Proceed in ;/.s of the Roijal Society of Victoria. 201 



Mr. H. K. RusL)i:x moved, '• That a Committee be appointed 

 to enquire into and report upon Cremation as a means of 

 disposing of the dead, as well as other methods, the Committee 

 to consist of Professors Kernot and Masson, and Mr. H. K. 

 Rusden, with power to add to their number." t 



Dr. Neili) seconded the resolution. 



The President explained that this was merely a motion for 

 the re-appointment of an old Committee, which had first been 

 appointed some time ago, when the question of Cremation had 

 been brought forward by Mr. Rusden at the Australasian 

 Association, since which time, however, little or nothing had 

 been done. The re-appointment of the Committee did not 

 commit the Society to any expression of opinion, but simply 

 gave the Committee power to enquire into the various methods 

 of disposing of the dead, and report at their leisure. Some 

 l)eople r-egarded the question of Cremation as one of very great 

 importance, and without doubt it was worth investigation. 



Mr. RuSDKN pointed out that it was scarcely correct to say 

 nothing had been done, as some of the books in his possession 

 beariiig on the subject, liad been read by the Members of the 

 Committee, and so much time had therefore been saved. 



The resolution was carried. 



A paper, " On the Occurrence of the Genus Belonostomus in 

 the Rolling Downs Formation (Cretaceous) of Central Queens- 

 land," by R. Etheridge, jun., F.G.S., Palaeontologist to the 

 (reological Survey of New South Wales, and Arthur Smith 

 Woodward, F.L.S., of the British Museum, was read by Professor 

 W. Baldwin Spencer. Some lithographs of the specimen were 

 handed round among the Members. 



Mr. Sweet said he had no doubt that vei-y much more perfect 

 specimens could be obtained by persons longer on the area than 

 he himself had Ijeen. The fossil was somewhat under two feet 

 in length, but as the fish was turned on itself, it was probably 

 tlie intention of the writer to suggest the metre as the unit. 

 The fossil was valuable, inasmuch as it helped to fix the geological 

 period to which the area in Avhich it had been found should be 

 assigned. For some time past this ai'ea has been regarded as 

 cretaceous, but its exact position in that period was as yet 

 undetermined. The discovery of similar fossils would assist in 

 determining this. 



Professor Spencek said it was an interesting fact that this 

 fish was distributed over other parts of the world, and found in 

 such places as Western Europe, Brazil, and India. It was most 

 desirable that the Palajontology of Australia should be worked 

 out. Mr. Sweet had taken considerable trouble in obtaining the 



