ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL 



FOR THE YEAE 1905. 



The Council herewith pre&ents to Members of the Society the 

 Annual Report and Details of Receipts and Expenditure for the 

 year 1905. 



The following meetings were held : — 



March 9. — ^Annual Meeting and Election of Officers. Ordi- 

 nary Meeting. The following pajper whs read: — "A Palaeozoic 

 Serpentine Conglomerate, North Gippsland," by A. E. Thiele. 

 Exhibits : 1. Specimens in illustration of his paiper, by A. E. 

 Thiele. 2. Models of Foraminifera, by F. Chapman. 3. A 

 series of pen and ink sketches, the property of the Society, 

 being cairicatures of the Herschell-Babbage Exploring Expedi- 

 tion in South Australia in 1858. They appear to be the work 

 of a German. Dr. A. W. Howitt, who had examined the 

 sketches, thought they must have originated about the year of 

 the expedition, and have been drawn by someone familiar with 

 the country aind the members ol the expedition, as the likenesses 

 were recognisable. 



April 13. — Paper read : '' New or Little-known Fossils in the 

 National Museum, Melbourne, Part 5. The Genus Receptacu- 

 lites, with a note on R. Australis, from Mount Wyatt, Queens- 

 land," by F. Chapman. Exhibits : 1. Lialis burtonii, mimicking 

 a young brown snake, Diemenia textilis (Furina bicucullata, 

 McCoy). 2. Rabbit's skull, with very long upper incisors, by 

 T. S. Hall. 3. Fresh water polyzoa (Plumatella), from Yan 

 Yean water pipe, by J. Shephard. 



May 5. — Professor W. Baldwin Spencer delivered a Lecture 

 on " Totems and Totem Ceremonies Amongst the Central Aus- 

 traliam Aborigines,'' illustrated by lantern slides. 



June 8. — Paper read : " New or Little-known Fossils in the 

 National Museum, Melbourne, Part 6. Some Devonian Spiri- 

 fers," by F. Chapman. Professor W. C. Kernot exhibited a new 

 steam gauge, and made remarks on the value of steam and gaa 

 engines. 



