102 THE VICTORIAN NATUKALIST. 



who stated that, anticipating a wet afternoon at the time of 

 starting, it was decided by those present to change the locality 

 to be visited from Lower Ferntree Gully to Ringwood. During 

 the afternoon a fair number of birds, insects, and plants in bloom 

 were noted, but nothing of special importance was collected. 



Mr. G. Coghill reported that owing to the very wet afternoon 

 on Saturday, T2th October, the excursion arranged for Ringwood 

 and Croydon did not take place. 



The hon. librarian reported the receipt of the following 

 donations to the library : — " Report Department of Mines and 

 Water Supply, Victoria," from the Department ; pamphlets from 

 the Department of Agriculture, Sydney ; " Records of Australian 

 Museum," vol. iv.. No. 4, from the Museum ; " Proceedings 

 Linnean Society of New South Wales," vol. xxvi., part i, 1901, 

 from the Society ; Nature Notes, August, 1901, from the Selborne 

 Society, London ; Knowledge, August, and Science Gossip, August, 

 from the proprietors ; " Annual Report of Smithsonian Institution," 

 June, 1898, from the Institute ; " Bulletin of American Museum 

 of Natural History," vol. xiii., 1900, from the Museum; "Pro- 

 ceedings Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia," part 3, 

 1900, from the Academy ; " Proceedings Field Columbian 

 Museum, Chicago," from the Museum ; and " The Microscope 

 and its Revelations," Carpenter (new edition), purchased. 



GENERAL BUSINESS. 



The president announced the death of Mr. J. T. Gillespie, who 

 had been a member of the Club for many years, and had some- 

 what recently filled the position of hon. treasurer, which, owing to 

 ill health, he had to relinquish, and referred to the esteem in which 

 Mr. Gillespie was held by his fellow-members. On the motion of 

 Messrs. A. J. Campbell and D. Le Souef, the hon. secretary was 

 directed to forward a letter of condolence to Mrs. Gillespie. 



The president also spoke of the loss Australian natural science 

 had sustained by the death of Prof. Ralph Tate, F.G.S., of 

 Adelaide, an honorary member of the Club, and referred to the 

 great amount of valuable scientific work done by Prof. Tate, 

 especially among the recent and fossil shells of Australia. On the 

 motion of Messrs. J. G. Luehmann, F.L.S., and F. G. A. Barnard, 

 the hon. secretary was directed to convey the sympathy of the 

 Club to Mrs. Tate and family in their bereavement. 



Mr. A. J. Campbell asked the president the following ques- 

 tions, of which he had previously given notice: — i. What con- 

 stitutes or what is the rule for priority of descriptions of new 

 species ? 2. His authority for his ruling on the question ? 



The president, in his reply, stated that there are several codes 

 of rules dealing with the subject, and all agree that it is by 

 priority of publication that a name is fixed, but that printing 



