136 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



rigid stalk, recurred in large numbers ; whilst among the Vagini- 

 colinae the graceful Thuricola, with a door-like valve to its tube, 

 was indicated by two or three specimens. Other members of the 

 Ciliata were noted, one being a very sluggish form of the trumpet- 

 shaped Stentor, somewhat intermediate in colour from the forms 

 usually found in the neighbourhood of Melbourne. The prevail- 

 ing tints are white and greyish-blue, whilst the form under notice 

 was yellowish brown — a colour probably due to the food and 

 conditions under which it lived. The chain-like character of its 

 nucleus was clearly visible. The Heliozoa were represented by 

 one form only, which was present in considerable numbers — viz., 

 Actinospherium ; whilst we looked in vain for the curious form of 

 Clathrulina elegans, with its lattice-like case, which is so numerous 

 here at some seasons of the year. Hydra oligactis was fairly 

 plentiful, but we looked in vain for the green variety. One of 

 our number, who has hitherto been fortunate enough to find 

 specimens of this somewhat rare form in this locality, was cer- 

 tainly expected to provide his companions with a supply ; but even 

 he was unsuccessful, and, failing the green, had to be content with 

 a Copperhead Snake, which was basking in the sun by the water 

 side. The debatable point afterwards was whether the snake 

 or the rod he was carrying suffered most in the encounter. At 

 any rate the snake escaped to narrate his version of the affair to 

 his companions and probably to be captured on our next visit. 

 Of the Rotifera there were not a few, the species most plentiful 

 beiig known as Megalotrocha alboflavicans, one of the group 

 Melicertadse. As this is a colonial form, and the individuals are 

 fixed, they can be fairly easily studied. Moreover, the size and 

 number of embryos present certainly favoured the study of the 

 development of this form, if only time had allowed. A free- 

 swimming colonial form was also, met with, which Mr. Shephard 

 is inclined to record as a new one. We can only hope that 

 further examination will confirm this view. 



Altogether, the afternoon's outing was most pleasant, and the 

 results encouraging to those who wished to renew acquaintance 

 with small but interesting forms of life ; and we can only regret 

 that more of our fellow-members were not with us to enjoy a 

 typical summer day's excursion and the delights of a few odd half- 

 hours with the microscope afterwards. — W. Fielder. 



NOTES ON SOME VICTORIAN COCCID^E, OR SCALE 



INSECTS.— Part i. 



By C. French, F.L.S. 



(Head before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 



\0th October, 1892.) 



When I first promised a short paper on Aspidiotus rossi, one of our 



worst insect enemies, I had no intention of preparing these notes, 



