Cbe Uictoriati naturalist 



Vol. XXIV.— No. 1. MAY 9, 1907. No. 281. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



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

 Society's Hall on Monday evening, 8th April, 1907. 



The president, Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, occupied the chair, and 

 about 60 members and visitors were present. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



From the Secretary of Public Works, in reply to a communi- 

 cation from the Club protesting against the wholesale slaughter 

 of wild duck during the first few days of the shooting season, 

 stating that " the eagerness with which the opening of the duck- 

 shooting season is availed of causes large numbers of birds to be 

 shot near the various centres where sport is obtainable, but it had 

 not been shown that they were wasted ; that when the season 

 opened an unusually large number of fresh wild ducks were sold 

 at the Melbourne market and in the streets at a moderate price, 

 while the initial eagerness to shoot duck soon scatters the birds, 

 and renders them difficult to obtain except by expert sportsmen. 

 Nevertheless a large number are still to be had." 



REPORTS. 



A report of the Club's excursion to Kororoit Creek on Satur- 

 day, 23rd March, was given by the leader, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., 

 who stated that a fair number of members attended. The after- 

 noon was devoted to an examination of the geological features of 

 the locality, and more particularly the occurrence, in a small 

 cutting on the now disused Altona Bay railway, of a deposit con- 

 taining recent marine shells on the top of the basalt, showing that 

 this had at one time formed the sea bottom. 



Mr. J. A. Leach, M.Sc, reported on the junior excursion to 

 Beaumaris on Saturday, 6th April, which was attended by about 

 20 junior members. The object of the excursion was fossils, and 

 a favourable tide enabled the party to see the fossil beds, with 

 specimens hi situ. The formation of the beds was explained, 

 and the character of the fossils which occur there, after which 

 some specimens of the common echinoid, Lovenia J'orbesi, sharks' 

 teeth, &c., were collected for future reference. 



librarian's REPORT. 



The hon. librarian reported the receipt of the following dona- 

 tions to the library : — Journal of AgricriUure of Victoria, vol. v., 

 part 3, March, 1907, from Department of Agriculture, Melbourne ; 

 " Bulletins of Geological Survey of Victoria," No. 18, from De- 



