THE 



Qictoviatx tyatnvali&t. 



Vol. IX.— No. 4. AUGUST, 1892. No. 104. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



Annual Meeting. 



The annual meeting of the Field Naturalists' Club was held in 

 the Royal Society's Hall on the 13th June, 1892. Professor W. 

 Baldwin Spencer occupied the chair, and there was an attendance 

 of more than 100 members and friends. 



ANNUAL REPORT AND BALANCE SHEET. 



The annual report was the first important matter to come 

 before the members, and its details were of the most encouraging 

 character as regards the progress of the Club. About fifty new 

 members have been added to the ranks of the Club during the 

 past year, bringing the total membership up to 235, and the 

 attendance at the monthly meetings has been far in excess of 

 that of previous years. The balance-sheet showed receipts for 

 the year to have been ,£178 12s. 4<d., with an expenditure of 

 ^166 is. id. Regretful reference was made to the deaths of 

 several members, notably those of Sir William Macleay, an hon. 

 member ; Dr. T. S. Ralph, one of the original members ; and Mr. 

 Edward Bage, jun., a life member ; and then followed allusion to 

 the initiation of the prize competition scheme for encouraging 

 the study of natural history amongst the younger members of the 

 community — a scheme which had already borne fruit, as evidenced 

 by an array of prizes distributed later in the evening to fifteen 

 successful competitors. On the conclusion of the report it was 

 pointed out that one important item had been unintentionally 

 omitted — viz., the steps taken by the Club in initiating and 

 awakening interest in a proposal to establish a gun tax. It was 

 agreed that this matter should be included in the report, and on 

 the motion of Dr. A. Dendy, seconded by Mr. Luehmann, the 

 report as thus amended was unanimously adopted. 



In speaking upon the report, Mr. J. Shephard alluded to the 

 great importance of microscopic work in connection with the 

 Club, his most forcible argument being that if the work of the 

 Club was to be permanently successful it must be progressive — 

 extending its countenance substantially to a study which not only 

 touched field naturalists' work in nearly all its branches, but 

 which was also attracting new workers day by day, who would 

 bring as much advantage to the Club as the Club would to them. 



