THE TASMANIAN NATURALIST. 
express our thanks for, and have placed 
on record, the whole-hearted interest 
you have taken in the Club’s welfare.. 
You kindly undertook the chairmanship 
of the Club at its inception, and its pre¬ 
sent successful standing is due in largo 
measure to the scientific ability you dis¬ 
played as its leader. The members will 
long remember your usefulness, and hope 
that in the wider circle you a if return¬ 
ing to tile formation, growth, and scien¬ 
tific endeavours of the Tasmanian Field 
Naturalists’ Club will be a source of 
pleasure to you in hours of reverie. — We 
are, dear sir, yours very truly, on behalf 
of members, Samuel denies (chairman), 
E. A, Elliott (lion, secretary). To 
Gerard Smith, Esq., M.R.C.S., L.S.A., 
etc., Hobart.” 
Dr. Smith expressed his pleasure at 
receiving this letter from his fellow- 
members, and said he regretted very 
much leaving them, and envied them the 
beautiful collecting grounds of Hobart. 
His connection with the Club had been 
very enjoyable, and if lie had been of 
any service he was glad. 
March Meeting. 
The monthly meeting of the Club was 
held in the Masonic Hall on the 71li 
March. Mr. J. Edgar Smith presided, and 
there was a good attendance. 
Mr. P. Lockwood, Nile, was elected a 
member of the club. 
A specimen, growing in a pot, of a fern 
new to Tasmania was shown by Mr. L. 
Rodway, Government Botanist, sent from 
Duck River, N.E. Tas., by Mr. K. Harri¬ 
son. Fronds cr leaves only had pre¬ 
viously been sent, and had alreadv been 
exhibited befere the Club, when Mr. Rod¬ 
way had considered it to he Polypodium 
Hillii, hut with whole plants to hand lie 
recognised it as P. pennigorum, hitherto 
only found in New Zealand, and now 
making two species of ferns found in 
1 asmania and New Zealand and nowhere 
else. The secretary (Mr. E. A. Elliott) 
exhibited a live young black swan (Che- 
nopsis atrata) about eight weeks old, 
which he had obtained from the Swan 
River. This bird attracted considerable 
attention from those present, and made 
its piping call frequently throughout the 
meeting. It was c-ovti ed with down of 
a dark fawn colour, the under surface 
being lighter. Mr. A. M. Lea, Govern¬ 
ment Entomologist, exhibited some cases 
of showy moths and butterflies from 
Queensland and India, and some of the 
smallest beetles found in Tasmania. Mr. 
.1. E. Smith showed some curious “fault¬ 
ed pebbles” obtained from Scotland. 
Mr. A, L. Butler then read a paper 
on “Bird Life,” written by Mrs. IT. L. 
Rolxi ts, of Beaumaris, and which ap¬ 
pears in this issue. 
LY. F. Noetling, Ph.D.. gave a lec 
turette on the geological formations at 
South Bridgewater, which he did in an 
able nianmr, avoiding the use of tech¬ 
nical terms, for the sake of the juniors, 
and illustrating his remarks by mention¬ 
ing occurrences which may be witnessed 
every day, representing on a small sc.lie 
the "great works of Nature in forming 
sedimentary .rocks. 
Swan Shooting on the Bast (Boast of Tasmania 
By E. A. ELLIOTT, M.A.O.U. 
An opportunity of visiting the East 
Coast to attend the opening dayi of 
the swan shooting season {February 1) 
was taken this .year, in order to sec 
how it was carried on, and whether 
the numbers of birds were greatly re¬ 
duced, as reports from year to year 
notify that hundreds are killed then. 
Leaving Hobart on Wednesday, January 
29, at 5 p.m., 1 cycled through during 
the night, when a full moon and clear 
sky, helped to make the ride pleasant. 
At LisOillon, first traces of dawn were 
noticed, and as the sky brightened more 
ami more in the east, birds began to 
make their presence known. One of the 
first of these was the little noantliiza; 
a crow, some whitiyeyesi (rosterops), 
and crescent honeyi-eaters, also seemed 
to ’be catty risers. Helvetian was 
reached at sunrise. This is well-known 
to he the estate of Mr. Edward Cotton, 
our leader at the club’s Easlci eamp- 
ont at the Schoutens in lOOfi; and 
through the kindness of his sons the pre¬ 
sent trip was undertaken. At 10 a.m. 
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