president's address. 487 



description of the Natural History of the country round the head 

 of the Australian Bight, which he terms the Bunda Plateau. 

 The latter paper is from the Transactions of the Adelaide 

 Philosophical Society, but I advert to it as one of the most 

 important publications of this year. This country has been 

 always one of singular interest, and has never been examined by 

 a really scientific man until visited by Professor Tate. In his 

 paper he gives the natural divisions of the country, which he was 

 commissioned by the South Australian Government to examine, 

 with a view to its adaptability to the artesian well system. He 

 made a journey with a party, all riding camels, spending six 

 weeks in the examination of the plateau. The result was not 

 satisfactory as far as artesian wells were concerned, but we have 

 from the professor a very elaborate account of the geology and 

 zoology of the district. 



In Tasmania Mr. W. Legrand still labours amongst the Mbllusca , 

 a sub-kingdom in which he has been for years a constant and 

 most painstaking observer. He has now two zealous coadjutors 

 in Messrs. Petterd and Johnston. The former has just published 

 a very creditable monograph of the land shells of Tasmania. 

 Mr. E. M. Johnston labours in almost every department of 

 natural history. His new observations in geology and important 

 discoveries in Tasmanian natural history are contained in the 

 u Proceedings of the Eoyal Society of Tasmania." 



Turning now to the department of Geology I find that every 

 Colony is doing much towards the development of the knowledge 

 of our rocks and rock formations. Considering how much the 

 mineral resources of the colony are identified with this, and how 

 much accurate geological knowledge tends to develope these 

 resources, no activity on the subject would be excessive. In 

 North Queensland Mr. Jack has just completed valuable maps 

 and reports on the geology of the Bowen coal-field, the Charter's 

 Towers diggings, and the general geology of the North. It may 



