(m) 



THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Flowering plants were somewhat scarce, as might be expected, 

 whilst amongst the ferns noticed was Pteris treniula. 



Messrs. Charles Brittlebank and H. L. Thompson were 

 elected members of the Club. 



The hon. secretary announced that at the annual conversazione, 

 to be held on the 28th instant, lecturettes would be given by 

 Messrs. L. Hart and O. A. Sayce. 



Messrs. P. H. Anderson and J. E. Prince were elected to 

 audit the accounts of the current year, and nominations were 

 received for office-bearers for the year 1887-88. 



PAPERS READ. 



1. By Mr. S. H. Wintle, F.L.S., "Observations on the 

 Geology of Melbourne and Suburbs." Part I. This paper was 

 principally introductory, and gave a general idea of the origin 

 of the Australian continent. 



2. By Mr. W. A. Sayer (communicated by Mr. C. French, 

 F.L.S.), on " The first ascent of Mount Bellenden-Ker, North 

 Queensland," in which he describes a visit to the falls on the 

 Barron River, which are one of the sights of the world. The 

 fall is one of about 500 feet, and the volume of water is so great 

 that the fall may be heard at a distance of tenmiles. He then 

 gave a graphic account of his attempts to reach the top of the 

 Bellenden-Ker range, which were at last crowned with success. 

 Though this range was discovered and named by Flinders in 

 1803, it had never before been scaled by a European, and the 

 writer, who has had considerable experience in different parts 

 of the tropics, said that for density the jungle on this mountain 

 exceeded anything he had seen. 



3. By Mr. C. French, F.L.S., "The Orchids of Victoria," 

 Part XII. This was the concluding paper of the series, and 

 described and exhibited dried specimens of two species of each 

 of the genera Chiloglottis and Glossodia. 



The Cryptogamic botanical section also held a meeting, when 

 Mr. F. Reader read a note on the fungus Hirneola polytricha, 

 which is edible, and forms an article of export from New Zea- 

 land. This fungus also grows in Victoria and other parts of 

 Australia. 



The following were the principal exhibits : — By Miss F. 

 Campbell, Melaleuca nodosa, from the Whipstick, Bendigo, also 

 Lecedea VictoricB, Nephromiuni sub-lcsvigaium, and Ramalina 

 miniuscula, unrecorded Victorian lichens ; by Mr. E. M. Corn- 

 wall, specimens of the oils from the mutton-bird, stingaree-ray, 

 shark, porpoise, and dog-fish, obtained at Westernport ; by 

 Mme. A. Friederich, a bush bouquet from the Bunyip excur- 

 sion ; by Mr. C. French, coleoptera, pair of Mecycognathu 



