114 Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



The President said that this would be a matter of 

 interest to the Ethnological Section. It was proposed that 

 the work of that Section should be the obtaining of 

 authentic specimens of native weapons, not only from our 

 own Aboriginals, and those of the South Seas, but other 

 parts of the world. It had been suggested that the 

 Ethnological Section of the Society should first of all 

 undertake the work of collecting unquestionably genuine 

 Victorian or Australian Aboriginal weapons and implements. 

 Then, after having secured for Melbourne a perfect set, 

 properly classified and accurately described, the duplicates 

 could be exchanged with Museums in other parts of the 

 world for weapons of other native races. If this work were 

 undertaken, it would certainly be a very good thing to 

 have the weapons which Mr. Jennings so kindly proposed to 

 obtain. He thought, however, that the place for them 

 should be more public than the Royal Society's Hall. Their 

 proper resting place would be the Public Library. There 

 were a good number of weapons there already, but so far as 

 he knew, they had not been classified or examined by 

 expei'ts. If that collection could be completed, and the 

 genuineness of the articles guaranteed, and the circum- 

 stances under which they were emplo37ed be accurately 

 determined, it would be a very good work. Side by side 

 with this, they could have specimens of w^eapons from other 

 parts of the world, and the collection would become of very 

 great value indeed. A complete and authentic collection of 

 that sort for Melbourne was one of the great objects of this 

 Section, and if Mr. Jennings could succeed in obtaining the 

 weapons he had mentioned from India, they would be most 

 thankfully received. 



Dr. Neild said that thirty years ago there had been an 

 attempt on the part of the Society to make a collection 

 of various curiosities, and it had not been found convenient 

 to keep them, as they required more attention than it was 

 in the Society's power to give. He would therefore suggest 

 that the collection should be kept in the Public Library, or 

 in the University. Professor McCoy took a great interest 

 in the subject, and would no doubt be able to care for them, 



Mr. White remarked that Professor Mill, of Japan, when 

 over here, wished to make a collection of native weapons. 

 He went into rather a noted place, and said he wanted 

 some native weapons, and he was asked whether he wanted 



