*^^^''l Excursion In Pliillip Island. 7 



EXCURSION TO PHILLIP ISLAND. 



The Easter excursion to Phillij-) Island, loth to 14th April, 

 1914, was somewhat marred by the inclemency of the weather, 

 nevertheless the dozen members who participated in the trip 

 managed to get a fair amount of enjoyment out of the outing. 

 The rough, squally weather made dredging operations impossible ; 

 we were therefore thrown back upon collecting along the shore, 

 bark-stripping for insects, and making excursions to such 

 locaHties as Cape Woolamai and M'Haftie's Reef. The rough 

 weather was rather an advantage in viewing these latter places, 

 emphasizing as it did the rugged grandeur of the rocky coast. 

 This was not all that we had to thank the bad weather for, as on 

 the evening of Easter Monday (13th April) we had a magnificent 

 view of that unusual phenomenon a lunar rainbow. 



So far as practical results are concerned, I am not in a 

 position to give specific names to many of the marine animals 

 collected. I noted, however, that of the material cast up upon 

 the beaches sponges and tunicates were very much in evidence, 

 and several species of Hydrozoa and Polyzoa were abundant. 

 Amongst the sponges is to be included a species which I believe 

 to be close to if not identical with Euspongia oificinalis, a 

 valuable commercial variety. The tunicates comprised a very 

 large number of species, and Phillij^ Island after a storm should 

 be noted as a prolific collecting ground by anyone intending to 

 work this group. At M'Haffie's Reef we noticed at extreme low 

 water mark what we thought at first to be a stationary flock 

 of birds. On coming up to them, however, they proved to be 

 numbers of a large species of growing tunicate. The individuals 

 were about a foot in height ; there were some hundreds of these, 

 and the spectacle was peculiar. Another curious ascidian was 

 picked up — viz., ColleUa pedunculata, Quoy and Gaimard. The 

 Challenger specimens of this species were collected at Kerguelen 

 Island and at stations in the neighbourhood of 50'^ S. 

 Only one holothurian was found — viz., Colochinis doliolum, 

 Pallas. I am indebted to Messrs. Wilson, Spry, and Barnard 

 for notes and lists in connection with the ornithology, 

 entomology, and botany of the outing. A number of spiders 

 were collected, including a specimen of that extraordinary form 

 Salena cxcavata ; the others are at present unidentified. Mr. 

 Wilson reports seeing a Koala or Native Bear between Cowes 

 and Pyramid Rock. 



Ornithology. — Mr. H. W. Wilson writes : — " Fifty species 

 of birds, with two introduced species, the House Sparrow and 

 the Starling, were identified by Mr. L. G. Chandler, of the 

 Bird Observers' Club, and myself during the five days' outing 

 at Phillip Island. The species are arranged and numbered as in 

 Dr. Leach's ' Australian Bird Book.' 



