THE 



|} i c t o v i a it ^ a t xx v a I i 1* 



Vol. XIII. -No. 10. JANUARY, 1897. No. 158. 



{PUBLISHED FEBRVAJRY 4, 1S97.) 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



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

 Society's Hall on Monday evening, nth January, 1897. The 

 chair was occupied by Mr. C. Frost, F.L.S., and some fifty 

 members and visitors were present. 



papers. 



1. By Mr. C. French, jun., entitled " Notes on a Collecting 

 Trip to the Murray and Loddon Rivers."' The author gave an 

 account of a recent collecting excursion in the Lake Charm 

 district, and mentioned the principal specimens seen, amongst 

 which was the Bombardier Beetle, Pheropsophns verticalis. Al- 

 together about one hundred birds were identified on the trip, and 

 many uncommon plants collected. 



In the discussion which took place Messrs. C. Frost, D. Le 

 Souef, R. Hogg, and D. Best took part. 



2. By Mr. G. E. Shepherd, entitled " Notes on the Nidification 

 of Jardine's Campephaga." The author gave an interesting 

 account of his discovery of the nests and eggs of this bird, and 

 exhibited Victorian specimens for the first time. 



In the discussion which ensued Messrs. D. Le Souef and A. 

 Coles took part. 



3. By Mr. A. J. Campbell (communicated by Mr. D. Le Souef), 

 entitled " Description of Nest and Egg of Rifle Bird, Ptilorhis 

 paradisea." The author remarked that, although the bird was 

 discovered seventy-one years ago, its eggs had not been taken 

 until November last, in the scrub on the Richmond River, New 

 South Wales, and exhibited the egg and nest, the latter being 

 beautifully lined with cast snakes' skins. 



4. By Mr. F. M. Reader (communicated by Mr. C. Frost), 

 entitled " Contributions to the Flora of Victoria, No. 1." The 

 writer described a new Acacia from the Wimmera, which he had 

 named Acacia glandulicarpa. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTE. 



Mr. C. C. Brittlebank forwarded a note stating that he had 

 observed diatoms in the " red rain " which fell over a large area 

 of Victoria on the 27th of December last, and enclosed a rough 

 sketch of the species noted. 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard said that so far as his observations went 

 the dust was composed of minute crystals, apparently of silica 



rT»* 



