Cbc Uictorian naturalisi 



Vol. XXVIII.— No. 3. JULY 6, 1911. No. 331. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The thirty-first annual meeting was held at the Royal 

 Society's Hall on Monday evening, I2th June, igii. 



The president, Mr. F. Wisewould, occupied the chair, and 

 about 45 members and visitors were present. 



REPORTS. 



In the absence of the leader. Dr. Pritchard, F.G.S., a brief 

 report of the excursion to Altona Bay on Saturday, 13th May, 

 was given by Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, who said that, favoured 

 by a beautiful autumn afternoon, a party of about fifteen 

 members, with a number of students from the Working Men's 

 College, had walked from North Wihiamstown to the recent 

 shell-beds near the racecourse, so fully described in the 

 Naturalist for June, 1909, then to the sea-shore, and finally 

 on to the brown coal mine at Altona — a distance of over four 

 miles. At each place the leader had fully explained the features 

 of the locality. Though so late in the season, a few wild flowers 

 were noted, such as Pimelea serpillifolia and Brachyconie calocarpa. 

 On a pond near Williamstown both Azolla and Lemna were 

 growing abundantly. When returning, about a dozen Black 

 Swans were seen on a large swamp near Altona. 



A report of the visit to the National Museum on Saturday, 

 loth June, was, in the absence of the leader, Mr. J. A. Kershaw, 

 F.E.S., given by Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, who said that a party 

 of about twenty members spent a wet afternoon very pleasantly 

 in studying under Mr. Kershaw's guidance the collection of 

 Australian birds in the museum. Portion of the reference 

 collection was also inspected and explained. 



A report of the junior excursion to East Coburg on Saturday, 

 3rd June, was given by Mr. Chas. Stout, the hon. secretary to 

 the juniors, who said that, as the leader, Mr. C. Waters, had 

 been unable to attend, Mr. A. James, a non-member of the 

 Club, had kindly acted as leader. The party was small, doubt- 

 less owing to the unpropitious weather, but an interesting and 

 instructive afternoon had been spent in examining the basaltic 

 formation on the west side of the Merri Creek, and contrasting 

 it with the sandstones and shales of the eastern side. Some 

 attention was also given to the evidences of river action and 

 canyon formation, which are so well shown on a miniature 

 scale in the locality. 



ELECTION OF MEMBERS. 



On a ballot being taken, Mr. C. C. Brittlebank, Government 

 Vegetable Pathologist's office, Melbourne ; Mr. W. G. MTntosh. 



