THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 115 



EXHIBITION OF SPECIMENS. 



In other departments the exhibits were : — By Mr. R. A. 

 Bastow. — Mosses (some of which were microscopic prepara- 

 tions) in illustration of paper. By Mr. A. Coles. — Tawny- 

 shouldered Podargus and Black-faced Grauculus, with nests and 

 young as collected. By Mr. J. E. Dixon. — 28 species of Cole- 

 optera, including 2 rare longicorn beetles, Eburigera octo-yuttata 

 (White), Aphneope sericata (Pascoe), collected recently at Oak- 

 leigh, Beaconsfield, and Dandenong Creek. By Rev. W. 

 Fielder. — Microscopic preparations of sponges from Beaumaris 

 and Geelong (Sycon raphanus, Grantessa hirsuta, Leucilla 

 australiensis, Leucosolenia stipitata, and others being represented). 

 By Mr. C French. — Timber feeding moths from New South 

 Wales and Victoria. By Mr. G. E. Hill — Victorian longicorns 

 and buprestidae and snakes. By Mr. H. F. Hill. — Case illus- 

 trating the life-history of six Victorian house-builder moths 

 (Metura elongata, Entometa ignobilis, Clenia tenuis, and three un- 

 named varieties) ; also, parasitic Hymenoptera and Diptera. By 

 J. A. Kershaw. — Ogyris orcetas (Hew.), Wimmera District, male, 

 female, and pupa. By Baron von Mueller. — Drymaria jiliformis 

 (Bentham), new for Victoria, obtained in the Wimmera District 

 by Mr. Ch. French, Mr. St. Eloy D'Alton, and Mr. F. Reader j 

 Bossicea prostrata (R. Br.), a large-leaved form, reminding of 

 Platylobium formosum, discovered at Western Port by Miss Annie 

 Stirling ; Thelymitra ixioides (Swartz), var. albiflora, found by 

 Mr. Ch. French, jun., at Dandenong Creek ; Triglochin 

 calcitrapa (Hooker), Wimmera District, new for Victoria (Mr. 

 F. Reader). 



MELTON EXCURSION. 



Saturday, 17th September, was the day set apart by our ornith- 

 ologists for a trip to Melton, but a combination of circumstances 

 prevented its being the success anticipated when the programme 

 was drawn up. In the first place the train arrangements make the 

 return journey rather late, and the weather in town was rather 

 threatening, but those who stayed at home for the last reason 

 made a mistake. We left our overcoats in care of the station-master, 

 and did not regret it, as we only had a slight sprinkle for about 

 five minutes during the whole day. Punctual to time our leader 

 was at his post, and a few minutes later the rank and file, em- 

 bodied in one individual, arrived. After looking in vain for 

 several others who had promised to start, a move was made for 

 the train and seats secured, our party comforting itself with the 

 reflection that, if not numerous, it was, at all events, select. 

 Nothing remarkable occurred until, passing Rockbank station, we 



