38 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings rvj"^xxx'iii 



vote of thanks was passed to the auditors, Messrs. Stickland 

 and Wilcox, for their services. 



REMARKS ON EXHIBITS. 



In referring to his and Mr. C. French, jun.'s, exhibit of 

 autumn and winter flowering orchids, Mr. E. E. Pescott, F.L.S., 

 directed attention to the fact that Professor Ewart had recently 

 revived R. Brown's species of Pterostylis revoluta, which had 

 for years been grouped with Pterostylis reflexa. The collection 

 of Prasophyllum Dixoni, F. v. M., was also noticed, this being 

 a very local and exceedingly rare species. Ten species were 

 exhibited, all of which were collected this year. 



Mr. J. Searle called attention to his exhibit of a curious 

 gall, Apiomorpha duplex, Schr., formed hy the fusion of two 

 eucalyptus leaves, and resembling a banana in size and shape, 

 and said the specimen was obtained in the ranges near War- 

 burton on nth Jime, at an elevation of about 4,000 feet above 

 sea-level. Galls of various sorts were found, in more or less 

 abundance, throughout the world, and were produced by various 

 orders of insects, but principally by species of Cynips. These 

 interesting growths would seem to be induced by the action 

 of the minute drop of irritant poison injected by the female 

 into one or more cells in the leaf or bud. The cells, being thus 

 abnormally stimulated, increased by a process of subdivision. 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard said he was exhibiting a young speci- 

 men of the Slender Tree-fern, Cyathea Cimninghaim.. Hook fl.. 

 collected near Sealers' Cove, Wilson's Promontory, during the 

 Club's excursion to the National Park in December, 1914. The 

 plant was then i^ inches in height, but recent fronds were four 

 or five inches in length. Though Cyatheas 15 to 40 feet higli 

 were common at the Promontory, the plant exhibited was 

 the only seedling he had been able to find. He considered the 

 Cyathea the prettiest of our tree-ferns. 



Mr. F. Chapman, in directing attention to his exhibit of a 

 spray of the Drooping Sheoke, Casttarina qiiadrivalvis, showing 

 staminate spikes, said the tree from which the specimen was 

 obtained was five years old, of robust habit, and afforded a 

 pleasing contrast to the other trees with which it was associated. 

 It was now displaying staminate flowers. He desired to know 

 if such was now the case with similar species in their natural 

 state. 



Mr. St. Jolm, in reply, said that he had noticed many speci- 

 mens of the Drooping Sheoke bearing male inflorescence at 

 Langwarrin on the occasion of the Frankston excursion on 

 Monday. 5th June. The tree was worthy of cultivation. So 

 far the Melbourne Botanic Garden had one specimen, as against 

 84 in the Botanic Garden, Mexico. 



