THE 



^Ictarian ^aturalt^t. 



7oL. XYL— No. 9. JANUARY 11, 1900. No. 193. 



FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The ordinary monthly meeting of the Club was held in the 

 Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, the nth December, 

 1899, when the president, Mr. J. Shephard, occupied the chair, and 

 about 45 members and visitors were present. 



REPORT. 



A report of the excursion to Ringvvood, on Saturday, i8th 

 November, was forwarded by the leader, Mr. C. French, jun,, 

 who reported that, proceeding in the direction of Bayswater, 

 many bushes of Leptospermum myrsinoides were found in flower, 

 but owing to the dull weather insects were very scarce, though the 

 buprestid beetle, Stigmodera maculay^la, and several Curculios 

 were collected, while on the eucalyptus saplings several species of 

 Chrysomelidae were taken. Flowering plants were fairly numerous, 

 the beautiful blue flowers of Dianella tasmanica and the pink ones 

 of Gomesperma ericinuvi being especially noticeable. Several 

 orchids, such as Pterostylis cucullata, Thelymitra carriea, T. longi- 

 folia, Prasophylhom fuscwm, Microtis atrata, and M. porrifolia 

 were obtained, and several other interesting plants — Gandollea 

 despecta^ Utricularia dichotoma, and Selaginella preissiana — 

 noticed. On a plant of Limnanthemum exaltatum a fungus was 

 noticed which, on being referred to Mr. M'Alpine, had been 

 determined as Septoria limnanthemi, being new for Australia. A 

 young Copper-head Snake was met with and killed, and altogether 

 an interesting afternoon was spent. 



GENERAL BUSINESS. 



The president announced that Mr. C. A. Topp, M.A., and 

 himself had been appointed to represent the Club on the Council 

 of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science for 

 the ensuing Melbourne session. 



Mr. C. A. Topp pointed out the advantages members would 

 derive by becoming members of the Association, and was sup- 

 ported in his remarks by Mr. T. S. Hall, M.A., H. T. Tisdall, and 

 the president. 



PAPERS. 



I. By Mr. A. Campbell, jun., entitled "Ornithology of the 

 Lower Wimmera," part ii. 



The author continued his remarks on the birds met with during 

 a visit to the Central Wimmera, in October, 1898, and gave some 

 interesting details of the egg-mounds of the Mallee Fowl, Lipoa 

 ocellata. 



