THE VICTORIA^ NATURALIST 3 



office. One of the boxes in use was shown by Mr. Watts, who 

 stated that Dr. Morris, by whom it had been sent to him, desired to 

 make it and the aecompanying specimens a present to the Club after 

 jts return from Sydiiey. The general exhibition of specimens was 

 an imusually ijiteresting one. It comprised six species of Indian 

 Ocean moUusca, viz., Spondylus tenuispuiosus, S. auranteus, S. radians, 

 Dolabella Eumphi and Umbella Indica, by J. F. Bailey ; forty 

 Humming birds, including a pair of Acestoura Helioderii, from 

 Columbia, this being the smallest known bird, also fine specimens in 

 flower of Spiranthes australis, Dipodium punctatum, and Cryp- 

 tostylis longifolia, three orchids from tlie Mount Eliza district, by 

 C. French ; Birds' Eggs collected at Colac, also Sleeping Lizard 

 from Daylesford, by T. Hyland ; specimens of large Owl and 

 Whistling Eagle, viz., Hailiastur sphenurus and Atliene strenura, 

 l)y T. A. F. Leith ; specimens of scrub from 300 miles north of 

 Townsviile, Queensland, by J. E. Prince ; diseased and healthy 

 leaves of the Coffee tree from Ceylon, by H. Watts : Kauri gum, 

 ])y J. H. ISIatthias : Eggs of Argonauta tuberculata or Paper 

 Nautilus, by J. H. Gatliff ; tliirty specimens of Coleoptera collected 

 during tlie month, and specimens of Kilcunda coal, by F, G. A. 

 Barnard ; Beetles, including a new Longicorn allied to the genus 

 Plioracantha, collected during tlie month by 1), Best ; nest of 

 Mason Spider from North America, by G. R. Hill ; Lepidoptera 

 and Coleoptera collected since last meeting, also specimen of Polistes 

 or Card -making Wasp and nest from Studley Park, by J. E.Dixon ; 

 and box of exotic insects and orchid in flower, Cryptostylis longi- 

 folia, by P. Dattari, who exhibited a diagram showing the relation- 

 ships of the various families coming under the first section of the 

 Coleoptera. 



After a very pleasant Conversazione, the meeting separated about 

 ten o'clock. 



THE 0RCHIDEJ5 OF VICTORIA: 



Their Habitats, avith Cultural Notes. 



by g . french, botanic gardens, melbourne, 



(Part L— Read September 10th, 1883.) 



Mr. President a^d Gentlemen op the F. N. Club op 



A'lCTORIA 



Most of you are aware that some time since, I promised you 

 a paper on the Terrestrial Orchids of this Colony. Since that 

 time, however; I have thought it better to add to it the few 



