T32 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. [vol"^xxxi'v 



R. T. Baker, from Kildary, New South Wales, collected by 

 Mr. \V. R. A. Baker, ytli October, 1917. 



By Mr. J. Stickland. — Under microscope, Thuricola opercii- 

 lata, a tube-building protozoon with a trap-door in its tube : 

 also Plumatella, sp. 



By Mr. H. B. Williamson. — Dried specimen of lircmophila 

 crassifolia, F. v. M., Thick-leaved Emu-bush, collected near 

 Murrayville, Victoria, December, 1916 — a South Australian 

 species not ]jreviously recorded for Victoria. 



By ]\Ir. 1*". \\'isewould. — Examples of the wild-flowers seen or 

 collected during the Pakenham excursion. 



The president wished the members the season's greetings, 

 and the meeting terminated with the iisual conversazione. 



EXCURSION TO HEIDELBERG. 



The excursion to Heidelberg on Saturday, 20th October, for 

 the study of aquatic zoology, was well attended, and included 

 several members of the Microscopical Society. The dav was 

 heavy and threatening, but the rain kept of^' until our party 

 w-as entrained for the home journey : then it poured down in 

 torrents, obliterating the landscape from view. The storm 

 lasted about twenty minutes, ])ut had all cleared off before we 

 readied the city. We found the ponds at Heidelberg in 

 splendid condition, and teeming with specimens, most of the 

 well-known forms of aquatic fauna being present, while one 

 or two rarities were ca})tured, one of these being a colonial 

 form of Protozoa, glo])ular in shape and about the size of a 

 large pea, the zooids dwelling in tubes formed in the gelatinous 

 mass. Feeding on these were a number of rotifers — probably 

 one of the Proales — resembling a species of that genus found 

 parasitic in \'olvox. The movements of the rotifers, as viewed 

 under the microscope, were interesting to watch. They would 

 crawl over the surface of the colony till they found a tube- 

 opening, when they would suddenly dive into it and devour 

 the unfortunate inhabitant, issuing forth again in search of 

 another victim. When first observed it was thought that the 

 colony was that of a new species of rotifer, and that the 

 individiials were alternately protruding themselves from the 

 tubes and as suddenly retracting therein, and it was not until 

 examined closely that the true state of affairs was determined. 

 The specimens identified, some of which were determined 

 by Mr. J. Stickland, include the following: — Protozoa. — 

 Arcclla vulgaris, Astasia tricophera, X'olvox, sp., Vaginicola 

 crystallina, Epislylis plicatilis. E. flavicans, Stentor roeselli, 

 Ophryoi;lcna air a, Ophrydiuni sessile, Carchesiiim polypi urn, 



