Cbe Uictorian natu ralist 



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Vol. XXXV.— No. 5. SEPTEMBER 5, 1918. No. 417. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The monthly meeting of the Club was held at the Royal 

 Society's Hall on Monday evening, i2th August, igi8. 



The president, Mr. A. D. Hard}^ F.L.S., occupied the chair, 

 and about seventy members and visitors were present. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



From Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union, intimating 

 that Mr. A. H. E. Mattingley and Capt. S. A. White, of 

 Adelaide, had been appointed as its representatives to visit 

 Macquarie Island and report on the alleged cruelty practised 

 there in the obtaining of penguin oil, and asking for the Club's- 

 endorsement of the appointment. 



Professor Sir Baldwin Spencer, K.C.M.G., thought that, as- 

 thc {question had been brought before the Club originally, the 

 Club should take the matter up. It was important to know 

 whether the gentlemen named were going as the guests of Mr. 

 Hatcli or independentl}^. 



Mr. F. Keep drew attention to a paragraph in the Herald 

 of that evening quoting the conditions under which the island 

 had been leased to Mr. Hatch's company by the Tasmanian 

 Government, one of which was that the lessees should provide 

 free transit and sustenance to a representative of the Govern- 

 ment who would be authorized to investigate the method of 

 \\-orking. 



Professor Spencer moved that the president and Mr. J. A. 

 Kershaw be appointed a committee to watch the interests of 

 the Club, and to communicate with the Tasmanian Government 

 on the matter. The motion was seconded by Mr. G. A. Keart- 

 land, supported by Messrs. D. Best and J. A. Kershaw, and. 

 carried. 



REPORTS. 



A report of the visit to the Science Branch of the Department 

 of Agriculture on Saturday, 13th July, was given by Mr. C. 

 French, jun., Government Entomologist, who acted as leader 

 so far as his branch was concerned. He reported an attend- 

 ance of about twenty-five members and friends, who evinced 

 considerable interest in the collections. A number of life- 

 histories of various injurious insects were explained. The 

 cabinets contain, besides Australian species, representative 

 specimens of various kinds from other parts of the world, 

 numbering several thousands, and have been largely added to 

 during recent years, the collection of scale-insects alone 



