THE VICTOHIAN NATURALIST. 115 



notes, &c, &c. The Paradise Birds are very fine ; two especially 

 — Paradisomis Rudolphi and Schegelia respublica (which I hope 

 shortly to add to my collection of these birds, now numbering 

 23 species) — greatly pleased me. The insects, now in charge 

 of Mr. W. J. Rainbow, are slowly but surely being put in order 

 and added to, and one cannot help envying this Museum, 

 with its fine staff of scientific workers, whilst the Cook and 

 Banks relics must interest everyone. I was much amused at 

 seeing the collecting bottle formerly used by the great botanist 

 and traveller, the late Sir Joseph Banks, it being in appearance 

 not unlike one of the earthenware " water monkeys " commonly 

 used in houses. 



As my time was getting short, I paid a hasty visit — all too 

 short for me, at any rate — to the fine Technological Museum, 

 and last, but not least, to the Macleayan Museum, so ably 

 presided over by my old friend Mr. G. Masters, a Victorian of 

 the early fifties. The Macleayan collection of insects generally 

 is undoubtedly the finest in Australia; and the munificent 

 donations to the Sydney University and other public institutions 

 testify for all time to the liberality of the late Sir W. Macleay, 

 the father of Australian entomology. At the office of Mr. 

 Froggatt, the Government Entomologist, I saw much of interest, 

 especially the fine series of ants, scale insects, Brachyselidre, and 

 other insects of economic importance. The breeding cages also 

 contained many specimens — the dreaded fruit-fly, amongst others. 

 1 was very pleased with the life-history collections, also with the 

 practical nature of the work which I saw going on. 



A hurried trip to the rich Parramatta district brought my 

 most pleasant visit to a close, and reluctantly I left Sydney, 

 its proverbially beautiful harbour, and its rich natural history 

 treasures. When in Sydney I had the pleasure of meeting our 

 old club mates, Messrs. A. H. Lucas, M.A., and T. Steel, F.L.S., 

 and with them spent my last evening in Sydney, reaching 

 Melbourne again on the 5th July. 



A MUELLER MEMORIAL. 

 A fund has been started to establish a permanent national 

 memorial to the late Baron von Mueller. An influential general 

 committee, with the Mayor of Melbourne as its chairman, and 

 an executive committee, under the chairmanship of Sir John 

 Madden, have been formed, while Professor Spencer and Mr. W. 

 Wiesbaden have consented to act as joint hon. secretaries. 



The committee of the Field Naturalists' Club hope that the 

 members will contribute as liberally as possible to the fund, and 

 also bring it under the notice of their friends. The hon. 

 secretary, Mr. G. Coghill, will be pleased to take charge of 

 contributions and hand them over to the Memorial Committee. 



