THE VICTORIAN NATDEALIST. 183 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



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

 Hall, on Monday evening, 12th January, 1885. 



The president, the Rev. J. J. Halley, occupied the chair, and 

 about sixty-five members and visitors were present. 



A letter was read from the Chief Secretary's Department, in 

 answer to a communication from the Club, stating that special 

 instructions had been issued to the metropolitan police to prevent 

 the use of shanghais in the public gardens and parks of Melbourne 

 and suburbs. 



The hon. librarian announced the receipt of the " Southern 

 Science Record," New Series No. 1, from the publisher, and also 

 that the periodicals had been bound, and could be borrowed by the 

 meml)ers. 



Messrs A. L. Lalor and W. Swan were elected members of the 

 Club, and one latiy and five gentlemen nominated for membership. 



Mr. H. T. Tisdall, of Walhalla, promised a paper on " The Fungi 

 of the Eastern Slope of Mt. Baw Baw, Gippsland." 



The cliairman drew attention to the proposed alteration of the 

 ■close season for quail, and it was decided to write to the Commissioner 

 of Trade and Customs, opposing the alteration. 



In response to the chairman's suggestion, Mr. D. LeSouef kindly 

 undertook to conduct a party from the Club round the Zoological 

 Gardens, on Saturday, 24th inst. 



Reading of papers. — 1. Mr. C, French contributed the sixth 

 part of his paper on " the Orchids of Victoria," in which he 

 described and gave cultural notes for the following species of the 

 genus Prasophyllum, viz., P. Austrxle, P. brevilabre, P. patens, 

 P. fuscum, P. nigricans, P. rufum, P. dispectans, P. Archeri, and 

 P. intricatiim, dried specimens of each of which he also exhibited. 

 2. Mr. Watts read some notes on specimens of Coccidce m.onnted as 

 microscopic objects, forwarded by the Postal Microscopical Section 

 •of the Royal Society of South Australia, and exhibited the drawings 

 and photographs accompanymg them. 3. Mr. F. M. Reader read 

 the introduction to his list of the Phanerogamous Plants of Studley 

 Park. He stated that 58 natural orders and 271 species were 

 represented in the Park, so far as he had been able to observe ; of 

 these, however, about 67 species had been introduced. It was 

 decided to publish the list in the " Naturalist." 



Several natural history notes were mentioned by members, and 

 created considerable interest. 



The following were the principal exhibits of the evening : — By 

 Mr. D. Best, drawer of Australian Coleoptera, family Buprestidce] 

 fcy Mr. A. J. Campbell, shell, Triton Australis, from Portland, also 



