Note.-No. 1 (May, 1887) should be paged 1 to 16 instead of 173 to 188.

Page 3-for" F. Fimbriatus" read "E. Fimbriatus."

Page 27, line 23-for "Species of Planets" read "Special Planets."

THE monthly meeting of the Club was held at the Royal Society's Hall on Monday evening, 4th April, 1887.

The president, the Rev. J. J. Halley, occupied the chair, and about fifty-five members and visitors were present.

A letter was read from his Excellency the Governor, thanking the Club for invitation to the annual conversazione, and hoping to be able to be present.

The hon. secretary reported that during the month a deputation had waited upon the Acting-Chief Secretary with reference to an annual grant in aid of illustrating the Naturalist, and had been favourably received, and that the request would receive due consideration.

The hon. librarian reported the receipt of the following donations to the Club's library :-"The Myoporinous Plants of Australia," Part II., by Baron von Mueller, and "The Key to the System of Victorian Plants," Part II., by Baron von Mueller, from the Government; "Proceedings of Royal Society of Victoria," Vol. XXII., 1885, from society; papers "On the Sound Organs of the Green Cicada," and "On Sections of the Delta of the Yarra at Fisherman's Bend Cutting," by A. H. S. Lucas, M.A., from the author; three papers "On New and Fossil Mollusca of South Australia," by Prof. Tate, F.G.S., from the author; "Annual Report of Ballarat School of Mines," for 1886, from school; "Journal of New York Microscopical Society," July and Nov., 1886, from society; "Journal of Pharmacy," March, 1887.

The hon. secretary read a short account of the excursion to Bunyip on Saturday, 19th March, which was much enjoyed by the members taking part, though few specimens of more than ordinary interest were obtained, Ornithology, entomology, and botany each had its followers. Among the birds obtained were specimens of the bell-bird of Gippsland. The entomologists obtained several specimens of orthopterous insects, mostly belonging to the family Phasmidae; a fine longicorn beetle, Demonassa sp., was also captured.

Flowering plants were somewhat scarce, as might be expected, whilst amongst the ferns noticed was Pteris tremula.

Messrs. Charles Brittlebank and H. L. Thompson were elected members of the Club.

The hon. secretary announced that at the annual conversazione, to be held on the 28th instant, lecturettes would be given by Messrs. L. Hart and O. A. Sayce.

Messrs. P. H. Anderson and J. E. Prince were elected to audit the accounts of the current year, and nominations were received for office-bearers for the year 1887-88.

PAPERS READ.

1. By Mr. S. H. Wintle, F.L.S., "Observations on the Geology of Melbourne and Suburbs." Part I. This paper was principally introductory, and gave a general idea of the origin of the Australian continent.

2. By Mr. W. A. Sayer (communicated by Mr. C. French, F.L.S.), on "The first ascent of Mount Bellenden-Ker, North Queensland," in which he describes a visit to the falls on the Barron River, which are one of the sights of the world. The fall is one of about 500 feet, and the volume of water is so great that the fall may be heard at a distance of ten miles. He then gave a graphic account of his attempts to reach the top of the Bellenden-Ker range, which were at last crowned with success. Though this range was discovered and named by Flinders in 1803, it had never before been scaled by a European, and the writer, who has had considerable experience in different parts of the tropics, said that for density the jungle on this mountain exceeded anything he had seen.

3. By Mr. C. French, F.L.S., "The Orchids of Victoria,' Part XII. This was the concluding paper of the series, and described and exhibited dried specimens of two species of each of the genera Chiloglottis and Glossodia.

The Cryptogamic botanical section also held a meeting, when Mr. F. Reader read a note on the fungus Hirneola polytricha, which is edible, and forms an article of export from New Zealand. This fungus also grows in Victoria and other parts of Australia.

The following were the principal exhibits:-By Miss F. Campbell, Melaleuca nodosa, from the Whipstick, Bendigo, also Lecedea Victoria, Nephromium sub-lævigatum, and Ramalina miniuscula, unrecorded Victorian lichens; by Mr. E. M. Cornwall, specimens of the oils from the mutton-bird, stingaree-ray, shark, porpoise, and dog-fish, obtained at Westernport; by Mme. A. Friederich, a bush bouquet from the Bunyip excursion; by Mr. C. French, coleoptera, pair of Mecycognathu

Damelii, a rare carabus from Cape York, pair of Calodema regalis, a rare buprestid from N. Queensland, and Stigmodera Fortunii, and S. vitticollis, rare Victorian buprestids, also four species of orchids in illustration of paper; by Mr. French, jun., eggs of lyre-bird, silver gull, Mortier's tribonyx, and the blackbreasted porphyrio; by Master H. Hill, Victorian insects; by Mr. H. Kennon, conglomerates from Bacchus Marsh and sandstone from Warragul; by Mr. G. A. Keartland, a fine hawk moth, Charocampa sp., also specimens of Gippsland bellbird from Bunyip; by Mr. J. N. M'Kibbin, the orchids, Pterostylis acuminata, and P. aphylla, in bloom; by Mr. F. Reader, calabashes or bottle gourds, and fungus in illustration of paper; and by Mr. H. Watts, micro-fungi.

After the usual conversazione the meeting terminated.

ORCHIDEA OF VICTORIA.

By C. FRENCH, F.L.S., Department of Government Botanist, Melbourne.

PART II.

F. FIMBRIATUS, (F. von Mueller.)

GLABROUS or nearly so, 6 inches to foot high. Leaf sometimes very small and rarely above 1 inch long, ovate-lanceolate or oblong. Darkish green, with purple stripes. Flowers 2 or 3, sometimes 5, rather distant on erect pedicels of to inch, of a pale brownish yellow. Dorsal sepal oblong-lanceolate. Labellum half as long as the sepals and broader than long, truncate and fringed at the broad end, the disk without any calli.

It

This somewhat obscure little plant is one in which our club should take special interest, it having been found for the first time in the colony by a member of the club on the occasion of its first excursion, when it was observed in flower growing on the sand-hills behind the Red-Bluff Hotel at Cheltenhan. is a singular fact that this species had been found but once previously, and then on the Swan-River, West Australia, by Drummond. Baron von Mueller claims to have seen the leaves many years ago on the heath land around Brighton, but the honour of first finding it in flower in Victoria certainly belongs to the Field Naturalists' Club. This orchid you will find in flower in April and in May, when it dies down, the pretty and very distinctly marked leaves remaining for many months above ground. It is easily overlooked when in flower as the dull yellow is somewhat difficult to detect amongst the

dense scrub in which it grows. It cannot be mistaken for any other species, approaching nearer in shape to Caladenia Menziesii than to any of our native species. To grow it well, lift the tubers late in the season—say in August—plant in sandy soil, drain well and water freely as soon as the leaves appear above ground. This species is only useful to complete a collection. Caladenia fimbriata, Leptoceras fimbriata, and L. pectinata are identical with this species. Found also in South and West Australia.

LYPERANTHUS, (R. Brown.)

Dorsal sepal broad, concave, erect or incurved over the column; lateral sepals and petals narrow, erect or spreading, all nearly equal in length. Labellum shorter than the sepals, with a broad erect claw. Column erect or incurved, not winged. Anther terminal, erect, 2-celled, pollen masses granular. A terrestrial sp. with oblong underground tubers. Scapes or stems 2 or more flowered. Mostly with one radical leaf, dark-green, with purplish dots. Bracts usually rather large and leaf-like.

L. NIGRICANS, (R. Brown.)

Stems from a few inches to nearly 1 foot high, rather stout. Radical leaf rather broadly ovate-cordate. Dorsal sepal broad, concave, much incurved, acuminate, 7 to 8 lines long. Column incurved, not winged.

This is one of the most beautiful as well as one of the most singular and distinct of our native orchids, the large fleshy leaves, sometimes 4 or 5 inches across, lying nearly flat on the sandy hills around Brighton, Cheltenham, and throughout the colony, at least near the coast. This plant should be looked for on burnt heath land or in bare patches, it being seldom, if ever, found where the scrub is dense. Such, at least, is my own experience. The flowers, of which there are sometimes 5, are of a pinkish purple, with darker purple markings, the spikes standing very erect above the leaves, and the finest flowers are generally on those plants which have the worst leaves. In the damp soil near the ti-tree scrubs the leaves of this sp. grow very rank and large, although I have never seen one in flower in such positions, the most elevated and exposed places being their favourite haunts. This is a sp. which is easily recognised from all other Victorian orchids, so a lengthy description will be perhaps unnecessary. To grow it well lift very carefully, as the tubers are rather deep in the soil, and are easily detached from the plant; plant several tubers in a shallow pot or pan, in sandy, heathy soil; drain well, and water very sparingly. It is somewhat difficult of cultivation. Flowers from October till end of