THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 217 
provide a field for observation which will fully occupy all 
the leisure available to the non-professional worker for 
this pursuit. The aim should be an intimate knowledge 
of the history and habits of a few examples, rather than 
loose generalisations covering a wide field of enquiry, as 
sc much already well-trodden ground must be traversed 
before any original work can be undertaken. Science is 
defined as a systematic arrangement of facts, and care- 
fully conducted observations, with their methodical re- 
cord, should be the keynote for all work, either in the field 
or the laboratory, as careless or inaccurate records cause 
endless confusion. The presentation of the subject in 
narrative form renders it more attractive to the lay reader, 
but-this Facihté de plone is a gift which must be care- 
fully exercised, as there is an ever present danger that a 
very plain fact may become a highly-colored sacrifice to 
the Moloch of popularity. 
EXCURSION TO HEATHCOTE. 
A whole-day excursion was held at Heathcote on 
Saturday, July 7th, under the leadership of Mr. F. W. 
Carpenter. The party walked from the station to the bot- 
tom of a neighbouring gully, in which runs a small creek 
tributary to the Woronora Riyer. Many of the members 
were loud in their praise of the beauty of the gully, and 
it is hoped to hold another excursion in November at the 
same place. As the water will be warmer, there should 
be opportunity to enjoy a bathe in some of the larger 
pools, and also to search for the larvae which live in deeper 
water. Many of the insects found in the larval state in 
_ July should be on the wing in November, whilst in any 
case their larval development will have progressed through 
many instars. 
On account of the distance, the exeursion is not re- 
commended for those who can only spare the half-day. 
On the way down the gully the party visited a large 
cave, with a sand-strewn floor, on which were the foot- 
prints of many birds and small mammals. After leav- 
ing this, the botanists explored the bottom of the gully, 
