THE 



^ictovxan naturalist* 



Vol. X.— No. 7. NOVEMBER, 1893. No. 119. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary monthly meeting was held in the Royal Society's 

 Hall on Monday evening, 9th October. The president (Mr. H. 

 T. Tisdall, F.L.S.) occupied the chair, and in spite of the un- 

 favourable weather there was an attendance of some sixty mem- 

 bers and friends. 



MEETING FOR PRACTICAL WORK. 



At the monthly meeting for practical work held on the 25th 

 September the common snail was taken as a subject. Details as 

 to structure of the animal and directions (illustrated by diagram) 

 for dissecting the. same were laid before each member. As a 

 further guide, several specimens previously prepared by Mr. A. 

 G. Fryett were exhibited, showing the best method of " pinning 

 out" the specimen after a complete dissection had been made. 

 The Rev. W, Fielder, assisted by Mr. Fryett, had charge of the 

 meeting, which was attended by a good many active workers. 



PAPER. 



By Dr. Thos. Cherry, Demonstrator in Pathology in the 

 University of Melbourne, on " The Beginnings of Life." 



In introducing the subject. Dr. Cherry defined clearly the 

 difference between dead and living matter, and showed how very 

 closely all living things are linked together by reference to the 

 fact that man can appropriate parts of the lower animals direct,, 

 without the intermediate stages of digestion and assimilation. 

 Thus skin and bone from the dog or cat, and the thyroid from 

 sheep, can be transplanted with success to man, provided that 

 surrounding circumstances are favourable to their growth. 



The characteristic features of the physical basis of life 

 (protoplasm) were then discussed, the amoeba, as usual, serving^ 

 the purpose of an example. Higher types were shown to be 

 simply elaborations of a simple speck of protoplasm, the march of 

 nature being summed up into the word onward, and this fact was 

 referred to as a corner stone of a reasonable faith as to the future. 

 It was inconceivable that onward, the watchword throughout all 

 the bewildering immensity of time, should lead only to man as 

 the crown of creation and then be changed to backward into 

 darkness and death. Reference was then made to the two schools 



