THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 167 



and Red-winged Lory. By Mr. G. E. Hill. — Case of Coleoptera. 

 By Mr. G. Keartland. — Tawny-shouldered Podargus, rare Sparrow- 

 hawk. By Mr. J. Mitchell. — Case of mineral specimens. By 

 Baron von Mueller. — Cotula iniegrifoHa, from the Wimmera (new 

 for Victoria) ; also, Calochilus holtzei, from North Australia (new 

 to science). By Mr. J. E. Prince. — Perfect cast skin of Death 

 Adder, from Fitzroy River, North Queensland. By Mr. J. 

 Searle. — A Ring-tailed Opossum, and beetles, ants, &c., from the 

 Grampians. By Mr. D. Le Souef. — Eggs of Little Water Crake 

 and the Downy Pycnoptilus. By Mr. G. Sweet. — Disodile (Tas- 

 manite), containing permo-carboniferous marine shells, from 

 Mersey River, Tasmania. 



EXCURSION TO HEIDELBERG. 



Seven members met at Collingwood station on the afternoon of 

 Saturday, the i6th January, to take part in an excursion to 

 Heidelberg in search of" pond life." The deficiency in numbers 

 was fully compensated for by the enthusiasm of those present. 

 All were intent upon work, six being provided with appliances for 

 carrying out the special object of the day, the remaining member 

 being a botanist and a country member of the Club ; the 

 presence of the visitor being a reminder that the influence of the 

 Club extends beyond the immediate surroundings of the 

 metropolis. On arriving at Heidelberg the party at once 

 proceeded to the alluvial flats of the Yarra in the neighbourhood 

 of the bridge. Here the lagoons are sinuous sheets of water quite 

 cut off from the river when the latter is at its ordinary level, and 

 are evidently old portions of the river bed, abandoned by the 

 stream in the course of changes produced by the erosive action of 

 the river, together with the reciprocal process of deposition. 

 These lagoons are excellent collecting places for minute aquatic 

 life, as they are permanent in character, probably never being 

 quite dry, while periodically they are connected by floods, and 

 thus the distribution of the inhabitants is secured. 



The first place tried was a swamp on the right-hand side of the 

 road on approaching the bridge ; and, although uninviting 

 enough to the ordinary eye, was of favourable appearance in 

 those of the party, filled as it was with a luxuriant growth of 

 aquatic vegetation. A few dips showed the presence of the 

 brown Hydra and Volvox, the latter being unusually plentiful for 

 the season. A cluster of rotifers adherent to the stem of a plant, 

 and a similar one free, turned out on subsequent examination to 

 be the adult and juvenile forms respectively of Megalotrocha 

 alboflavicans. 



The next place visited was a lagoon on the left-hand side of 

 the road after crossing the bridge. Here a ciliate protozoon was 



