THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 139 



The president, Mr. A. H. S. Lucas, M.A., B.Sc, occupied the 

 chair, and about forty members and visitors were present. 



The hon. librarian acknowledged the receipt of the following 

 donations to the library : — " Prodronius of Zoology of Victoria," 

 decade xvii., " Practical Mining," and " Reports of Mining 

 Registrars," September, 1888, from the Government; "Pro- 

 ceedings of Linnean Society of New South Wales," 2nd series, 

 vol. iii., part 3, from the society ; " Proceedings of Royal Society 

 of Queensland," vol. v., part 4, from society ; " The Gastropods 

 of the Older Tertiary of Australia," part r, by Professor Ralph 

 Tate, F.G.S., from the author ; " Journal of New York Micros- 

 copical Society," vol. iv., parts 3 and 4, June and October, 1888, 

 from the society ; " Annals of National Museum, Costa Rica," 

 for I887, from the Museum; "Bulletin of the Vaud Society of 

 Natural Sciences," vol. 24, part 98, from the society ; and "Journal 

 of Pharmacy," December, 1888 ; also photographs of drawings of 

 the extinct birds, the dodo, and the great auk, presented by 

 Mr. T. A. Forbes-Leith. 



The hon. secretary reported that the club excursion to the 

 Plenty River at Bundoora on Saturday, 15th December, had been 

 much interfered with by the showery weather experienced. Of 

 flowering plants noted, Prostanthera lasiantha, Leptospei-muju 

 myrsinoides, L. lanigerum, Dipodium pundatum, and Convolvolus 

 erubescens were the most conspicuous. Numerous nests of the 

 fire-tailed finch, Estrilda (Zonmginthus) bella, Lath., were seen, but 

 in only one case were the young not sufficiently grown to be able to 

 leave their birth-place. Two fine specimens of the nest and eggs of 

 a honey-eater were taken. Insects were scarce owing to the wet, 

 a few Stigmodera and longicorn beetles, specimens of a wasp, 

 Polistes sp., with nests, being almost the only captures. A 

 platypus was seen in the stream, and later on a pair of nankeen 

 cranes. The party reached town via Greensborough and Heidel- 

 berg about 8 p.m. 



On a ballot being taken, Mr. L. Grayson was duly elected a 

 member of the club. 



In response to the desires of several members of the club, Mr. 

 J. G. Luehmann, of the Government Botanist's Department, gave 

 a practical demonstration of the method of using Baron von 

 Mueller's Key to the Victotian Plants, making use of the plants 

 Acacia implexa and Goodenia ovata, and supplementing his remarks 

 with sketches of the more important parts on the blackboard. 



Papers Read. — i. By Mr. A. H. S. Lucas, M.A., B.Sc, entitled 

 " Notes on Victorian Sharks." The author gave brief descriptions 

 of the ten sharks resident in Victorian waters, and of six others 

 which have been found at various times on the Victorian coast. 

 He remarked that 140 species of sharks were recorded for the 

 world, of which Australia claimed 37, and as Tasmania possessed 

 18 species, probably others would be found in Victorian waters. 



