^^^gl Field Naturalists' Club. — Proceedings. 107 



The Cottage, Rosedale ; Miss M. Sudding, Bairnsdale ; Mrs. A. 

 F. Magill, Nhill; Mr. W. Cornthwaite, Thorpdale ; and Mr. H. 

 L. White, " Belltrees," Scone, N.S.W., as country members ; 

 and Master T. L. a' Beckett, Lansdowne-road, East St. Kilda, as 

 an associate of the Club. 



The president compHmented Miss G. Nethercote on her very 

 successful efforts to increase the membership and interests of 

 the Club. 



GENERAL BUSINESS. 



The president, Mr. F. Pitcher, mentioned that Mr. Gill, teacher 

 of the Upper Ferntree Gully State school, had made a request 

 that a member of the Club would visit the school and afford 

 the children an insight into the natural vegetation and bird- 

 life of the district. The committee had considered the matter, 

 and Mr. P. R. H. St. John had acted as leader to a large and 

 appreciative gathering of scholars on Saturday, nth inst. 

 Mr. St. John briefly outlined the chief incidents of the outing. 



REMARKS ON EXHIBITS. 



In referring to his exhibit of dendrites and graptolites from 

 Digger's Rest, Mr. A. L. Scott said that dendrites are deposits 

 of arborescent form found in the joint planes of fine-grained 

 rocks. They usually consist of earthy manganese oxide, and by 

 the uninitiated are often taken for fossil ferns. The formation 

 is, however, a case of crystal growth, or rather crystal aggrega- 

 tion. Graptolites, on the other hand, are fossils, and are 

 characteiistic of early Palaeozoic formations. While com- 

 paratively small in size and simple in structure, a large number 

 of genera and species exist which are readily identifiable. 



Mr. A. N. Burns, referring to his exhibit of Microgaster 

 cocoons, said that the larvae of this insect lived in the larvae 

 of the common moth, Nyctemera arnica. Out of five cater- 

 pillars of this moth three were infected with these small parasites, 

 which must therefore tend to prevent the moth from becoming 

 plentiful. 



In referring to Mr. C. French's and his exhibit, Mr. E. E. 

 Pescott remarked that the recording of Thelymitra pauciflora 

 as a new species for the State made a list of six new orchids 

 which they had recorded in two years. There were also two 

 other names added to the list as a result of a rearrangement 

 of species, and two others — a Pterostylis and a Chiloglottis — 

 which were at present under review, and would probably form 

 new species. The Chiloglottis was on exhibition. Caleya 

 minor, also exhibited, was a rare species not often seen. 



LECTURETTE. 



By Mr. A. S. Kenyon, entitled " Notes on the Victorian 

 Mallee." 



