104 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB CONVERSAZIONE. 



The fifteenth conversazione of the Field NaturaHsls' Club of 

 Victoria was held in the Masonic Hall, Collins-street, Melbourne, 

 on Thursday and Friday, 19th and 20th October, 1905. 



According to the programme the proceedmgs should have 

 been inaugurated by the Hon. John Murray, Minister for Lands, 

 but he was unable to carry out his promise, and an opening 

 ceremony was dispensed with. 



During the three years which had elapsed since the last exhibi- 

 tion of specimens, the Club membership has been greatly 

 increased, in a great measure by the enrolment of a large number 

 of junior members, who with their young friends attended in large 

 numbers, and showed a decided interest in the various exhibits. 

 There was also a good attendance of members and of the general 

 public. 



Since last used by the Club, some sixteen years ago, the 

 Masonic Hall has been greatly improved, and when the numerous 

 exhibits had been staged presented a very interesting sight. The 

 platform was decorated with pot plants, of Australian vegetation, 

 kindly lent by Mr. W. R. Guilfoyle, F.L.S., Director of the 

 Melbourne Botanic Gardens, who also sent a fine series of cut 

 blooms of Victorian and other Australian shrubs and plants 

 grown in the Botanic Gardens, which were greatly admired ; 

 amongst these may be mentioned a fine Waratah, Telopea 

 speciosissima. 



One of the features of the conversazione was the exhibition of 

 wild flowers, which, though very good, was, owing to the 

 unfavourable season, hardly as attractive as on some former 

 occasions. Individually members had been to considerable 

 trouble, either in collecting the flowers themselves or getting their 

 friends in distant parts of the State to forward specimens for 

 exhibition. Mr. F. VVisewould tried the experiment of removing 

 some of the plants as growing specimens with the soil attached, 

 but the result was hardly commensurate with the trouble taken. 



Very great interest was shown in the display made by the 

 microscopists of the Club, whose well-known good nature was 

 heavily taxed by the inquiries of the wondering public. 



On Thursday evening a lecturette, entitled " The Geology and 

 Scenery of the Eastern Suburbs," illustrated by lantern views, was 

 given by Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., who pointed out in a popular 

 manner the probable origin of what was once a sandy plain on 

 the eastern and south-eastern side of the Yarra, now converted 

 into more undulating country by the cutting down of the creek 

 valleys to nearly sea-level, and contrasting the resulting scenery 

 with that of the basaltic plain on the western side of Mel- 

 bourne. 



The lecturette on Friday evening was entitled '• The Upper 

 Waters of the Yarra," and was delivered by Mr. A. E. Kitson, 



