THE 



tyxctovxan Jl a t at va I i 1 ♦ 



Vol. IX.— No. 9. JANUARY, 1893. No. 109. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



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

 the Royal Society's Hall on Monday, 12th December. The 

 President (Professor W. Baldwin Spencer) was in the chair, and 

 there was an attendance of more than 100 members and friends. 

 librarian's report. 

 " Bibliography of Australian Economic Botany," part 1, by 

 J. H. Maiden, F.L.S., from the author; "Proceedings of the 

 Royal Society of Victoria," vol. iv. (new series), part 2, from the 

 society ; " Proceedings of the Linnaean Society of New South 

 Wales " (second series), vii., part 2, from the society • " Report 

 on New Zealand Native Birds," by H. Wright, from the New 

 Zealand Government ; " President's Address to the Royal 

 Society of Tasmania," November, 1892, from the society; 

 " Catalogue of Described Hymenoptera of Australia," part 2, by 

 W. VV. Froggatt, from the author. 



REPORTS OF RECENT EXCURSIONS. 



Reports of recent excursions to Frankston and Heidelberg 

 were presented to the meeting by Mr. C. French, F.L.S., and 

 Rev. W. Fielder. 



MEETING FOR PRACTICAL WORK. 



The hon. secretary reported that a very good attendance, which 

 included several ladies, welcomed Dr. Arthur Dendy when he rose 

 to describe " The Structure of a Sponge " at the usual monthly 

 meeting for practical work on 28th November. A lecturette 

 entitled " Introduction to the Study of Sponges," delivered by Dr. 

 Dendy before the members of the Club in July of last year, had 

 somewhat prepared the way for a more detailed account bearing 

 specially upon microscopic work in this department Passing, there- 

 fore, rapidly in review typical examples of the two great divisions of 

 sponges — calcareous and non-calcareous — Dr. Dendy concluded 

 this portion of the subject by reference to a specimen of the glass 

 sponge (Hyalonema), a remarkable example of adaptation to 

 environment, the sponge proper being anchored to the rocks 

 by means of a long stem made up of a bundle of long and large 

 silicious fibres, twisted together. Minute description of the canal 

 system and general anatomy of some of the simple forms amongst 

 the Calcarea was then entered upon. In illustration of the 

 Homoccela, the " Olynthus " type was described as consisting 

 essentially of a thin walled tube perforated by pores, which com- 

 municate with the central or gastral cavity, which, in turn, 

 communicates with the exterior by means of an osculum. The 



