8^6 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



and liave been well attended, one member of my staff having been 

 selected by tbe Director as lecturer to the farmers. 



Museum of Economic Entomology and Ornithology. 



The valuable collections in connection with the above have been 

 largely added to, much of the material by myself and assistant, also 

 by the acquisition of small lots purchased, the principal of the 

 specimens being 100 species of American Coccidai' or scale insects, 

 as also some insect-destroying birds. The rearing by myself of the 

 moths belonging to the caterpillar attacked by the singular fungus 

 fCordycepsJ is one of the most important of entomological matters, as 

 is also the discovery of a new scale-destroying fungus (MicroceraJ by 

 my assistant, C. French, junr., the latter plant having been described 

 by the Vegetable Pathologist. 



Visits from 100 teachers in the Education Department, 60 Veteri- 

 nary College pupils, the Science Society, and 50 members of the Field 

 Naturalists' Club, help to show the increasing interest taken in 

 practical work of this kind, as at most of these visits lecturettes 

 were given, the nature course having now been established on a firm 

 basis. 



Library. 



The latest additions to the library have been several of the 

 valuable American reports as well as those of the other Australasian 

 States and publications of the Linnean and other scientific societies. 

 The publication by Professor Wallace, of Edinburgh, of the memoirs 

 and correspondence of the late Miss Ormerod, whose writings are 

 familiar to all entomologists of note throughout the world, will be 

 hailed with pleasure by all workers in the line of which the late 

 distinguished lady was so eminent an exponent, and owing to the 

 liberality of the Department a copy has been added to the library of 

 this branch. 



Exhibitions. 



Recognising the importance of making the work of this branch 

 known throughout the State, showy and instructive collections have 

 been sent to the following shows : — Royal Agricultural, Geelong, 

 Nhill, Buln-Buln, Exhibition (Melbourne), Bendigo, etc. These 

 exhibitions, which are under the supervision of Mr. J. Knight and 

 his assistants, attracted large numbers of people, and now that a 

 suitable building is to be erected for the purpose and the exhibits 

 themselves largely added to, it is hoped that even much larger and 

 better displays will in the future be forthcoming. 



Vegetation Diseases Act. 



The necessity for introducing some amendments in the above Act 

 has been patent, the number of successful prosecutions of negligent 

 growers having increased. The Act is being administered firmly, but 

 owing to the past season being, as before stated, favourable to the 



