134 Field Naturalists' Cliih — Proceedings. [vof'^'xxx 



XXXV. 



Mr. P. R. H. St. John called attention to his exhibit of flowers 

 of the Western Australian eucalypt, E. erythronema, Turcz. 

 — the normal form, with crimson stamens, and a variety raised 

 by a member, Mr. B. Hodgins, with pale yellow stamens. 



PAPER READ. 



By Mr. F. Chapman, A.L.S., entitled "A Sketch of the 

 Geological History of Australian Plants : the Mesozoic Flora." 



The author said that in the first paper on the subject, pub- 

 lished in the Naturalist for January last (vol. xxxiv., p. 140), 

 he had dealt with the Palaeozoic or earliest forms of plant life 

 exhibited by Australian fossils. In the present paper he 

 would deal with the forms found in formations belonging to 

 the middle period of geological history. He then gave some 

 account of the principal plant remains found in the various 

 formations belonging to the Mesozoic period, illustrating his 

 remarks by a fine series of lantern slides, many of which 

 depicted forms not previously illustrated. He remarked that 

 further investigation of the interesting flora of this period would 

 probably lead to the discovery of other coal-bearing deposits 

 in Australia at present unknown. 



Mr. Barnard said the members were deeply indebted to Mr. 

 Chapman for the interesting paper he had read, and more 

 especially for the excellent way in which his remarks had been 

 illustrated. It was interesting to find so many points of agree- 

 ment between the fossils of Australia and other parts of the 

 world. 



Mr. P. Morrison asked how the fossil ginkgos compared in size 

 with the ginkgo tree of to-day, to which the author replied that 

 the fossil leaves were exactly of the same size and type as the 

 ginkgos now living in Japan and to be seen in our own Botanical 

 Gardens. 



In reply to the chairman, he said that, \vith regard to the 

 preservation of remains of the mud-fish so perfectly, this arose 

 from the fact of the animal being provided with tough scales, 

 which resisted compression more than those of ordinary fishes. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Mr. p. R. H. St. John said that in a recent issue of the Mirror, 

 a Sydney newspaper, in its natural history column, it was stated 

 that the newly-hatched young of Black Swans were white, 

 and those of White Swans were black. This, he said, was 

 wrong, and could be seen at present by examples at the 

 Botanical Gardens, where broods of both swans were almost 

 indistinguishable, being of a dull greyish-white. 



Mr. H. B. Williamson said that when visiting Sherbrooke 

 Palls a few days before, he had been surprised at the hundreds 



