■y^^i^' 1 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings . 3 



lortunate in lia\'ing him as an enthusiastic champion in the 

 cause. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Ml", r. S. Hart, M.A., mentioned having noted bipinnate 

 leaves on young Acacia oxycedriis, which had sprung up after 

 a fire on heathy ground, and remarked that this species and 

 A . pycHantha had ah'eady formed their buds for next season, 

 with almost a six months' wait ahead. He also noticed that 

 in the common heath, lipacris impressa, a reddish colour was 

 developed in the upper surface of the leaves ; but where a 

 branch had become broken and bent down, thus exposing the 

 under side of the leaves to the light, it was the under surface 

 which became red. 



Mr. R. W. Armitage, M.Sc, stated that he had recently 

 noticed the unusual occurrence of dense swarms — collected like 

 bees — of Crane-flies, of the family Tipulidae, sheltering on 

 the lee side of tree trunks at the foot of the slo])es of Mount 

 Macedon. When disturbed the insects scattered, but quickly 

 gathered together again. 



Mr. Spry said this was a common [)henomenon in mountain 

 gullies. 



Mr. J. A. Kershaw mentioned that some further intro- 

 ductions had been made to the National Park — viz., 27 

 opossums, several lyre-birds, two kinds of Bass Strait 

 wallaby, and also the Flinders Island wombat. He added that 

 the wild duck were becoming very tame, and were breeding 

 well, and that the quail had settled to a life of comparative 

 security and peace. 



EXHIBITS. 



By Mr. R. W. Armitage. — Small volcanic bombs from Mount 

 Porndon, near Pomborneit, between Colac and Camperdown : 

 specimens of three kinds of gneiss, two of which are garnet- 

 iferous, collected at Coodc Island, where they had been de- 

 posited after having been brought as ships' ballast from 

 overseas ; a pot-hole stone, about six inches in diameter, found 

 at a depth of 40 feet in an alluvial lead at Steel's Creek, near 

 Yarra (ilen : specimens of Crane-flies, Dolichopeza longtfurca (?). 

 Skuse, noticed clustering in great numbers in the Macedon 

 district on 5th March last ; skin of Three-striped Oi)ossum. 

 Dactylopsila trivirgata, from east coast of Papua. 



By Mr. J. E. Dixon. — Coleoptera from Rockbank, Sea Lake, 

 and Portland, including the new variety {viridiinica)is) of Sar/icns 

 obesulus, found by exhibitor and named by Mr. T. G. Sloane. 



By Mr. C. J. Gabriel. — Thirteen species of chitons recentlv 

 collected at Torquay, Victoria — viz.. Chiton jugosus, Gld.. 

 C. tricostalis, Pils.. I schnochiton virgatus. Roc, /. itstulatus. Roe. 

 /. nnvcc-hoUandice, Roe. /. cariosiis, Pils.. /. rt'splvndots, I^ed. 



