132 Field Naturnlists' Club — Proceedivgs. \yi\^x 



Nai. 

 XXXIV. 



R. T. Baker, from Kildary, New South Wales, collected by 

 Mr. W. R. A. Baker, 7th October, i()i7. 



By Ml. J. Stickland. — Under microscope, Thiiricola opercii- 

 lata, a tube-lniildins.^ protozoon with a trai)-door in its tiil)e : 

 also Plumatella, sp. 



By Mr. H. B. Williamson. — Dried specimen of Ercmophila 

 crassi folia, F. v. M., Thick-leaved Emu-bush, collected near 

 Murrayville, \'ictoria, December, ioi() — a South Australian 

 species not previously recorded for Victoria. 



By Mr. F. Wisewould. — E.xamples of the wild-flowers seen or 

 collected during the Pakenham excursion. 



The president wished the members the season's greetings, 

 and the meeting terminated with the usual conversazione. 



EXCURSION TO HEIDELBERG. 



The excursion to Heidelberg on Saturday, 20th October, for 

 the study of aquatic zoology, was well attended, and included 

 several members of the Microscopical Society. The clay was 

 heavy and threatening, l)ut the rain kept ol^ until our party 

 was entrained for the home journey : then it poured down in 

 torrents, obliterating the landscape from view. The storm 

 lasted about twenty minutes, l)ut had all cleared off before we 

 reached the cit}'. We found the ponds at Heidelberg in 

 splendid condition, and teeming with specimens, most of the 

 well-known forms of aquatic fauna being present, while one 

 or two rarities were captured, one of these being a colonial 

 form of Protozoa, globular in shajx' and about the size of a 

 large pea, the zooids dwelling in tubt-s formed in the gelatinous 

 mass. Feeding on these wcri' a number of rotifers— probably 

 one of the Proales— resembling a species of that genus found 

 parasitic in Volvox. Ihc movements of the rotifers, as viewed 

 under the microscope, were interesting to watch. They would 

 crawl over the surface of the colony till tliey found a tube- 

 opening, when they would suddenly dive into it and devour 

 the unfortunate inhabitant, issuing fortli again in S(>arch of 

 another victim. When first observed it was thought that the 

 cdlony was that of a new species of rotifer, and that the 

 individuals were alternately protruding themselves from the 

 tubes and as suddenly retracting therein, and it was not until 

 examined closely that the true state of affairs was determined. 

 The specimens identified, some of which were determined 

 by Mr. J. Stickland, include the following: — Protozoa. — 

 Arcella vulgaris, Astasia Iricophcra, Volvo.x, sp., Vaginicola 

 crystallina, Epislylis plicatilis. K. flavicans. Stcntor rncselli, 

 Ophrvixjoia aira, Ophrydium sessile, Canhcsiiiiii polxpiiim, 



