Vicl. Nal. 



202 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. [^'March 



and Mr. Fredk. Parsons, State School, Lara, as a country 

 member of the Club. 



GENERAL BUSINESS. 



Mr. G. A. Keartland said that the Ornithological Union and 

 the Bird Observers' Club had issued a circular asking for in- 

 formation on the question of the most suitable date for the 

 opening of the quail season, and asked members who had the 

 opportunity to make a note of the state of the birds on the 

 opening day, the 15th inst. Mr. J. A. Leach, M.Sc, said when 

 taking part in a deputation to the Minister of Agriculture 

 recently it had been admitted that opening the season on 15th 

 February last year had been a mistake, and that the date 

 would be revised if sufficient evidence could be brought forward 

 to warrant a change. Mr. A. H. E. Mattingley, C.M.Z.S., said 

 he believed the agitation for the early opening of the quail 

 season was chiefly promoted by country shooters, who, to save 

 themselves the trouble of travelling to any distance, desired 

 to shoot the birds before they followed up the food supplies. 



HON. ASSISTANT SECRETARY. 



On the motion of Messrs. J. T. Hamilton, F.L.S.. and A. D. 

 Hardy, F.L.S., ^Ir. W. G. Macintosh was nominated for the 

 vacant position of hon. assistant secretary and librarian. 



PAPER READ. 



I. By Mr. G. Weindorfer, entitled " Two Botanists in the 

 Cradle Mountains, Tasmania." 



The author described a trip taken by himself and his wife, 

 with Mr. Ronald Smith, to the Cradle Mountain, Tasmania's 

 highest peak, in January, 1910, when, though experiencing 

 unfavourable weather, they were able to make an extensive 

 collection of plants, many of which were of a very alpine 

 character and extremely local in their occurrence. Many of 

 the specimens collected were of great beauty, and he recom- 

 mended the locality to anyone in search of new scenes and 

 flowers. 



Dr. C. S. Sutton, who read the paper in the absence of the 

 author, gave further details regarding some of the plants and 

 shrubs met with, and expressed his pleasure at having visited 

 the mountains. 



Mr. G. Coghill said he had been partly over the same ground 

 a few weeks ago, and, though his visit had also been spoiled 

 by wet weather, he had had a great treat from a botanical point 

 of view. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTE. 



Mr. F. Wisewould stated that during the recent hot weather 

 a nest containing young swallows at South Gembrook proved 

 too small for their comfort, for several times the birds got on 



