NATURALISTS’ FIELD CLUB.

Otago Witness, Issue 3610, 22 May 1923, Page 41

NATURALISTS’ FIELD CLUB.

There was a good muster at Saturday’s outing of the Naturalists’ Field Club, which yvas held in the bush at Burkes. This is one of the best places near Dunedin for ferns, and they formed the chief study for the afternoon. Altogether 27 species yvere noted, including tyvo species of filmy ferns. Prominent among the tree ferns noted were Cyathea dealbata, the silver tree fern, Hematilia smithii, our commonest tree fern, and Dickeonia squarrosa, distinguished from ttio others by the hardness and roughness of its fronds. Davallia Novse Zealandia yvas fairly abundant, and is one of the prettiest ferns in our bush. The homrias, with their barren and fertile fronds, were particularly interesting to beginners. Lomaria Patersoni la a conspicuous fern, with its large, thick, broad, dark-green fronds, and slopes in the what pecular appearance to the slopes in the bush yvherever it groyvs in profusion. Members yvere delighted to find that the streams in this bush had not been robbed of their beauty by the force of rushing water, as has been the case in some localities which have been visited since the flood. During tho day the usual number of native birds were met with, bellbirds being especially merry. Those who yvalked into town v ia Signal Hill had the pleasure of finding oB the sunny slopes there stray flowers of manuka, craspedia, gnaphalium, Helichryeuw bellidioides, and cassinia.