THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 119 



in marking ; also clutch of 4 eggs of White-headed Stilt, from 

 Clarence River, N.S.W. By Mr. G. A. Keartland.— Eggs of Black 

 Honey-eater, Myzomela nigra. By Mr. D. Le Souef. — Eggs of 

 Large Sand Dottrel, Bartram's Sandpiper, Corncrake, Green- 

 shank, and Lesser Golden Plover, also of Australian Cassowary 

 (laid in England). By Mr. J. G. Luehmann. — Botanical lens, 

 formerly the property of and used by Sir James E. Smith, F.L.S., 

 presented to the National Herbarium by Mr. F. Barnard. 

 By Mr. F. ]\L Reader. — Dried specimens of new grass, Stipa 

 Macalpinei, north-west Victoria. By Messrs. W. Stickland and 

 J. Shephard. — Living specimens of Rotifer, Melicerta Jimhriata, 

 and also of Stepanoceros eichornii, both obtained in the lake at 

 the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. 



After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. 



REPORT ON THE ZOOLOGICAL CONGRESS HELD 

 AT CAMBRIDGE, 1898. 



Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen, — I have the 

 honour to inform you that I returned from Europe on 22nd 

 December, and I have taken an early opportunity of preparing a 

 short report on my visit to the Zoological Congress as your 

 delegate. 



I left Melbourne on 28th June, i8g8, by a Gulf line steamer, 

 and noticed a few interesting things on the voyage, and, as I 

 was the only passenger, had plenty of time to look about, despite 

 the bad weather. Porpoises were often seen, but only when near 

 land, and occasionally I have noticed them in shallow water, 

 within a few yards of shore, apparently feeding among the sea- 

 weed-covered rocks. Dolphins were generally seen in deeper 

 water, away from land, and vessels are sure to meet with them in 

 crossing the ocean. When dying they change their hues, which 

 are often very beautiful. In the Red Sea we noticed them 

 chasing Flying Fish, occasionally jumping out of the water to 

 catch one as it tried to sail away. The latter fish were, 

 of course, plentiful, but those in the southern latitudes 

 seemed much larger than those further north, and also the 

 southern one was generally seen singly, whereas those in the 

 tropics and further north generally went in shoals. 



When passing through the Gulf of Aden a Flying Fox was seen 

 one evening ; also a number of swallows behind the vessel, catch- 

 ing insects. At night they roosted in the rigging, as the vessel 

 was out of sight of land. The captain told me that sometimes 

 large flocks of these birds were seen here migrating, and they 

 generally settled on the spars and rigging for a rest. A Nightjar 

 was also caught, and I kept it alive for a week and liberated it on 

 and on going through the Suez Canal. We also saw numbers of 



