Cfte Ulctorian naturalist 



Vol. XXXIV.— No. 6. OCTOBER 1, 1917. No. 406. 



l^^TELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held at the 

 Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 13th August, 1017. 

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

 50 members and visitors were present. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



From His Excellency the Governor-General, regretting his 

 inability to open the exhibition of wild-flowers on 2nd October, 

 owing to his projected absence from the State. 



REPORTS. 



The hon. secretary reported that, owing to inclement 

 weather, the excursion to South Morang on Saturday, 28th 

 July, had been abandoned. 



A report of the visit to the National Museum on Saturday, 

 14th July, was given by Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., who stated 

 that a large party of members and friends had been present. 

 The afternoon was devoted to the Australian collections, 

 special attention being given to the marsupials. The two egg- 

 laying mammals, the Platypus and the Echidna, were exhibited, 

 and specimens of the young in different stages of growth 

 examined. Information was given on the construction of the 

 burrows and the formation of the ball-like nests. Skulls of 

 the kangaroos were examined, and the development of the 

 cheek teeth, on which the determination of the species depends, 

 was explained. A general inspection of the specimens in the 

 Australian Hall was made, attention being directed to recent 

 additions. Finally, the recently-opened Children's Room was 

 visited, and the methods by which natural history objects are 

 brought within the understanding of children were pointed out. 



GENERAL BUSINESS. 



The president said that Miss O'Donoghue had presented a 

 set of bound volumes of the Naturalist to the library as a 

 memento of her late brother's association with the Club. A 

 vote of thanks was unanimously accorded to her for the gift. 



K hearty welcome was (extended to Mr. E. H. Ising, a 

 member of the Field Naturalists' Section of the Royal Society 

 of South .Australia, who was on a holiday visit to Victoria. 

 Mr. Ising briefly responded, expressing his appreciation of the 

 chairman's kindly remarks. 



The congratulations of the meeting were accorded to Mr. 



