THE 



tyict avian %\at n v a I i 1, 



Vol. XIV.— No. 2. JUNE 10, 1897. No. 162. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held at the 

 Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, ioth May, 1897. Mr. 

 J. Shephard, one of the vice-presidents, occupied the chair, and 

 some forty-five members and visitors were present. 



ELECTION OF MEMBERS. 



On a ballot being taken, Messrs. A. J. Campbell and A. 

 Campbell, jun., were elected members of the Club. 



GENERAL BUSINESS. 



After the nomination of office-bearers for 1897-98 had been 

 made, Messrs. J. T. Gillespie and R. Hall were elected to audit 

 the accounts for the past year. 



Mr. J. G. Luehmann, F.L.S., referred to the delay in announc- 

 ing any scheme to perpetuate the memory of the late Baron Sir 

 F. von Mueller, K.C.M.G., Government Botanist, and suggested 

 that the Club should raise a sum of money to be invested and 

 provide for a prize to be called " The Mueller Prize," to be given 

 at stated intervals for original work on Australian botany. 



The Chairman pointed out that the matter was in the hands of 

 a committee of delegates from different societies, called together 

 by the Royal Geographical Society (Victorian Branch), and that 

 it would be unwise to take any action, in the absence of any 

 information as to what was being done. It was decided to ask 

 the Club's delegates to report at next meeting as to the progress 

 made by the conference. 



PAPERS. 



1. By Mr. A. Coles, entitled "Notes on the Australian Gos- 

 hawk." The author stated, as the result of many years ob- 

 servations, that the bird commonly known in Victoria as the 

 Australian Goshawk differed in many respects from the typical 

 Astur approximans of Vigors and Horsfield, which was com- 

 paratively rare in Victoria, and as he had not been able to obtain 

 any birds showing gradations of plumage between the two types, 

 he considered it sufficiently marked to be worthy of a specific 

 name. The measurements of the bones also pointed to a specific 

 difference. 



Considerable discussion took place on the question, and the 

 author undertook to furnish further details at the next meeting. 



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