54 TJIE VICTORIAir NATURALIST. 



where visitors had inscribed their names with chalk upon the 

 walls ; it is a delicate fungus, and grows somewhat trumpet- 

 shaped, white, light, and what I daresay ladies would call in 

 " open work." On handling its beauty departs and it assumes 

 the appearance of a damaged piece of white kid. 



In regard to minerals, three or four rather uncommon ones 

 occur in the organic deposit. This is in the centre of the main 

 cave, where a black, loose and friable matrix carries thickly 

 studded white, colourless, and buff-coloured crystals. The 

 largest ones are known as Struvite, and consist essentially of 

 phosphate of ammonia and magnesia. Adhering to these and 

 also in the non-organic deposit are found small more or less 

 needle-shaped crystals, probably produced by alteration of the 

 Struvite, and consisting also of magnesia, ammonia, and 

 phosphoric acid, which have been named Hannayite. Three 

 other minerals — Newberyite (named in honour of the late 

 Mr. J. Cosmo Nevvbery, C.M.G.), a phosphate of magnesia; 

 Dittsmarite, and Muellerite — are also found in the cave. 



Below the "organic" deposit is a thin bed of brown rock, 

 which is easily powdered, and looks like powdered basalt ; this 

 contains white specks and small crystals, probably some nitrates. 

 The " organic" deposit gradually merges into the " non-organic," 

 which latter contains about 77 to 88 per cent, of mineral matter, 

 a small quantity of organic matter, and water. Through this 

 brown earthy bed are found nodular concretions of magnesia 

 and lime phosphates, with occasional pencilings of a white 

 phosphatic mineral. In most places, at a depth of from half an 

 inch to perhaps 8 inches from the surface, a whitish layer is found 

 of varying thickness, averaging the width of a chalk mark, occa- 

 sionally increasing into a fairly large pocket, from which a lump 

 as big as a loaf of bread can be taken of this phosphatic mineral 

 — sometimes white, often yellow. 



Samples of the different deposits are exhibited on the table; 

 and in conclusion I might say that, although we turned over 

 some six or seven tons of stuff, no bones or fossilized forms were 

 met. 



ADDITIONAL LOCALITIES FOR VICTORIAN 

 ORCHIDS. 



As Mr. C. French, jun., expressed a wish that other members of 

 the Club would from time 10 time publish their observations on 

 the flowering times and localities of Victorian orchids, I have 

 much pleasure in recording the following species, with some 

 additional localities, which, in many cases being distant parts of 

 the colony, may not have been visited by Mr. French : — 



