THE 



Victoria it |t atxxvali& t. 



Vol. XL— No. 6. SEPTEMBER, 1894. No. 130. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



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

 Society's Hall on Monday evening, ioth September, 1894. The 

 president, Mr. H. T. Tisdall, F.L.S., occupied the chair, and some 

 70 members and visitors were present. 



REPORTS. 



Reports of the excursion to Cheltenham on Saturday, 18th 

 August, were received from the co-leaders, pond-life being dealt 

 with by Mr. J. Shephard, and botany by Mr. C. French, jun. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The hon. secretary read a communication from Baron von 

 Mueller, K.C.M.G., acknowledging the congratulatory resolution 

 passed at the last meeting of the Club. 



A letter was read from Mr. C. C. Brittlebank, of Myrniong, 

 detailing his experience of the Magpie as a vegetarian. Over 

 400 birds were counted on a 20-acre field, and some that were 

 shot contained as many as 80 grains of wheat. In harvest time, 

 however, they destroy immense numbers of larvae, and, taking one 

 thing with another, he considered it as well to protect them. 



ELECTION OF MEMBERS. 



On a ballot being taken, Messrs. W. J. O'Neill and O. A. 

 Sayce were duly elected members of the Club. 



PAPER. 



By Mr. W. Stickland, entitled " The Rotifer in Melbourne." 

 In a chatty way the author described the experiences of a 

 microscopist in procuring Rotifers, or Wheel Animalcules, in the 

 pond in the Treasury Gardens, and the results of their examination 

 under the microscope in the evening at home. Full particulars 

 of the structure and habits of a large number of species were 

 given, and the value of the paper was much enhanced by excellent 

 drawings of those described. 



Some discussion followed, Mr. J. Shephard remarking that he 

 felt sure the paper represented many such late sittings as the one 

 so pleasantly described by Mr. Stickland. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Dr. A. Morrison read a note describing several new Micro- 

 Fungi, and exhibited specimens of same. 



Mr. A. H. Westley contributed a cutting which described as a 

 strange animal a shelless mollusc from Queensland, belonging to 

 the genus Hexabranchus. 



Mr. R. Hall read a field note on the ornithology of the Box 

 Hill district. 



