CDe Uictorian natwralist 



Vol. XXXVI.— No. 4. AUGUST 7, 1919. No. 428. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held at the 

 Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 14th July, 1919. 



The president, Mr. A. D. Hardy, F.L.S., occupied the chair, 

 and about sixty-five members and friends were present. 



REPORTS. 



In the absence of the leader. Prof. Sir W. Baldwin Spencer, 

 K.C.M.G., D.Sc, M.A., F.R.S., a report of the visit to the 

 National Museum (Ethnology branch) was given by Mr. A. D. 

 Hardy, F.L.S., who said that about twenty-two members had 

 attended. The Professor first gave an outline of the course 

 he proposed to follow, dealing firstly with the everyday life 

 of the aboriginal, and secondly with their sacred rites. In 

 viewing the exhibits, special interest was shown in the case 

 showing Australian stone implements of different kinds along 

 with exactly parallel examples from different parts of Europe, 

 thus demonstrating in a striking manner the similarity between 

 present-day tribes in Australia and the people of the Eolithic, 

 Palaeolithic, and Neolithic periods in the old world before the 

 dawn of history. Canoes, weapons, and samples of native 

 weaving with bark, hair-string, &c., were also sources of attrac- 

 tion to many, and a much longer time could have been profit- 

 ably spent under the guidance of Sir Baldwin, but another 

 engagement compelled him to curtail his remarks. 



ELECTION OF MEMBERS. 



On a ballot being taken, Mrs. C. Barlow, 95 Raglan-street, 

 St. Kilda, and Mrs. M. M. Cochrane, P.O., Murrumbeena, were 

 duly elected as ordinary members ; Miss K. Currie, Lardner, 

 Mr. J. C.Goudie, Sea Lake, and Rev. W. W. Watts, F.L.S., 

 as country members ; and Miss Valmai Cochrane, P.O., Murrum- 

 beena, as an associate member of the Club. 



GENERAL BUSINESS. 



The president welcomed Dr. (now Major) W. Macgillivray, 

 of Broken Hill, who had just returned from the front. Major 

 Macgillivray, in acknowledging the welcome, gave some 

 interesting particulars of the sea-birds which he had seen on 

 his way to England, notably those around South Africa. He 

 said that Petrels had been seen 1,200 miles from the nearest 

 land. He also mentioned the Terns, of which several species 



h 



