■ ■" «IX jyjQ 



THE 



ISiijctot^xan ^aturali^t. 



Vol. IV.— 1^0. 2. JUNE, 1887. No. 42. 



THE FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. 



The Annual Conversazione. 

 The seventh ;mnual conversazione of the Chib was held at the 

 Masonic Hall, Coilins-street East, Melbourne, on Thursday 

 evening, 28th April, 1887, when there was a very large attend- 

 ance of the members and their friends, at least 750 ladies and 

 gentlemen being present. 



Baron von Mueller, patron of the Club, took the chair, and 

 Mr. H. O. Forbes was present as a visitor. His Excellency 

 the Governor wrote regretting his inability to be present. 



The greater part of the exhibits were shown in the large hall, 

 a fine room, capable of seating 1000 persons, where they occu- 

 pied nearly half the floor space. In addition to the exhibits by 

 the members, pot ferns for decorative purposes were kindly lent 

 by Mr. W. D. Allman, of Richmond, and Messrs. Law, Somner 

 and Co., of Cremorne Nursery. The trustees of the Exhibition 

 Building, Carlton Gardens, lent an interesting exhibit of nine 

 cases of Australian insects, illustrating economic entomology; 

 also, a fine collection of Australian snakes, both prepared by 

 Mr. C. French, F.L.S. 



The general arrangement of the exhibits was somewhat as 

 follows : — On entering the main hall visitors were at once 

 confronted by a fine pair of " giant clam " shells from Singa- 

 pore, which weighed about 2501b., shown by Mr. D. Le Souef ; 

 next came the snakes belonging to the Exhibition trustees, then 

 the British fossils and birds' eggs exhibited by the Rev. J. J. 

 Halley, these together forming a line down the centre of portion 

 of the hall. On either side were two parallel tables, each about 

 30 feet long, those on the right being occupied by shells shown 

 by Mr. E. Bage ; snakes, etc. (in spirits), by Mr. D. Le Souef; 

 fossils, by Mr. W. Jennings and Mr. J. E. Dixon ; an alligator 

 9ft. long, by Mr. A. Coles ; insects, by the Masters Hill ; birds, 

 etc., by Mr. E. E. Johnson ; native bears, by Mr. A. W. Coles ; 

 birds and eggs, by Mr. R. Hall ; dried plants, etc., by Mr. F. 

 Reader ; minerals, etc., by Mr. E. H. Hennell ; and smaller 

 exhibits by other members. Along the walls on this side of the 



