533 



ON THE DATES OF PUBLICATION OF THE EARLY 

 VOLUMES OF THE SOCIETY'S PROCEEDINGS. 



By J. J. Fletcher. 



The first twenty-eight Parts of the Society's Proceedings — 

 constituting Yols. i.-vii. of the First Series (for the years 1875- 

 1882) — offer no more definite indication of the several dates of 

 pubHcation than is afforded by a notice of the year of issue at 

 the foot of the front page of the paper covers, or on the title- 

 page included in the fourth and concluding Part of each Volume. 

 Unless specially instructed to the contrary, bookbinders seem 

 habitually to discard the covers when binding. A number of 

 copies of Vols, i.-iv., bound at Sir W. Macleay's expense, so treated, 

 have passed into circulation under the Society's auspices. In 

 regard to these, and others so dealt with, it should be borne in 

 mind that the year indicated on the title-page is usually that in 

 which the fourth and last Part only of the Volume was issued : 

 or if not so, the coincidence is accidental. 



The first twenty-six of the Parts in question were issued prior 

 to the Garden Palace Fire. As the Society's official books and 

 records were completely destroyed therein, no information what- 

 ever about these early Parts is forthcoming from this source. 

 Eleven consecutive Parts commencing with Part 2 of Vol. i., were 

 printed by two firms which subsequently retired altogether from 

 business, the establishment of one of them having been completely 

 burnt out; so that no particulars from the publishers are obtainable, 

 and I have only the dates of receipt kindly supplied by the 

 Librarians of the Public Library and Royal Society of N. S. 

 Wales to go by. 



Occasionally there arise questions of priority in the description 

 of species dealt with in these Volumes; and requests for authori- 

 tative information as to dates of publication are from time to 

 time received. 



