^P"''J Field Naluralisls' Club — Proceedings. 183 



In the absence of the author, the paper was read l)y Mr. J. A. 

 Kershaw, who brielly exi)lained the position of newts in the 

 animal kingdom. The author stated that, though he had kept 

 a pair of newts in an aquarium at Geelong for some years, it 

 was not till the recent spring that eggs were laid and young 

 hatched out. Their progress was very interesting, and they 

 proved themselves capable of devouring enormous quantities of 

 mosquito larvre. 



2. By Mr. F. Pitcher, entitled "Some General Remarks on 

 Ferns, with Special Reference to Victorian Species." 



The author, in a most interesting paper, referred to the 

 position of ferns in the vegetable kingdom, and, taking a typical 

 fern, described its various parts, &c. The distribution of ferns 

 throughout the world and in the Australian States was briefly 

 dealt with. Then general descriptions of the seventy-three 

 species of Victorian ferns were given, with notes as to their 

 habitats ; also hints on the propagation and cultivation of ferns 

 in general. 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard said that he had been interested in the 

 grou]) for a number of years, and had grown them with varying 

 results. Two species, Osmtmda barbara and Asplenium umbrosiim, 

 were well worth growing, and bore the roughest treatment. He 

 had no success with A. bulbifertim, which was readily attacked 

 by slugs and wood-lice, and also seemed very subject to scale. 

 The Woodwardias were also easy to grow. He would like to 

 know the locality of Ptcris comans, as he had not been able to 

 distinguish it from P. incisa. 



Mr. C. J. Gabriel asked if the crested varieties to l)e seen in 

 florists' windows could be grown and kept crested by the 

 amateur gardener. 



Professor Ewart said that all were grateful for the paper. 

 The author had laid stress mainly on the systematic side 

 of the subject, but there remained an enormous amount of 

 work which could be done by field naturalists and those who 

 like to grow and cultivate the ferns at home. Cases have 

 been found in European ferns where the spore stage or the 

 prothallus stage has Ijeen left out. In some cases the ]no- 

 tlialli developed spores directly. The jilants should be examined 

 with a lens for these abnormalities. It would be interesting to 

 know if any of our Victorian ferns have a similar mode of 

 reproduction, or whether they develop their full life-lflstory. 

 Apart from one or two normal forms, the exact life-histories 

 of Australian sjx'cies had not been worked out. As regards 

 the apical growth in tree-ferns we arc absolutely ignorant. 

 We have yet to learn the character of the ajjcx, and the exact 

 way in which the different organs arise from it. 



Mr. Pitcher, in reply, stated that he had collected Piefi^ 



