120 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



juniperina, seed unripe ; Thelymitra carnea, just over ; Lomatia 

 ilicij'olia, Atherosperma moschatum, Hedycarya cunninghami, 

 Panax sambucif alius, and Acacia melanoxylon, not in flower. 



F. G. A. Barnard. 



EXCURSION TO GISBORNE. 



Cup Day dawned inauspiciously for the Field Naturalists' Club 

 excursion to Gisborne. Threatening weather, however, failed to 

 deter the assembling of four members at the Spencer-street station. 

 Before Gisborne was reached rain commenced to fall, but at our 

 destination we found another member (from Kyneton) and our 

 leader awaiting us, and at once decided to brave the elements. 

 The party, now numbering half a dozen, lost but little time in 

 making a start, and, paying the orchids prior attention, were 

 fortunate enough to find Caleya major in flower, besides 

 Calochilus campestris, Caladenia carnea (both varieties), Caladenia 

 patersoni, Diuris longifolia, Diuris maculata, Glossodia major, 

 Thelymitra aristata, and several others in bud. The rain 

 holding off for an hour rendered this part of our trip the most 

 enjoyable of the day ; but the respite was brief, and the showers 

 returned with seemingly renewed vigour, and gave us little rest 

 for the remainder of our trip, the only point noticed being that 

 each succeeding shower was heavier than the last, till just before 

 our return to the township a regular downpour completed our 

 discomfiture, drenching us to the skin. In Lepidoptera, P. 

 kershaivii was the only butterfly noticed. Moths were much 

 more numerous. Taxeotis isophanes, Philobota arabella, P. 

 crypsichola, P. herodiella, Chozrocampa scrofa, Mecyna polygonalis r 

 Heblula undalis, Hednota achroa, Hydriomena mecynata, 

 Mamestra composita, and a good number of other species were 

 captured. The damp weather appeared to bring out numbers of 

 the smaller moths, but was not equally favourable to the 

 Coleoptera — the only beetle of note taken during the trip being 

 the ant-like longicorn, Aphneope sericata. Birds were fairly 

 numerous, but the absence of a member versed in ornithology 

 prevents our giving a list of those noticed. Specimens of the 

 Scarlet and Yellow-breasted Robins, the White-fronted Flycatcher, 

 the Black-faced Grauculus, and Pennant's Parrakeet were secured. 

 After a tramp of some eight or ten miles we reached Gisborne, 

 thoroughly drenched, and were glad indeed to parade in 

 borrowed garments while our own were wrung out and dried. 

 With more seasonable weather our trip would no doubt have 

 been more productive, but the rain quite failed to damp our 

 spirits, and we reached Melbourne at 7.30 p.m., after con- 

 siderable amusement en route at the bedraggled appearance of 

 excursionists who like ourselves had been, but unlike us still 

 remained, wet to the skin. — George Lyell, jun. 



