^^y- 1 Excursion to River sdale. < 



19*7 J -' 



The pond-life devotees report that the park contained very little 

 water, and that very muddy, and did not look very promising in 

 the way of specimens, but examination showed that many of the 

 well-known forms were present. The list included : — Euglena 

 oxyuris, (?) Holophrya, Asplanchna sp., Notops clavulatus, 

 Triarthra sp.. Monostyla sp., Syncheta sp., Brachionus (2 spp.), 

 Simocephalus gibbosus, Moina australiensis, Pse itdomoina lemnce, 

 Chydorus sp., Alona sp., Cyclops albidus, C. (?) fimbriatus var., 

 C. (?) strenuus var., Cypridopsis minna. CypHs sp., also the 

 larger forms of life, as Water-bugs and Beetles. Seeing 

 that it is the intention of the Tramways Trust to beautify 

 the land by tree-planting, &c., and, if possible, to use only 

 Australian trees, it might be suggested that these should be 

 planted in masses rather than single specimens, which often fail 

 for want of mutual protection. However, little can be done in 

 this way if grazing is allowed on the land ; even the young gums 

 and wattles now springing up will speedily vanish before the 

 cows and horses which were seen there on Saturday, 24th. It 

 is gratifying to learn that the land has been proclaimed a 

 sanctuary under the Game Act, and it would be well if members 

 of this Club would take upon themselves the duty of acting as 

 honorary guardians of the place. In fact, it might be a further 

 inducement to members to take an interest in the park if an 

 acre or so of the eastern portion was set aside and enclosed, in 

 which meml>3rs could plant shrubs, &c., brought from other 

 parts of the State. — F. G. A. Barnard. 



The Quail Season. — A letter appeared in the Age of 3rd or 

 4th of April, signed " Preston," complaining that quail-shooting 

 liad started too soon, as there were great numl)ers of young 

 birds and brooding hens about. I was out on the opening day 

 (2nd April), and got a nice; bag of birds, and had the ojiportunity 

 of examining five others. These six bags contained about sixt}' 

 brace of quail, and among them there was not one immature 

 bird. All these birds were obtained in the neighbourhood oi 

 Preston. I consider our Club is entitled to some credit for its 

 efforts during the past fifteen years to protect the birds until 

 April. If there are young birds in April, surely shooting should 

 not commence in March, as so many of our opponents desired. 

 Possibly this season is somewhat later than usual, but birds are 

 unusually plentiful all over the State. A friend in the Goulburn 

 Valley says birds are plentiful there. That is one of the 

 districts from which birds were said to depart before the end of 

 February. — G. A. Keartland. Preston, i6th April, 1917. 



