ZU Uictorian naturalist. 



Vol. XXXVI.— No. 12. APRIL 8, 1920. No. 436. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held at the 

 Royal Society's Hall on Monda}^ evening, 8th March, 1920. 



The president, Mr. A. D. Hardy, F.L.S., occupied the chair, 

 and about sixty members and visitors were present. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



From the Tasmanian Field Naturalists' Club, announcing a 

 camp-out at Port Arthur for Easter. 



From the National Park section of the Town Planning Asso- 

 ciation, announcing a series of lecturettes. on 26th March. 



REPORTS. 



A report of a visit to the Zoological Gardens on Saturday, 

 14th February, was given by the chairman, who said that there 

 had been a good attendance of members, who were favoured 

 by a beautiful day. The director, Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., 

 and Mr. A. Wilkie had acted as guides, and had given to mem- 

 bers a great deal of interesting information about the various 

 animals, birds, &c. Many improvements had been noted, and 

 the flower borders were especially brilliant. One of the newest 

 additions, a platypus, was, unfortunately, in hiding, and could 

 not be seen. 



A report of th^ excursion to Melton on Saturday, 6th March, 

 was given by the leader, Mr. F, G. A. Barnard, who said that 

 the weather had turned out very trying, the wind and dust 

 being most uncomfortable. The party found the country to- 

 wards the Djerri\varrh Creek thoroughly parched, and little of 

 interest was observed. A few trees of Melaleuca parviflora were 

 struggling to bloom. At the creek some time was spent in a 

 search for graptolites, but without success. A feature of the 

 creek is the immense quantities of various-coloured pebbles to 

 be found in its bed, many of which are traversed by thin 

 bands of quartz. Attention was called to the patches of 

 Mallee, Eucalyptus Behriana, F. v. M., seen in several places, 

 and to the weathering of the basalt in the road-cuttings. The 

 party walked on to Bacchus Marsh, and had an opportunity of 

 seeing the method of irrigating the lucerne fields. 



ELECTION OF MEMBERS. 



On a ballot being taken, Mr. Owen Jones, chairman of the 

 Forestry Board, Melbourne, and Miss L. Jones, O.B.E., Eye and 

 Ear Hospital, Melbourne, were elected as ordinary members. 



