THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 121 



FIELD IfATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The monthly meeting of the Club was held at the Royal Society's 

 Hall, on Monday evening, December 8th, 1884. 



Mr. A. H. S. Lucas, one of the vice-presidents, occupied the chair, 

 and about seventy members and visitors were present. 



The hon. librarian acknowledged the receipt of the proceedings of 

 the Linnjean Society of 'New South "Wales, vol. IX., part 3., from 

 the Society; also a further donation of books from Mr. H. Kennon. 



The hon. secretary reported that a petition had been presented to 

 parliament in favor of the Game Act Amendment Bill, as resolved 

 at the last meeting. 



The following gentlemen were elected members of the Club: — 

 Messrs. W. A. Butters, Geo. A. Grifl&ths, S. Hales, H. Hughes, 

 E. Johnstone, — Passmore, G. Renner, C. Savage, E. Stafford, 

 and J. Bracebridge Wilson, M.A. 



Papers read. — 1, Mr. A. H. S. Lucas read a paper contributed by 

 a lady member, entitled "Another Scotch Naturalist." This was 

 an account of a visit paid to a poor Scotch bootmaker named 

 Patterson, and was written with the view of bringing before the 

 younger members of the Club, the many disadvantages under which 

 natural history can still be studied successfully by an enthusiastic 

 worker. 



2. Mr. A. J. Campbell read a valuable paper on " Mallee Hens and 

 their Egg-mounds," being the results of his recent observations of 

 these birds and their habits in the Wimmera district. 



He illustrated his remarks with drawings on the blackboard, and 

 exhibited specimens of the eggs. 



Several members mentioned natural history questions which had 

 recently come under their notice, and which elicited considerable 

 discussion. 



The principal exhibits of the evening were: — by Mr. E. Bage, 

 copy of Brown's Forest Flora of South Australia, parts 1 to 4; by 

 Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, a young shark, taken from egg; by Mr. D. 

 Best, Australian coleoptera, family Chrysomelidce; by Mr. A. 

 Borthwick, birds recently shot at Phillip Island, viz., white-bellied 

 sea-eagle (Halicettts leucogaster) , Pacific gull (Lams pacificus), and 

 Mutton-bird (Puffinus hrevicaudus) ; by Mr. A. J. Campbell, eggs 

 of Mallee Hen {Leipoa ocellata); by Mr. G. Coghill, dried orchids; 

 by Mr. A. Coles, fossil from bed of Suez Canal; by Rev. A. W. 

 Cresswell, for Mrs. Peppin, Camberwell, precious opal from near 

 Cooper's Creek, Queensland; by Mr. J. E. Dixon, seven species of 

 English butterflies, and four species of British Hymenoptera; 

 Master Dombrain, ten species of Australian birds ; by Mr. C. French, 

 humming-birds from Central America; by Master French, Victorian 



