98 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Cheltenham, 24th September. — Fourteen members took part 

 in this excursion, which also served as an opportunity for 

 collecting for the exhibition of wild flowers in the following 

 week. Striking across the country towards the Bay, large 

 quantities of Sprengelia incarnata were passed, and near a spring 

 the curious little Hepatica, Symphyogyna rhizoloba, was obtained. 

 Near here one of the party found a beautiful white variety of 

 the orchid Glossodia majo?, a very rare flower, and shortly after 

 the equally rare variety, a white Galadenia de.ormis, was obtained. 

 During the afternoon about sixty species of plants were 

 collected in bloom. The party returned to town by way of the 

 Sandringham line, very pleased with the outing. 



Dandenong Creek, ist October. — This was a new locality for 

 a club excursion, and was reached by special coach from 

 Oakleigh. Twelve members attended, and spent a very 

 interesting afternoon. About a dozen species of birds were 

 taken, among which were a snipe, a ground thrush, etc. Four 

 varieties of birds' nests were obtained. A few lepidoptera were 

 taken, and a number of flowering plants collected. 



The following persons were duly elected members of the 

 Club : — Messrs. Alexander M. Roy, Albert Wiseman, and 

 Arthur Wiseman. 



PAPERS READ. 



1. By Miss F. M. Campbell, entitled "Vegetable Pathology," 

 in which a number of interesting facts were mentioned, showing 

 the great pecuniary losses inflicted on farmers and others by 

 diseases produced by parasitic fungi and by insects, and 

 advocating the study of fungi, with a view to remedial 

 measures. 



The chairman mentioned that in the State of New York an 

 annual report was furnished by the Agricultural Experimental 

 Station on plant diseases. 



2. By Mr. D. Sullivan, F.L.S., entitled "The Mosses of 

 Victoria," Part II. This was a continuation of the list of 

 Victorian mosses, together with some useful hints on where to 

 look for and how to collect them. 



3. By Mr. A. Coles, entitled "The Protection of the Birds 

 of Australia." The author suggested three ways of better 

 protecting birds — first, by enforcing the present Game Act ; 

 secondly, by teaching boys the harm they are doing in robbing 

 the nests ; and thirdly, by instructing policemen in the 

 characteristics of the various species of birds, so that they may 

 be able to distinguish the protected ones. 



This paper caused considerable discussion, during which Mr. 

 Coles mentioned that the beautiful regent and rifle birds do not 

 attain their full plumage until their fourth year. 



