Cbe U ictorian naturalist 



Vol. XXVI.— No. 11. MARCH 10, 1910. No. 315. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held at the 

 Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 14th February, 19 10. 



The president, Prof. A. J. Ewart, D.Sc, occupied the chair, 

 and about 60 members and visitors were present. 



REPORTS. 



A report of the excursion to West Warburton, from Saturday to 

 Monday, 29th to 31st January, was given by the leader, Mr. A. 

 D. Hardy, F.L.S., who said that the locality of the excursion, 

 which was originally fixed for Gilderoy, vid Yarra Junction, had 

 to be altered to West Warburton, owing to all the accommoda- 

 tion at the former place having been taken up. The first day 

 had been spent in the lower country along the banks of the 

 Yarra ; on the next day the valley of the Dee was visited, and 

 the high range at its source, about 3,350 feet above sea level, 

 ascended. On the way up a fine beech grove had been passed 

 through. A number of interesting plants had been met with, and 

 the locality was a good one for those who wished to obtain 

 seedlings of native plants for home cultivation. On the last day 

 the Britannia Creek district was visited, which presented vegeta- 

 tion of quite a different character. Altogether an interesting 

 outing was spent, though, probably on account of the dry weather, 

 bird and insect life seemed to be very scarce. 



A report of the excursion to Port Melbourne Beach on Saturday, 

 r2th February, was forwarded by the leader, Mr. C. J. Gabriel, 

 who said that there had only been a small attendance, members 

 apparently judging that the afternoon's results would not be very 

 remarkable. They had, however, found sufficient types of shells 

 to form the foundation for a half-hour's chat, and he had called 

 attention to some interesting facts — notably, the enormous in- 

 crease in recent years of the bivalve Spisula joarva, Petit, which 

 at one time was rarely found nearer Melbourne than the mud- 

 banks towards the Heads. He also gave some account of the 

 life-histories of the wood-boring molluscs, so destructive to jetties 

 and other marine structures. The only plants noticed in bloom 

 near the shore were Mesembryanthenium australe and Frankenia 

 Icevis. In order that members might see what shells may be 

 found on Port Melbourne Beach, especially after a storm, he 

 forwarded as an exhibit some of the more notable species. 



A report of the junior excursion to Willsmere, Kew, on Satur- 

 day, 5th February, was given by the leader, Mr. A. D. Hardy, 

 F.L.S., who said that the excursion had been fairly well attended, 



