54 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. [voLXXXII. 



the following chief characteristics : — (i) The labellum — longer 

 than in either P. concinim or P. reflexa ; and differing from P. 

 concinna in being more pointed, and from P. reflexa in being 

 bifid ; (2) the arrangement of leaves on the stem — when first 

 flowering the stem is short and the nodes show that the arrange- 

 ment of leaves appears somewhat similar to that of a rosette, 

 but the stem quickly elongates and the leaves are arranged 

 alternately along the stem. He said work is still being done 

 on this orchid, but, as it seems evident that it is undoubtedly 

 a new species, Professor Ewart has decided to call it Pterostvlis 

 Toveyana, in honour of the finder. A full description of this 

 species will be given in Professor Ewart's next " Contribution 

 to the Flora of Australia," which will appear shortly in the 

 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



PAPERS READ. 



i. By Messrs. E. E. Pescott, F.L.S., and C. French, jun., 

 entitled " A Year Among the Orchids : a Reminiscence." 



In a short, but interesting paper, the authors made reference 

 to the fact that the season 1914-15, being an unusual one, 

 owing to the drought, orchid life presented several interesting 

 phases. Orchids were absent that were common in ordinary 

 years, whilst certain hot and dry season orchids, notably 

 Lyperanthus nigricans, were absent from certain localities. 

 The outstanding feature of their observations on this inter- 

 esting family (hiring the season was the undoubted fact that, 

 owing to the inevitable spread of cultivation, many of the species 

 were doomed to extinction in the metropolitan area at no very 

 distant date. The extension of fruit-growing in the country 

 districts was likewise responsible for the disappearance of 

 many species. Unlike other classes of plants, orchids do not 

 1 • Tidily lend themselves to cultivation, nor do they survive 

 foi any length of time on settled lands. The authors thus 

 considered it a duty to study and record the result of their 

 observations ol a slowly buf surely disappearing race of plants. 

 The drought, contrary to the belief entertained by many, had 

 no adversi effect on the abundance of orchids. Between 

 Ringwood and Bayswater, during the month of < October, twenty- 

 two species and varieties were noted. whil< twelve were collei ted 

 ;it Oakleigh, and eleven a1 Cheltenham. Ou1 oi 07 species 

 recorded for Victoria, 62 or nearly two-thirds wen observed 

 by them during the \ 



The paper was illustrated by a series ol lantern slides. 

 In complimenting the authors on theii interesting paper, 

 the piesid.-nt said thai he had 1 olle< ted nearly all the Vv torian 

 specH 3 oi on hid-, and thai foi many ■.■ at pasl it was obvious 



to him the chai I collecting many of the species deall with 



thai evening were becoming smaller and smallei every season. 



