14 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



ELECTIONS. 



On a ballot being taken, the following were duly elected 

 members of the Club : — Miss J. EoUo, 65 Tivoli-road, South 

 Yarra ; Miss M. Stock, " Thorley," Holmes-road, Moonee Ponds ; 

 Mr. C. H. Edmondson, Victoria-road, Hawthorn ; Mr. G. G. 

 Mercy, Balwyn-road, Canterbury. Country members — Mr. Clifton 

 P. Brown, G.P.O., Bendigo ; Mr. John Knight, Alexandra. 



GENERAL BUSINESS. 



Nominations for office-bearers for 1904-5 were received, and 

 Messrs. D. Best and G. Weindorfer were elected to audit the 

 accounts for the past year. 



The President drew attention to the recent action taken by Mr. 

 C. French, jun., in instituting a prosecution against a person for 

 shooting a number of Magpie Larks, Grallina picata, and took 

 the opportunity of expressing the Club's approval of Mr. French's 

 action, 



Mr. A. D. Hardy drew attention to the threatened destruction 

 of the native fauna and flora by the leasing of the river frontages, 

 and thought that some action should be taken to prevent this 

 before it becomes too late. 



PAPERS. 



1. By Mr. J. C. Goudie, entitled "A Summer in South 

 Gippsland." 



The author, in a very useful paper, gave an account of his 

 observations during a short residence in the country a few miles 

 south of Warragul. The author dealt particularly with the birds 

 and insects, and commented on the lack of variety of the former 

 in this district. Most of the species noticed were mentioned, 

 and a detailed list of Coleoptera collected was given. 



In the discussion which followed, Mr. G. A. Keartland, in 

 answer to a query by the author, stated that the males of 

 Pennant's Parrakeet, Platycercits elegans, assume the mature 

 plumage at about one year old, the females taking somewhat 

 longer. He mentioned, as an unusual occurrence, that a specimen 

 he had in captivity for eleven years never assumed the mature 

 plumage. 



Mr. C. Coles stated that he had kept this species in confine- 

 ment, and he found that the males took from one to two years to 

 assume the mature plumage, the females rather longer. 



Messrs. F. G. A. Barnard and Jas. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., also 

 discussed the paper, the former asking what shrub was referred 

 to under the name of " Cotton-bush," but the term did not seem 

 to be generally known. 



2. By Mr. H. T. Tisdall, entitled "A Few Notes on the 

 ' Native Bread,' Polyporus mylittce." 



