V iu fASo HARVARD UNIVERSITY. LIBRARY OF THE MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. ^11^7 :b Cruniz ITQ/YILLQAjU II, ICjjf. : «^N 11 1013 Victorian Nathrali THE JOURNAL & MAGAZINE OF THE It L MAY, 1890, TO APRIL 1891. The author of each, article Is responsible for the facts and opinions he records. /Ift e I b u r n e WALKER, MAY & CO., PRINTERS, 9 MACKILLOP STREET (off 390 LITTLE COLLINS STREET). 1891. A y "'4 '^ \ — INDEX TO VICTORIAN NATURALIST. •VOXi. ^XX. PAGE PAGE Animal World, Mimicry iii the 78 Foxes in the Country, The Astrotricha Biddulphiana, Pest of - - - 56 Additional Note on - 144 Fruit Trees, Kerosene Emul- Botanic Gardens, Notes from 33, 83 sion for - - - 70 Buprestidse, Notes on the Fungs, Victorian, New to Geographical Distribu- Science - - - 96 tion of Some Australian Groundsel, On the CEcidium —Parti. - - - 34 Affecting the Senecio Bayswater, Excursion to - 119 Vulgaris - - - 18 Bacchus Marsh, Excursion to 104 Kent Group, Bass's Straits, Beetle, Parasites on - - 116 Expedition of Field Nat- Butterflies, Curious Action uralists to - - - 121 of - - - - 26 Lepidopterist, Notes by a - 10 Butterfly, A New Victorian - 28 Lepidoptera, Some Notes on Birds' Nests and Eggs, Aus- Transformations of Aus- tralian - - - - 27 tralian - - - 19, 150 Current Notes, 28, 33, 37, 52, Lactrodectus Scelio, Notes on 56, 65, 68, 84, 91, 100. the Poisonous Bite of - 140 120, 149, 154 Labellum of Pterostylis, Correspondence, 26, 55, 68,75, 116, Irritability of - - 153 153 Moonee Ponds District, Notes Caterpillar, The New Zealand on the Geology of - 59 Vegetable - - - 110 Melton, Excursion to - - 86 Cheltenham, Excursion to - 85 Mineral Occurring in Igneous Cone, Description of a New Eock at Yarraville, On a 95 Victorian - - - 179 Native birds Breeding in the Entomological Department Eoyal Park in 1890 - 155 of Victoria, Notes from Oakleigh, The Club Excur- the - - - - 39 sion to - - - - 14 Entomology, New Zealand - 40 Orchid, Notes on a New Vic- Entomology, Victorian - 40 torian - - - - 50 Eastern Islands, Eeport of Oakleigh to Sandringham, A Sub-committee on Visit Eamble through the to the - - - - 58 Heath Ground from - 71 Field Naturalists' Club Parrakeet, The Singular Be- Annual Address by Pres- haviour of a - - - 12 ident - - - - 1 Portarlington, Excursion to 31 , Field Naturalists' Club Plants, Description of New Monthly Meeting, 8, 13, Australian, with occas- 30, 41, 57, 69, 101, 117 ional other annotations Field Naturalists' Club of 38,46, 66, 76, 114, 153, 180 New South Wales - - 52 Palaeontology, Victorian - 53 1 INDEX. PAGE Pond Hunting, An After- Sea Birds, Protection of New noon's - - - - 62 • Zealand - - - 184 Pyramid Hill, Notes of a Teal, Remarks on - - 43 Collecting Trip to - 92 "Wilson's Promontory, The Plants, Victorian, List of Reservation of - - 16 those now flowering in "Wax, Insect - - - 52 Botanic Gardens - - 100 "Wild Flowers, A Spring Day amongst the - - 145 Plant, Notes on a Eare "Wild Flowers, Exhibition of 107 Pandanaceous - - 143 Yarra Falls, Report of a Princess of "Wales Parrakeet, "Visit to the - - - 157 - - - - 155 The Zoological and Acclimatiza- E/ingwood, Excursion to - 85 tion Society, The - - 51 Snakes, AFew Remarks about 1 Zoological Gardens, Notes Shelford, Excursion to - 40 from the - _ - 83 ^nq^-. N 11 1S!S THE JOURNAL AND MAGAZINE %\it tulh laaturaltsts' Club of Witiaxia. ( The Author of each article is responsible for the facts and opinions ) he records. ) GOIsTTElvrTS. Proceedings of the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria— Annual Address by the President, C. A. Topp, Esq., M.A., LL.B.. F.L.S. Monthly Meeting ... ... Notes by a Lepidopterist. By Geo. Lyell, Jun. A Few Remarks about Snakes. By D. Le Souef, Assistant Director of the Melbourne Zoological Gardens ^ RHICE SIX¥»El>fCE. 1^ ^0ent0 for i&\xvope •, JltelbouritE : WALKER, MAY & CO., Printers, 9 Mackillop Street. i8qo. J^. J". -L-'-l. _as. (Twenty Years with Paul Thomas), IMPORTER AND MANUFACTURER OP FIRST-CLASS CASH I^R^ICJES, THE QUEEN for LADIES. The most comfortable Boots and Shoes made. WIDE TOES, LOW HEELS. 67 (old No. ^\) SWANSTON STREET (Between JFlinclers Lane and Collins Street), And at THE BON MARCHE BOOT CO., 596 COLLINS ST. (Near Spencer Street), THIS SPAC£: TO LET. — THE Vol. VII.—No. 1. MAY, 1890. No. 77. PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB OF VICTORIA. ANNUAL ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT, C. A. TOPP, Esq., M.A, LL.B., F.L.S. Ladies and Gentlemen,— It is my pleasant duty as president of the Club to deliver the customary annual epitome of our proceedings during the past the tenth—year of our existence. Though the number of new members enrolled during the year is not (as I am informed) quite so large as in some previous years, and the papers read have not been so numerous, I believe I am justified in saying that our prosperity as a club for encourag- ing the study of natural history is well maintained. During the year we have to regret the loss of two valued members. The one, the Rev, J. E. Tenison-Woods, whose name is widely known not only throughout Australia, but in the whole scientific world, was an honorary member of this society, and so lately as last year contributed two papers on the geology of Arnhem's Land. For several years Mr. Tenison-Woods was stntioned in the Mount Gambier district, and travelled over the country adjacent to the western boundary of our colony, and visited the Wes'ern District of Victoria. His "Geological Observations in South Australia " gives a graphic description and luminous explanation of the main geological features of that portion of Australia, and should be in the knapsack or portmanteau of every visitor to Mount Gambier. Mr. Tenison-Woods contributed papers on various occasions to our Royal Society, including one 'on some tertiary deposits at Portland Bay, another on the glacial period in Victoria, and I believe delivered one or two public lectures at Portland. He was an untiring worker in various branches of natural history, and possessed the power of writing clearly and picturesquely. He died at the comparatively early age of 57, his health having been probably undermined by the hardships to which he had been exposed in his frequent journeys. The other member whose loss we have to deplore, Mr. Henry Watts, was one of our oldest members, a vice-president, and a constant attendant and exhibitor at our meetings. Mr. Watts was an indefatigable microscopical student, and took a special interest in the minute forms of alg£e, and his excellent slides have frequently afforded pleasure to visitors and members of the THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. Club, both at our annual conversaziones and at the monthly meetings. During the past twelve months several interesting papers have been read. Mr. A. Dendy, whose scientific papers form so important a feature of the Royal Society's transactions, contributed an interesting, and I think I may say an amusing, sketch of the cryptozoic fauna of Walhalla. The same accomplished writer has contributed a paper giving the external characters of a new Australian Peripatus. Mr. Frost's notes on spiders may, it is trusted, lead members to watch more carefully these interesting if unattractive specimens of animal life. What scope for observation there is of the webs and nests of these little creatures, of their mode of capturing and killing their prey, of the particular insects which form the favourite food of each species, of the enemies to which they are exposed, and the protective resemblances which even they possess ! The Rev. F. R. M. Wilson has proved a constant contributor to our journal, having furnished no fewer than six papers or notes on the branch of botany to which he devotes himself. In these papers 52 new species of lichens are described by the author, and 54 others are enumerated as first found in Victoria. It may be hoped that his enthusiasm for this department of botany may prove contagious as there is great need for more observers and collectors throughout the colonies. Baron von Mueller has continued to give scientific value to our journal by publishing from time to time descriptions of new species of Australian plants, including three (an orchid and two composites) found in Victoria. Among the papers on entomological subjects which have been read during the year may be mentioned " Contributions towards a Local List of Coleoptera found at Mulwala, New South Wales," by Mr. T. G. Sloane, and ''Notes on the Rutherglen Flying Bug Pest," by Mr. C. French, F.L.S., Government Entomologist, in which an interesting account is given of a plague of a small plant bug which appeared almost simultaneously in widely distant localities in Australia early this year, and which was proving very destructive in vineyards. Mr. French has also described, in the pages of the journal, a longicorn beetle new to Victoria. Mr. F. C. Christy has given a useful account of the habits of the Codlin Moth, deduced from his own observations. Mr. C. French, jun., contributed " Notes of a Collecting Trip ; to Swan Hill District " Mr. E. M. Cornwall, a paper on " "Collecting Near Home \ and Mr. John Dennant, F.G.S., gave the only paper of the year on a geological subject— " Notes on the Bed of a Dried-up Creek near Coleraine." Dr. W. Woolls, an honorary member, has been good enough to contribute a paper on the distribution of aquatic plants in New THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. South Wales—a subject which needs working out in this colony, and which may be commended to those of our members who desire a comparatively fresh field in botany. To Mr. E. D. Atkinson, C.E , another honorary member, we are indebted for a very interesting account of a trip to the islands of Western Bass Straits.