84: THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



obtainable." Also a series photo-micrographs, taken with a i-inch 

 Beck orthostigmat-photographic lens. 



By Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S.— Flame-breasted Robin with 

 unusual colouration of breast. 



After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB CONVERSAZIONE. 



The fourteenth conversazione of the Field Naturalists' Club of 

 Victoria was held at the Athenseum Hall, Collins-street, on 

 Tuesday and Wednesday, 23rd and 24th September, 1902. 



It was expected that His Excellency Sir George S. Clarke, 

 K.C.M.G., F.R.S., Governor of Victoria, would have opened the 

 proceedings on Tuesday evening, but at the last moment wrote 

 regretting his inability to be present. The letter, however, went 

 astray, and the non-arrival of His Excellency caused considerable 

 disappointment. The president, Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., therefore 

 undertook the duty of declaring the conversazione open, which he 

 did in a few brief sentences. 



There was a large attendance of members and of the general 

 public, and the display of objects was equal to if not better than 

 any previous effort of the Club, and those who had not previously 

 attended one of the Club's conversaziones were greatly pleased 

 with the wealth of interesting natural history objects on view. 



A feature of additional interest in this year's display was the 

 introduction of exhibits of wild flowers, which, considering that it 

 was somewhat early in the season for the majority of our plants, 

 was very creditable, and spoke well for the enthusiasm of the 

 exhibitors, who had travelled many miles and braved some 

 unpleasant weather to secure the specimens. Through the 

 kindness of Mr. C Walter most of the flowers were labelled with 

 their scientific names, while it may be mentioned that Mr. G. 

 Coghill's collection of some 150 species from Bairnsdale, &c., 

 was arranged in systematic order according to the " Key to 

 Victorian Plants," in addition to which he exhibited some 40 

 species of flowers from the Mallee. 



Among the many interesting exhibits it may be invidious to 

 make distinctions, but Mr. G. Lyell's exhibit of an almost 

 complete series of Australian Lycanid (blue) butterflies deserves 

 special notice, while Mr. R. Hall's case illustrating special 

 features in certain species of birds, such as "recognition marks," 

 " protective colouring," " power of flight," " sexual colouration," 

 &c., seemed to appeal directly to the most uninterested visitor. 



On Wednesday afternoon Mr. D. Le. Souef, C.M.Z.S., gave an 

 interesting lecturette, entitled " The Protective Colouration of 

 Birds, their Eggs and Nests," in which he showed why in many 

 families of birds the male did all the sitting instead of the female ; 



