1 8 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. [yj' 



Vict. Nat. 

 XXXV. 



a prolific hunting-ground. A visit was first paid to tlic wattle 

 plantation formed last June, where it was gratifying to see 

 that nearly every tree was doing well. Some had made fine 

 growth, while Acacia retinodes and A. discolor could each boast 

 of a few flowers. Rambling through the wooded portion of 

 the park towards the eastern boundary, few plants were seen 

 in bloom, Styphelia {Astroloma) humifusa being perhaps the 

 most uncommon. Diligent search was made for the little 

 orchid Eriochilns autmnnalis, so abundant on the previous 

 visit in March of last year, but not one could be seen. A few 

 birds of the commoner kinds were seen or heard, and, in 

 addition, some quail were disturbed by our presence, and 

 quickly made for cover. Members who devoted themselves 

 to microscopic life were successful in finding a fair variety of 

 aquatic objects in a small creek in the south-eastern corner 

 of the park. Another object collected was the larva of the 

 syrphid fly, Microdon daveyi, which, although not an un- 

 common insect, is interesting from the fact that it selects the 

 nests of ants under the bark of trees as the place in which to 

 live and pupate. Little is known of the reasons for this way 

 of living, or whether its presence is of any benefit to the ants, 

 or the ants to it. Among some fungi collected a polyporus 

 was found to be infested with some minute insects, apparently 

 of the springtail group (Collembola). 



A report of the excursion to the Burnley Quarries on Satur- 

 day, nth May, was given by the leader of the pond-life section, 

 Mr. J. Stickland, who said that most of the excursionists had 

 followed Dr. Pritchard, and devoted themselves to geology. 

 The recent rain had somewhat interfered with the pools in the 

 quarries ; still, a number of interesting forms were met with, 

 among which were some fine colonies of the infusorian, 

 Zoothamnimn (?) dichotomum. In the absence of Dr. Pritchard, 

 Mr. A. L. Scott said that the geologists, after the general 

 character of the basalt flow in which the quarries are situated 

 had been explained, crossed the river by the Heyington bridge, 

 where the principal features of Silurian formation were pointed 

 out. The time, however, proved to be too short, and Dr. 

 Pritchard offered to repeat the excursion on a date to be 

 arranged. 



[An extra excursion to Heyington, under Dr. Pritchard, has 

 been arranged for Saturday, 15th June.] 



ELECTION OF MEMBERS. 



On a ballot being taken, Mr. Percy H. Bond, Scotch College, 

 Hawthorn, was duly elected an ordinary member ; and Messrs. 

 Walter Mann, Rockmount, Narracan, and Thos. Smith Savige, 

 Narracan East, as country members of the Club, 



