THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 63 



PAPER READ. 



Mr. C. A. Topp, M.A., F.L.S., read a paper entitled " Botanical 

 and Geological Notes of a Trip to New South Wales." The 

 author described, in an interesting manner, the characteristic 

 flora and geology of the vicinity of Sydney, and compared the 

 vegetation there with that found around Melbourne, illustrating 

 his remarks with a fine series of dried specimens. 



The following were the principal exhibits of the evening : — 

 By Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, skull found in a blackfellow's oven 

 at Mortlake, supposed to be a wombat's. By Mr. C. French, 

 jun., eggs of long-legged tern, straw-necked ibis, spotted ground 

 thrush, friar bird, and satin bird, from Victoria ; southern tern 

 and Caspian tern, from Tasmania ; and common heron, from 

 New South Wales. By Mr. J. T. Gillespie, eggs of wedge- 

 tailed eagle (Aqiiiia audaxj, from Riverina. By Mr. R. Hall, 

 crustaceans and fish, from Maiden Island, Pacific Ocean. By 

 Master H. Hill, case of Victorian butterflies and moths. By 

 Mr. G. Sweet, fossil nautilus shells ; also, a large fossil shark's 

 tooth, five inches by four ( Carcharadoii megaladon), M'Coy, 

 from the miocene deposit, Muddy Creek, Hamilton ; trilobites, 

 Homolaiiotus delphinocephalus, Phacops ( Dalmaimia), etc., from 

 upper Silurian (Wenlock shales), Dry Creek, Wandong ; also, 

 Pkurodictyum megasiomum (M'Coy), from Broadhurst's Creek, 

 near Kilmore. By Mr. J. Searle, egg of dog-fish, five species 

 of Victorian land shells, lichens, etc. 



After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated. 



BOTANICAL AND GEOLOGICAL NOTES ON A 

 VISIT TO NEW SOUTH WALES. 



By C. a. Topp, M.A., F.L.S. 



I PROPOSE in this paper to give a short account of some of the 

 localities near Sydney which will be found of interest to the 

 botanist or geologist, and which are easily accessible from the 

 metropolis of the mother colony, as well as to make a few 

 remarks on the relations of the flora of Victoria and New South 

 Wales. Though the first part of my paper may not come 

 strictly within the province of our Society, since its special 

 function is to investigate the natural history of our own colony, 

 the recent expedition to King Island furnishes a precedent for 

 an occasional incursion into our neighbours' territory; while 

 the experience gained, and the wider knowledge won, by 

 collecting, and by studying nature under conditions of soil and 

 climate somewhat different to our own, are likely to enable us to 

 prosecute our researches in our own colony with more effect. 



