this group of plants by Linnaeus in 1753, through the classic researches of Leveille, Tulasne, and De Bary down to the present time. The connection between host and parasite is next referred to, and the practice is condemned of making the connection of a parasitic fungus with a certain host-plant of specific importance. The number of previous species is con- siderably reduced from the fact that a wide view is necessarily taken of species, since a large mass of material from all parts of the world was available, and the principle is laid down that classification rests primarily on morphological characters. In the distribution of species of this family it is pointed out that while they have practically a world-wide distribution, their headquarters are in the North Temperate Zone. Only 5 of the 49 species are recorded for Australia, and it is interesting to note that a new species from New South Wales in 1899 {Uncinula australiana, M'Alp.) has also been found in Japan. The economic aspect of these parasitic fungi is not neglected, for, in addition to their life-histories as far as known, instructions are given as to the best methods of treating the various diseases caused by them. A detailed classification and description of the various species are given, with keys to the genera and species, so as to render recognition easy. The value of the work is con- siderably enhanced by the copious bibliography, together with a valuable host-index, and the nine plates containing 175 figures are models of clearness. In this volume all the principal facts connected with this interesting group of fungi are given, and no one who studies modern mycology, or is scientifically interested in the " Mildews," which so seriously affect the vine and the strawberry, the apple and the pear, the hop and the rose, can afford to dispense with it. — D. M'Alpine. The Baron von Mueller Grave Memorial — His Ex- cellency the Governor-General, Lord Hopetoun, has consented to unveil the memorial over the grave of the late Baron Sir F. von Mueller, K.C.M.G., in the St. Kilda Cemetery on Tuesday after- noon, 26th November, when a number of prominent citizens have signified their intention of taking part in the ceremony. 112 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. The late J. T. Gillespie. — Since our last issue the Field Naturalists' Club has lost one of its pioneer members by the death at Malvern, on 6th September, of Mr. J. T. Gillespie, at the early age of 36. Mr. Gillespie became a member of the Club in 1884, taking part in the first "camp-out" at Olinda Creek, Lily- dale, in November of that year, and, though latterly his business engagements allowed him little time for field work, he was always fond of it, especially with regard to oology. He was naturally of a modest and retiring disposition, and did not contribute any papers to the meetings, but in 1898 was induced to accept the position of hon. treasurer ; however, owing to failing health, he did not seek re-election in 1900, and spent the winter of that year in Queensland, returning much benefited by the change. Un- fortunately this was not permanent, and, though able to again visit the Club, for several months past had been an invalid. He was an adept at photography, and so late as June last won a gold medal for the best picture in the Sydney Photographic Exhibition, the study being a pair of Laughing Jackasses photographed at a brother member's house. That he was held in great respect by his employers, Messrs. Alex Cowan and Co., paper merchants, and his ieWow-employes was shown by the large attendance at his funeral, at the Boroondara Cemetery, Kew, where also the Field Naturalists' Club was represented by several of the office-bearers and members. Among the floral tributes laid on the grave was a wreath from the Club, and one composed of wild flowers from Mr. and Mrs. C. French. Memorial to the late Professor Tate, F.G.S. — A fund is being raised for the purpose of providing some memorial to the late Professor Tate, of Adelaide. Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., acting Professor of Biology, Melbourne University, has consented to act as hon. secretary for Victoria, and will be pleased to receive subscriptions towards the fund. Central Australia. — Professor Spencer, writing from Ten- nant's Creek (lat. 19^ S., long. 134 E.) on 6th September, says : — " We are getting on first rate. Have just had a very pleasant trip on horseback, with packs and a few well-greased natives, out east into the Murchison Range to see some of their sacred spots. In about to days we move away north to Powell's Creek, about 100 miles. It is getting decidedly warm, and before long we shall be right into the middle of summer weather, camped, I hope, somewhere beyond the reach of ' alligators,' not far from the Macarthur (flowing north to Gulf of Carpentaria)." A.A.A.S. — The next meeting of the Association will be held in Hobart, Tas., commencing on Wednesday, 8th January. Mr. E. F. J. Love, M.A., hon. local secretary for Victoria, Melbourne University, will be glad to receive names of intending members for the 1902 session. THE ^ I c t o tn a ^l Jt it t it t* a I i e t* Vol. XVIII. —No. 8. DECEMBER 5, 1901. No. 216. FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held in the Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, i8th November, 1901. The president, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., occupied the chair, and about 50 members and visitors were present. CORRESPONDENCE. From Mrs. Tate, of Adelaide, thanking the Club for its letter of condolence on the death of her husband, Professor Ralph Tate, F-G.S. REPORTS. A short report of the Club's excursion to Beaumaris on Sat- urday, 26th October, was given by Mr. O. A. Sayce, who stated that the afternoon was devoted to the examination of rocks, &c., dredged from a small reef off Beaumaris, among which a number of crustaceans, &c., were found, but nothing of particular im- portance. Mr. C. French, jun., reported that during the same afternoon about 40 species of plants were collected about Beaumaris, among which were Veronica gracilis, Patersonia glauca, Melaleuca erici/olia, Triglochin procera, Comesperma cahjmega, Pidtencea paleacea, and Pterostylis harhata. An interesting report of the " camp-out " at Gembrook, from 8th to nth November, was read by Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., who stated that some 18 members and friends took part, most branches of natural history being represented, and a most en- joyable as well as profitable time was spent during the four days' camp. Thanks to the exertions of Mr. A. Mattingley, one of the leaders, who supplied most of the camping outfit, and the many acts of kindness and assistance on the part of Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Backhouse and family, the success of the trip was assured. Detailed reports of the various objects collected were furnished by some of the members who attended, which showed that full advantage was taken of this opportunity to make them- selves acquainted with the fauna and flora of this district. At the conclusion of the reading of the report Mr. F. G. A. Barnard moved — " That a vote of thanks be accorded to Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Backhouse and family for their kindness and assistance to the members during the excursion ; and to Mr. A. Mattingley for the use of the tents, &c., and his untiring assist- ance and concern for the comfort of all throughout the trip." Seconded by Mr. J. A. Kershaw, and carried. ."2 1(^1 114 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. The hon. librarian reported the receipt of the following donations to the library :■- -Reports from Department of Mines, Victoria ; " Proceedings Royal Society of New South Wales, 1900," from the Society ; " Proceedings Linnean Society of New South Wales," vol. xxvi., part 2, from the Society ; " Report on Iron Ore Deposits of New South Wales," from Department of Mines, Sydney;" Annual Report Botanic Gardens, Sydney, 1900," from the Director; "Annual Report Australian Museum, Sydney, 1 90c," from the Trustees ; " Proceedings Royal Society, South Australia," vol. xxv., part i, 1901, from the Society; The Emu, October, 1901, from the Australasian Ornithologists' Union ; Knowledge and Science Gossip, September and October, 1901, from the proprietors ; Nature Notes, September and October, 1 901, from the Selborne Society; Report of the American Museum of Natural History, 1900," from the Museum ; "Trans- actions of the Wisconsin Academy," vol. xiii., part i, 1900, from the Academy ; " Proceedings of Academy of Natural Science, Philadelphia," vol. liii., part i, from the Academy ; and "Minnesota Botanical Studies," July, 1901, from the Minnesota State Botanist. ELECTION OF MEMBERS. On a ballot being taken, Mr. Gustav Weindorfer, Austro- Hungarian Consulate, Flinders-lane, Melbourne, and Mr. A. D. Hardy, 127 Victoria-parade, Fitzroy, were duly elected as ordinary, and Mr. E. E. Pescott, Edward-street, Shepparton, as a country member of the Club. GENERAL BUSINESS. The President stated that it was proposed by the committee to adopt a suitable badge to be worn by members during the Club's excursions, as it frequently happened that new members attending were unable to distinguish their fellow-members among the crowds of people at the meeting places. A design had been selected by the committee, consisting of a leaf, surmounted with the letters F.N.C., and inquiries had been made as to the cost. It was found that this badge could be supplied to members, if sufficient were ordered, made of silver with blue enamel letters, at a cost of 28. 6d. each. He thought, however, that the general meeting should express its opinion as to what form the badge should take. The adoption of a suitable badge was generally supported by the members, and various suggestions were put forward by members. It was finally decided to leave the matter in the hands of the president and hon. secretary to choose the most suitable design submitted, and to refer it to a subsequent ordinary meeting. The President stated that he had been appointed as local THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 115 secretary to receive subscriptions for the proposed memorial to the late Professor Tate, of Adelaide, and invited intending sub- scribers to send in their names to him. Mr. A. J. Campbell gave a brief outline of the first general meeting of the Australasian Ornithologists' Union, recently held in Adelaide, which he stated was a great success. The President drew attention to the next meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, to be held in Hobart, Tasmania, early in January next. PAPERS. 1. By Mr. J. H. Maiden, F.L.S. — "On the Occurrence of Eucali/ptus dives, Schauer, in Victoria." Communicated by Mr. J. G. Luehmann, F.L.S. The author stated that, in working up the distribution of certain eucalypts, he had come to the conclusion that Eucalyptus dives, Schauer, was much more common in Victoria than was generally supposed, and that the trees of this species had usually been regarded either as E. Sieberiana, F. v. M., or varieties of E. amygdalina, Lab. Reference was made to a number of specimens in the herbarium of Mr. A. W. Howitt, F.G.S., from various parts of Gippsland, most of which he considered true specimens of E. dives. 2. By Mr. F. P. Dodd. — "Notes on the Queensland Green Tree Ants, CEcophylla smaragdina, Fabr. (?) " The author gave a very interesting description of the habits of these ants, and their curious manner of using their larvae in the construction of their leaf nests and " enclosures," He also gave a list of a number of butterflies and moths which inhabit these " enclosures " during their larval and pupal stages, and which are not molested by the ants, though other caterpillars, beetles, and especially other species of ants, infesting the same tree are attacked and killed. In the discussion which followed, Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., related some of his experiences with these ants, which he stated he had found extremely plentiful in Queensland, and were a great annoyance to the collector, whose specimens they soori destroyed if not placed in a secure position. The natives, he stated, frequently collected the nests, and by crushing them between their hands to extract the juices from the larvae and washing them in water, made an acid drink of which they were very fond. Mr. J. A. Kershaw, in congratulating the author on his paper, stated that this ant was no doubt the same as the Green Tree Ant of Ceylon, an interesting account of whose habits appeared in the Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. for 1896, and which coincided in every way with those given in the present paper. It was 116 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. probably this species which was mentioned in Hawksworth's " Narrative of Cook's First Voyage to Australia," published in 1773) i'^ which was narrated the peculiar manner in which these ants utilize the silk from their own larvte to bind together the leaves of their nests, &c. NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. • Owing to the lateness of the hour several natural history notes were postponed. EXHIBITS. By Miss S. Cochrane. — Oil painting of Field Naturalists' Club Camp at Gembrook, November, 1901. By Mr. F. P. Dodd. — Specimens of Green Tree Ants, CEcophylla smaragdina, Fab. (?), with leaf nests, shelters, &c., including ordinary working ants and a queen (with wings torn or bitten off) ; also larvae (two sizes), pupae, ants with larvae in the mandibles (taken in act of web-forming), larvae of the geometer moth, Euchloris hypoleuca, and a Jumping Spider, in formalin solution (in illustration of paper), from Townsville, Queensland. See also exhibits, page 87. By Mr. C. French, jun. — Specimens of new Saw Fly, Phy- lacteophaga eMcalypti, Froggatt, destructive to young eucalypts, from Toorak, South Yarra, &c. ; also eggs of Masked Plover Lobivanellus miles, from North Queensland. By Messrs. S. W. Fulton and F. E. Grant. — Specimens of crustaceans Astacopsis nohilis, Engceus fossor, Engceus, sp., collected at Gembrook. By Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S.— Entomological specimens collected at Gembrook. By Dr. C. S. Sutton. — Plants collected at Gembrook. By Mr. G. E. Shepherd. — Nest and eggs of Black Duck, Anas superciliosa, collected at French Island. By Mr. G. Weindorfer. — Plants collected at Gembrook. Note. — The exhibit from Mr. A. Paul, on page 103, should be from Mr. J. T. Paul. After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. THE GEMBROOK " CAMP-OUT." For Victorian field naturalists the King's Birthday (9th Novem- ber) falls at an opportune time. A large number of the wild flowers are still in bloom, the earlier butterflies have not yet had time to become rubbed or worn, while the nesting of the birds affords opportunities to the ornithologist to study their habits at this interesting period, and, finally, the weather can generally be relied upon to provide days not too hot for collecting and nights not too THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 117 cold for camping out. Until the opening of the narrow gauge rail- way from Ferntree Gully, during the past summer, the Gembrook district was almost out of reach of the naturalist with only a brief holiday at his disposal. Now, however, in the course of a few hours he can reach the terminus of the line, about 40 miles E.S.E. of Melbourne, situated in the heart of the ranges, about 1,000 feet above sea level. Here, close at hand, is a reserve of nearly a square mile, with several beautiful creeks running through it, well timbered with fine forest trees, and with all kinds of shrubs and undergrowth. In view of the many advantages of the district it was therefore determined to try Gembrook as the locality for the 1 901 " camp-out," and none of those who took part m it can have any cause to regret the committee's selection. Hearing so much of the enjoyable outing at Healesville last year, several ladies early announced their intention of making a short stay under canvas, and finally the camp was graced with the presence of five members of the gentler sex, who, with thirteen gentlemen, made up a total of eighteen, as follows : — Mrs. G. Coghill, Miss S. Coch- rane, Miss Gabriel, Miss O'Rorke, Miss WoUen, Messrs. F. G. A. Barnard, A. Campbell, jun., G. Coghill, S. W. Fulton, J. A. Ker- shaw, — Mattingley, W. J. M'Caw, R. Russell, Dr. C. Sutton, A. WoUen, and G. Weindorfer, with D. Le Souef and A. Mattingley as co-leaders. The majority of the party left Melbourne by the early train on Friday morning, the 8th November, arriving at Gembrook at 12 o'clock. The weather being fine, the trip proved delightful, and the distant views of Western Port and other places from the new portion of the railway line were much admired, as were also the peeps obtained into the dense fern gullies, as the little train wound round their heads or ran alongside them. Then again, after passing for some miles through scrub-covered country, one suddenly came on cleared grassed land, crops, or orchards, and distant inland views of the ranges were generally to be obtained here which are otherwise hidden by the tall timber. The Gembrook station is practically surrounded by scrub, although just before reaching it one passes through a beautiful cleared property. On arriving at the station we found Mr. Gerald Backhouse waiting to convey all our numerous and bulky packages and luggage to the camp, about a mile distant, but we all walked along the shady road, and observed with delight the beautiful display of wild flowers in the otherwise rough bush. Tetratheca largely predominated, and its delicate pink and white flowers of varying shades, in such quantities, was a sight worth coming a long way to see, and our lady members could not help picking bunches, as they said, to decorate the tables. On arriving at the camp we found that a site had been chosen and partly made ready for our reception by Mr. H. Shaw. The 118 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. tent poles had been cut and places cleared. After lunch the ladies went for a walk to a neighbouring farm, and the others set to work to erect the tents and otherwise fix up the camp, and long before nightfall everything was made ready, even to having our dining tent lighted with gas. There being six tents in the en- campment, it presented quite an imposing appearance, as the paintings by Miss Cochrane and Mrs. Coghill plainly show. The site of the camp was in a slight hollow among tall, green timber, and about thirty yards from a cool, fern-shaded creek, where a capital bathing-place was made by forming a small dam across the stream, in which task Messrs. Fulton and Coghill displayed considerable energy. As we were situated in virgin forest country our collecting ground lay all round the camp, and therefore we had not to go far afield to collect. So when a pair of Laughing Jackasses (Dacelo) made the forest resound with their unique musical efforts, at daylight on Saturday morning, the members were early astir, and, after coffee at 5.30, went out exploring until breakfast at 7. That meal being over, we strolled along the creek or about the forest collecting, getting more or less scattered as each pursued his favourite hobby ; but all returned to lunch at midday, when we were joined by seven additional members and friends who had arrived by the midday train. The second contingent was also met by Mr. G. Backhouse, who drove the two lady visitors and the luggage to the camp, but the others walked by a shorter track through the bush. They, too, were loud in their praises at the beauty of the scenery from the railway line. In the afternoon the ladies remained about the camp, sketching and collecting, while the rest of the party proceeded to the Cock- atoo Creek, passing through, on the way, the splendid farm worked by Mr. A. B. Backhouse ; and it was a pleasure walking over the well-grassed and cultivated land after going through so much forest country. The Cockatoo is a clear, fast-running stream, in which some of the members indulged in fishing, while others collected on its banks, among the thickets of tree ferns, (Sec. At 5.30 a start was made for the camp, which was reached soon after six. After tea the evening was occupied in arranging the specimens collected, and all seemed well satisfied with the work of the day. On Sunday morning we were again awakened at daylight by the delightful concert of birds, and their clear voices from the trees and scrub around us seemed innumerable and impossible to de- scribe. The bush seemed alive with them, and their presence added much to the enjoyment of our camp-out. Breakfast was rather later, and about 9 most of the gentlemen made a start for Mount Irene, about three miles away, on the Nar-Nar-Goon road, the ladies following on a hour later, being driven to the THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 119 foot of the hill by Mr. G. Backhouse, where the advance party was waiting for them. The flowers again were a never-ending source of interest. Bushes of the brilliant orange-flowered Pultencea stricta bordering one part of the road were a sight to behold, the masses of their highly -coloured flowers showing out well against the soft- looking foliage, and we wondered why this plant was not more cultivated, as it would hold its own anywhere. We reached our destination — the summit of a high ridge — in due course, and while having an al fresco lunch admired the superb view across to Western Port, with French Island beyond, on the one side, or Mt. Juliet and the neighbouring ranges on the other. After lunch we wandered about, either collecting or admiring the magnificent views from different points. Some of the party, desirous of further exploration, went down the steep hillside to a fern gully, and through some very rough country, striking the road again at the foot of the range, while the others saw the ladies safely into the conveyances at the foot of the mount and then walked back to camp, Including visitors, we sat down to dinner in the evening to the number of twenty-five. Some heavy showers fell on Sunday night, but fortunately cleared off before the morning, and Monday was a perfect day, and found members early astir, and after breakfast at 6.45 a.m. collecting was done in our immediate neighbourhood. Mr. Fulton and Mr. Coghill, in their search for the Land Crab, Engceus/ossor, had excavated a hole about 4 feet deep and 8 feet across, but were amply rewarded for their mining operations in capturing about 30 of these crustaceans or so-called " yabbies." They were also fortunate in securing specimens of another species in the creek, which they fished for with pieces of meat attached to a string or by bags with a meat bait at the bottom, and we hope to hear the results of Mr. Fulton's work in these crustaceans later on. We had lunch soon after midday, then the tent and luggage were packed up, and at 3 o'clock Mr. Gerald Backhouse came with his conveyance and took all the luggage to the station, and we followed on later, gathering bunches of coral fern and flowers on our way. The day being a public holiday, many excursionists had come from Melbourne, consequently we secured accommoda- tion for the whole party in a covered truck, and had afternoon tea in that vehicle before the train left at 5 o'clock. The distant views as we returned seemed even prettier than on our forward journey, while the foliage at the crossing of the Monbuik Creek in the departing daylight was particularly charming. At Ferntree Gully a compartment was reserved for us, and we reached town about 9.30 p.m., after an exceedingly enjoyable outing, and we regretted that more were not able to join in the excursion. 120 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Following the usual custom brief reports on the different branches of natural history in which observations were made are appended : — Ornithology. — Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., reports that the following birds were seen and identified at Gembrook : — Kestrel Hawk (nesting), Boobook Owl, Powerful Owl, Pied Crow-Shrike, Grey Shrike-Tlirush, Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike, Caterpillar-eater, Scarlet-breasted Robin, Ro.se-breasled Robin (nesting), Blue Wren, White shafted Fan-tail (nesting), Rufous Fan-tail, Black and White Fan-tail, Ground-Thrush, Brown Tit, White-browed Scrub- Wren, Spotted Ground-bird (nesting). Pilot-bird, Coachwhip- bird (nesting). White-backed Magpie, Butcher-bird, Yellow- bellied Shrike-Robin, White-throated Thickhead, Olive Thickhead, Yellow-eared Honey-eater, Crescent Honey-eater, Wood-Swallow, Fire-tailed Finch, Lyre-bird, Sacred Kingfisher, Pallid Cuckoo, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Square-tailed Cuckoo, Narrow-billed Bronze Cuckoo, Black Cockatoo, Gang-Gang Cockatoo, King Lory, Crimson Parrakeet, Wonga-Wonga Pigeon. Arthropoda — Insecta. — Mr. J, A. Kershaw, F.E.S., reports that the entomological results of this " camp-out," as was the case with that of last year, were not so good as anticipated, owing to the date of the trip being fixed rather too early in the season for general entomological work. Insects were not scarce, but the number of species met with were very limited and were mainly well-known species. Of the Lepidoptera only one specimen of Papilio mac- leayanus was noticed during our stay, and not more than half-a- dozen specimens of Epinepldle aheona. Two specimens of Xenica hohartia were seen, one of which was captured. These were taken on the top of a hill about three miles from camp, along with the skippers mentioned below. Of the blues, Lyccena labradus was, as usual, plentiful in the open patches, while of Holochila erinus several specimens were noticed. The only skippers noticed during the trip were Hesperilla flavimeata, H. donnysa, and Trapezites phigalia. Among the moths one of the most common species met with was PortUesia ohsoleta, which was to be seen flying about the camp as early as 5 o'clock in the morning, but disappeared again by 9 o'clock. Very few moths visited the lights at the camp at night. Examples of the follow- ing species were noticed during our stay : — Spilosoma glatignyi, S. obliqua, Mosoda consolatrix, M. servilis, Pinara cana (male), Pantydia sparsa, Istarva scitisignata, Hydriomena correlata, Euchoeca rubropunctaria, Phrissogonus laticostatus, P. insigillatus, Nearcha buffalaria, N. subcelata, Darantasia flavicapitata, Epi- desmia hypenaria, E. tryxaria, E. chilonaria, Taxeotis delo- gramma, Glyphipteryx chrysolithella, Gelechia aversella, Eu- chloris dichloraria, Idiodes apicata, Metasia homophcea, Dox- THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 1 2 I osteres canalis, Tortrix glaphyrana, Bondia dissolutana, Philobota iphigenes, Pleurota brevivittella, Coesyra euchrysa, C. parvula, Eutorna pabulicola, Chrysoryctis fraudulenta, Ocvstola malacella, &c. Of the Coleoptera a good number of species were seen, but nothing very rare, the majority being common species. The following are some of the species collected : — Stenolopl.us dingo, Coptocarpus australis, Lepispilus sulcicollis, Macrogyrus rivularis, Xantholinus chloropterus, Pseudolycus luctuosa, P. marginatus, Cisseis acuducta, Cryptodiis tasmanicus, C. paradoxus, Heteronyx pustulosus, Bolboceras kirbyi, Leperina adusta, Ipomoria tillides, Pempsamacra dispersa, Stenoderus concolor, Orthorrhinus cylindri- rostris, Talaurinus impressicollis. Orthoptera : — Blattidae — Panesthia Isevicollis, Oniscosoma castanea, Ischnoptera australis, and I. annulata. Achetidse — Gryllotalpa australis, Er. Neuroptera : — Ephemeridse — Ephemera australis, Walk. Hemiptera : — Dindymus versicolor, Ptilocnemus lemur. Protracheata. — Peripatus leuckartii. Crustacea. — Decapoda — Freshwater Crab, Astacopsis nobilis ; Land Crabs, Engseus fossor and Engseus, sp. ? Amphipoda — The terrestrial amphipod, Talitrus sylvaticus. This crustacean is said to form the principal food of the Lyre-bird, Menura superba. Vermes. — The land planarians, Geoplana sugdeni, G. munda, G. mediolineata, G. hoggii, G. adae. The nemertine worm, Geonomertes australiensis. Botany. — Mr. F. G. A. Barnard reports that, though the floral display was in many respects very fine, the botanical results o the outing do not call for particular comment. Altogether some 60 to 70 species of plants were noticed in bloom. Perhaps the genus of which the greatest number of species was collected was Pimelia. Of this eight species were seen. Among them may be mentioned Pimelia ligustrina, noticeable by its robust growth and hand- some appearance when in flower ; it seemed, however, to have a somewhat local distribution. Pimelia flava was in places abundant enough to add, as its name indicates, a yellow tinge to the scrub, and it lias the advantage of lasting well when picked. Acacias were, of course, well represented, but, owing to their flowering season being past, only the merest scraps could be secured for identification, but at least 8 or 10 species should be procurable in the district. Another genus which is at home there is Pultensea, but only P. striata made any show, a number of bushes entirely covered with their deep orange flowers growing alongside the Nar-Nar-Goon road being worth a trip to see. A few scattered bushes of P. scabra were still in fair 122 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. flower, but P. muelleri, P. gunnii, and P. mollis were past their best. Tetratheca ciliata was everywhere, from the purest white through different shades of pink to deep magenta, but curiously enough the deeper shades, generally the most plentiful, were here the rarest. Another charming plant was also ubiquitous in Bauera rubioides (Saxifrage^e), and a prettier shrub when in bloom with its different tints of pink is difficult to find, while its flowering period seems to extend through many months. A straggling plant with flowers somewhat resembling Bauera, but of the deepest yellow, Hihhertia serpilli folia, was very plentiful ; but perhaps the flower which attracted most attention, on account of its beautiful sky-blue flowers, was Dampiera stricta (Goodeniacese), which was in great abundance and in many parts gave a distinctly blue tinge to the undergrowth. Of its nearest allies, the Goodenias, there were several species, Goodenia ovata giving quite a yellow aspect to the waste land along the railway line. The order Araliacese was represented by Panax samhucijolixs, a stately shrub or small tree, but it was not in bloom. Aslrotricha ledifolia, belonging to the same order, was very common, and its greyish vestiture and blossoms were sufficient to add another tinge to many parts of the scrub. At first sight this plant greatly resembles the Zierias (Rutacese). The beautiful blue creeper, Comesperma volubile, was in most cases in fruit, but some good spikes of C. ericiniim (magenta) were gathered. The Epacridae were nearly over, but what a sight these hills must present in the spring, when Epacris impressa, from purest white to deepest crimson, is everywhere. Styphelia ojcycedrus was quite over, but the last spikes of S. ericoides still retained their tiny flowers. Here and there Clematis aristata entwined the bushes with its sprays of creamy-white flowers, while Leptospermum scoparium (Myrtacese) was just bursting into bloom, with its pure white paper-like petals. A near relative, Melaleuca squarrosa, grew in abundance in the swampy parts of the creek, bearing its honey-scented bottle-brush flowers, and shedding its singular bark, composed of innumerable layers of material about the thickness of tissue paper. Of the Eucalypts only E. Gunnii and E. amyg- dalina were obtained in flower. Other than the Pultenaeas and Acacias, Plat ylobiiivi for mosum seemed to be the only representa- tive of the Leguminosge. Among the Composites, the Musk, Aster argophyllus and .4. stellidatus, called by Mr. Guilfoyle " the Snow- bush," were conspicuous by their panicles of pure white flowers, while Cassinia aculeata, in many cases with pink instead of white headlets, was very plentiful. The Hazel, Pomaderris apetela, was in full bloom, but the handsomer Prostanthera lasiantha (Dog- wood) was not yet bearing its sprays of violet-dotted labiate flowers. Lyonsia straminea, one of the so-called " Supplejacks," was climbing about the vegetation in the gullies, but its flowers THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 123 were out of reach, though from a plant growing over a fence a few flowers were obtained. The Sassafras, Atherosperma moschata, and Native Mulberry, Hedycarya cunninghnim, were, of course, fairly plentiful, the latter being in bloom. The flowers of Viola hederacea were very common. BiUardiera scand^ns (Pittosporese) with its pale green bell-like flowers, was fairly plentilul, while the Native Fuschia, Correct, speciosa, was still in bloom. The red variety is said to grow in the district, but was not noticed. The singular plant Ampercea spartioides, with its inconspicuous flowers, was very common. A distinctly Australian order (Stackhousieae) was represented by Stackhoiisia Imarifolia, bearing spikes of creamy- white tubular flowers. The white star-like flowers of Stellaria pungens (Caryophyllege) were plentiful. The Proteaceas were represented by Hokea nodosa and Banksia. The Native Elder, Samhucus yandichaudiaiia, seemed to prefer places recently burnt to send up its soft stems, bearing creamy-white globular flowers. Senecio vagus displayed its large yellow flowers in the densest parts of the scrub, but of the almost- universal Blue-bell, Wahlenhergia gracilis, only very poor specimens were noticed, while of the next order, Candollacese, only one plant of the Trigger Plant, CandoUea serrulata., was seen, and that from the train. Coming to the orchids, the palm must be given to Thelymitra a?-/s^ato,of which fine specimens were obtained on the Sunday, just the sort of day it delights in — a fairly warm wind and bright sun. T. longifolia and Gatadenia carnea, the normal pink, and two varieties, the white and musky-smelling, were also collected. Xerotes Brovjnii, Dianella longifolia, with Burchardia itmbellata, represented the Liliaceae. That singular plant Drosera hinata grew in a swampy part of the creek. Lycopods were represented by two species having very different appearances— the one, Tnies- ipteris, hanging from the stems of the Tree Ferns in the thick gullies, while Lycopodium densuni was found in the scrub on a dry hillside. Of ferns about twenty species were noted, though none were of special importance. Lindsaya linearis was perhaps the one one would least expect to find in the district, while the King Fern, Osmunda harhara, Lomaria caj)ensis, var. procera^ and the Coral Fern, GleicJienia circinata, were the ones exhibit- ing the most luxuriant growth, though Bracken between six and seven feet high was passed. The full list is : — Hymenophyllum nitens (Filmy Fern), Gleichenia circinata (Coral Fern), Osmunda barbara (King Fernj, Alsophila Australis (Hill Tree Fern), Dick- sonia billardieri (Valley Tree Fern), Davallia dubia, Lindsaya linearis, Adiantum aethiopicum, Pteris aquilina, P. incisa (Bats- wing), Lomaria discolor, L. capensis, L. capensis, var. procera, Blechnum cartilagineuro, Asplenium flabellifolium, A. bulbiferum, Aspidium aculeatum, Polypodium australe, P. pustulatum, P. punc- tatum. Comparing the botany of this outing with that of the 124 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. previous " camp-out " on the Watts, at Healesville, shows that the latter is first in the number of the rarer or more uncommon species ; but from a floral point of view Gembrook is decidedly superior, and had the members visited the district a month earlier they would have been astonished at the sight it then presented. We have again to thank Mr. A. Mattingley for his kindness in letting us have the use of his tent and camp equipment, and for the way in which he superintended the commissariat department, every- thing working without a hitch. Our thanks are also due to Mr. and Mrs. A. B. Backhouse and family for the way they studied our interests, both in conveying all our luggage to and from the station, and also driving our lady members to Mount Irene, as well as freely supplying us with milk, cream, and other welcome commodities ; and also to Mr. H. Shaw, who so assiduously looked after our interests in the camp. — D. Le Souef. ON THE OCCURRENCE OF EUCALYPTUS DIVES, SCHAUER, IN VICTORIA. By J. H. Maiden, F.L.S., Director Botanic Gardens, Sydney. (Communicated by J. G. Luehmann, F.L.S.) (^Read before the Field Naturalists' Gluh of Victoria, ISth Nov., 1901.) This species, to some extent, on account of the author's de- scription of it as a shrub, has only recently been generally recognized, and in the Victorian Naturalist, xvii., p. 46 (July, 1900), I announced its occurrence in Victoria. I had received it in i«99 from Mr. C. Walter, who collected it in October 1898 in the Wandong Ranges, but I took no special note of the matter, as it did not occur to me that it had not previously been recorded from Victoria. In this specimen it is in flower while the leaves are in the stem-clasping stage, and strictly opposite, as is so commonly the case in New South Wales. In conjunction with Mr. Henry Deane, I have been inquiring as to the range of Eucalyptus dives, Schauer, in New South Wales, and find it to be very considerable. Latterly, I have been inquiring into those species which are found in both New South Wales and Victoria, and 1 have come to the conclusion that E. dives has considerable range in Victoria also. Mr. A. W. Howitt, F.G.S., and I have for some years past discussed some puzzling members of the section Renantherae, and I believe I am able to throw some light upon some trees which have been looked upon as aberrant forms of E. amygdalina and E. Sieberiana. During my recent visit to Melbourne we again discussed the matter, and that gentleman having lent me some specimens, which I have been able to compare at my leisure with New South Wales forms, I am in a position to offer an opinion upon them. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 125 And here let me offer a tribute of praise to Mr. Howitt's " Eucalypts of Gippsland " (Trans. Royal Society Vict., ii.), which I shall refer to presently. Mr. Howitt's descriptions are so clear and explicit that one is never in doubt as to the tree to which he refers ; the application of the proper botanical names can be made when eucalyptologists have reached finality.* We have now no difficulty in determining E. dives in New South Wales, at all events within a few hundred miles of its type locality, but the species varies somewhat in the higher mountains and plains near the New South Wales-Victoria boundary, and in Tasmania also, and this has given rise to some confusion. The synonymy appears to be : — E. dives, Schauer, in "Walp. Repert.," ii., 926. E. dives, Schauer, in Woolls's " Flora of Australia," p. 241, and '• Plants of New South Wales," p. 51. E. amygdalina, Labill., var. dives, F. v. M., Herb., Melb. E. amijgdalina, Labill., var. {b), Howitt, op. cit. E. Sieberiana, F. v. M., var. (6), Howitt, op. cit. E. amygdalina, Labill, var. latifolia, Deane and Maiden (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., xx., 609). E. dives, Schauer {ib. xxiv., 460.) E. delegatensis, R. T. Baker {ib., xxv., 305. E. iSieberiana, F. v. M., Deane and Maiden {ib., xxvi., 125). The bark is an important character in E. dives, being of a sub- fibrous (Peppermint) texture. While this is very distinct from the normal " Mountain Ash " bark {E. Sieberiana), which partakes somewhat of an Ironbark character, it very closely resembles that of E. amygdalina, which has helped to cause many botanists to look upon it as a form of E. amygdalina. At the same time the bark character requires to be observed with some care, as that of E. Sieberiana sometimes exhibits a fibrous tendency, while that of E. dives is sometimes somewhat indurated. Many of the Victorian specimens of E. dives are undoubtedly very close to E. Sieberiana, and sometimes it is almost impossible to separate then if mature leaves be alone available. If not too old, however, they may be readily separated by the strong aroma oiE. dives. In fact, E. dives in the bush and in the herbarium brings itself under notice by its delicious aroma, and this may be referred to as its most obvious character. The suckers of E. dives are broadish, sometimes very broad. The narrowest suckers or seedlings are not very far removed from the broadest form of those of E. amygdalina. As regards the seedlings of E. Sieberiana {a), Howitt, the true Mountain Ash, * Mr. Howitt has been kind enough to read this paper, and his remarks will be found in the form of fool-notes. 126 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Mr. Howitt {op. ciL, p. 94), has pointed out how close they are, and their differences. The character of club-shaped buds must be applied with caution, as apparently common to the alpine form of B. dives, to £. Sieberianu, and -£". hcBinastoma also. The affinity of E. dives in its alpine form to E. obliqua is not so close as to E, Sieberiana, but it is undoubted, and is not to be neglected. Baron von Mueller was even deceived by the resemblance.* Its affinity with E. regnans, F. v. M., and E. virgata, Sieb., is less close still, but it exists, and space forbids me to go into the question at this place. It is very difficult to define the limits of a number of species of the Renantherse. Let us further consider E. dives in its affinity to E. Sieberiana. Following is what Mr. Howitt says of it under the name of E. Sieberiana {b) in his " Eucalypts of Gippsland " (Trans. Royal Society of Victoria, ii.) (I am responsible for the identification of this tree with E. dives) f : — " E. Sieberiatia (b) occurs only in the mountains above the limit of E. Sieberiana (a), J sometimes as low as 2,500 feet, but in other places, as on the summit of the Great Dividing Range at the sources of the Livingstone Creek, when E. Sieberiana (a) ceases at 3,000 feet, and E. Sieberiana (b) commences at 3,500 feet. It extends on the summits of the higher mountains, e.g., the Bowen Mountains, near Omeo, and the Dargo High Plains, to about 4,500 feet. I estimate the height to which the tree attains as not exceeding 200 feet. The bark is fibrous, and rather like that of E. obliqua, but perhaps more flaky ; it is persistent upon the bole, the upper part of which and the branches are smooth, but with much detached bark pendent from the forks and from the termination of the persistent bark. The seedlings of these two trees have much the same features, but that of the (a) variety is much darker, but otherwise no marked difference can be observed between the seedlings of these varieties. § The timber of (b) variety is of a light colour, long in grain, and re- markably fissile, yet elastic. It is not a heavy wood, and it seems * To my mind the resemblance of £. Sieberiana {b) to E. Sieberiana [a] is far stronger than is that oi E. atnygdalina {b) to E. obliqua, which, however, is marked.- A. W. H. + I do not say that your identification of my E. Sieberiana (b) with E. dives is not fully justified. But I am still somewhat in suspense. Assuming that it is so, however, I should then say that it bears the same relation to other varieties — e.g., my amygaalina {b) — as E. regnans does to E. atnygdalina, with which it was formerly united. — A. W. H. X Normal E. Sieberiana, F. v. M. § I have observed a very characteristic difference between the seedlings of E. Sieberiana (b), E. atnygdalina (b) (Yertchuk), and the broad-leaved mountain atnygdalina, which I figured from Dargo. — A. W. H. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 127 to me should be valuable for many purposes. About twenty years ago, at Omeo, I made a set of swingle-bars for a four-horse team from this timber, wliich stood work remarkably well, and one of which is still in use after much hard usage. I have also seen palings split from this tree over six feet in length, which were so clean that after being planed up they were used successfully as weatherboards. Locally the tree is called Woolly Butt, from the character of the bark, and also Mountain Ash." Mr. Hovvitt states subsequently in a report : — " I have observed a slightly varying form of E. Sieberiana (6) growing on the summit of Mt. Macedon, where formerly it was used for milling purposes." A tree known as Silvertop, Darlimurla, South Gippsland (H. Deane),*bark rough, resembling that of Stringybark; limbs smooth and white, hence the local name ; a milling timber, posts and rails ; appears to be F. dives also. ''£. dives, Schauer. was seen in moderate abundance near the first spring. The species has not previously been recorded for Victoria. There are dense forests of straight young trees, princi- pally of Mountain Ash, U. Sieberiana, F. v, M., for the greater part of the ascent" (p. 46). Also ante (bottom of p. 45) — " the air .... is redolent of Eucalyptus, in this instance chiefly the pleasing-scented iJ. Sieberiana " ( Victorian JSaturalist, xvii., July, 1900). The specimen of E. dives above referred to was in early fruit only and hardly glaucous. The specimens referred to as E. Sieberiana (and which I now attribute to E. dives also) were obtained from higher up the mountain, and are very glaucous. These specimens from the upper part of Mt. St. Bernard have large sucker leaves, one in my possession and thoroughly dry measuring 10^ inches long by 5^ inches broad. This and the next three specimens are identical with E. delegatensis, R. T. B., and are the glaucous form common in the cold districts, which imperceptibly passes into the normal form. The type was collected on Delegate Mountain, New South Wales, and tlie same collector (W. Baeuerlen) collected it on the Snowy Mountains on dry ridges in 1890. These specimens, while from the New South Wales side of the Alps, are identical with specimens found on the Victorian side, and also with specimens of E. dives found near Goulburn, New South Wales. (i.) Gum-topped Stringybark of Lake Sorell (Tasmania), T. Stephens. Lower part of stem exactly like common Stringybark, but if ♦ This tree I have always claimed to be E. Sieberiana (a), known locally as Gumtop, Silvertop, and White Ironbark, unless it is the tree called " Yertchuk." Perhaps I am confusing your description with E. Sieberiana, which grows between Darlimurla and Boolarra. — A. W. H. 128 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. anything rather less furrowed, the bark being quite loosely fibrous and easily rubbed into what bushmen call " bulls'-wool." (2.) Messmate (fibrous bark), Mt. Mueller, near Mt. Baw Baw, Vic, James Melvin, March, 1889. (3.) Gum-top Stringybark, East Mount Field, 1,000-1,500 feet. These three specimens are in the National Herbarium, Mel- bourne, and are identical with the Mt. St. Bernard specimens. Baron von Mueller labelled Nos. i and 2 E. hcemastoma (later on U. obliqua) and No. 3 E. Sieberiana — an excellent commentary on the difficulty of dealmg with this alpine form, which difficulty I would submit is removed by looking upon it as a form of E. dives. I now state that in my opinion certain Victorian Eucalypts referred to as broad-leaved forms of E. amygdalina are really E. dives. The matter has already been alluded to, the affinity of the two species being obvious. The leaves are more shiny and more coriaceous in most of the Gippsland specimens than is the case in E. amygdalina. The following extract is from Mr. Howitt's " Eucalypts of Gippsland" (pp. cit., p. 84) : — " (6.) The broad-leaved variety of E. amygdalina. " In the mountains, and more especially in some of the Plutonic and Metamorphic areas, as at Dargo and the Wentworth and Omeo, there occurs a form of amygdalina which is to some extent distinct from the typical form referred to. I have not observed it at a lower elevation than 700 feet at Dargo, and it grows upon Mt. Livingstone at about 3,000 feet, which is probably near its upper limit. According to my observation it does not exceed 100 feet in height, and is more frequently under 50 feet. The bark is wrinkled, approaching to fibrous, and persists up to the smaller branches. " The seedlings and young saplings have opposed sessile lanceolar leaves, v/hich are, however, much broader than the ordinary form, approaching at times pointed ovate. " The leaves when scattered are broadly fohate and unequal sided. The umbels, buds, and flowers are those of the typical form, but the fruit is much larger, and almost always ovate top shaped, with a flat or slightly convex margin, and a brown or brownish-red lint. The valves, as in the ordinary form, are small. " It grows preferably upon the sunny slopes, from 700 to 4,000 feet." This form is figured at plate 8. Following are some specimens in Mr. Howitt's Herbarium (nearly all from Gippsland, and many of them referred to in his work on the Gippsland Eucalypts), which I think are referable to E. dives. Some of the specimens are imperfect, and further investigation may show that they belong to allied species, but THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 129 the number is not many, I think, and the vast majority of them show what, in my opinion, is E. dives. As a student of Eucalypts for many years, I see difiiculties in their classification now that were formerly hidden from me, therefore this contribution to a better knowledge of an important species is submitted by me with all deference, and in the hope that it may be useful and suggestive to Victorian botanists : — loi. Insolvent Track (doubtful). 102. Heath, Brodman's Creek. 103. Osier's Creek. 104. Monkey Creek, Sale and Port Albert road. 105. M'Alpine's Turn-off, Currajong road. 106. Boyle's Hill, near Reedy Creek road, South Gippsland. 107. Stradbrook. 108. Hill Top, Longford. 109. 22 miles. Port road. Short's. no. '' E. amygdalina, Wild Horse Creek Range; highest point where tree grows." 122. "Conglomerate Hill, Wild Horse Creek ; leaves of tree slightly shiny, veins obscure." 111. 116, 119. Great Divide, Wentworth side. The ovate glaucous suckers precisely match those of E. dives from Wingello, New South Wales. Mr. Howitt's Sieberiana (b). 112. "Broad-leaved Peppermint," Buchan road; sucker leaves nearly orbicular. 113. Fred Smith. Bridge, Tambo road. 114. Creswick, pointed buds, in bud only (doubtful).* 115. Toongabbie cutting, Walhalla road. 117, 121. Dargo, Dargo High Plains, and Two-mile Creek, Dargo Plains. Sieberiana (b). 118. Mt. Livingstone, broa.dAea.{ ami/gdalina. 120. " Mountain Ash," C S. Holmes, Snowy Plains. Sieberiana (b). 123. Darraman, Port Albert road. 124. " E. amygdalina." 125. Plains between Curram's and Four-mile Creek. The fruit with broader rim than usual, and with valves slightly exserted. [Assuming that E. Siel>cria>ia (l>) belongs to E. dives, then your determin- ation shows that this species is not only very widespread, but that it also has a number of well-marked varieties. This view would fall in with what I have maintained — namely, that the specific name represents a group of allied forms, the extreme of which again connect with other specific groups. My view has always been that it is the better course to preserve the "group name" and distinguish the varieties rather than to make new species. — A. W. H.] ♦ Yes, very doubtful, more resembling some of the forms of the mountain amygdalijia. — A. W. H. 130 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. With regard to Mr. Howitt's note, we are quite at one in regard to the difficulty of deahng with some species of that genus. The boundaries and species, particularly in the Renantherae, being frequently hazy, it is in the first place absolutely necessary to be sure of our type or " ideal " plant, and then one must take a philosophical view of the relations of the related forms or varieties we submit for inclusion with the type. HINTS ON DRYING FLOWERS. The following article from the pen of the Rev. F. H. Woods, The Vicarage, Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks, England, appeared in the September number of Science Gossip, and as it appears to contain some valuable hints on a difficult subject is reprinted for the benefit of those who may not have seen the original. He says : — " Amateurs and even skilled botanists are often much disappointed at the shrivelled and discoloured appearance of their specimens. Experience, however, shows that, with proper means and sufficient care, both defects may generally be avoided. The secret of success lies principally in three things: — (i) Ventilation, with some degree of heat if possible; (2) the use oi absorbent cotton-wool; (3) the use of acids when necessary. " The first is pretty well known and practised by botanists, who use various sorts of ventilating appliances ; but a daily or twice daily change of papers thoroughly dried in the sun or before a hot fire is all that is really necessary. In the case of succulent flowers, like Blue-bells (wild Hyacinth), it is advan- tageous to place the specimens, properly protected, for a while, or even altogether, in the sun. By this method such leaves as those of Blue-bells may be made to preserve their colour. "Very few specimens can be dried satisfactorily without the use of absorbent cotton-wool. This should be placed on both the leaves and the flowers. It prevents them from shrivelling and goes far towards preserving the colour of both. When used, too great pressure is not needed, and is indeed harmful. Speci- mens should on no account be bruised. Flower-presses of the clothes press type are an abomination. With cotton wool, specially prepared drying paper is quite unnecessary. There is nothing better than newspaper, foreign newspaper especially — the worse in quality the better for the purpose. Some flowers are too delicate for this method. I have obtained excellent results with Oxalis acelosella, by placing it between sheets of tissue paper, with just a suspicion of cotton-wool on the petals only. This plan is the best also with delicate ferns, which dry so rapidly that THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 131 ventilation is unnecessary, but perfect flatness essential. The use ot" cotton wool, with proper ventilation, in most cases, is quite sufficient for a very large number of flowers, especially yellow ones, such as Potentillas, Primroses, Buttercups, and several white flowers, such as Wood Anemones, and Water Ranunculus, which will keep their colour perfectly if dried rapidly and with frequent changes of paper. " Here it may be well to mention the advantage of taking off on paper water plants like the Water Ranunculus and the Utricularias. The living specimens should be floated in water, a sheet of white or tinted paper being then placed underneath, and the whole plant carefully lifted so that the water gradually flows off, leaving the specimens with the leaves spread out on the paper. This is troublesome to execute, and requires some practice, but it is essential for success, as it is the only way of getting the dried specimens to resemble the living plant. With such plants cotton-wool is only necessary for the flowers. Several blue flowers, such as the Forget-me-nots and smaller Gentians, do very well with absorbent cotton-wool, but the colour of Campanulas usually goes, unless dried with considerable heat from the sun or by crossing with a warm flat iron ; yet even so it is often not permanent. " Many flowers, especially those of reddish or purple tints, and several that are white, will not keep their colours if merely dried with cotton wool. Here the use of acids is imperative. Of these the best is sulphurous acid. Its use was first introduced into this country some years ago by Mr. Claridge Druce, F.L.S., an Oxford chemist, well known as the editor of the Oxfordshire Flora, and one of our leading field botanists. He received it from Dr. Schonland, and it had been previously used in the herbarium of the Berlin Botanical Museum. The proportions of the mixture, as prepared by Mr. Druce, are two parts of sulphurous acid, freshly prepared and of ten per cent, strength, with one part of methylated alcohol of about sixty per cent, strength. The methylation should be preferably with wood spirit, and not with mineral oil. The acid tends, in course of time, to become oxidised, and is then useless, so that it is best to get a small quantity every year. " The use of the acid is simple enough. The flower should be dipped in the mixture for a few seconds, when the colour will rapidly disappear, leaving the flower white. It should then be carefully dried with blotting-paper, care being taken to remove all the acid without bruising the petals. It may then be pressed in the usual way. Cotton-wool should be used for the leaves, which are, as a rule, unaffected by the acid, and should not be dipped into it. When the acid is used, it is best to place cotton-wool only underneath the flowers, and above 132 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. them pieces of tissue or blotting-paper, cotton-wool frequently giving them a spotted appearance. The natural colour of the flowers begins to reappear soon after the acid has been removed, and returns completely in the course of a day or so. It is better to expose them for a few minutes to the air before pressing. The effect of the acid, besides temporarily bleaching the flowers, is to prevent the growth of fungus, which otherwise destroys the colour. The tint, when it returns, is at least comparatively per- manent. I have by me specimens of Sweetbrier dried several years ago that are still quite bright. Even with the greatest care there must be inevitably many failures. So the collector must preserve a large number of specimens and select the best. (To be continued.) The Baron von Mueller Grave Memorial. — The monu- ment erected over the grave, in the St. Kilda Cemetery, of the late Baron Sir F. von Mueller, K.C.M.G., for nearly 45 years Government Botanist of Victoria, was unveiled on Tuesday after- noon, 26th November, 1901, by His Excellency the Governor- General, Lord Hopetoun, in the presence of a large gathering of public and scientific men and personal friends. Among those present were Professor Kernot and Dr. Jamieson, representing the Royal Society ; Mr. J. G. Luehmann, F.L.S., Government Botanist ; Mr. W. R. Guilfoyle, F.L.S., Director of the Melbourne Botanical Gardens ; Mr. J. H. Maiden, F.L.S., Director of the Sydney Botanic Gardens ; Mr. M. Holtz, Director of the Ade- laide Botanical Gardens ; Mr. C. French, F.L.S., Government Entomologist ; and Mr. D. M'Alpine, Government Vegetable Pathologist, &c. The Field Naturalists' Club was repre- sented by the president, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., the editor of the Victorian Naturalist, and several other members. Speeches were made by several public men, but that by Professor Kernot may be quoted as embodying the feelings of most of those present. He said the deceased was a typical man of science, devoted to the pursuit of truth, without any thought of his own immediate gain. He studied the laws of Nature, which were the thoughts of God. It seemed as though there were no part of botanical science he had not touched. An earnest and hearty response had been made from all parts of the world to the appeal for funds for the erection of the monu- ment to him who was one of the kindliest, most generous, and most simple-minded of men. Mr. J. H. Maiden said that only future generations would realize the greatness and value of Baron von Mueller's work. The monument is in the form of a tall column of polished stone, surmounted by an urn, and resting on a broad pedestal. A medallion in copper of the profile of the late Baron is let into the stone above the inscription. THE 1^ i c t o r i a II |l a t u r a I i 0 1. Vol. XVIIL— No. 9. JANUARY 9, 1902. No. 217. FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Ckib was held in the Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 9th December, 1901. Tile president, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., occupied the chair, and about 50 members and visitors were present. CORRESPONDENCE. From the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, inviting the Club to appoint delegates to the general council for the meeting of the Association to be held at Hobart in January next. On the motion of Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., and Mr. F. Wisewould, Messrs. J. Shephard and H. T. Tisdall were appointed to represent the Club. REPORTS. A report of the Club excursion to Springvale and Mentone on Saturday, 23rd November, was given by Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., who stated that, though a good number of specimens both of entomology and botany were collected, nothing rare was seen. Among the Lepidoptera — Termessa nivosa, Dichromodes atro- sigmda, Scoparia philonephes, Hypertropha tortriciformis (larvte, pupge, and imago), Cliry^oryctes irrupteila, &c., were taken, while in Botany specimens (in flower) of Casuarina suberosa, Utricularia dichotoma, Drosera peliata, and G7iaphalium japoiiicum were collected. A short report of the excursion to Fishermen's Bend on Saturday, 7th December, was given by Mr. F. E. Grant. A number of the commoner species of shells, including Mijodora brevis and Corbula scaphoides, were collected, and an interesting crustacean, Hymenosoma australe, Haswell, was found in the shallow water, which has not so far been recorded from else- where. ELECTION OF MEMBERS. On a ballot being taken Mr. A. Card, Church of England Grammar School, St. Kilda-road ; Miss Bainbridge, Elphin-grove, Hawthorn, and Miss Wills, Barker's-road, Hawthorn, were duly elected as ordinary members ; and Dr. Edgeworth Somers, Mornington, as a country member of the Club. GENERAL BUSINESS. The matter of the adoption of a badge by the Club was again brought forward, and a recommendation from the committee that a shell (the species to be determined later on) be used, was dis- aO^ 134 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. cussed at some length, but was not accepted by the meeting. Various suggestions were made, but without any decision being arrived at. It was finally moved by Mr. J. Shephard, " That the matter be referred back to the committee and that they be asked to consider the adoption of a single green leaf as the badge of the Club." This was seconded by Mr. D. Best and carried. On the suggestion of Mr. A. J. Campbell, members were re- quested to send in designs for an emblem and a motto suitable for the Club. The great destruction of the Mutton-birds, Nectris brevicaudus, during the nesting season, owing to the wanton cruelty practised by a section of the egg collectors in opening the birds or squeez- ing them under foot to obtain their eggs and leaving them to a lingering death, was brought before the meeting by Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, at the instance of Mr. C. French, jun., who had re- cently visited Phillip Island, the principal breeding place in Victoria. Mr. Barnard proposed that the matter be brought under the notice of the Police Department. However, after some discussion, in which it was pointed out tliat notwithstanding the enormous numbers of young birds and eggs taken every year, no apparent diminution was noticed in the numbers of birds which annually visit the island, Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., moved — " That steps be taken to have a close season proclaimed for the eggs of the Mutton-birds on Phillip Island," which was seconded by Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., and carried. Mr. F. G. A. Barnard further moved — "That the wanton cruelly to the Mutton-birds be brought under the notice of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals," which was seconded by Mr. J. Gabriel, and carried. PAPERS. I. By Mr. O. A. Sayce, entitled " Dredging in Port Phillip Bay." The author gave a very interesting resume of his paper, em- bracing the results of a four days' dredging trip in Port Phillip Bay by himself and three other members of the Club. With the aid of a map the various localities and channels, principally near the Heads and Queensclifif, which were worked by the party were pointed out and described. A very interesting collection of specimens was obtained, including Sponges, Starfish, Echino- derms. Crustaceans, Worms, &c., many of which were exhibited on the table, and some account of their peculiarities given by the author. The President remarked on the energy and care shown by the author and his colleagues in collecting and preserving the speci- mens obtained, and drew the attention of members to the need of workers in mnny of the groups touched upon. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 135 2. By Mr. S. A. Le Souef (communicated by Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S.), entitled " Descriptions of Some Mallophaga from Victorian Birds." A brief outline of this paper, which was of a technical character, was given by Mr. D. Le Souef, The author described nine species of parasites from Australian birds, and was congratulated on taking up the working of a group so long neglected. 3. By Mr. F. P. Dodd, entitled "Supplementary Notes on the Queensland Green Tree Ants, CEcophylla smaragdina, Fabr. (?) " This paper, consisting of some additional notes to those read at the last meeting on the same subject, owing to the lateness of the hour, was taken as read. NATURAL HISTORY NOTES, Mr. A. E. Kitson, F.G.S., contributed a note on the habits of the Butcher-bird, Cracticus destructor, at Kongwak, South Gipps- land, which followed the same practice as some magpies in darting savagely at passers by when in the vicinity of the nests. Mr. Kitson also contributed a note on an unusual occurrence with the Common Opossum, Trichosurns vulpecula, in the same district, one which he disturbed while sleeping at the foot of a large hollow dead tree having retreated into one of a number of holes in the ground, instead of climbing the tree, as is usual with these animals. Mr. A. Coles furnished a newspaper cutting dealing with an apparent remedy for the eradication of a moth known as ihe Pyrale, which has been working havoc among the vineyards of Beaujolaise, in France. The owners of the vineyards adopted a method of fixing acetylene lamps around their areas, the flames being exposed and the lamps placed over a bowl containing petroleum. Attracted by the light thousands of insects either perisii in the flames or in the petroleum. It is stated that by using two lamps for eighteen nights 170,000 of these moths were killed. Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., mentioned that two pairs of Magpies had lately built their nests in the Royal Park, and also stated that a captive Nankeen Night Heron, JSycticorax cale- do7ticus, at the Zoological Gardens, had killed and eaten recently an Australian Dottrel and a Quail. The President, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., mentioned a case which he witnessed recently of the common English garden Snail, Helix aspei'sa, eating an earlh worm. EXHIBITS. By Mrs. E. Bage. — Japanese dwarfed Pine Tree intertwined with a Maple. By Mr. A. Campbell, jun. — Nests of the Rose-breasted Robin, I'etrceca rosea, and Rufous Fan-tail, Rliijiidura rufifrons. 136 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. By Mr. A. Coles. — Lincoln Lamb with two heads and six legs, bred by Mr. Williams, Strathmerton. By Mr. F. P. Dodd., in illustration of his paper : — Queen, larvae, pupie, and nests of CEcophylla smaragdina, also specimens of the Ants with larvge in their mandibles, taken whilst in the act of web-forming ; several Jumping Spiders ; Moths, including Euchloris hypoleuca ; cocoons of Eromene ; specimens of Homoptera ; eggs of Arhopala eupolis ; Scale Insects, &c. By Mr. C. French, jun. — Preserved larvte of Victorian Moths, showing natural appearances ; also Orchid, Orthoceras strictum, dark variety, in flower, from Cheltenham. By Mr. G. E. Shepherd. — Native Axe and Sharpening Stones, from Somerville. By Mr. C. Walter. — Fultencea laxijlora and Pultenoia villosa, var. glabra, collected by Mr. E. E. Pescott in the N.E. District of Victoria, previously recorded only from the S.W. of Victoria. By Messrs. O. A. Sayce, F. E. Grant, J. Gabriel, and J. A. Kershaw. — Specimens collected on dredging trip in Port Phillip Bay. After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. NOTES ON THE QUEENSLAND GREEN TREE ANTS {(ECOPHYLLA SMARAGDINA, Fab.?) By F. p. Dodd. {Read before the Field Naturalists'' Club of Victoria, ISth Nov., 1901.) During my studies in the field of the Lepidoptera of this district, I occasionally turn aside to observe the wonderfully interesting Green Ants, which abound here in all the scrubs, but not in the forest proper. In writing this paper I regret exceedingly that I cannot deal with it in a more effective manner. I trust members will prove to be forbearing and overlook iis shortcomings, of which I am thoroughly sensible. However, I am not without hope that the information now given may be considered of an interesting nature. Having no literature in this place to refer to, I do not know to what extent the subject has been touched upon. Some years ago I read an interesting article upon the ants by Mr. SaviUe-Kent, but I have forgotten in which publication it appeared. He noted the manner in which they constructed their nests, which are composed of green leaves, drawn together and held securely in position by white web matter. Some of these nests are not above two or three inches in length, but their general size and shape varies from that of a cocoanut to that of a lootball. Occasionally the nests are irregular in shape, owing to the position of the foliage worked upon ; some may be even two feet in length, but such are usually narrower in propcrtion to the smaller habitations. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 137 The nests are divided into chambers, the walls being formed with web or leaves. Frequently several large nests may be seen on one tree, as well as numerous small " enclosures," which are re- ferred to further on. Nest-building appears to be going on throughout the year. Several may be in progress simultaneously on one tree. It is astonishing what myriads of inmates these nests contain ; many of the chambers appear to be almost filled with the ants and their pupae and larvse. A new nest may be torn open, and though many larvae are present no queen can be dis- covered ; perliaps the queen may be in a central nest ; however, I have not met with one for many weeks. When a fresh habitation is ready it soon receives its quota of larvae, which come from an older nest. The older nests are generally abandoned when the foliage becomes withered — leaves so bound up cannot keep alive for any length of time. These abandoned nests are conspicuous objects on trees which shed their leaves, but they soon fall to pieces. Reverting to the queens : at certain times several may be found in one nest ; later on, during the wet season, these queens may be found singly throughout the scrubs in little retreats formed by a few leaves just held together. In these, no doubt, small colonies are soon formed, for I have observed larvae therein at times, but during this period I am too busy in other directions to pay particular attention to the ants. So there is much inform- ation to be gathered concerning the queens — whether they live any length of time, or die at the approach of winter, leaving enough eggs to supply larvae to the several colonies for some weeks, or even months. The ants wage war upon almost all insects around them, caterpillars, beetles, and other species of ants especially ; they will even attack and kill the great caterpillars of Ornithoptera Cassandra. They never appear to touch dead lizards, snakes, and birds, &c. There are no food stores in tiie nests — a few fragments of beetles, perhaps, some brown or black ants, or a much-mauled caterpillar. Many of the ants may be seen with the abdomen somewhat distended, as with honey ; this must be obtained from the various scale and other insects they fraternize with, for I have not seen them upon flowers. It is decidedly interesting to observe the insects engaged upon the construction of their domiciles. If the foliage is large or stiff, scores or even hundreds of the ants may be required to haul a leaf down and detain it in place until secured, both operations taking considerable time. It is quite a tug-of-war matter to bring the leaf into position and keep it there. The insects holding it have a chain of two or three of their comrades fastened on to them, one behind the other, each holding its neighbour by its slender waist, and all at full stretch and pulling most earnestly. What a strain it must be for poor number one ! When the leaf is far apart the 138 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. ants form themselves into chains to bridge the distance and bring it down ; many of these chains are frequently required for a single leaf. I have seen a large colony at work upon a new nest, and several of these chains were 3 or 4 inches long ; altogether there were many of them in evidence, some perpendicular, others horizontal. Up or along these living bridges numbers of other ants were passing. Now for the web material used to build the nests. It is furnished in fine and delicate threads by tJie larvw ; moreover, I have only seen what appear to be half-grown examples used for the work — I have never seen a large larva being made use of. The soft and tiny grubs are held by the larger ants, who slowly move about amongst those pulling. Each grub is held by the middle, with head pointing forward, its " snout " is gently made to touch the edges of the leaves where they are to be joined, it is slowly moved backwards and forwards, and is undoubtedly issuing a thread during the operation, which adheres to the leaf edges, and eventually grows into the web. When this web is completed it must be composed of several layers to be strong enough for the purpose of securing the leaves. Whether the larva is an unwilling instrument or not in its captor's mandibles is a point which cannot be ascertained. Maybe it is, for it cannot be comfortable in such a position. However, it supplies the web; perhaps if it were not robbed of the web for the benefit of the community it would be enabled to spin a cocoon for itself, in which to undergo the delicate change into the pupa state, for I have never seen a cocoon, all pupse being quite naked. When contemplating the work done in these nests one cannot but marvel at the wonderful ingenuity displayed, or in endeavour- ing to form some idea of the vast number of larvae which must be utilized to supply the connecting web even for a moderately sized nest, for with trees with narrow leaves, like Eucalypttis tessdaris for instance, many scores of leaves are required to form a nest, and each must be sewn. Not only do these strangely used larvae provide the web to build up the nests, but they are carried considerable dis- tances to various branches, generally near the ends, and there they are induced to furnish material for forming shelters and retreats for various scale insects, " hoppers," and caterpillars, with which the ants fraternize. Upon a tree may be seen several of these enclosures, or a dozen, occasionally many more; as a rule a few leaves joined together. Upon large-leaved trees like Careya australis or Eucalyptus platyphylla, a single leaf doubled over and fastened down will form a sufficient cover. Upon pulling any of these apart a small flat scale in great numbers will be found adhering to the leaf. Upon another species of tree, Acacia say, perhaps " hoppers '"'only of a particular kind, with horned head, and their larvae and pupse. Often in company with this insect a L" THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 139 very much smaller hopper; may be found] (specimens of both sent). At times with both or either of these there may be a mass of scales and the scale-devouring larvae, in their movable habita- tions, of the moth Eromene coccophaga. Where these ant en- closures are on a Burdekin Plum tree a second species of Eromene in a movable cover may be noted, but it does not fasten the skins of the scales on to same like E. coccophaga does. A third and larger Eromene is also admitted into the circle of the ants' friends, but it is not scale-devouring ; it lives, always on ant-infested trees, under a tunnel composed of silk and fragments of bark, and feeds upon the green bark. These tunnels or covered ways are 3 or 4 inches long, and I have seen them literally covered with ants. The caterpillar utilizes this web to form a double-walled cocoon (specimen of moth and cocoon sent). It happens now and then that this insect may be amongst scales, and then he may be accidentally covered in if the ants indulge in any web-spinning. Many of our native fruits and berries are infested with waxy scales, more particularly the Burdekin Plum, Spondias pleiogyna, and various kinds of Figs and Terniinalias. Small bunches of these fruits will be webbed in by the ants, as leaves are not always available. Frequently the whole of the covering is done with web, which in these cases is extremely thin and delicate, and sufficiently transparent to admit of the insects within being plainly perceived. The heaviness of these fruits, and the frail nature of the texture enclosing them, preclude my sending any specimens for inspection. There is a long, slender, pea-green geometer caterpillar per- mitted to enter the shelters, the moth of which is large and beautiful, and has been named Euchloris hypohuca, by Mr. O. Lower, from a single female specimen submitted to him by Mr. G. Lyell. I have found in one shelter four of these caterpillars, two species of waxy scales, the green " hopper," and a cocoon of Eromene coccophaga, with innumerable ants. The geometer larva often abuses the hospitality extended to it by eating holes in the leaves of its retreat if they are young, and these holes are usually stopped up by the ants. Each enclosure or shelter has its quota of ants, nor do they abandon them whilst any of their charges remain within. The geometers are rarely seen out of these covers during the day, unless the weather should be dull or damp ; they crawl out to the ends of the branches to eat the tender foHage, and pupate in a netted cocoon in the covers. A small jumping spider is to be found on almost all the nests and in or on many of the enclosures. It appears to be quite at home with the ants, though it moves aside when one approaches closely in its direction. The female makes her webs and deposits her eggs in any of the crevices in nests or covers. 1 believe the spider does not prey upon the ants or other inmates ot the en- closures, being merely there for protection. It hunts on the out- 140 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. side of the nests or in the foliage close by for mosquitos, &c. I have seen it approach and capture a mosquito. With the ex- ception of the spider and a flat scale on the inner portion of the topleavesof the nests, it is unusual to find any of the insects enumer- ated in the ant nests proper. Once a single green geometer was found in an empty chamber near a nest entrance — maybe an apartment intended for visitors. I have taken home the geometers and cared for them most tenderly, but they languish in captivity, and I have obtained a very small percentage of the perfect insects, one of which is now placed before you. The last of the ants' particular chums I shall deal with are the larvae and pupae of the handsome lycaenid butterflies, Arhopala eupolis, A. meander, A. amytis, and flypolyccena phorbas. The eggs are deposited on a tree where the ants abound. Several species of Eucalyptus and some kinds of Terminalia are frequently selected by the Arhopala butterflies, and Clerodendrons have an attraction for //. phorbas. The larvae of the former twist or fold a leaf, and fasten it, so as to form a retiring apartment. In this pupation also takes place ; but the ants, with a view to make the chrysalids more secure, frequently do a little web-spinning as well, leaving but one aperture, through which the butterfly finds its way ; but, with all their attention, a rather large dipterous fly succeeds in depositing eggs on many of the larvae. Owing to this parasite many of the pupse may be found dead. These species usually feed and pupate alone, though always with a number of ants in attendance ; but //. phorbas larvae and chrysalids may be found side by side, with a leaf or two and ant web enveloping them. The butterfly larvae are never in the company of other insects, being in trees by themselves. Even though a butterfly fails to emerge the ants do not attempt to eat the dead pupae. Fortunately these green ants are not provided with stings like the fierce " bulldogs," "jumpers," " greenheads," and others, but their mandibles are exceedingly sharp, and when they take hold they hang on with great determination, and will suft'er being squeezed or torn in two rather than let go. A single ant on the neck or up the sleeve can make himself decidedly disagreeable. So when one blunders against a big nest in the course of building, and fairly bristling with its workers, he has a lively experience, for the insects have a knack of falling upon an intruder and spreading themselves over him in a very short space of time. They never display the white feather. If they are disturbed in the least they assume most antagonistic attitudes, stand on their middle and hind legs, strike out with their forelegs and wave their antennae, and plainly show that if they can get at anything molesting them they will give a good account of themselves. If a nest with only a sentinel or two in view is touched it is almost immediately covered with its inmates, all ready for a fight. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 141 SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES ON THE QUEENSLAND GREEN TREE ANT. By F. p. Dodd. (Bead be/vrt the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 9th December, U 01.) Since forwarding my notes in August I have paid much atten- tion to the ants, and find that lately they are busier than ever in nest constructing, and that larvse of all sizes, and pupse, are in great numbers. In many nests larvee and pupae of queens are abundant. Some of the latter will probably reach the mature stage before the end of the month. With regard to the ants' acquaintances, two other species of Lepidoptera are forwarded. These I have taken or reared frequently. The first, a pretty brownish noctuid, I have captured nearly always on trees in complete possession of the ants. Two examples during this week, one of which was perched upon a leaf within three inches of a body of ants forming a nest. If it were not a friend it would scarcely have been there. The larva is not unlike a centipede in appearance, and when progressing its many curious filaments are kept moving like the legs of that creature. To pupate it cuts through a portion of a leaf, which it rolls, and forms its cocoon within. The larvae of the other moth (gn. and sp. ?) I have always found full grown, and within an ant enclosure or nest. It pupates there under a thin web, which the ants could easily destroy. The moth varies in colour^ several I have showing black markings. The geometer, Euddoris hypoltuca, I have found more freely (luring the past few weeks. Upon one tree, with young and succulent foliage, a large colony of ants was forming nests amongst the leaves. The caterpillars were much in evidence, and invaded these as fast as they were drawn together, and ate so many holes through that the ants abandoned the constructions and commenced others elsewhere. The cater- pillars would follow and again perforate the intended dwellings. There were many of these empty skeleton nests. From the tree I took over 40 of the caterpillars, which, so far, are thriving, and I hope to rear a good series of this splendid moth. In alluding to the ants' fighting attitudes, it was not stated (owing to length paper had run to) that the abdomen is raised considerably, and, at intervals, lilted forward ; however, as many of the nippings 1 have had seemed to have been irritated by more than the mere mandibles of the insect, and scratches or cuts smarted very much during some of my researches, and, further, that I upon stveral occasions experienced severe stinging pains in the eyes, it appeared advisable to investigate the matter fully. Therefore it was with much astonishment that I found that the insect discharges a fluid with some force — not a mere drop, but a regular spray, which can be sent several inches straight in front. 142 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. It is directed over the ant's head by a forward jerk of the already raised and restless abdomen. To observe the spraying process to advantage it is necessary to hold the branch with the excited insects thereon up to the sun (late afternoon sun for preference), or to a bright light. I have taken several small nests home after knocking most of the ants off. When the insect bites it simul- taneously turns its abdomen over its back and discharges the liquid on to the bitten spot ; hence the unrest of one when stung on more tender parts than the hand, and where the biter cannot be quickly secured. No wonder the jumping spider evades this formidable ant — I do not know of any spider, beetle, mantis, &c., which preys upon jEcophylla smaragdina — nor is it strange, when a fight occurs between the green and another species, that the other fellow exhibits an early inclination to break away after tackling. I have seen several green warriors quickly put to flight a larger number of a yellow species, nocturnal in habits, which I had brought out of their domicile by breaking a hole through. Several of the yellow fighters were quickly captured and carried away. HINTS ON DRYING FLOWERS. (Concluded from page 130.^ " The acid answers extremely well with roses and orchids, in- cluding white species of each, which otherwise inevitably turn brown. The effect on the Butterfly Orchis is curious. The flowers lose their fleshiness, and get the appearance of white silver-paper. The tints, however, of the bracts and all the green parts of the inflorescence become a pale greenish-yellow, showing that the acid does affect the leaves of some plants, but not in the same way as the flowers. It is not easy to know except by experiment which white flowers require the acid ; but in general it may be said that thin, quickly-drying flowers do not require it. In fact, with very thin flowers, such as in the genera Cerastium and Stellaria, its use is almost impos- sible, as the flowers would lose their shape irrecoverably. With some delicate flcnvers the only possible way of using it is to touch them with a fine camel-hair brush dipped in the mixture ; then soak up the moisture at once with blotting-paper, and spread out ihe collapsed petals with a pin. It requires infinite patience and considerable practice ; but I have succeeded very fairly in this way with Geraniuin molle, for example, which when dried in the sun with cotton-wool loses size and becomes too blue. "The hints here given are the result of many years' laborious practice. My own herbarium is not large, probably not more than five or six hundred specimens in all, including British and foreign plants. I make no attempt at completeness, but every year dry some thirty or forty of those most interesting to me. I have THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 143 found, however, that with sufficient trouble I can make nearly all specimens beautiful and natural. I have so often been asked by my friends how I managed that I thought a larger public might be glad to have the benefit of my experience." [We hope some of our botanical friends will put these hints in practice, and give the results when applied to Australian vegetation. — Ed. Vict. Nat.^ Helix aspersa carnivorous. — On a recent showery day I found an average-sized specimen of the introduced Helix aspersa actively engaged in eating an earth worm, which appeared to be dead, as it was quite motionless during the process. The worm, which was about a couple of inches in length, was disappearing into the snail's mouth at a comparatively rapid rate. When eating vegetable matter the snail, by the aid of its horny radula and jaws reduces its food to small fragments before swallowing it. Here, however, nothing of the kind was taking place. The jaws were working vigorously, and at each retraction a further portion of the worm disappeared, it was going down whole. The attack was begun at the head end, and the long projecting body of the worm brought back the memory of the smoking snail in " Alice in Wonderland," only in this case it was a cigar and not a hookah that was being enjoyed. Judging by the thickness of the worm, and the length of the projecting part, I must have arrived at the beginning of the feast, and in less than a couple of minutes all trace of the worm had disappeared. I am not aware whether the carnivorous habit is common in this species of snail, though many others are recorded as habitually living on a mixed diet. The rapid spreading of Helix aspersa and its large numbers show it to be able to assimilate a wide range of food material, and if it has taken to devouring earth worms, in this case also almost certainly an imported form, we have another reason for fighting against the plague, for the harm it does is indirect as well as direct. — T. S. Hall. The Common Opossum, 2'richosuriis vulpecula, Ogilby. —Some time ago, while working through a large patch of Kangaroo-apple scrub, Solanu77i vescum, F. v. M., in the Kongwak district, I came upon several holes in the ground like those made by rabbits. As these rodents have not yet, fortunately, reached this part of Gippsland, I was at a loss to know what animal was using them. They were too small for wombats, and foxes in this district don't trouble about making holes in the ground, but simply take possession of hollow or rotten logs, tearing the decayed wood out of the latter. I went on my way pondering over this when a few yards further on I was startled by an animal that suddenly jumped up from under my feet. It turned out to be a large opossum, which had been sleeping at the foot of a large he How dead tree. As soon as it woke up, instead of 144 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. climbing the tree it made its way direct for the holes by a series of clumsy, shuffling jumps, and disappeared in one of them. 1 know that opossums will adapt themselves to their environment, and in treeless districts will take up their abode in the ground, in stone walls, under rocks, in logs and log fences, but I have never yet seen one that ran away from a tree to go into a hole in the ground. It is probable that the animal lived there, but whether it made the hole itself or simply took possession of what some other animal had made I am unable to settle. If the latter, then probably what animal ? Perphaps some other field naturalist will throw some light on the matter. — A. E. Kitson, Geological Survey Camp, Kongwak, South Gippsland. 15th November, 1901. Peripatus. — In the account of the Gembrook camp-out in the Naturalist for December, 1901, p. 121, it is recorded that Peripatus leuckarti was obtained on that occasion. In Proc. Linnean Soc, New South Wales, 1895, pp. 172 and 195, it is shown that the common or larger Victorian Peripatus is not P. leuckarti, Sangar, but a species which, on account of its egg- laying habit, is named F. oviparus by Professor Dendy. Sub- sequently Professor Dendy proposed to erect a new genus, Ooperipatus, for its reception ; and quite recently the same observer has found another species in New Zealand which he has named 0. vlridimaculatus. A fully illustrated paper on the genus Ooperipatus will, I am informed by Professor Dendy, be published by him in a forthcoming number of the Quarterly Journal of Microscopic Science. The only species of Peripatus other than 0. oviparus authentically re- corded from Victoria is the very much rarer P. insignis, Dendy, syn. P. leuckarti, var. iypica, Fletcher. The latter has 14 y)airs of walking legs, while 0. oviparus, in common with the New South Wales species, P. leuckarti, var. orientalis, Fletcher, and the Western Australian P. leuckarti, var. occidentalis, Fletcher, has 15 pairs. As there has been a good deal of confusion in the past regarding the identity of the Peripati occurring in dififerent parts of Australia, it is very desirable that there should be no doubt on this point when the finding of examples is recorded. Students of this interesting group would be gratified if the gentle- man who is responsible for the record in the Naturalist above- mentioned would examine his specimens and publish a note thereon. 0. oviparus may be readily distinguished from other Australian forms by having 15 pairs of legs in addition to the one pair of oral papillae, and by the presence in the female of a conspicuous fleshy ovipositor, which is usually extended when the animals are killed. Personally, I should be very pleased to have the opportunity of examining any specimens of Peripatus which members of the Club may meet with during their excursions. — Thos. Steel, c/o Colonial Sugar Refinery Co. Ltd., O'Connell-street, Sydney. THE ^ i 1 1 a r I a ti |{l it t it r a 1 1 0 1. Vol. XVIII. —No. 10. FEBRUARY 6, 1902. No. 218. FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held in the Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 13th January T902. Mr. O. A. Sayce (one of the vice-presidents) occupied the chair, and about 50 members and visitors were present, including a number of teachers attending the Summer School in Melbourne. REPORTS. The hon. librarian acknowledged the receipt of the following donations to the library : — " Report on the Walhalla Goldfield," from the Department of Mines, Victoria ; " Proceedings of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, Mel- bourne Meeting, 1901," from the Association ; " Records of the Australian Museum," vol. iv., Nos. 2 and 5, from the Trustees Australian Museum, Sydney ; " Proceedings Linnean Society of New South Wales," part 3, 1901, from the Society ; "Queensland Flora," part 4, by F. M. Bailey, F.LS., from the Colonial Botanist, Queensland; "Proceedings of the NewZealand Institute," vol. xxxiii., 1900, from the Institute; The Emu, January, 1902, from the Australasian Ornithologists' Union ; "Hawkesbury Agricultural College Magazine," Dec, 1901, from the College; Nature Notes, Nov. and Dec, 1901, from the Selborne Society, London ; Science Gossip and Knowledge, Nov. and Dec, 1901, from the proprietors ; "Annual Report of Smithsonian Institute," 1899, from the In- stitute ; " Missouri Botanical Garden 12th Annual Report," from the Trustees; " Bulletin of Buffalo Society of Natural Science," vol. vii.. No. 1, from the Society. GENERAL BUSINESS. The question of the adoption of a badge for the Club was again brought before the meeting. The chairman stated that the matter had been discussed at considerable length by the Com- mittee, and various suggestions had been carefully considered, and that it had been finally resolved to recommend that the shell Nassa fasciala be adopted as the badge of the Club. It was pointed out that the shell could be worn permanently attached to the watch chain, which would serve to distinguish members of the Club, especially when travelling ; and at excursions or meetings could be attached to the lapel of the coat by means of a small gold safety-pin. Samples of the mounted shells were submitted for the inspection of members present. .^-i <»^ 146 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Mr. H. T. Tisdall supported the recommendation of the Com- mittee, and moved tliat the suggestion of the Committee be adopted. This was seconded by Mr. R. Hall. After a short dis- cussion, in which Messrs. A. Cules, A. J. Campbell, D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., and others took part, the motion was put to the meeting and carried. The chairman stated that the adoption of a suitable motto had also been considered, but, in the absence of any suggestions, had been postponed for further consideration. Mr. F. G. A. Barnard moved — " That members be asked to send in suggestions for a suitable motto not later than 3rd March next." This was seconded by Mr. S. W. Fulton, and carried. The hon. secretary reported that, in accordance with the resolu- tions passed at the previous meeting regarding the cruelty to the Mutton-birds on Phillip Island, he had interviewed the Secretary for Public Works, who informed him that steps would be taken to endeavour to prevent any cruelty to the birds in the future by havmg special instructions issued to the police stationed on the island to watch for, and take prompt action against, anyone found ill-treating the birds in any way. It was also probable that steps would be taken to compel all Mutton-bird egg collectors to take out a license, but the Department did not think it necessary to have a close season proclaimed for the eggs. A letter was also read from the Victorian Society for the Pro- tection of Animals, in which it was stated tiiat the Society would be glad to co-operate with the Club in the matter, and forwarding a copy of a report from a police constable stationed at Cowes, which had been received by that Society, dealing with the com- plaints made regarding cruelly to the Mutton-birds. The con- stable in his report stated that during his visits to the rookeries during the past and previous seasons, he had not seen or heard of one act of cruelty to the birds, and that the matter had, in his opinion, arisen from unfounded statements made by unfortunate egg collectors to the effect that the fortunate ones " must cut the birds open and take the eggs out." The hon. secretary, Mr. J. A, Kershaw, stated that ttiere was undoubted evidence to prove that the cruelty complained of had been practised. Mr. C. French, jun., with other members of the Club, had fuund numbers of the birds which had been cut open and thrown aside under the bushes, and many of the birds were still alive when discovered. Messrs. G. A. Keartland, A. J. Campbell, F. Wisewould, D. Le Souef, and others also spoke strongly in support of Mr. French's statements. Mr. F. G. A. Barnard stated that we had undoubted evidence in support of cruelty having been practised, and moved — "That a letter be sent to the Society lor the Protection of Animals empha- THK VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 147 sizing the statements already made." This was seconded by Mr. D. Le Souef, and carried. The chairman drew attention to the presence of a number of State school teachers who were attending the Summer School instituted by the Education Department m Melbourne, and in a few suitable words welcomed them to the meeting. , Mr. H. T. I'isdall suitably responded on behalf of the teachers. PAPERS. 1. By Mr. R Hall, entitled '• Notes on a Species of Helo- dromas." The author exhibited four Sandpipers he had received from N.W. Australia, which, though resembling the description of Hdodromas ochropus, Temm., in the "British Museum Catalogue," were not sufficiently different to be regarded as a new species. The genus, however, had not been recorded from Australia, and it was therefore a new bird to Australian ornithologists. Mr. A. J. Campbell stated that whether the species is new or not it is new to Australia, and in the winter plumage, which may account for its difference from the description in the " British Museum Catalogue." Messrs. G. .A. Keartland, F. G. A. Bar- nard, and J. F. Haase also took part in the discussion which followed, the former stating that he had shot the bird when with the Calvert expedition in N.W. Australia, and it was, he believed the same bird he had seen at Heidelberg some years ago. 2. By Messrs. S. A. Le Souef and H. Bullen, entitled " Descrip- tions of a New Mallophagous Parasite from Kangaroos." Com- municated by Mr. D. [>e Souef, C. M.Z.S. The authors described a parasitic insect found on the Kan- garoo, &c., which was remarkable in being only the second two- clawed parasite found in a mammal, and though very similar to the sub-genus Menopon, entirely confined to birds, on account of its habitat they had considered it necessary to found a new genus, Heterodoxus, for it. The chairman, Mr. 0. A. Sayce, and Mr. G. A. Keartland made a few remarks on the paper. 3. By Mr. R. Hall, " Among the Birds of Western Australia." The author, in a lengthy paper, described the ornithological results of a trip to Western Australia. Messrs. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., G. A. Keartland, and A. J. Campbell discussed the paper. NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. Mr. J. .A. Kershaw, F.E.S., read a letter which appeared in the Argus recently, complaining of the shooting of protected birds during the close season, and the want of action on the part of 148 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. the country police. The writer suggested that the Field Naturalists Club should take the matter up and endeavour to have a better protection afforded our native game. Mr. G. A. Keartland mentioned a letter which recently appeared in the Argus regarding the killing of young quail, and stated that he had issued a large number of circulars to leading sportsmen in the State with a view of getting their opinions as to the most suitable time for the opening of the season, and hoped to be able to report the result shortly. The occurrence of numbers of the Paper Nautilus, Argonaiita nodosa, in Port Phillip Bay was mentioned, and the chairman gave a brief description of their structure, &c., in answer to some questions asked by some of the members present. EXHIBITS. By Mr. F. G. A. Barnard. — Flowers of Patersonia glauca, grown at Kew. By Mr. A. J. Campbell. — Malurus whitei, the Darker Turquoise Wren, a new species lately described l)y him ; also, for comparison, Malurus melanoius, Gld., the Black-backed Wren. By Mr. A. Coles. — Four specimens of Paper Argonauts, Argonavta nodosa, Sol., two with side spikes. The large shell, measuring 6^ inches by 5 inches, was taken at St. Kilda by Mr. J. W. Hazeldine, and contained the animal and cluster of eggs. By Mr. C. French, jun. — Rare egg of the Great Bowtr-bird, Chlamydodera nuchalis, Jard. and Selb. ; egg of the Allied Oriole, Oriolus affinis, Gld., from Northern Territory, S.A. ; also pair of Aboriginal Kurdaitcha, or devil boots, from Central Australia. By Mr. C. J. Gabriel. — Shells from North America, including Natica lewisii, Chorus belcheri, Rauella californica, and Norrissia norrissii. By Mr. R. Hall. — Four specimens of the Green Sandpiper, Helodromas ochropus, Temm., new to Australia, in illustration of his paper. By Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., for the National Museum. — Mounted Specimen of Malurus callainus, Gld., Western Australia, and skin of the Orange-wattled Bird of Paradise, Macgregoria pulchra, De Vis, from British New Guinea. By Mr. A. Matiingley. — Specimen of bird, in the flesh, preserved for 5 months by a 20 per cent, injection of formalin. By Mr. J. Siickland. — Three Cephalopods for comparison — a Cuttle Fish, a Squid, and a Paper Nautilus, Argoiiauta nodosa, from Sandringham, with shell ; also a shell of the Pearly Nautilus, Nautilus pompilius, Linn. After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 149 DREDGING IN PORT PHILLIP. By O. a. Sayce. {Bead hefore the Field Naturalists^ Club of Victoria, 9th December, 1901.) Quite recently several members of our Club spent four days in a dredging cruise in Port Phillip, in the neighbourhood of the entrance. We were able to do this through ihe great kindness of Mr. E. F. Cooke, who placed his steam yacht Firefly and his services for navigation at our disposal. Throughout he sacrificed himself entirely on the altar of our ambition, and we tender him our hearty thanks. Our party consisted of Messrs. J. Gabriel, J. Kershaw, F. E. Grant, and myself, and it has fallen to my lot to brietiy outline some of the work done. Nune of us had dredged in this part of the Bay before. My remarks will be directed towards mentioning the localities we dredged at, and describing the depth and character of the bottom, and also noting some few of the animal forms met with. I am stimulated to do this, although the knowledge gained in such a limited time must necessarily be very impertect, in the hope that it maybe of some slight use to subsequent workers. We felt it to be a loss that previous workers, such as the late Mr. J. Bracebridge Wilson, who did a large amount of valuable work near the " Heads," had left so few notes of his dredging grounds behind him. He however defined and numbered certain areas (leaving large spaces unmarked), and published their bearings in the "Proceedings Royal Society of Victoria," vol. vii. (N.S.), pp. 261-263, ^^^ gave no reason for such limitations nor mention of the bottom except depth, nor life to be met with. No doubt he had sufficient reasons for forming these boundaries, but one fails to understand his system. For instance, in the middle course of the South Channel he has formed two small stations joining each other (Nos. 8 and 9), but there are wide areas higher up and lower down on each side with no stations marked at all, yet in going over the ground we could see no reason tor this. We have, however, in the collecting of our material tried to follow him as closely as possible, and went armed with the Admiralty Chart with his own markings thereon. We arrived off St. Leonards late in the evening, aud anchored for the night. In the morning we shaped a north-east course, and on arriving east of Governor's Reef, and outside of Prince George Bank, started dredging, working towards the head of the West Channel. The depth varies between 6 and 8 fathoms, and for the most part with a muddy bottom of a bluish colour. Here we dredged the rare bivalve, Nucula grayi, and amongst other forms may be mentioned the ovoidal-shaped sea-urchin, Echinocardiuvi australe, which came up in numbers in almost every dredge. Almost as common was an interesting tunicate 150 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. (Molgula, sp.) of spherical shape, and about one inch in diameter, which appeared as a ball of mud, but when this was brushed off the animal was of glassy transparency, so that the internal anatomy was to be seen quite clearly. The coat of mud took quite a lot of brushing to rub off, and must effectually serve to hide them from their prey. Continuing onward we passed into the West Channel, marked by a pile beacon, and followed its course for a while. At first the depth of water is about 7 fathoms, but soon becomes only 4 fathoms, the bottom being sandy, with areas of weed, and is proHfic of life. The forms most plen- tiful were the common globular sea-urchin. Strong ylocentrotus erythrogrammus, with long-pointed spines generally of a purple, but often greenish, colour ; also a very large Asteroid Star-fish, fully 15 inches in diameter, with 11 long arms, the name of which 1 do not know. Amongst the crabs taken we may mention AHcippa parvirostris and I'rigonoplax unguiformis, and of the smaller crustaceans the most important was a single male specimen of the interesting group Cumacea. Of this group Sars describes a Cyclaspis in the report of the Challenger, dredged from near Port Phillip Heads, but the present form belongs to quite a different family, and is congeneric with Diastylis. I know of no record of this genus occurring in Australian waters, but Mr. G. M. Thomson has described one from New Zealand, with which, however, the present form does not specifically agree. I have not yet had an opportunity to see if it can be identified with any known species. The water being unfavourable for further work, we ran to the leeward of Swan Island, and made fast at the military torpedo station jetty. Later in the afternoon we made a fresh start, and dredged between Point Lonsdale and Queensclifif, in Wilson's stations, 2 and 3. The depth is shallow, varying from 2 to 4 fathoms, with a hard rocky bottom, difficult to dredge, also the tides run very strongly. We made a good many hauls, but were disappointed with the results, as we had expected a greater supply ot life than we met with, it is, however, rich in many kinds of Algse. The groups Hydrozoa and Polyzoa were only sparsely represented, but we got some interesting errant Chaetopods, some new sessile-eyed crustaceans, and among other forms the not un- common pedunculated tunicates, Boltenia (2 sp.), Colella (sp.), and an encrusting gelatinous form like Botrillis, but of the allied genus Leptoclinum. After leaving this ground we went further out from shore, in the fareway of the ocean steamers, to about 10 taihoms of water. We only had time for two hauls, and these showed very good material, but the turn of the tide setting in, and night coming on, we made for Queenscliff, and anchored in the harbour for the THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 151 night. During the evening, with a flowing tide, we set a surface- net and got a considerable quantity of microscopical material which has not yet been worked, but shows a plentiful supply of Entomoslraca and larval forms of crabs. The following morning we steamed across to the opposite shore, and spent the day in working the ground lying a little off" the shore, between the quarantine boundary flagstaff and Portsea, but mostly off the quarantine station. The depth varies from 7 to 15 fathoms, and is mostly of hard sand and dead shells, but in places there are nasty hard rocky patches, and our dredge was caught several times. The day's work added considerably to our collec- tions, particularly in the smaller crustaceans and molluscs. One notable crustacean was a single specimen of the genus Nebalia. The very small family to which this genus belongs is of great interest, as, by retaining much of the simplicity of ancestral forms, they unite certain of the Entomostraca (Phyllo- poda) to the higher crustaceans (Malacostraca), and are said to be related to certain of the old-time Palaeozoic fossil forms. There are but three known genera in the family, and altogether only a few species of the genus Nebalia. Prof Sars says we only know certainly of two species, and probably a third from New Zealand. The description of this latter form, by Mr. G. M. Thomson, made several years ago from a single specimen, is not sufficient to enable me to be sure if mine agrees with it or not. Morphologically mine differs but slightly from Prof. Sars's very careful description and drawings of the old world species i\^. bipes, but I think it should be considered specifically distinct. I hope shortly through the kindness of Mr. Thomson to learn how far mine agrees with his.* Some few other crustaceans may be mentioned. Isopoda — Astacilla, sp., Serolis tuberculala ; Amphi- poda — Amaryllis macrophthalmus, very common ; Phoxocephalus bassi, Mcera rubromucu/ata, Li/jeborgia haswelli, several specimens of a new species of the genus Iphiplateia, and also Icilius australis. The two latter genera are remarkable in being much * Since writing the above I liave received specimens from Mr. G. M. Tliomson of his iV. longicorvis, witli which the Victorian one is identical in all respects. It differs from N. bipes when viewed from the side, notably by the fiont of the carapace descent! ing in an almost straight line and meeting the ventral margin in a narrower curve ; also by a characteristic sub-marginal dorsal spine, situated at the apex of each of the caudal rami, pointing upwards, and differing somewhat in form from those fringing the sides. On dissection, the first maxilla; have the inner masticatory lobe bearing only 10 plumose set?e and no spines, while the outer one has spines of a different form (broadening distally and pectinated, not simply bifid), and the palp is not so setose. The branchial feet are also differently proportioned, the endopodite hardly descending beyond the exopodite, its terminal joint being much more rudimen- tary. The last caudal legs are also more rudimentary, and not so spinulose. I hope to give a more particular description of it, with drawings, at a future time. 152 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. flattened and not compressed from side to side as nearly all the Amphipods are ; the antennse also of Iphiplateia are peculiar. We spent the night lying comfortably off Sorrento, and from the shore in the morning we collected some sand-hoppers, which I find belong to a new species of Orchestia. The following morning we steamed up the South Channel, and commenced work near the Channel Fort, above Wilson's stations, 8 and 9, and worked downwards through them, and nearly to the mouth of Symond's Channel. The depth of water near where we commenced work reaches in places 20 fathoms, but varies considerably between that and 12 fathoms; lower down again, at about the middle of station 8, it is only 7 fathoms, and this depth is about the average for the remainder of the way. The character of the bottom, which is mostly of clear coarse sand and broken shells, combined with the depth of water, made hauling up the dredge very heavy work. The most prominent form brought up was the interesting little Lancelet (Amphioxus), which was present in great numbers in every haul to nearly as far as Symond's Channel. As is well known they are worm-like, primitive vertebrate animals, about two inches in length, and of semi-transparent and slightly iridescent colour, structurally agreeing with fishes by the walls of the pharynx possessing many gill-slits modified for respiration, but widely differing from them and the higher animals by the want of a specially differentiated brain and other features. They swim rapidly, and are able to live for an hour or more out of the water. Sufficient water, no doubt, is contained in what is known as the atrial cavity to enable them to sustain life. They were most active on deck by frequently adopting a series of vigorous skipping movements. We had dredged them before in Western Port, but there the locality where they are found is not so extended as in this bay. Amongst them were a considerable number of an errant Chaetopod worm, nearly 2 inches long, closely allied, if not iden- tical, with the genus Ammotrypane, of a pearly colour, and resemble the Amphioxus in general appearance. I mention this, for in Western Port 1 found the same worm together with Amphioxus. No doubt they enjoy the same habitat, and I do not mean to suggest any causal relationship, but it has been noticed in the northern hemisphere that Ophelia, a genus very near to the above, is found with Amphioxus. After lunch we visited the Pope's Eye Beacon, and later worked a considerable area at the entrance of Symond's Channel, in and somewhat outside of Wilson's station No. 6. The depth is between 6 and 9 fathoms, and the bottom mostly sandy and rich in general material, such as sponges, worms, echino- derms, and crustaceans. Amongst many interesting forms I may mention a particularly large specimen of a twelve-plated shield THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 163 Starfish, the name of which I do not know. We had previously on this cruise dredged the not uncommon Pentagonaster aurata, the measurements of typical specimens of which M'Coy gives in his Prodromus as diameter from tip to tip of rays 2 inches 6 lines, and from edge to edge between rays i inch 6 lines. The specimen mentioned above measured respectively 4 inches 3 lines, and 3 inches 3 lines, so that the rays were relatively not so long. In other respects they agree closely. I might here mention that in Western Port I have dredged a specimen of the following measurements : — Diameter from tip to tip of rays, 4 inches 7 lines, and between the rays 2 inches 5 lines. Bringing these measure- ments to a similar proportion for each, and taking the diameter from tip to tip of rays as ico, then the distance from edge to edge between the rays measure — Pentagonaster aurata, ^-^^ ; one from Western Port, ^^^-y ; one from Port Phillip, ^-J-^. Amongst a large number of sessile-eyed crustaceans we may mention the following Amphipods : — Eusiroides casaris, Syrrhoe semiserrata, Atyloides australis, Elasmopus subcarinata, Autonce. philacantha ; and of crabs, the Hermit, Eupagurus lacerto&us, and also the very interesting Boring Hermit, Cancellus typus. This form, instead of inhabiting a univalve shell, and having one of its front legs specially developed to act as an operculum to close the mouth of the shell, is of symmetrical form, and has the two first pairs of legs differentiated to close the opening of its hole, which is bored in a stone or other foreign object. The outer face of these legs are furred, and together fit closely, and very effectually hide the opening, so much so that i_t is next to impossible to find them when first brought out of the water. It is only alter being laid aside on deck for a while that they reveal themselves by protruding from their holes in a desire to get back to their watery element. Amongst worms we took a itv^ specimens of the interesting genus Syllis, having moniliform tentacles and cirri. The members of this and allied genera are remarkable for their reproduction by budding and fission. The method of one species, S. ramosa, I quote from Dr. Benham (" Cambridge Natural History," vol. ii., p. 282) : — "This worm consists of a main stem, whence arise a number of lateral branches, which may also branch so as to give rise to an arborescent colony. The branches of the first and second and higher orders arise by budding from the sides of the original form or branches of lower order ; and some of these branches develop generative products, and bud forth a head near the point of attachment. These sexual branches no doubt separ- ate from the colony and distribute the ova." We also dredged a few of the Crinoid or Feather Starfish {Antedon pumila), some Brittle Stars, and of Polyzoa I may note the peculiar Cryptozoon wilsoni ; this genus differs from 154 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Other Polyzoa by using sand grains to thickly surround the zooecia, so that the colony appears as a mass of thin branching and anastomosing pipes of agglutinated sand. Heavy southerly weather came on, and toward evening we shaped a course for St. Leonard's, where we stayed the night. In the morning we went ashore and did some collecting. The sand-hopper of the beach I found to be identical with Talorchestia novce-hollandice, so far only recorded from New South Wales, but which I have also taken at Beaumaris, and have just lately received specimens collected by Mr. E. Ashby, from Brighton, South Australia. The water was too rough for dredging except under shelter ot a kindly shore, so we went north and rounded Indented Head and Point St. George to the westward, and dredged on .Prince George Bank in about two fathoms of water, going in the direction of Portarlinglon. The bottom is of soft rock and sand with a good deal of weed in places, and we got a good assortment of material. Worms were very plentiful. Of the unsegmented ones, some Polyclad Planarians of normal flat leaf-like form were plentiful, and several fairly large and small Nemertines. These are easily recognized by anyone when they eject their long thread-like proboscis. Of the errant Polycl.teta, representatives of the genera Polynoi and Lepidesthenia were taken. The family to which these belong are peculiarly char- acterized by the possession of scales on their backs, so that they dititer much from a general worm-like appearance. Another errant form of the genus Glycera may be mentioned, as it has not yet been recorded, so far as I know, from Australia. Of sedentary worms we collected several species of Terebellids, and of them one specimen of the interesting genus Pectinaria, which has the head protected by large stiff chsetas of a golden colour. Its tube is prettily formed of sand grains, and the worm is short and stout (the hind portion having become degenerated), and ends in a little recurved leaf-like process. After working this ground we called in at Portarlington, and later left for Melbourne. The following list of Stalk-eyed Crustaceans and Mollusca collected during the cruise is supplied by Mr. F. E. Grant : — Brachyura. — Micippa parvirostris, Miers ... West Channel Leptomithrax spinulosus, Haswell ... Do. Halimus tumidus, Dana. ... Off Queenscliff H. truncatipes, Miers ... Prince George Bank Micippoides longimanus, Haswell ... Do. Pilumnus monilifera, Haswell ... Do. P. terrsereginae, Haswell ... Do. Litocheira bispinosa, Kinahan ... Do. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 155 Trigonoplax unguiformis, De Haan ... West Channel Hymenosoma ovatus, Stimpson ... All grounds H. rostratum, Haswell ... Do. Anomura. — Cryptodromia lateralis, Gray ... Off Queenscliff Galathea australiensis, Stimpson ... West Channel Munida subrugosa ... Do. Cancellus typus, Milne, Edwards ... Off Queenscliff Eupagurus lacertosus, Henderson ... Do. E. lacertosus, van Nana, Henderson ... Do. Macrura. — Alphaeus socialns, Heller ... All grounds A. villosis, Olivier ... Do. Virbius australiensis, Stimpson ... Off Queenscliff Pandalus leptorhynchus, Stimpson ... Do. Leander intermedius, Stimpson ... All grounds. Mollusca. — The only shells of special interest were : — Conus segravei, Gatliff, the first record for Port Phillip ... Off Quarantine Ground. Erato deniiculata, Pritchard and Gat- liff, found alive ... Do. Nucula grayi ... Near St. Leonard's. DESCRIPTIONS OF SOME MALLOPHAGA FROM AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. By Messrs. S. A. Le Souef and H. Bullen. (Communicated by D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S.) {Read be. fur e the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 9th December, 1901.) Birds are the hosts of numerous parasitic hemipterous insects belonging to the sub-order Mallophaga. In Europe and America these have been worked out very thoroughly, but in other countries they have received little attention, for, owing to their small size, they easily escape notice. Each family of birds has it own group of parasites, and a family with a wide dis- tribution—as, for instance, the ducks — will have the same parasite on it in all parts of the world with but slight variations in size, the warmer countries generally affording the larger insects ; hence many European species are found on Australian birds. It is interesting to note also that the colour of the parasite seems to depend a great deal upon the colouration of the bird. The classification of the group has been worked out by Leach, 156 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Nitysch, and Burmeister, and is given in " Monographia Anoplurorum Britannise " by H. Denny (1852) as follows: — Sub-order — Mallophaga. Family ... Philopterida; Liotheida.- Genus ... Trichodectes Philopterus Gyropus Liotheum Sub-^eiiera. Sub-genera. Docophorus Colp6cephaluni Nirmus Menopon Goniocotes Nitzschia Goniodes Trinoton Lipeurus Eureum Ornithobius ' Lsemobothrium Physotomum The genera Trichodectes and Gyropus are parasitic upon the mammalia only, and in determining the Australian forms we have followed the classification given above. The insects to be described have been collected both from birds in their native state and from the same species in confine- ment at the Melbourne Zoological Gardens, and have been found to correspond in every instance, and to be constant in their characteristics. I. — Lipeurus giganteum, found on Australian Crane or Native Companion, Antigone au&tralasimia. Dirty white and shining head, sub-cordate clypeus truncate, lateral margins sinuated to receive eyes and antennae, temporal angles rotundate, base concave ; antennae in female filiform, with first joint the thickest and second longest; male first joint very long, with a blunt tooth on inferior margin, second cylindrical ; third short and internally produced ; fourth and fifth small and filiform. Prothorax narrower than head, which it overUps in- feriorly, slightly convex anteriorly. Metathorax truncate in front, lateral margins gradually widening to basal angles, which are semi-acute, base truncate. Legs white, ungues chestnut. Abdo- men semi-elliptical, with sides a little serrated ; last segment in female cleft, in male produced, forming an obtuse angle. Length — Male 2^, and female 3 lines. 2. — Lipeurus ibis, found on White Ibis, Threskiornis stricti- pennis. Elongate, with a broad intermittent chestnut band round the body ; head very long, somewhat conical ; clypeus semi- hemispherical, with two hooked lines extending from its base downwards, and two small hairs on each side ; antennse long and filiform in female, and slightly stouter in male, with the last two joints at an angle with first three ; eyes prominent, an indefinite line extending from base of antennae to base of head, which is truncate. Prothorax quadrate, sides deep chestnut, metathorax widest posteriorly, sides chestnut. Legs long and THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 157 pale. Abdomen elongate and clavate, first two segments very long, first entirely chestnut, second with a pale line in centre, each subsequent one quadrilateral, with a chestnut patch laterally, last segment cleft entirely chestnut. Lengtli, 2 lines. 3. — LiPEURUS MEXURA, found on Lyre-bird, Menivra sitperba. Elongate, abdomen banded transversely with dark chestnut bands ; head very long and narrow, margins dark brown, eyes small but prominent ; antennae long, last two joints in male stand at an angle with the rest, a dark band extending trans- versely between antenna. Prothorax quadrate, lateral margins pitchy-chestnut. Metaihorax truncate, sides pitchy-chestnut ; legs long and pale. Abdomen elongate, nearly filiform, each segment pitchy-brown, last one cleft in both sexes ; suitures pale. Length, i^ lines. 4. — LiPEURUS ALBUS, found on the White Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Cacoiua galeri'a. Elongate and very pale ; head sub-ovate, clypeus semi-hemi- spherical ; antennse in male first joint robust, second and third longer, fourth and fifth short ; eyes obscure. Prothorax semi- quadrate ; metathorax truncate, with lateral margins slightly converging from the base, which is width of head ; legs pale and robust, ungues light chestnut. Abdomen sub-clavate. Length — Male I line, female i^ lines. 5, 6. — NiRMUS SETOSUM, found on Emu, Drommus novcc,- ho/layidice. Abdomen darkly banded in male and blotched in female. Head large and conical, chestnut anteriorly with a dark band from base of antennae to occiput. Clypeus bifurcate, basal angles rotundate, base concave; antennae filiform in both sexes; eyes pale but prominent, with ferruginous angular patches behind them. Legs light chestnut ; prothorax narrower than head, irregularly convex in front, sides rotundate, base sinuously pro- duced. Metathorax wider than head ; lateral margins rotundate ; abdomen sub-elliptical, nine segments, very setose. Female with irregular ferruginous patch on lateral margins of first seven segments, irregular chestnut patch on last segment, which is convex and cleft. Male, chestnut band across each segment except first two, which have ferruginous patches laterally. Length — Male i^, female 2 lines. 7. — NiRMUS MENURA, found on Lyre-bird, Menura superba. Head and thorax light yellow ; abdomen with ferruginous margins; head sub-triangular, clypeus retuse, lateral margins, entire, except fovae containing antennse, a chestnut line runs round the head ; eyes pale and obscure ; tribeculae prominent ; antennae filiform, first joint longest ; legs pale. Prothorax narrow and sub- quadrate, truncate anteriorly and irregularly convex 158 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. posteriorly. Metathorax sub-ovate, with semi-acute lateral angles and semi-lunar convex base slightly wider than head ; abdomen claviform, with first seven segments serrated at lateral margins, eighth and ninth segments conical, whole, and setose in the male, and cleft in the female, Length— Female i, and male ^ line. 8. — Menopon psittacus, found on Rosella Parrot, FlatycercMs eximins. Light brown, broadly banded ; head sub-trapezoidal, pale fulvus, with a patch of dark fulvus at base of antennae,, and a line joining antennje to occiput ; clypeus semi-lunar base concave convex, with a dark chestnut line running transversely. Prothorax cup-shaped, slightly concave anteriorly, rotundate posteriorly. Metathorax sub-conical, wide as head, concave anteriorly, truncate posteriorly ; abdomen clavate, each segment banded transversely with light chestnut. Length, 1% lines. g. — Menopon menijra, found on Lyre-bird, Menura superha. Pale yellow, head irregularly sub-triangular, a light chestnut line running behind clypeus, and extending from base of fovae to base of occiput; clypeus conical, palpi long and filiform; antennae capitate ; eyes marked by two black spots posteriorly in fovae, which contains antennae ; basal angles produced, base concave, with two ferruginous horny protuberances on each side of occiput. Prothorax narrower than head, truncate anteriorly, convex posteriorly, lateral angles acute and somewhat produced. Metathorax sub-conical and concave anteriorly, base width of head ; legs pale yellow ; abdomen sub-clavate, bluntly serrated at lateral margins; sutural margins slightly setose. Length, iy& Imes. lo. — Colpocephalum vinculum, found on Pied Crow- Shrike, " Apostle-bird," Strepera grauculina. Deep chestnut, abdomen very distinctly banded ; head trans- verse, a chestnut line extending from base of palpi to eyes, where it gets pitchy-black, a small black spot immediately behind this; basal angles produced to dark chestnut, with three light hair follicles. Prothorax sub-quadrate ; lateral angles acute, a dark line running transversely anteriorly, and a sinuated line running from middle of anterior side to centre. Metathorax transverse, sub-conical, basal angles acute and prominent; legs robust, lined with deep chestnut ; abdomen semi-elliptical, each segment broadly banded with deep chestnut, and having a small black f c^n Mtudinal line on lateral margins. Length, 2 lines. EXPLANATION OF PLATE. 1. — Lipeurus giganteum. 7. — N. menura. 2. — L. ibis. J5. — Menopon psittacus. 3.— L. menura. 9— M. menura. 4. L albus. 10. — Colpocephalum vinculum. 5.— Nirmus setosum (male). 1 1. -Heterodoxiis macropus. 6. — N. setosum (female). I, THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. February, 1902. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 159 DESCRIPTION OF A MALLOPHAGOUS PARASITE FROM THE KANGAROO. By S. A. Le Souef and H. Bullen. (Communicated by D. Le Souef, C. M.Z.S.) {Read before, the Field Naturalists'' Club of Victoria, 13th January, 1902.) This insect (fig. ii on plate) is interesting on account of its being only the second two-clawed parasite of the family Liotheidse which has been found on a mammal. For the previously recorded two-clawed parasite found on the Wombat, the genus Boopia was founded by Piaget. The insect under consideration differs, however, in many respects from it, and closely resembles the sub-genus Menopon, but as that sub- genus has been regarded by former writers as being exclusively confined to birds, in order that there may be no confusion we have determined to found a new genus, Heterodoxus, for it. The specimens examined were found on members of the Kan- garoo family, chiefly Wallabies, which were generally thickly infested, and were collected in Victoria, as well as in Queensland. We have not met with it in Western Australia, but it probably exists there also. Heterodoxus macropus. — Foimd on Kangaroos, Wallabies, &c. ; colour pale chestnut ; head bluntly conical ; clypeus semi- lunar, basal angles rotundate, base concave ; palpi filiform, four- jointed, and sometimes exserted ; antennae four-jointed, first joint cylindrical, second semi-globular, third goblet-shaped, and fourth capitate ; eyes rather obscure, a dark line extending from base of palpi transversely and then to occiput. Prothorax transversely- ovate, anteriorly truncate, posteriorly convex. Metathorax semi- conical, anteriorly narrow and concave; posteriorly slightly convex, with semi-acute lateral angles. Legs pale, long, and robust, second joint of tarsi long and straight, two divergent ungues ; abdomen elongate ovate, nine segments with lateral margins bluntly serrated ; last segment of male convex, of female truncate. Length — Male ij^ lines, female i^ lines. The Walhalla Goldfield. — A comprehensive report on the Walhalla goldfield, by Mr. H. Herman, B.C.E., F.G.S., Acting Government Geologist, illustrated with plates, plans, and sec- tions, has recently been issued by the Department of Mines, Victoria (price 5s,) A full account is given of the geology of the district, which is principally Upper Silurian, and of the numerous mines which have been opened up ; while Mr. A. W. Howitt, F.G.S., furnishes a report on the microscopic exam- ination of a large series of rock sections, and also contributes some interesting notes on the Eucalypts of the district. A list, with notes, of the more noticeable plants found in the neighbour- hood of Walhalla is contributed by Mr. H. T. Tisdall, who enumerates over 400 species, many of which are somewhat rare. 160 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Central Australian Anthropology. — The expedition under the leadership of Professor Baldwin Spencer and Mr. F. J. Gillen duly reached the Macarthur River, Northern Territory, as forecasted in the November Naturalist ; but Prof. Spencer, writing on loth December from Borroloola (i6° S., i36|° E.), a small township about 50 miles from the mouth of the river, states that the expedition has been delayed there, owing to the foundering of the steamer which should have taken them on to Port Darwin as previously arranged, and as the next steamer is not due until some time in February, a long, tedious wait must result unless some steps are taken to send a vessel earlier. The members of the party have all had a touch of malarial fever, and are consequently not in a fit state to stand the approaching wet season in the Northern Territory, and as, in anticipation of the steamer being at Borroloola, they had disposed of their transport equipment before reaching there, they are unable to make the land journey to Port Darwin, some 650 miles, while Normanton, the nearest town of importance in Queensland, is some 350 miles away, over a difficult route. Either journey would be a rather arduous under- taking in the present circumstances. The matter of affording the expedition some relief was brought before the Commonwealth Parliament without result. However, the Premier of Victoria (Hon. A. J. Peacock) placed himself in communication with the Queensland Government, and it has arranged to send a small steamer from Normanton, and bring the party on to that port, from whence there is frequent communication with Eastern Australia. Prof Spencer should therefore reach Melbourne towards the end of February. The Geology of Lake Eyre, Central Australia. — Professor Gregory, F.R.S., and a party of his students from the Melbourne University may be congratulated on the successful termination of one of the longest vacation excursions yet made in Australia. The object of the trip was to study the geology of the Lake Eyre basin and make a collection of the fossil remains of extinct animals, &c., which are to be found there. Making Hergott Springs, about 490 miles north of Adelaide and just 777 miles by railway from Melbourne, their starting point, they travelled north-easterly to Cooper's Creek, thence northerly to the Diamantina River, and then round the northern shores of Lake Eyre, striking the railway again, after a journey of about 350 miles through almost uninhabited country, at Warrina, nearly 200 miles north of Hergott Springs. Owing to the dry nature of the country camels had to be employed as means of transport, and notwithstanding the difficulties of the trip a good collection of palseontological as well as zoological and botanical specimens was made, and will form work for future study. THE JJ i c t o r i a u y a t xi t a I i 0 1. Vol. XVIIL— No. 11. MARCH 6, 1902. No. 219. FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held in the Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, loth February, 1902. Mr. O. A. Sayce (one of the vice-presidents) occupied the chair, and about 70 members and visitors were present. REPORTS. A report of the Club's excursion to Bulleen on Saturday, iSth January, was read by the leader, Mr. W. Stickland, the object of the excursion being pond life. Some pools on the south bank of the Yarra, between Willsmere and Heidelberg, were visited, and a number of interesting Rotifers were secured, belonging to the genera Lacinularia, Floscularia, Melicerta, and CEcistes ; also Synchceta tremula, Fur cul aria longisfita, Dinocharis teiractis, and others. Among the Protozoa taken were Actmoupcerium eichhoryiii and Carchesium polypinum. Stentor barretti, believed to be an unrecorded species for Victoria, was also taken,- as were also specimens of Volvox, Algae, &c. Almost the only plant seen in bloom was Convolvulus sepium. A report of the excursion to Upper Ferntree Gully on Mon- day, 27th January (Foundation Day), was furnished by Mr. C. French, jun., who acted as leader oh the occasion. Among the plants noticed were mentioned Veronica calycina, Senecio lautus (with very small leaves), Lobelia simplicicaulis, Glycine latroheana, and a very fine specimen of the orchid Dipodiam punctatum. Lepidoptera were reported scarce, while among the Coleoptera specimens of Chlorobapta bestii, Stigmodera bremei, Mordella leucosticta, &c., were collected. librarian's report. The hon. librarian reported the receipt of the following dona- tions to the library : — " Report on the Underground Survey of Mines at Bendigo," from the Department of Mines, Victoria ; Journal of Agriculture of Victoria, No. i, January, 1902, from the Department of Agriculture, Victoria ; " Report of Government Entomologist of Victoria," 1900, by C. French, F.LS., from the author ; The Wombat, January, 1902, from the Geelong Field Naturalists' Club; "Proceedings of the Royal Society of South Australia," vol. xxv., part 2, 1901, from the Society; publications of the Field Columbian Museum, Chicago, for March, A[)ril, and June, 1 901, from the Museum ; " Proceedings of Academy of ^-jl<« 162 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Natural Sciences, Philadelphia," vol. liii., 1901, from the Academy; Nature Notes, January, 1902, from the Selborne Society, London ; Science Gossip and Knowledge, January, 1902, from the proprietors ; American Microscopical Journal, January to July, 1901, from the publishers. ELECTIONS. On a ballot being taken, Mr. W. H. Luly, l.Veston, was duly elected a member of the Club. GENERAL BUSINESS. Mr. F. G. A. Barnard drew attention to the fact that the Govern- ment proposed to cut up the land formerly held by the Zoological and Acclimatisation Society as a reserve at Gembrook, and thought that the Club should urge that portion of the land be reserved along the Gembrook Creek for the protection of the vegetation. He therefore moved — " That a letter be written to the Minister of Lands asking that a strip of land, at least 5 chains in width, on each side of the creek, be reserved." Mr. H. T. Tisdall seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. PAPERS. 1. By Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., "A Visit to Furneaux Group of Islands." The author gave an interesting account of a recent visit to these islands, which was undertaken principally with a view to the study of the bird life so abundant on them. Among the birds seen was mentioned the Cape Barren Goose, which the author thought ought to be protected, stating that the settlers tried to keep down their numbers on account of their eating the grass required for the few bullocks which are kept on the islands. Greater interest was lent to the paper owing to the exhibition of a fine series of lantern views of scenes on the different islands visited. Messrs. G. A. Keartland and A. E. Kitson supported Mr. Le Souef's remarks regarding the Cape Barren Goose, and thouglit that some steps should be taken to preserve this interesting bird. Messrs. R. Hall and A. J. Campbell also took part in an interesting discussion which followed. 2. By Mr. G. A. Keartland, entitled " Among the Birds of Riverina." The author detailed the ornithological results of a visit to Riverina in September last, in company with two other members of the Club, and exhibited a number of specimens collected in illustration of his remarks. A large number of birds were noticed during the trip, many of which were found nesting. In the discussion which followed Messrs. R. Hall, D. Le Souef, and A. J. Campbell took part. THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 163 EXHIBITS. By Mr. E. Anderson. — Specimens of the moth Bomhijx Iri- maculata, bred from larvre collected near Melbourne. By Miss S. W. L. Cochrane.— Painting of Tetratheca ciliata. By Mrs. C. French, jun. — -13 Argonaut shells, Argonauta nodosa, varying in size from r inch to 6 inches in diameter. By Mr. C. French, jun. — Fungus, Microcera tasmanice, M'Alpine, destroying the Mussel Scale, Mytilaspis pomorum. By Mr. G. A. Keartland. — Birds and eggs from Riverina, in illustration of paper. By Mr. A. E. Kitson, F.G.S.— Glaciated pebbles from the recently discovered glacial beds of permo-carboniferous age on the N.W. coast of Tasmania, at Wynyard, Table Cape. Samples of rocks forming glacial conglomerate, Wynyard. Impure lime- stones of Eocene (?) age, showing fossil molluscs and leaves on same specimen, from Mitchell's Creek, near Wynyard. Tasmanite, with marine fossils, consisting of Lamellibranchs, Gasteropods, and Brachiopods, from the permo-carboniferous beds on the Mersey River, near Lalrobe, Tasmania. After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. NOTE ON THE GREEN SANDPIPER, HELODROMAS OCHROPUS, TEMM. By Robert Hall. {Read he/ort the Field Naturalists' CJuh of Victoria, 13