THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 133 



SOME RECENT ADDITIONS TO OUR KNOWLEDGE 

 OF MICROSCOPIC NATURAL HISTORY. 



By H. Watts. 



(Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, I'^th 

 December, i886.y 



It is not often that our club has placed before it a paper on 

 microscopy. I only recollect two — one by our esteemed 

 member Mr. O. A. Sayce, who gave us a paper on the Coccidae, 

 or scale insect. It was an excellent beginning on the 

 subject, and it is matter of regret that Mr. Sayce has been 

 unable to find the time to continue the investigation, because 

 these insects are supposed to be destructive to our trees, shrubs, 

 and other plants, and any information on this branch of 

 economic entomology, however scanty, is valuable in this colony, 

 where we have so much to learn and so few to teach. Another 

 paper has been given us by a comparatively new member, Mr. 

 P. H. Anderson, and, if I am not very much deceived, that 

 gentleman ought to be a valuable member, especially in a 

 department of the club that sadly wants more workers. His 

 first paper was an instance of great patience and industry. 



It is now nearly seven years since this club was formed. At 

 our various meetings we have sometimes really magnificent 

 displays of butterflies, moths, beetles, and other insects of the 

 larger and most showy kinds. Our collecting members work most 

 assiduously and bestow great care on their collections, but, 

 after all, how many use their eyes to any eff"ect on the smaller 

 insects. These smaller insects are so numerous that ten or a 

 dozen might be collected in about the same time that it takes 

 to catch a single moth. And some of these small species, when 

 properly set up, excite our wonder and admiration as much as 

 any of the larger species. To give an instance : at our recent 

 excursion to Little River I found a small ant, less than a quarter 

 of an inch in length, that showed better under the microscope 

 as an iridescent object than the elytra of our so called diamond 

 beetle. 



But I must not dwell on our shortcomings, but hasten to tell 

 you of some of my experiences in my endeavours to gain some 

 knowledge of our Microscopic Natural History. It is not given 

 to all of us to be able to detect an insect crossing our path 

 whose length is probably not more than the one-fiftieth of an 

 inch, and I suppose we all follow the bent of our own instincts 

 in collecting objects that most please our fancy. I will 

 endeavour to show you a few of the difficulties that beset my 

 path. As for the joy and pleasure when I was successful, I am 

 afraid I could not find words to express them. In every instance 



