24 
THE GEELONG NATrHALJST. 
younger. The third question is that old volcano, Mount Duneed,. 
is it miocene or pliocene, if we could find either fossil shells or bones 
overlying its age would be fixed, and the Club would reap the honor 
of having settled a long disputed question. In conclusion I may say 
I have often met people who think when they see a man hunting 
after old rotten shells and bones that he is a species of lunatic, they 
do not know that he is bunting after the knowledge of the past 
which fossils alone will give him, independent of that he values 
them no more than the majority of mankind. 
ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 
\_Some of the advantages to he derived from its study.'] 
By C. Fbench, Esq., E.L.S., E.E.H.S., Government Entomologist.. 
(Continued from last issue). 
I WELL recollect my early horticultural training, when, in 
the winter, we used, after the day's work was finished and around 
the fire at night, either do much of our grafting, budding, label- 
making, writing, preparing cuttings, etc., with our instructor by our 
side, and on such occasions he would read to us, that is when we 
thought proper to behave ourselves, from the works of Hogg,. 
Loudin, Paxton, Kirby and Spence and others of the grand old 
books, and these books from the various instructions therein given, 
have been the key to the success of some of the cleverest gardeners 
and horticulturalists the world has ever produced. Thus many an 
instructive evening was in endless pleasure (I allude to pleasure 
with profit) passed by those learning the profession when such 
things as keen competition, bonuses and eight hours' labour w ere 
practically unknown. Our young man may now be supposed with 
the aid of a few pounds in cash, and a fair stock of common sense^ 
diligence, and a set of modern garden appliances, etc., to have made 
a fair start. His trees have been well selected from advice supplied 
probably by our old friend Neilson, or other experts. The chemist, 
we will suppose, has been asked to furnish some particulars as to 
the soil and its constitutent parts, and the work may be paid to 
have fairly commenced. The trees appear to be thriving well, when 
lo ! our friend detects something wrong, and his trees, which are 
either looking sickly or display signs, which to the practised eye 
are not to be mistaken, of some pest more or less insidious in its 
attacks upon the tree. What is best to be done ? The grower 
being in somewhat of a dilemma, determines to seek advice, either 
from his books or from those whom a paternal Government has 
appointed for such work. He sends down specimens, obtains the 
necessary information, and all appears to be going along smoothly. It 
is here where a practical knowledge of these matters makes itself 
apparent. He discovers, for example, that his peach trees are 
