Che Uictorian naturalisi 



Vol. XXXIII.— No. 5. SEPTEMBER 7, 1916. No. 393. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary meeting of the Club was held in the Royal 

 Society's Hall on Monday evening, 14th August, 1916. 



The president, Mr. F. Pitcher, occupied the chair, and about 

 sixt}' members and visitors were present. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



From ]\Ir. A. Rutter Clarke, intimating that, owing to his 

 immediate departure for India, he would be unable to act as 

 leader of the Club excursion to " Merriwa," Toorak, on 23rd 

 September, but that he had made arrangements for others to 

 discharge the duties of leader and of host. 



REPORT. 



The hon. secretary (Mr. J. G. O'Donoghue) reported that, 

 at the request of Mr. O. W. Rosenhain, who for some time past 

 had not been in the best of health, he had acted as leader of 

 the excursion to Hurst's Bridge on Saturday, 12th August. 

 Owing to the line afternoon the trains from the city to Heidel- 

 berg, and from Heidelberg to Hurst's Bridge, were uncom- 

 fortably crowded. On reaching Hurst's Bridge at 3.15 p.m. 

 it was found that the party numbered more than fifty persons. 

 As there w^ere no Silver Wattles flowering in the neighbourhood 

 of the township, the party crossed the Diamond Creek, and, 

 after proceeding for a short distance along the Arthur's Creek 

 road, bore westerly up a narrow valley, on either side of which 

 occur numerous specimens of the Sydney Black Wattle, Acacia 

 decurrens, var. normalis. It was noted that the trees growing 

 on the northern slope of the valley were at the height of their 

 flowering perfection, whilst those in the valley and on the 

 southern acclivity were not so far advanced. Retracing their 

 steps, the party partook of some light refreshment, kindly 

 provided by Mr. Rosenhain, and then returned by the 6 p.m. 

 train to the city. Generally speaking, the excursion was a 

 disappointment, for, owing to the extreme dryness of the hill- 

 sides, few flowering plants or shrubs were noted, and by reason 

 of the destruction of the wattles along the course of the 

 Diamond Creek the chief feature of the Hurst's Bridge district 

 at this time of year has ceased to exist. 



Mr. F. Keep said that it might be of interest to members 

 to learn that the occurrence of the Sydney Black Wattle in 



