102 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



of the paper he dwelt upon the importance of fungi as an article 

 of food. In this colony a large amount of useful food is wasted 

 by the neglect of species which are perfectly wholesome, on 

 account of their resemblance to poisonous kinds. This point 

 was discussed by Messrs. Anderson, Steel, and other members. 



Mr. Steel drew attention to the great number of Dragon Flies 

 which suddenly appeared in Melbourne a short time ago and as 

 suddenly disappeared. He thought it a point which the Club 

 should investigate. Mr. Frost suggested that the cause of their 

 abundance was the large rainfall of the last winter ; the ponds 

 'and swamps being more numerous and larger, the larva? would 

 not be subject to the normal amount of destruction. The chair- 

 man said that the period at which the wet weather occurred 

 probably had more to do with it than the actual rainfall. This 

 year the latter part of the winter had been very wet. Mr. Le 

 Souef supposed that the cause of the disappearance of the insects 

 was the change of wind, by which large numbers had been blown 

 out into the bay and destroyed. 



Several other notes and extracts from newspapers and periodi- 

 cals bearing on natural history were read. 



It was announced that the next meeting would be held on 

 Tuesday, nth November. 



The meeting terminated with the usual conversazione, at which 

 the following were the chief exhibits :— By Mr. H. P. C. Ash- 

 worth, twelve Victorian birds' skins ; by Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, 

 two longicorn beetles (Symphyleites) from the Wimmera, and a 

 butterfly {Terias smilax) taken at Kew, 28th September ; by Mr. 

 G. Coghill, collection of dried Victorian plants ; by Mr. G. 

 French, " North's Catalogue of Australasian Birds' Eggs," curious 

 larva of lepidoptera from the mallee district, and locust dissec- 

 tions ; by Mr. C. French, jun., eggs of the White-bellied Sea Eagle 

 (Haliaetus leucogaster), from Tasmania ; by Rev. E. H. Hennell, 

 cement from Maria island, specimens from Pyramid Hill, includ- 

 ing species of Lepidurus and Lygosoma, Diplodactylus mar- 

 moratus, Hinulia whitei, and Tropidalopisma albonotata ; by Mr. 

 G. A. Keartland, birds' eggs from Melton ; by Mr. Jas. Kershaw, 

 Hyleora eucalypti, from Sandringham ; by Mr. G. Lyell, jun., eight 

 species of Noctuidse, taken during September : by Baron von 

 Muller, Styphelia depressa (new for Victoria), Lepidium merralli 

 (nov. sp.), Helipterum Troedelii (nov. sp.), " Iconography of 

 Australian Salsolaceje " decade 4, " Descriptive Notes of Papuan 

 Plants," ix., Wittrock's " Erythraese," iv. ; by Mr. T. Steel, 

 mineral described in his paper ; by Mr. H. T. Tisdall, drawings 

 and dried specimens of Victorian fungi. 



The usual monthly meeting of the Field Naturalists' Club was 

 held at the Royal Society's Hall on Tuesday, nth November. 



