1 62 Field Naturalists'- Club — Proceedings. [v^r'xxix. 



Expedition to North- West Australia in 1896-7, gave a graphic 

 account of the difficulties which beset the traveller in the 

 desert sand-hills of the interior, and desci'ibed, in an interesting 

 manner, the country which was traversed by the party. The 

 main part of the paper consisted of descriptive notes on the 

 various animals and plants which came under his notice. He 

 regretted being unable to illustrate his remarks by means of 

 photographs, as all negatives were abandoned in the desert. 



Dr. Sutton said he was sure that all had listened with 

 absorbing interest to Mr. Keartland's paper, and the respect 

 that all had for him before was very much increased. 



Mr. C. P. Conigrave said that he had had an opportunity of 

 judging for himself the hardships connected with travelling 

 through the desert country, which he had explored further 

 to the east, and was greatly interested in the paper. 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard asked what was the average height of 

 the desert sand-hills. 



The author, in reply, stated that the sand-ridges were from 

 30 to 40 feet in height ; some were steep on one side and sloped 

 gradually on the other, while others had a gradual slope on 

 both sides. They occurred at close intervals, taking the form 

 of parallel ridges. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Two interesting natural history notes were read, which will 

 appear in the next Naturalist. 



EXHIBITS. 



By Mr. R. W. Armitage, M.Sc. — Walking stick made from 

 " Fiddleback Kanuka," Tristania latirina, R. Br., from Club 

 Terrace, Bemm River, East Gippsland. 



By Mr. G. Coghill. — Flowering stems of Ixodia achilloides, 

 R. Br., from Barwon Heads. 



By Mr. F. Cudmore. — Fossil crab, Lohocarcinns Paulino- 

 Wurtembergensis, from Middle Eocene of Cairo, Egypt. 



By Mr. J. E. Dixon. — ^Thirty species of Coleoptera from the 

 Otway Ranges, collected during January, 1913. 



By Mr. P. R. H. St. John. — Herbarium specimens of 

 Eucalyptus Perriniana, Rodway, collected at Dargo High Plains 

 by Dr. Heber Green, ist January, 1913 (new for Victoria); also 

 Tasmanian specimens, collected by Mr. L. G. Irby, forwarded 

 by Mr. R. T. Baker, F.L.S., of Sydney, for comparison. 



By Mr. F. Spry. — Ants, new for Victoria, belonging to the genera 

 Cerapachys, Sphinctomyrmex, Euponera, and Orectognathus ; 

 also parasitic Hymenoptera taken from nests of ants, Ecta- 

 tomma, sp., and Pheidole, sp., recently collected at Ferntree Gully. 



By Dr. C. S. Sutton. — Dried specimens of Hcmarthria com- 

 pressa, R. Br., from Cheltenham ; Imperata arundinacea, Cyrillo, 

 from Beaumaris ; and Ixiolccna lepiohpis, Benth., from Laverton. 



After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. 



