70 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



for many months. The visit to Melbourne during the year of the 

 popular scientific lecturer, the late Dr. J. E. Taylor, did much to 

 popularize natural history, and the genial doctor was elected an 

 hon. member of the Club. The usual conversazione was helb, 

 when Rev. J. J. Halley delivered an instructive address ( V.N., 

 iii., p. 4), and Mr. C. A. Topp, M.A., a lecturette entitled ' Life 

 on an Old Rail,' referring to the growth of lichens. At the 

 conversazione advance copies of the second part (the systematic 

 list) of the ' Key' were exhibited by Baron von Mueller. The first 

 exhibition of wild flowers was held in October 1885 (V.If., iii., 

 82), and pronounced a great success. Further library accom- 

 modation had to be provided. 



" 1886-7. — The annual meeting called for 9th May, 1887, is 

 historical from the fact that objection was taken ( V.JV., iv., 33) to 

 persons voting who had not paid their subscriptions for the year 

 then commencing. The chairman. Rev. J. J. Halley, upheld the 

 objection, and the elections were postponed till the next monthly 

 meeting. The rules were subsequently altered, fixing the annual 

 meeting for August, but this was afterwards changed to June as 

 at present. The membership for this year is set down at 200. 

 Twenty-two papers were read, and an increase of ^5 in the 

 credit balance was made. A joint excursion with the Ballarat 

 Club was made to the You Yangs ( V.N., iii., 99), and a short 

 'camp-out ' at Cape Wollomai, Phillip Island, during the Mutton- 

 bird season, was carried out. Owing to the increasing popularity 

 of the annual conversazione, that for the year was held in the 

 Masonic Hall on 28th April, at a cost of ;!£"23. Rev. J. J. Halley 

 delivered his last presidential address (V.N'., iv., 18), and 

 lecturettes were given by Mr. O. A. Sayce, on ' The Fertilization 

 of Flowers,' and by Mrs. L. Hart, entitled ' A Peep at Nature 

 through the Oxyhydrogen Microscope.' In July 1886 Baron von 

 Mueller and Professor M'Coy were elected patrons of the Club. 



" 1887-8. — Mr. A. H. S. Lucas, M.A., was elected president 

 for the year. The report (F.iV., v., 61) gives a membership of 

 210, twenty-three papers read, and a further increase of ;^io 

 in the credit balance. During this year the first step was taken 

 with the view of securing Wilson's Promontory as a National 

 Park, but the feature of the year was the expedition to King 

 Island, in November 1887 {V.N'., iv., 128), in which a new 

 accession to our ranks, the recently appointed Professor of Natural 

 Science at the University, Prof. W. Baldwin Spencer, took an 

 active part. The usual conversazione {V.N., v., 20) was held in 

 April, in the Masonic Hall, when Mr. Lucas delivered an address 

 {V.N., v., i), and Mr. D. M'Alpine a lecturette, 'The Movements 

 of the Edible Mussel, and its Various Parts.' Baron von Mueller, 

 patron of the Club, occupied the chair, and made a eulogistic 



