Che Uictoriatt naturalist 



Vol. XXXIL— No. 11. MARCH 9, 1916. No. 387. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held at the 

 Royal Society's Hall on Monday, 14th February, 1916. 



The president, Dr. C. S. Sutton, occupied the chair, and about 

 forty members and visitors were present. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



From Mrs. E. L. Hall, conveying her appreciation of the 

 Club's expression of sympathy and regret at the death of her 

 husband. Dr. T. S. Hall, and expressing the hope that the deep 

 interest evidenced by him in the Club's welfare would be 

 cultivated by all its members. 



REPORTS. 



A report of the excursion to the Richmond quarries on 22nd 

 January was forwarded by the leader, Mr. J. Searle, who stated 

 that about fourteen members took part in the outing. In the 

 quarry nearest the river large numbers of the crab Hymenosoma 

 lacustris were found ; the shrimp-like Xiphocaris was also very 

 plentiful, abounding among the weeds fringing the water, and 

 must afford a considerable amount of food for the perch and 

 bream said to be plentiful in the holes. The water is of great 

 depth — from 50 to 60 feet — the quarries being separated from 

 one another by a narrow ridge of well-formed columnar basalt. 

 In the smaller quarry numerous Copepoda were found, and the 

 rather rare Cladocera, Daphnia lumholtzi. was taken in fair 

 numbers. Many interesting forms of Protozoa, such as Platy- 

 cola. Vaginicola, Thuricola, Stylocola, Falliculina, were secured. 

 Desmids and diatoms were also plentiful, and among the latter 

 was the erratic Basillaria paradoxis, the peculiar movements 

 of which are always attractive when viewed under the micro- 

 scope. The eastern wall of the quarry affords an excellent 

 example of radiating prismatic basalt, and is worth inspection 

 by those interested. Finally, a visit was made to a quarry- 

 hole to the north-west of the present workings. This is being 

 used as a tip for rubbish, but the water in it usually yields good 

 supplies of rotifers, &c. On this occasion we found Brachionus 

 mitlleri and Pedalion in great numbers, while a protozoon, 

 probably a Trichodema, fairly swarmed. Hoping to secure a 

 few more specimens of Daphnia lumholtzi, the quarries were 

 again visited, with two other members of flic (lull, on Saturday 

 last, 12th February. On this occasion a long line with tow net 

 was taken to sample the lower depths, and. though disappointed 



