46 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



annual address in the upper hall, which was filled by an attentive 

 audience. He said — 



Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Field Naturalists' 

 Club of Victoria, 



We have now completed the ninth year of existence of our 

 Club, and have, as usual, to rejoice over a vigorous and successful 

 session. Fortunately with us there is no party of opposition, and 

 our work goes on free from hindrance by obstructionists. We 

 have in consequence to record good progress in all departments 

 of our work, and are able to congratulate ourselves upon the 

 thoroughly healthy condition of our society. 



We are happy in that we have to mourn over no losses to our 

 membership through death this year. Our accessions, too, exceed 

 our losses from other causes. We are especially glad to note an 

 increase of strength amongst our younger members, which augurs 

 well for the future of the Club. 



The monthly meetings have been well attended. We have had 

 much pleasure in welcoming the presence at some of them of 

 our hon. members, Sir James Hector and Prof. Tate, and of a 

 number of other distinguished visitors, attracted to Melbourne by 

 the Centennial Exhibition and by the Medical Congress. 



The papers read at these meetings have covered a wide range 

 of topics, and indicate activity in many directions. We have 

 been favoured with communications from two of our hon. 

 members. Rev. Julian E. Tenison-Woods has contributed an 

 epitome of the geology of Arnhem's Land, " which, though dis- 

 covered over 300 years ago, has only lately been explored." And 

 Prof Ralph Tate has rescued the Voluta undulata group of shells 

 from the confusion into which the nomenclature had fallen. The 

 Baron von Mueller has continued his descriptions and notes of 

 Australian plants. Amongst the new species described are two 

 Victorian plants — a new goodenia from the Wimmera and the 

 Murray River flats, and a new orchid from Eastern Gippsland. 

 The number of Victorian vascular plants, i.e., the flowering plants, 

 and the ferns with their allies, now recorded exceeds 1,900. The 

 Rev. F. R. M. Wilson has made further observations on Victorian 

 lichens, and has described a number of new species. Mr, W. M. 

 Bale has given us a systematic list of Victorian hydroida, and Mr. 

 GatHff" has completed his catalogue of Victorian marine shells. 

 In Mr. A. J. Campbell's fifth supplement to his " Oology of 

 Australian Birds " we have descriptions, for the first time, of the 

 eggs of the Spotted Owl and the Spotted Water Crake (obtained 

 in Tasmania by Mr. E. D. Atkinson), of the Spangled Dronga- 

 Shrike and the Black-cheeked Noddy Tern from Queensland, and 

 of other birds. Mr. C. French has written on the zoology of the 

 Lake Albacutya district, and on the natural history of the Western 

 Wimmera, and Mr, C. French, jun., on a trip to the Upper 



