Oe Jlic tori an Hamr alist 



Vol. XXVII.— No. 1. MAY 5, 1910. No. 317. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held at the 

 Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, nth April, 1910. 



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

 and about 120 members and visitors were present. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



The hon. secretary read a letter which had been received by 

 the committee from Mr. R. T. Baker, F.L.S., curator of the 

 Technological Museum, Sydney, in which he offered to give a 

 lecture before the Club on some botanical subject in July next, 

 and said that the committee had accepted the offer, and that 

 details of the arrangements would be announced later. 



A letter was read from the Conservator of Forests, in reply to 

 a communication from the committee with reference to the 

 preservation of the vegetation along certain portions of Monbulk 

 Creek, in which he stated that instructions had been issued that 

 the area in question should be left untouched ; and, further, that 

 he would be pleased, at any time when brought specially under 

 his notice, to have suitable forest areas set aside, as sanctuaries for 

 animals and birds. 



REPORTS. 



A report of the excursion to Heidelberg on Saturday, 19th 

 March, was given by the leader. Dr. J. C. Kaufmann, who stated 

 that there was a good attendance of members, and that an 

 interesting afternoon had been spent. A very large number of 

 pond-life forms had been met with, and the finding of Vorticella 

 nehulifera showing conjugation of macro- and micro-zoids was an 

 unusual occurrence. 



A report of the excursion to Sydenham on Saturday, 9th April, 

 was given by the leader, Dr. T. S. Hall, M.A., who reported a 

 very good attendance of members. The object of the excursion 

 was to visit the basalt columns locally known as " The Organ 

 Pipes," on Jackson's Creek, near Holden. It was found that 

 since the visit of the Club recorded in the Naturalist for Novem- 

 ber, 1900 (vol. xvii., p. 120), the positions of two at least of the 

 columns had been altered, owing to several feet of their bases 

 having been carried away by flood waters. This had allowed the 

 whole columns to drop down the face of the cliff, so that their 

 tops are now several feet below their previous position, but for- 

 tunately without further damage. An interesting chat about the 

 geology of the district ensued, in which the erosion of the basaltic 

 plain by the various streams was discussed. Owing to recent 

 agricultural operations, a number of quartzite chips, which had 



