Che Uictorian naturalist 



Vol. XXXIII.— No. 11. MARCH 8, 1917. No. 399. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary monthly meeting of the CUib was held at the 

 Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 12th February, iqiy. 



The president, Mr. F. Pitcher, occupied the chair, and about • 

 forty-five members and visitors were present. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 'I'- 



From Hawthorn Tramways Trust, thanking the Club for 

 the interest evinced in the land recently acquired near Burwood 

 for the purposes of a park, and stating that the Trust will be 

 pleased to consider any suggestions submitted by the Club. 



From Mr. F. Lewis, Acting Chief Inspector of Fisheries and 

 Game, questioning some of the statements contained in the 

 paper, " Upsetting the Balance of Nature," by Mr. H. W. 

 Davey, F.E.S., in the current (February) Naturalist, and 

 giving the Department's experience with regard to the decrease 

 in the number of Blackfish in certain streams. 



Messrs. J. Gabriel, G. A. Keartland. E. Cox, and J. Hill 

 contended that Mr. Davey's conclusions as regards the 

 destructiveness of perch and trout were correct, Mr. Cox 

 stating that the native perch was far superior to the English 

 perch, both as an edible fish and a sporting fish. 



REPORTS. 



A report of the excursion to Altona Bay on Saturday, 20th 

 January, was given by the leader, Mr. F. Chapman, A.L.S., 

 who said that the party, which included some members of the 

 Microscopical Society, was favoured by a fine day and a low 

 tide. Gatherings from shallow pools yielded numbers of 

 Foraminifera, but unfortunately all were dead ; but the diatom, 

 Bacillaria paradoxa, was greatly in evidence, and actively 

 engaged in its remarkable movements. Some fifty species of 

 moUuscan shells were collected, but none of them was of any 

 great rarity. 



A report of the excursion to Launching Place on Monday, 

 29th January (Foundation Day), was given by the leader, Mr. 

 P. R. H. St. John, who said that the outing was poorly 

 attended, but proved very interesting. A fine day was ex- 

 perienced. About sixty species of plants were noted. A 

 Blackwood, Acacia melanoxylon, had been noticed completely 

 covered with Mistletoe, Loranthtis qviandang, Lindl. Some nice 

 specimens of the Yellow Bladderwort, Utricnlaria flexnosa, were 

 obtained in one of the lagoons visited. Mr. J. Wilcox referred 



