58 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXV. 



ELECTION OF MEMBERS. 



On a ballot being taken, Miss Peters, 12 Murphy-street, South 

 Yarra, Mr. Reginald Kelly, Healesville, and Mr. Woolf Marks, 

 413 Collins-street, city, were duly elected ordinary members ; and 

 Masters Geoffrey Berry, James Bryce, Edwin Drake, and Leo 

 Gillan, all of Canterbury, were duly elected junior members of the 

 Club. 



GENERAL BUSINESS. 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard referred to a proposal made by the 

 Moorabbin Shire Council to acquire the Blackrock estate, near 

 Sandringham, for a public reserve, and moved that the support of 

 the Club be given to the matter. Seconded by Mr. D. Best. 



Messrs. Shephard, NichoUs, and Topp urged that if secured the 

 estate should be left as much as possible in its present wild state, 

 and this provision having been added to the resolution, it was 

 carried. 



Mr. G. Coghill moved, and Prof. Ewart seconded — " That a 

 letter of farewell be forwarded to Her Excellency Lady Northcote 

 in view of the interest she had exhibited in the last conversazione 

 of the Club." Carried. 



PAPERS. 



1. By Mr. E. Jarvis (communicated by Mr. J. A. Kershaw, 

 F.E.S.), entitled "Notes on the Structure and Habits of the 

 Neuropterous Insect, Bittacus australis" 



The author gave a highly interesting account of the method 

 adopted by this scorpion-fly when securing its prey, and detailed 

 the structure of the mouth parts of the insect. 



2. By Prof. A. J. Ewart, D.Sc, Ph.D. entitled "Some Notes 

 on the Flora of Victoria." 



The author briefly referred to the various conditions affecting 

 the flora of Victoria, and contrasted it in several ways with that 

 of England. He remarked that little seemed to have been done 

 towards ascertaining whether many of our smaller plants and 

 shrubs possessed characters of economic value. 



Some discussion ensued, when Mr. F. Pitcher said that, from 

 experiments made, several native plants seemed capable of 

 producing useful fibres, but they had not been tried in commercial 

 quantities. 



Mr. A. D. Hardy, F.L.S., remarked that many years ago an 

 attempt had been made in the Heytesbury Forest to obtain sugar 

 from the grass-trees. 



Mr. C. A. Topp, M.A., referred to the prevalence of evergreen 

 trees and shrubs in Australia, and asked if any particular reason 

 could be assigned for this. 



The author replied that, doubtless owing to the absence of very 

 severe cold, tlie movement of sap was scarcely retarded through- 



