20 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. [vJ"^''xxxV 



Professor Spencer said that, with regard to the question of 

 cannibahsm, the Australian aboriginals could not be accused 

 of cannibalism as usually understood. They did sometimes 

 eat human flesh, but it was purely in a ceremonial way. 



Owing to the lateness of the hour, the paper by Mr. T. Steel, 

 F.L.S., " Tracks of the Garden Snail," was postponed until 

 next meeting. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Mr. J. Searle said that he had kept several of the larvae of 

 the flies referred to in the Wattle Park report, along with ants, 

 until they turned into the perfect insect, but he had been 

 unable to determine anything as to their food. Mr. F. Spry 

 said that similar flies are found in different parts of the world, 

 but their life-histories are as yet unknown. He had tried on 

 several occasions to discover what the larvae live on, but with- 

 out success. 



Mr. F. Keep read an extract from the Scientific Australian, 

 stating that a kangaroo had kept up a pace of forty miles per 

 hour for at least two miles against a motor-car. 



Mr. G. A. Keartland said that recently large numbers of 

 Rose-breasted Cockatoos had visited the Preston district, where 

 they had not been seen for years. 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard said that he had seen a few days before 

 a female " Imperial White " butterfly, Delias harpalyce, Don., 

 flying at Kew. This, he thought, was an unusual occurrence 

 for May, but Mr. F. Spry said it had also been recorded as 

 having been seen in June. 



EXHIBITS. 



By Mr. J. W. Audas, F.L.S. — Thirty species of flowering 

 plants collected at Yairam, South Gippsland, October, 1917, 

 including Boronia anemonifolia, Cyathodes acerosa, Pultencea 

 faleacea, P. juniperina, Choretriim laterifolium , Helichrysum 

 hracteatum, H. rosmarinifoUmn, Acacia Howittii, Leptocarpos 

 Brownii, L. tenax, Caustis pentandra, Epacris lanuginosa, 

 SccBvola hispida, and Gompholohium latifoliuui. These should 

 have been recorded for the April meeting, having been ex- 

 hibited then in illustration of paper on plants of Yarram 

 district. 



By Mr. F. G. A. Barnard. — Growing fern, Asplenium 

 flaccidum, collected at Wilson's Promontory, December, IQ14. 



By Mr. C. Daley, F.L.S. — Stibnite, antimony ore from Coster- 

 field, Victoria, and Numeaite, nickel ore, from New Caledonia. 



By Miss A. Fuller.— Papuan butterflies. 



By Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S. — Large specimen of marine 

 shell, Valuta mammilla, found on beach, National Park, Wilson's 

 Promontory, by Mr. W. J. Cripps. 



