{^"■'] Field Naturalists^ Chth — Proceedings. 135 



of pieces of unrolled tree-fern fronds lying on the ground, and 

 asked for information as to what had caused the destruction. 

 He exhibited several of the fronds, which appeared as if they 

 had been bitten off. He could find no trace of insect action, 

 and attributed it to birds, but the question arose, What bird ? 



Mr. Barnard said he had a long experience of fern gullies, 

 and had never noticed anything of the kind. 



[It has since been suggested that this was the work of 

 possums, which are very fond of anything succulent, such as 

 young tree-fern fronds. — ^Ed. Vict. Nat.] 



EXHIBITS. 



By Mr. F. Chapman, A.L.S. — Specimens of burrowing beetles, 

 Scitala sericans, Er., and Anodontonyx, sp. (Scarabaeidae), from 

 a turf-heap at Balwyn. 



By Mr. C. A. Nethercote. — Fine specimens of the Blue Pin- 

 cushion flower, Bninonia australis, Smith, also white example 

 of the same, from Wandin ; flowers of Austral Bluebell, Wahlen- 

 bergia gracilis, A. De C, with white example. 



By Mr. C. L. Plumridge. — Flowering specimens of Blue OUve- 

 berry, Elceocarpus cyaneus, grown at Kew. 



By Mr. P. R. H. St. John. — Flowering specimens of Eucalyptus 

 erythronema, Turcz., of Western Australia, also yellow-flowered 

 form raised by Mr. B. Hodgins at Essendon. 



By Mr. A. L. Scott. — ^Wolfram from Wilks's Creek, near Marys- 

 ville. 



After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. 



EXCURSION TO RINGWOOD. 



The excursion to Ringwood on Saturday, 19th October, was 

 arranged for orchids and physiography, and was well attended, 

 the afternoon being very fine and pleasant. On the botanical 

 side of the excursion little of note was recorded, so it is left 

 to the physiographist to give some little account of the outing. 

 Ascending the prominent hill about half a mile to the north of 

 Ringwood station by a fairly easy, circuitous road, the sandy 

 and rubbly nature of the soil was noticed, conducing to favour- 

 able growth and condition of the numerous rock-loving plants 

 seen on the slopes, the cultivated succulents and garden plants 

 becoming more prominent as we neared the residence on the 

 summit of the hill, which stands at about 600 feet above sea- 

 level. The hill affords one of the best panoramic views of this 

 specially interesting country. Here we are in the heart of an 

 area of uplift, block-faulting, river-erosion, and stream-capture. 

 The main river systems are so complicated in their history 



