The South Australian Naturalist. 



Flinders Chase. — The Board that is to control this National 

 Reserve held its first meeting* on February 4. The chairman is 

 the Hon. John LeAvis, M.P., who, with Mr. Laffer, ]\I.P., was 

 nominated bj^ the Government. The University representatives 

 on the Board are Professor T. G. B. Osborn and Mr. ITug-h 

 Corbin, while the Royal Society's nominees are Captain S. A. 

 White and Mr. Samuel Dixon. The Hon. John Lewis has 

 invited the members of the Board to accompany him on a visit 

 to the Chase, and this is being arranged for an early date. 



The Year's Programme. — The new ])rogTamme of excur- 

 sions and lectures has been x)repared, and provides for a very 

 full year of activities on the part of club members. Among the 

 items i)rovided for are a two-days' Avild flower show in the 

 spring, and an excursion to Flinders Chase, Kangaroo Island, 

 in the next Christmas vacation. 



OUR BEGINNINGS.— THE FIRST WHOLE-DAY 



EXCURSION. 



By W. H. Selway. 



The first excursion lield by the Section was to National 

 Park (then known as Government Farm) on Saturday after- 

 noon, November 2J, 1883, and the first holiday excursion was to 

 Hallett's Cove on January 1, 1884. It was to this locality that 

 Professor Tate pictured an imaginary excursion in his inaugural 

 address on November 7, 1883. It was probably the largest 

 attended outing in the history of the Section, over 100 ])ersons 

 being present, about 90 of Avhom were conveyed in three coaches 

 to their destinatioji. At this time the '*drag" or charabanc 

 had not been developed in Adelaide, but the old mail coaches 

 which were then used were very comfortable, and afforded an 

 excellent means of seeing the country, with their seats rising 

 one above the other. The only drawback was the inside, where 

 the rumbling of the wheels was rather too manifest. 



The Secretary in those days (Mr. W. E. Pickels) was a very 

 methodical man, and each applicant was allotted a particular 

 seat, usually in order of priority of application. A ticket was 

 given to each passenger, showing his or her seat on the coach. 

 The Secretary drew a rough plan of each coach, showing to 

 whom each seat was apportioned. Of course, when there were 

 three coaches to look after he had to get assistance, and I 

 remember that Mr. Geo. Collis (the first treasurer of the 

 Section) and the writer gave help in alloting passengers their 

 seats. One invariable adjunct to the Secretary's equipment 



