Cl)e Uktorian HaturalUi 



Vol. XX.— No. 2. JUNE 4, 1903. No. 234. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA, 

 The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held in the Royal 

 Society's Hall on Monday evening, nth May, 1903. The 

 president, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., occupied the chair, and about 

 thirty members and visitors were present. 



ELECTION OF MEMBERS. 



On a ballot being taken, Mr. P. C. Cole, Napier-street, Fitzroy, 

 and Mr. O. A. Thiele, Williamstown, were elected as ordinary 

 members, and Mr. E. H. Lees, M.I.C.E., F.R.A.S., "Fairhaven," 

 Mallacoota, and Mr. J. R. Murdoch, Mortlake, were elected as 

 country members of the Club. 



GENERAL BUSINESS. 



Nominations for office-bearers for 1903-4 were received, and 

 Messrs. D. Best and A. D. Hardy were elected to audit the 

 accounts for the past year. 



The president mentioned with regret the death of Mr. Neville 

 Cayley, of Sydney, well known to ornithologists as one of the 

 most successful delineators of Australian bird-life. 



PAPERS READ. 



1. By Mr. C. Walter (communicated by Mr. C. French, jun.), 

 entitled " A New Variety of Acacia montana, Benth." 



The author stated that, on examination of specimens of this 

 shrub received from Mr. D' Alton, of Nhill, he at first came to the 

 conclusion that it was a new species, and exhibited it as such at 

 the April meeting of the Club. He was led to this conclusion by 

 the fact that Acacia montana, Benth., is placed by Baron von 

 Mueller, both in the " Key to Victorian Plants" and the "Census 

 of Australian Plants," in the section '' Uninerves," while the 

 specimens under notice are distinctly " Plurinerves." On further 

 consideration, however, he decided that it should be recorded as 

 a variety of A. montana, with the name of (Taltoni, after the 

 original finder. Specimens of this and allied species were 

 exhibited for comparison. 



2. By Messrs. Chapman, F.R.MS., and H. J. Grayson, 

 entitled "On Red Rain, with Special Reference to its Occurrence 

 in Victoria. With a Note on Melbourne Dust." 



The authors, in an exhaustive paper, described the phenomenon 

 known as " red rain," and mentioned its occurrence in various 

 parts of the world. The origin of the recent falls in Victoria 

 was discussed, and details given of the microscopical examination 

 of the sediment collected, as well as the chemical analysis and 

 results of a bacteriological examination. A note on Melbourne 



