104 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



them as being new to science, and who, if present to-night, may 

 probably have something to say respecting them. 



One of our members, Mr. Spry, was fortunate in securing some 

 Silurian fossils, but in the absence of a list from him I am unable 

 to say whether of any special interest. On our return to 

 Wandong, rather than wait there for three or four hours for our 

 train, we decided to walk to Wallan, distant about five miles on 

 the Melbourne side, and it was whilst walking inside the railway 

 enclosure that we came across a fine patch of the orchid Diuris 

 suljjhurea ; other plants were noted, nothing, however, worthy of 

 special mention, and no other orchids were seen. 



Taken altogether, these ranges do not offer a good field to the 

 collector, but for Lepidoptera it will no doubt be much better in 

 a few weeks hence. For beetles there seem to be very few 

 flowering shrubs for them to feed upon, Leptospermum, upon 

 which so great a variety are generally found, being almost entirely 

 absent, and certainly none was seen in flower. Although our 

 excursion was not a great success, we were fully compensated by 

 having an exceptionally fine day, and the only drawback to a very 

 pleasant ouling was our having had to wait for close on three 

 hours at a most uninteresting station for the train to bring us 

 home, which we reached about 12 p.m. — D. Best. 



THE BULL-ANTS OF VICTORIA. 

 By E. E. Barker, F.R.M.S. 

 {Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 16th Nov., 1903.) 

 Ax the September meeting of the Club I had the honour, on 

 behalf of the Exhibition Trustees, to exhibit two section cases 

 containing live ants ; and I now have pleasure in informing you 

 that the trustees are shortly about to open an Insectarium in 

 connection with the Aquarium. I am sure you will be glad that 

 a means will be thereby provided of observing the habits and 

 changes of many of those insects in which you are interested, 

 and which are known to the public by the excellent collections in 

 our National Museum and the Government Entomologist's 

 Department. 



To show various phases of insect life under, as nearly as possible, 

 natural conditions, the Exhibition Trustees have set aside a 

 building which is specially fitted up as an Insectarium. Prominence 

 is given to bees and ants at work, which are shown in specially 

 designed glass cases. You are no doubt aware that at the Zoo- 

 logical Gardens in London the insect-house is a very interesting 

 feature, but it does not include sociable insects. At the Crystal 

 Palace there is an exhibit of British ants, but cases adapted for 

 small insects of from under ^\ inch to 'i inch are unsuitable for 

 the larger insects of Victoria. The Exhibition Trustees have 

 therefore had to devise cases to meet the requirements of local 



