THE 



tyictovian Naturalist* 



Vol. IX.— No. 5. SEPTEMBER, 1892. No. 105. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



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

 the Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 8th August. 

 Professor W. Baldwin Spencer occupied the chair, and there was 

 an attendance of some eighty members and friends. 



librarian's report. 



The hon. librarian reported the following donations to the 

 library: — "Journal of Bombay Natural History Society," vii., i ; 

 " Technics," July, 1892 ; "Transactions Royal Society of South 

 Australia," xv., 1; pamphlets relating to " Earliest Known Traces 

 of Man in Thames Drift," " Municipal Punishments in the Middle 

 Ages," and "Antiquarian, Scientific, and Historical Notes of 

 Berkshire " (from Miss A. E. Roberts). 



ELECTION OF MEMBER. 



After the hon. librarian had read his report of additions to the 

 library a ballot took place, resulting in the election of Mr. 

 Alexander Purdie, M.A., as a member of the Club. 



PAPERS. 



The first paper to come before the meeting was one by Mr. 

 Ernest Anderson, entitled " Notes on Some Victorian Lepi- 

 doptera." After pointing out the need of enthusiastic and well- 

 directed work in this department of natural history, the author 

 alluded to the great charm which accompanied the rearing out of 

 the Victorian species, since the results were very frequently of a 

 most unlooked-for character, species emerging entirely different to 

 what the appearance of the larvse would lead one to expect. In 

 fact, the Victorian forms follow the same rule as many plants and 

 animals in having characteristics and habits purely Australian ; 

 and not only so, but they help to bridge over the sharply-defined 

 divisions known in Europe, and merge the various groups so 

 imperceptibly into each other that it is hard to say where one 

 ends and another begins. Then followed details gathered from 

 the author's own experience, amongst which were some interesting 

 particulars concerning the processional caterpillars (Teara melano- 

 sticta). A female laid some ova in a small box and covered them 

 very thickly with yellow down. Very shortly afterwards a 

 thread-like structure was visible, which close examination revealed 



