THE Victorian Naturalist THE JOURNAL AND MAGAZINE OP THE Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria Vol. XLVI, MAY, 1929 to APRIL 1930. ft I" n V. Hon. Editor: CHARLES BARRETT, CM Z.S. i& I hi. Author of c;tch Article is responsible lor Hie f;icls and opinions recorded. MKLIOWRNK: rri'N'fclX M & iSAS&V V'VY. ].TD. F 25 TATTKKSA LIAS I.AM'I- two. The Victorian Naturalist Vol. XLVi—No- 1- : May 77*1928. No. 5.45 .FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. The ordinary monthly meeting of the elub was held in the Royal Society's Hall on Monday, April 8, 3929. The Presi- dent (Mr. F. E. Wilson, F.E.S.), occupied the chair, and. there were about 130 members and visitors present. correspondence; '• "•-•• There was no correspondence to bring before the meeting. REPORTS. Reports of excursions were given as follows:—Zoological Oardftiis, Mr. L. L. Hodgson; AVcrribee Gorge, Mr. _A. L, Scott;. Botanic Gardens, Mr. P. Pitcher;; WArtiurtoh, Mr. A. E. Raddd. ELECTION OF MEMBERS. -" The* following were duly elected, on a show. o£ Hinds;—As country member, Mr. A. Morris, Broken Hill, N.S.W.; and as ordinary members. Miss Gladvs Oiiians; Malvern, aud Mr. * " H/M.Beck, Oakleigli. , Z - . " : ' GENERAL. Mr. "V. H. Miller drew attention to the illegal removal of -teens from the Warburton gullies, and moved that the -Minister for Forests be written to, urging that more notices be posted in the gullies near the township prohibiting the practice. At the suggestion of Mr. H. McColl, a similar request for the inclusion of the Kinglakc district was in- cluded in- the motion, which was seconded by Mr. A; E. Hod da - and earned. * Mr. F. 0, A, Barnard moved that a letter of congratula- tion* be scut to Sir A. E. Kitson on his recent appointment sk President of. the Oeulogical Seelion of the British Association tor the Advancement of, Science. Mr. F. Pitcher seconded tfic. motion, which was carried. ,.." - - EXHIBITION OF AQUARIA- . ,A very good exhibition of aquaria, consisting of ,flsh 7 newts, pond snails and aquatic insects, was shown in .several large glass tanhs and other receptacles. Mr. C. Barrett, G.MlZ.S., introduced the subject, and said that the keeping. of aquaria was a very old hobby which, nmtil late years, in Australia, had not been moch in vogue. Recently there had. been a con- siderable, revival in other States, and it had now .come.-. to Melbourne. .-.:-.* Mr. F. Lewis, Chief Inspector of Fisheries and 0ame, fol- lowed, dealing principally with small Austrolianftsbcs. many of 'y&ich were hardly known to naturalists ,'!& exhibited : Ftcld Natural-win 7 Club—Proeetxiwas 2 . IvSiXJLAr?" four species which he considered would he suitable for aquaria.: . , Mr. H, W. Davey, F.E.S., spoke on the keeping of Japa- nese and Spanish newts, of which be exhibited living- examples, and gave many useful hints as to their care and management Several "questions from members were answered by Mr, Lewis and Mr. Davey. Mr. P. G. A. Barnard moved that a hearty vote of thanks be 'tendered to the gentlemen who had spoken, and also to Mr. dc NorviJle, who had brought several splendid aquaria for exhibition. Mr. G. Tranter. seconded the motion, which was carried with acclamation. EXHIBITS. t»„tj . By Mr. H. P.,McColl:—Flowers of Callistemoh fynwftatur, . from a plant that flowers twice yearly. - . By Mr. W IX NienoUs:— (a) Pterosiylis decurva, Rogers. New locality, Mt. Teneriffe, near Rid dell, flowering .un- usually late for a Summer orchid, -(h) Cast-off skin o£ Brown Snake, fi feet 6 inches long, found near St. AJbans. By Miss C. 0. Carrie; -Flowering specimens of cultivated Australian plants : Solavum (wie.ulG.re> Acacia ileaphylla, AcacM Maidentii and Croialaria lohurmfolia, grown by the exhibitor at Lardner • also,' early flowers of Boronia anemoni- folia, from Sale, and flowers of Melaleuca fiUfolia and M. cor- tf-ata, grown by Mr. T, A, Robinson, at Dntson. By Mr. Thos. Kerr : —Flowers of the Garland Lily, Calosiemma purpvrenm. growing at Leeton, N.S.W., and fruiting plant* of Rice, from a plantation at Lecton, Specimens Btibbagta By Mr. JL B. , Williamson :— q£ acroptera, F. V. M. and Tate. A'ar. deitdnuta* -I. M, Black, and Kochia oppositifoHa. T F_ V*. ML, from the Pink Lakes; M. Atriplex campamtkUmn Benth., .Kama, dwariwta., R V. 5 and Mildura. collected by the exhibitor; all to be addod to '-. the Victorian Census;, also specimens .of Threlkeldia saUttgi- - nosa f for comparison with Bobbagia. - Inspector of Fisheries and Game) , By Mr. P. Lewis {Chief —Several species of fresh-water fishes (in aquaria). ;Mf. JEL W. I>avey , F.I3.S. Living specimens of By( > — - - . Japanese $ewts. t Ry Mr. De Norvjllc. —Goldfishes: and other specie*, • in large, acpuaria- tanks. ;* .. By/Mi«„J, AV. Raff, P.E.S.— (a) Life-history of Myme- lem inopinus* a Queensland Ant-lion (larra, cocoon with cast pupal skin, and adnit). illustrating paper in April "Naturalist." (b) Water Fleas, Snails. Tabbies, etc. (in aquorhrm jar), chiefly from the Lafre, University ground* — f*&] RUH)'. ^Vfit WJWl #«fcil* tr/ Orchids g FORMS AND HABITS OF CERTAIN OllCHIDS. By the Rev. H. M: R: Hupp, B.A r Grthids, as a class of flowering plants, may be described aa notoriously unconventional—a characteristic which 4t least in part explains their fascination. There are interesting t facts, most of which are as yet very imperfectly accounted for, in connexion with the forms and habits of *many Auft- tralian orchids, which seem to be worthy of careful investi- gation by observers who may have good opportunities of studying them- It occurs to methat it may be useful to call attention to, such of those as have come under my own notice Except in one or Lwo iustanecs, T Have not. been able to reach any satisfactory explanation of them : but a statement of the phenomena which they present way scrtfc to stimulate in- terest. I propose to deal \vitli them under the following headings;— - * or T w 1. The occurrence oi' *'giants and dwai fs ; in certain species. : , '. 2. Elongation of the flowering stem after fertilization. 3. .Anomalies of habitat. 4* Anomalies of the flowering season. 5. Habits in connexion with basal leaves of terrestrials.. : 1, Giants' and Dwakps. The individuals of any species, of course., vary considerably in dimensions according to influences easily understood. Such variation, however, docs riot seem to account for the consis- tent occurrence in certain species of giant forms, differing -Bo notably from the type in appearance, that were it not for the identity of structural detail, specific separation would he in- evitable, The giant and the dwarf type appear to grow under precisely similar conditions, -often in the same locality. Con- sistently diminutive forms also occur, but more rarely. Calndenia camea., the commonest species of the genus, in the eastern States, includes both a giant and a dwarf. Travel- ling northward, the former probably begins on the Newcastle side of the Hawkesbury River, extending thence right up into the tropics, "and -apparently to Java. Dr. R. S. Rogers has named this form var. giganiBa. I have measured flowery from the Myall Lakes' district, over two inches from- tip, to tip of the segments. The colour Varies far less than in the type, being TiFnally height rose-pink; the flower is always Strongly rnu sir- scented, Frequently, the common small type-forw occurs—:it least in New' South "Wales— .in' the same locality* and it is difficult to Suggest any cause for the' very striking differentiation. .4 -Kvit. form* 4to& Mahim uf OrcMCt, (voYx^V) The dwarf C, mrmea (-vsr.- -pygmam iRogers) differs from the type in the opposite direction, the diameter of the flower from lip to tip not varying uiueh from 10 mm. It is pale pink ov whitish, and almost scentless. Both giant and dwarf have the - tjharactoristic barred Jabftllum and cohunn of the species. Dr. Rogers records the dwarf from South Australia, Victoria, and Flinders Island: • I have found it in New.South * -- .- - Wales and' southern Tasmania. * V la Victoria there occurs a giant form of Plerastylii acwni- mht. This .seems a .parallel case with Ctjlad&nui c'arnea- v. *jn.{jnntva Otic difficult t aud finds it most to accept the" Vic- torian giant as a form "of the typically slender and dainty P, av.nminidti; but there is nothing in the floral structure to justify, separation. Among (he epiphytes, Dendrobium spemosmn includes both giant and dwarf flowers,* but there are ntany intermediates linking them. One form seems to come between the type and the Lord Howe Island I). graciHcaule v. Howemum; but it seems unlikely that these two could ever have been associated, The form in question far more closely resembles a jaree D. yraciluuiule than a D,. speciosum; but the flowers agree &o exactly M*itb small -flowered; robust forms of the latter thai. having mixed up three of each it a box, T was quite unable to sort them out, D. tetragonnm exhibits two very distinct form* .01 flowers, nnn twiro as long in the segments as the other., and consistently "more richly coloured. D teretifolvum possessed a still more, striking giant flowed, the segments being nearly ' three times as long as in the type. • In all those cases there docs not appear to -be anything in external conditions which might; cause the great differentia- tion. Hybrid txation naturally suggests itself; yet it is re- markable that in no ease i&. there anything in the character of the floral structure providing a key to the identity of the other species possibly concerned.