418 



NOTES AND EXHIBITS. 



Mr. Baker exhibited herbarium specimens and tubers of the 

 new species of Parsonsia described in his paper. Also admii'ably 

 executed casts of three food-fishes, modelled at the Techno- 

 logical Museum for museum purposes; and a section of the trunk 

 of the "cork-wood" (Hakea lorea) of the interior. 



Mr. D. G. Stead exhibited specimens of Haw kesbuiy sandstone 

 (1) from the sea shore between tide-marks showing the tunnelling 

 of marine Isopods (Sphceroma), with the living animals in situ; 

 and (2) from the hill-tops overlooking Port Jackson, offering 

 examples of the borings which so often attract notice, and the 

 production of which has been attributed to Hymenoptera, and 

 also to Termites. Since last meeting Mr. Stead reported that he 

 had investigated the matter, and that, after breaking up a 

 quantity of stone, he had come upon Termites, of a species at 

 present undetermined, actually at work. Of these he exhibited 

 specimens. 



Mr. Stead also stated that he had been informed by Captain 

 Wallace, who had shown him the bird, that on 5th May last, 

 while the s.s. Perthshire was drifting about in a disabled con- 

 dition, about 500 miles from the nearest land (Cape Howe), a 

 common bronze-wing pigeon (Phapf< chalcoptera, Lath.^ flew on 

 board in an exhausted condition. 



Mr. R. Greig Smith, M.Sc, the Macleay Bacteriologist, ex- 

 hibited two samples of butter prepared from the same original 

 lot of cream which had been divided into two portions, one being 

 ripened with the ordinary acid starter, the other having a culture 

 of the aroma-producing bacterium No. Jf.1 {Conn'< added with the 

 starter. The difference between the samples was very striking, 

 the one having very little smell, while the other had the flavour 

 and aroma characteristic of the finest butters. It was interesting 

 to note that the bacteria from which the culture was prepared 

 had been kept growing on artificial solid media for three years 

 without having lost the aroma-producing property. 



