3 6 
the moisture which is so essential to them, but also a food supply 
from the larvae of the numerous flies and beetles which breed 
in them. Mr. Giles states that when searching for the latter 
he has frequently found these worms in them, sometimes five 
and six in a bunch, during January and February. Any of you 
who have dissected these blackboys then will know the moist 
condition which prevails in the central area of them during the 
earlier stages of decay. Many years ago when talking with Dr. 
Arthur Dendy, who was making a special study of these animals, 
he told Mr. Giles that “ one of his chief problems was to know 
where they got to in the summer time and how they managed 
to exist during the long dry spells.” As it is not known whether 
anyone has solved this problem so far, perhaps this hint may 
be of some value to those interested in these creatures. 
E. S. Simpson. 
ZIG-ZAG (STATHAM'S) EXCURSION, 30TH OCTOBER, 1909. 
The excursion to Statham’s quarries, on the Upper Darling 
Range Railway, was attended by a record number of members 
for this year. After being over-carried by the train to a point 
half a mile above the quarries, the party scrambled down the 
hill to the latter point, in the immediate vicinity of which the 
remainder of the afternoon was spent. As in the previous case, 
I am indebted to the President and Mr. H. M. Giles for notes 
regarding their particular provinces. 
Geological. — The geological structure in this locality is 
similar to that at other points along the western escarpment of 
the Darling Range, viz., massive grey granite intersected by 
dykes of diorite. In the quarries a large dyke and a small offshoot 
have been opened up over a considerable area and to a depth 
of 50 or 60 feet. A small fault in the centre of the larger dyke 
was represented by a narrow band of foliated rock in which 
were some very thin veins of Stilbite and Calcite. A specimen 
picked up on the floor of the quarry showed that these veins 
occasionally expand to § inch in thickness. This is the first 
recorded instance of a Zeolite being found in one of these green- 
stone dykes in the Darling Ranges. 
Entomological. — Insects were scarce after the cold wet 
weather of the previous day or two. Mr. Giles had been looking 
forward to capture one or two species of small “ Skipper ” butter- 
flies known to inhabit this part, but not one was seen, and it is 
probable that they will be scarce this season, as their haunts 
have been so severely swept by last season's fires. The cosmo- 
politan Painted-lady (Pyrameis cardui, var kershawi) was the only 
species noticed. The only moth taken was a nice fresh specimen 
of one of our Emeralds (Euchloris sp.). This is a genus of 
the Geometer moths, having the wings of various shades of 
