March, 1907.] THE TICTORIAN NATURALIST. 191 



Not being satisfied with the results near home, I made 

 a before-breakfast trip to Mount Martha, distant some 

 5 miles from the camp, hoping that the granitic forma- 

 tion of that locality would afford better results, and I 

 was not disappointed, for a splendid patch of heath 

 land was crossed, which earlier in the year should yield 

 good results, both to the botanist and the entomologist. 

 Here were growing such plants as Efacris imfressa, 

 Bossicea cinerascens, Isofogon ceratofhyllus, &c., and 

 while feeding on Leftosfermum scoparium, a number of 

 the Buprestid beetles [Siigmodera macularid) were taken. 



The success of this early-morning trip haviing become 

 noised abroad, a larger party set out just at sunrise the 

 next morning for the same locality, and were quite satis- 

 fied with the results of their early rising. Taken as a 

 ^vhole, however, I do not think that at any season of the 

 year would the vicinity of the camp provide many un- 

 common species, either for the botanist or entomologist. 



The evening demonstration on insect setting was prin- 

 cipally devoted to pointing out to collectors the desir- 

 ability of setting their captures so as to make them look 

 as lifelike as possible, and of impressing upon beginners 

 the 'few recognised rules for pinning the various orders 

 of insects. How to utilize as setting boards corks such 

 as are used for pickle bottles was meiitioned, and the 

 -ease with which a specimen can be set on them, as com- 

 pared with the long strips of cork commonly used, was 

 demonstrated. 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



By G 4. Keartland, Vice-President, Field Naturalists^ 

 Club of Victoria. 

 During the train ride from Melbourne to Mornington, 

 it soon became evident that a number of the campers took 

 a keen interest in ornithology ; and, as various species of 

 well-known birds were noted en route, theit habits were 

 discussed. On arrival at the camp, most of the party 

 decided to accompany Messrs. G. A. Keartland and F. 

 G. A. Barnard in a ramble, in order to study the birds 

 and insects in the field. The route lay through the tea- 

 tree for some distance, then along ihe road towards 

 Dromana. A turn to the left, past tlie cemetery, and 

 down to the creek, led us to some dense scrub intermixed 

 Avith several varieties of eucalypts. Although, owing to 

 the lateness of the season, birds were not verv numerous, 



