52 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



vice-presidents — Mr. D. Best and Mr. C. Frost ; hon. treasurer, 

 Mr. F. Wisewould ; hon. librarian, Mr. F. G. A. Barnard ; hon. 

 secretaries — Mr. D. Le Souef and Rev. W. Fielder; committee — 

 Dr. A. Dendy, F.L.S. ; Messrs. C. French, F.L.S., J. Gabriel, T. 

 Steel, F.C.S., and H. T. Tisdall, F.L.S., whilst Mr. A. H. S. 

 Lucas, M.A., B.Sc, will be an ex officio member as editor of the 

 Victorian Naturalist. 



NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 



Mr. G. Renner had brought an exhibit of some simple and 

 compound colours extracted from the leaves of the red cabbage, 

 and at the invitation of the secretary he explained in detail the 

 manufacture of these colours. 



Mr. H. T. Tisdall, F.L.S., brought under the notice of the 

 meeting the great height attained by the common Sassafras (some- 

 times reaching 150 feet) in some parts of the colony, and his 

 remarks were corroborated by Messrs. C. French, F.L.S., and 

 and J. E. Prince, as to their own observations in Gippsland and 

 Marysville. 



Mr. G. A. Keartland solicited information as to the length of 

 the period of dormancy of snakes in winter, basing his question 

 on the fact of his meeting with a lively specimen in a late ramble. 

 Mr. D. Le Souef stated that climatic conditions had a great deal 

 to do with the period of their hibernation, and Messrs. C. Frost 

 and A. Coles spoke to the same effect. 



EXHIBITION OF SPECIMENS. 



The meeting then terminated with the usual exhibition of 

 specimens, of which the following is a list : — By Mr. F. G. A. 

 Barnard. — Specimens of King Lory and Barraband's Parrakeet 

 from Clarence River. By Mr. C. French. — Rare moths from 

 Lilydale and British Lepidoptera. By Mr. C. French, jun. — 

 Eggs of Australian Gannet, from Tasmania. By Mr. J. E. Prince. 

 — Pacho's "Travels in Tripoli," and "Native Flowers of India." 

 By Baron von Mueller. — Senecio dryadeus (var. garlandi), from 

 Wagga Wagga. By Mr. G. Renner. — Simple and compound 

 colours extracted from leaves of the red cabbage. By Mr. J. 

 Shephard. — Living and mounted specimens of Apus (one being 

 the embryo) and Rotifera. By Mr. D. Le Souef — Bush Rat from 

 Maldon, and eggs of the Tiger Snake. 



CLUB EXCURSION TO MACEDON 



(Foundation Day, 26th January). 



To attend this excursion necessitated rising at a somewhat early 

 hour, the starting time being half-past six in the morning, at 

 Spencer-street, which involved leaving suburban stations about a 

 quarter to six. 



