June, 1909.] THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 15 



PAPER READ. 



By Mr. G. B. Pritchard, B.Sc, F.G.S., entitled "The Recent 

 Shell-beds of Williamstown." 



The author discussed the occurrence of the sandy shell-beds 

 exposed near the Williamstown Racecourse, on the Altona Bay 

 railway line, which have been regarded as evidence of an elevated 

 sea-bottom, but he pointed out that the evidence of the surround- 

 ing locality showed that a gradual reclamation of the sea shore 

 was taking place, and that the origin of the beds was no doubt 

 wind and tide, and that they were geologically of Recent age. 

 This was shown by the fact of their being almost entirely com- 

 posed of the shells of living species. Careful examination has 

 shown that at least one hundred species of moUusca can be 

 collected there, besides numerous remains of Crustacea, corals, 

 polyzoa, &c. 



The author's remarks were closely followed, and some little 

 discussion followed the reading of the paper. 



Owing to want of time the discussion on the Ranunculacese 

 (Buttercup family) was postponed. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTE. 



Mr. A. D. Hardy, F.L.S., mentioned that plants of the scarlet 

 pea, Kennedya jorostrata, were blooming at the present time in his 

 garden at Kevv. 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard stated that he had recently paid a visit 

 to the Fernshaw district, and had been grieved to see the 

 destruction caused there by the bush-fires of last summer. The 

 beautiful vegetation along Morley's track had been utterly ruined, 

 and would take many years to recover. He had remarked with 

 interest the numbers of tree-ferns with from three to seven crowns 

 from the same stem, while in one instance a Dicksonia billardieri 

 and an Alsophila australis had grown together and formed a 

 symmetrical trunk some five or six feet in height. 



Mr. F. Pitcher mentioned that during a recent holiday in 

 Tasmania he had been present at a meeting of the Tasmanian 

 Field Naturalists' Club in Hobart, where he had been most 

 cordially welcomed. The meeting was well attended, and the 

 club appeared to be prosperous and doing good work. 



Mr. A. H. E. Mattingley called attention to his exhibit of a 

 white egg of the Emu. Mr. G. A. Keartland said that he had 

 been informed by the late Prof M'Coy that in such a case it 

 was probable that if hatched out a white egg would produce an 

 albino bird. 



EXHIBITS. 



By Mr. R. W. Armitage. — Blooms of Sunshine Wattle, 

 Acacia discolor, from a tree which began to bloom during last 

 week of April ; bloom of Acacia urojyhylla (starting to bloom 



