THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 35 



By Mr. J. Paul, Grantville. — 6 species of orchids in flower, iiiclad- 

 ing Pterostylis vittata, var. unijiora. By Mr. F. M. Reader. — 3 

 plants, new for north-west Victoria. By Mr. A. Rodda. — Lepi- 

 durus viridis. By Mr. J. Shephard. — Microscopic slides, in 

 illustration of his paper. 



After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. 



NOTES OF A VISIT TO LOGAN. 

 By D. Best. 

 (Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, llth Jidy, 1898.) 

 Logan is far from being an extensive township, consisting, as it 

 does, almost merely of the usual hotel and store, with, of course, 

 the scattered houses of the residents, who are by no means 

 numerous. Although it does not possess the almost equally 

 universal blacksmith's shop, it can boast of a mechanics' institute 

 and State school, also a schoolmistress. But its great pride is 

 that it stands at the junction of several cross roads leading to St. 

 Arnaud, Wedderburn, Charlton, Emu, &c. To reach it one has 

 to travel by rail 145 miles, vid Castlemaine and Maryborough, to 

 Emu, from whence there is a pleasant drive of about ten miles 

 over level country and on good roads in a northerly direction. 

 The River Avoca runs within a quarter of a mile of the township, 

 and that the term river in this instance is not altogether misap- 

 plied — that is, for Victoria— is evidenced by the fact that even after 

 the recent hot and dry summer we have experienced there was a 

 fair body of water in it in March — -not mere waterholes, but an 

 actual running stream, in which I had several most enjoyable 

 morning balhs. The water is, unfortunately, rather brackish, 

 thus rendering it useless for domestic purposes, but it is of great 

 value for stock. 



On the river banks and flats the timber is mostly red gum, F. 

 rostrata, with a few acacias, of the name of which I am uncertain, 

 but there are few or none of the flowering shrubs which one would 

 almost naturally expect to find, their absence being, I expect, ac- 

 counted for by the country being mostly used for grazing, and 

 their being consumed by stock in exceptionally dry seasons when 

 grass is scarce. The period of my visit — middle of March — was 

 rather late for insects, consequently I did not expect to find many. 

 Of butterflies I saw but three species, and only two of each — 

 viz , Fieris teuto'nia, Pyrameis Kershawii, and Terms sniilax. 

 As beetles also were very scarce, although I searched carefully 

 enough under an infinity of bark, stones, and logs, I tried for 

 larvae in the green wood, but even with this I was not successful, 

 except in a couple of rather large patches of Acacia dealbata or 

 acinacea. From this source, with the assistance of a young friend, 

 a member of the family with whom I was staying, who showed an 



