Cbe Uictorian naturalist 



\roL. XXV.— No. 3. JULY 9, 1908. No. 295. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The twenty-eighth annual meeting of the Club was held in the 

 Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 15th June, 1908. 



The president, Mr. G. A. Keartland, occupied the chair, and 

 about 40 members and visitors were present. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



From the hon. secretary of the Hawthorn and Camberwell 

 Microscopical Society, announcing their intention to hold their 

 annual conversazione at Camberwell on the 23rd June, and 

 extending a cordial invitation to the members of the Club. 



REPORTS. 



A report of the Club excursion to the Clifton Hill quarries on 

 Saturday, 23rd May, was submitted by Mr. F. Chapman, A.L.S., 

 who kindly acted as leader, in the absence of Mr. E. O. Thiele, 

 B.Sc. He stated that the excursion was attended by about forty 

 members and friends, including some members of the Australian 

 Church Ramblers' Club, introduced by Mr. Haig, as well as several 

 students from the Continuation School. A short demonstration 

 was given at the top of the quarry, when the occasion was taken 

 to point out some of the principal features of volcanic action 

 here and elsewhere. Since this locality has been previously 

 visited several times, and more or less detailed reports have 

 appeared in recent volumes of the Naturalist, it is only necessary 

 to say that among the interesting features noticed on this occasion 

 were fine examples of ropy lava, pieces of fossil tree-trunks at the 

 base of the large quarry, on river silt and under the enormous 

 thickness of basalt, and a deposit of pure limonite many inches 

 in thickness, and probably of lacustrine origin, high up in the 

 smaller quarry, between two distinct flows of lava. This latter 

 was found on a previous visit by Mr. Armitage, who was with us 

 and kmdly pointed it out. A fair number of minerals of the usual 

 kinds were collected. 



A report of the excursion to the Botanical Gardens on Saturday, 

 13th June, was given by the leader, Mr. F. Pitcher. He said 

 that, considering the threatening afternoon, there was a very fair 

 attendance of members and friends. A number of the more 

 notable trees, &c., were pointed out, so that members could 

 watch their future development with greater interest. The new 

 propagating houses were inspected, as also the conservatory and 

 the new water-lily lake, but naturally, owing to the time of year, 

 the number of plants, &c., in bloom was rather small. 



