^^'■••'I Fielc^ Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. 171 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard asked whether the seeds of the 

 Portulaca mentioned in the Burke and Wills expedition report 

 resembled those of the Portulaca of our gardens, the author 

 replying that, whilst the seeds were used, the fleshy leaves and 

 stems formed the chief article of food derived from this plant. 



Mr. F. Chapman remarked that he had found sporocarps 

 attached to his plants, and Mr. F. Pitcher said that in the 

 Economic Museum at the Botanic Gardens were two grinding 

 stones reputed to have been used by Burke and Wills at 

 Cooper's Creek, also portion of a cake made of Nardoo meal. 



Professor Spencer, after replying to the various remarks, 

 maintained that ample and satisfactory evidence had been 

 produced to support his contention. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard called attention to a recent statement 

 in the Argus " Nature Notes " that the call of the Kookaburra 

 was the effort of two birds, and asked the opinion of liird 

 authorities present. Mr. G. A. Keartland and Mr. P. R. H. 

 St. John both maintained that one bird only produced the 

 complete call. 



Professor Spencer illustrated the track of the introduced 

 garden snail on the blackboard, representing it as a series of 

 short, thick, broken lines, which may often be seen on an 

 asphalt path, and asked members to try and find an explanation 

 for this peculiarity. 



Mr. A. D. Hardy, F.L.S., mentioned that he liad found snails 

 attacking the foliage of a plum tree, which, he thought, was a 

 rather unusual food. 



EXHIBITS. 



By Mr. F. G. A. Barnard. — Pot plant of fern, Botrycliiinn 

 ternatum, just showing new season's fn^nds. 



By Mr. F. Chapman. — Fossil corals and stromatoporoids 

 obtained on Cave Hill quarry excursion, also samples of vol- 

 canic deposit (tuffaceous) from Crater Hill, Lilydale ; growing 

 specimen of Marsilca qiiadrifolia, in illustration of Prof. 

 Spencer's remarks. 



By Mr. C. Daley, F.L.S. --Aboriginal grinding stones, ui)per 

 and lower (the latter showing, on the reverse side, husking holes), 

 from north-west Riverina. 



By Miss Fuller.— Fresh specimens of the " Blanki>t-flow(M\" 

 from Western Australia. 



By Mr. E. Keep. — IHowering specimens of Acacia pniinosa, 

 " Frosty Acacia," and Leplospcrmum scoparii<m, tlic pink- 

 flowered New Zealand variety. 



By Mr. F. Pitcher. — Flowers of Slcnncarpiis siiiiialiis, ICndl., 

 Fire-wheel Tree, New South Wales and Queensland ; Backhousia 



