. . The . . 



South Australian Naturalist. 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Science CongTess. — The Australian Association for the 

 Advauceinent of Science met in Melbourne in January last. 

 This was the first meeting- shice 1913, and although there was 

 much disappointment among- delegates and members on account 

 of the impossibility of meeting in Hobart, as intended, the 

 Congress proved to be a most enthusiastic and successful one. 

 In many branches of science, particularly in physics, chemistry 

 and biology there is at i)resent a great burst of discovery, with 

 an attendant number of fresh and fascinating theories ; in these 

 sections, therefore, the Congress was of ])articular interest. The 

 Chairman of the S.A. Field Naturalists attended as delegate 

 from that body. The next meeting of the Association will be 

 held in Wellington, N.Z., in January, 1923. 



Flinders Chase. — The proposed visit of members to the 

 National Park, Flinders Chase, K.I., which should have taken 

 place in the Christmas vacation, was postponed to a later date, 

 on the advice of Captain White. The conditions on the Chase 

 are not yet such as to allow for an enjoyable camp Avithout 

 considerable cost to the members visiting. 



Lecture, November 12, 1920. — An instructive lecture on. 

 the value of bird life to Australia was delivered by Mr. Dudley 

 Le Souef, the Director of the Melbourne Zoological Gardens. 

 Among other figures relating to the destruction of injurious 

 insects, the lecturer mentioned that in a rookery of about 

 200,000 ibis in the Riverina district, the total number of insects, 

 mostly grasshoppers, taken in one day would be about four 

 millions — 25 tons of grasshoppers! From the lecturer's great 

 and intimate knoAvledge of the bird life of Australia, a vast 

 amount of interesting detail was placed before the members. 



