The following paper was read: — 



"The Counection of Swifts with Weatliei," by Stuart Dove, 

 F.Z.S. The writer detailed a number of observations wliich 

 tended to show that the swifts appeared immediately before 

 atmospheric disturbances. Ants in the winged state formed 

 a large part of the food of the swift in this country, anil tht) 

 writer had noticed that the winged ants issued from theii 

 nests more particularly during the damp and close weathei 

 which precedes weather changes. It had occurred to him that 

 the frequent appearance of the swifts shortly before or after 

 atmospheric disturbances might be due t-o their winged food 

 occurring more plentifully at those times. 



Mr. T. Stephens exhibited a piece of bone which had l>een 

 found by his son when engaged in laying out the route of 

 the Stanley-Balfour railway near Circular Head. The bone 

 had been found m the same district as the large bones of the 

 extinct animal which had been discovered in Mowbray Swamp. 

 He had sent the bone, which was very hard and polished, to 

 Dr. Hall, of the biological department of the Melbourne 

 University, but the species of animal to which it belonged could 

 not be determined. 



Mr. Stephens further drew attention to the discovery on 

 the Australian AIds of a grass, Poa saxicola, which had pre- 

 viously only been found on Mount Wellington. The discovery 

 was reported in the proceedings of the Linnean Society of New 

 South Wales. 



Mr. L. Rodway said that he had been over nearly all the 

 mountains in Tasmania, but he had only found Poa saxicola in 

 one small area on Mount Wellington. The discovery was, 

 therefore, a very interesting one, provided mat the grass had 

 been correctly identified. 



Professor Fljom exhibited dissections of the reproductive 

 organs of certain marsupials, and gave a short address on the 

 manner in which the embryos were borne. 



A fish's egg was also exhibited which Professor Flynn 

 identified as that of Callorynchus antarcticus, sometimes called 

 the elephant fish. 



Mr. Robert Hall exhibited a number of swallows and swifts 

 to illustrate Mr. Dove's paper. Mr. Hall also exhibited a, fish 

 (Optonurus denticulatus, Rich.) closely resembling the "whiptail," 

 which had been dredged in 800 fathoms of water off" the coast of 

 New South Wales. It was now safe to record this deep water 

 species as new to the list of the Tasinanian fauna. 



OCTOBER 9th, 1911. 



The general monthly meeting of the society wa^^ held al 

 the Museum on Monday evening, October 9th. 1911. 



Dr. Fritz Xootling occupied the chair. 



