bones to be found. The Charlton burial ground must be of 

 great age. It was a question whether the corpses were carried 

 to the burial ground and burned there, or whether the ashes 

 of the departed were subsequently carried to the burial ground. 

 He favoured the latter idea, a pyre having been erected and a 

 body cremated at the spot where death took place. It would 

 be interesting to know whether other similar burial grounds 

 existed in Tasmania. He was told that there was one at Pont- 

 ville, and another at Darlington Park. 



Mr. A. J. Taylor described a burial place of probably a 

 Tasmanian aboriginal warrior. He quoted Backhouse's and 

 Robinson's descriptions of the incinerating process which was 

 resorted to. The natives were very jealous of Europeans wit- 

 nessing their burial ceremonies. 



Mr. Bernard Shaw said the late Mr. Jno. Lyne used to 

 mention a case under his own observation of the burial of a 

 native in a hollow tree, but the body was afterwards removed. 



Mr. Henry Foster remarked on the very few skulls of 

 natives having been found, which was, no doubt, due to their 

 generally burning their dead. 



SEPTEMBER 14, 1908. 



The Monthly General Meeting of the Society was held at 

 the Museum on Wednesday evening, September 14, 1908. 



Mr. T. Stephens, M.A., F.G.S., in the chair. 



THE FOI.I.OWING PAPERS WERE READ : — 



(1) Additions to the Tasmanian Molluscan Fauna. By W. 

 L. May. 



This paper, a portion of which was read by the Secretary 

 to the Council, is of a technical character, and describes the 

 results of dredging near the ico-fathom line off the south coast 

 of Tasmania. 



Mr. R. M. Johnston referred to the two species mentioned 

 by Mr. May as belonging to a family of fissure-grooved shells 

 of very ancient origin. 



(2) On Solar Eclipses, illustrated by lantern slides. By 

 H. C. Kingsmill, M.A. 



The author referred to the total eclipse of the sun, to take 

 place on May 9, 1910, and the proposed visit of an English 

 expedition to observe it in Tasmania. Owing to the rarity 

 of solar eclipses, expeditions have generally to be made to dis- 

 tant countries by those who require to investigate the phe- 

 nomena of eclipses. It happens that Tasmania is the only land 

 in the world from which the total phase of that eclipse will be 

 observable, if we except the icy regions near the South Pole. 

 The central line of the eclipse would pass a little to the south 



