THK VICTORIAN NATURALIST 69 



FIELD I^ATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The Monthly Meeting of the Club was held at the Royal Society's 

 Hall, on Monday, the 11th inst,, about forty-fiye members and 

 yisitors being present, and the President, the Rey. J. J. Halley, 

 ■occupying the chair. 



The hon. librarian acknowledged the receipt of the following 

 •donations to the library since last meeting : — " Report of the Timber 

 Board, Victorian Railways;" "Report of the Department of 

 Agriculture for 1883 ;" " Report of the Microscopical Society of 

 Victoria for 1883;" and "Report of the Smithsonian Institution, 

 Washington, U.S. A., for 1881." 



The hon. secretary reported that the monthly excursion held at 

 Brighton, on 19th July, had been fairly attended, and the results 

 very gratifying to those present, six species of orchids having been 

 found in flower. 



The president referred in feeling terms to the great loss the Club 

 had sustained through the death of Mr. J, F. Bailey, the librarian, 

 and one of the original members, and trusted that the work 

 commenced by him in the departments of conchology and palaeon- 

 tology, would be taken up by some other members. He also 

 announced that Mr. C. French had been elected librarian, and Mr. 

 H. Watts to the vacancy on the Committee. 



The hon. secretary read the letter of condolence, wliich would be 

 signed by the office-bearers and forwarded to Mrs. Bailey. 



The Hon. R. Simpson and Mr. W. Allison Clarke were elected 

 members, and Dr. J. C. Cox, Sydney, and Dr. Otto Finsch, hon. 

 members of the club ; whilst three ladies and eight gentlemen were 

 nominated for election at next meeting. 



A paper, "Notes on Lyre Birds," was promised by Mr, A. J, 

 Campbell, for a future meeting. 



1. Mr. Best read a paper for Mr. Dattari " On the Locomotion 

 of Coleopterous Insects. This, it was explained, was the first of a 

 series of four papers on the subject. In it, the writer described the 

 structure of the antennaj and their position in the different families 

 of beetles, illustrating his remarks by enlarged drawings of the 

 various parts. He stated that the use of the antennae was still a 

 matter of doubt, but that he would treat more fully of the question 

 in his next paper. 



Several members took part in the discussion which followed, 

 •chiefly with reference to whether the antennae could be termed 

 organs of locomotion. 



2. Mr, Campbell read a paper by Mr. F. H. Reed, of Evandale, 

 Tasmania, entitled, " litotes on^ Tasmanian Snakes." The writer 

 stated that he was familiar with four species of snakes indigenous 

 to Tfysmaiiia. He related several experiments whichhe had tried 

 with regard to the effects of the poisonj . and stated tli aLhe ■] ^eli e.Yed 



