100 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXVI. 



their daily bread, and could spare only odd moments for the 

 minor details of natural history. 



The chairman thanked the author for pointing out so concisely 

 the various directions in which openings existed for useful work, 

 and, with regard to botanical lines of study, said that recording the 

 various methods of pollination of Australian flowers, photo- 

 graphing plant associations, or drawing our native flowers, were 

 some of the ways by which those who had the opportunity could 

 greatly add to our botanical knowledge. 



EXHIBITS. 



By Mr. F. G. A. Barnard. — Pot-grown specimen of Native 

 Beech, Fagus Cunninghami, Hook. 



By Messrs. J. H. Gatliff and C. J. Gabriel. — Shell of Voluta 

 mamilla, Gray, and radula of same, in illustration of paper ; also 

 shells of Voluta magnifica, Chemnitz; F. _/t<st/brwis, Swainson ; 

 Melo indicus, Gmel. ; Gyinha proboscidcdis, Lam. ; and C. olla, 

 L., for comparison. 



By Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S. — Skins of Hairy-nosed Wombat, 

 Phascolomys latifrons, Owen, and of Common Wombat, P. 

 mitchelli, Owen, in illustration of paper. 



By Mr. A. H. E. Mattingley, C.M.Z.S.— A live Worm-Snake, 

 Typhlops, sp., from Eyre's Peninsula, S.A. 



By Mr. E. F. Thiele. — Nest and eggs of Red-wattle Bird, 

 Acanthochcera carunculata, from Doncaster. 



By Mr. F. Wisewould. — Large mud cast from entrance to 

 chamber of land-crab, Engceus, sp., from Pakenham. 



After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. 



"Nests and Eggs of Birds Found Breeding in Australia 

 AND Tasmania." — The third and concluding part of the second 

 volume of this special catalogue, issued by the Australian 

 Museum, Sydney, has been published. In it the author, Mr. 

 A. J. North, C.M.Z.S., Ornithologist to the Museum, deals with 

 the nests and eggs of the remaining families of the order Passeres 

 and a portion of the order Picarite. Among these are included 

 the swallows, finches, larks, lyre-birds, nightjars, and kingfishers. 

 Numerous illustrations are given in the text, and a full plate is 

 given of a nest of the Brown Kingfisher, Dacelo gigas, in a white 

 ants' mound, placed in a tree, about 40 feet from the ground. 

 This was from a photograph taken at Lindfield, N.S.W., ten years 

 ago, where now the main street of a flourishing suburb is situated. 

 Two plates of eggs, figuring 34 specimens belonging to 17 species, 

 are given ; these are all of natural size. As usual, Mr. North's 

 notes are of a most interesting character, being culled from the 

 experiences of collectors and observers in all parts of Australia. 



