23 



EOYAL SOCIETY. 



JUNE, 1871. 



The monthly evening meeting of the Society was held on Tuesday, 

 13th June, Justin McC. Browne, Esq., in the chair. 



William A. Kermode, Esq. , of Mona Vale, who had previously been 

 nominated by the Council, was after a ballot declared duly elected a 

 Fellow of the Society. 



The Secretary laid on the table the following returns for the month 

 of May:— 



1. Visitors to Museum, 775. 



2. Ditto to Gardens, 2315. 



3. Plants received at Gardens : — From Dr. Schomburgh, Director of 



Botanic Gardens, Adelaide, 29 Plants. From J. Miller, Esq., 

 Mayor of Port Elizabeth, Cape, j^er J. W. Graves, Esq., a col- 

 lection of Bulbs from South Africa. 



4. Plants sent from Gardens. To M. J. Linden, Brussels, 5 large 



Fern Trees. 



5. Tench supplied. To Bev. Canon Sharpe, 24 Tench, for Bathurst, 



N. S. Wales. 

 6 Timss of leafing, flowering, &c., of a few standard plants in 

 Botanic Gardens. 



7. Books and Periodicals received. 



8. Presentations to Museum. 

 Meteorological Beturns. 



1 Hobart Town, from F. Abbott, Esq., Table, &c., May. 



2. Westbury, from F. Belstead, Esq., Ditto. 



3. Swansea, from Dr. Story, Ditto for April. 



4. Melbourne, from B. L. J. EUery, Esq. , Notes for April. 



5. Sydney, from H. C. Bussell, Esq., B. A., Printed tables for 



i\Iarch. 

 The Secretary read the following : — 

 The presentations to the Museum and Library were as follow : — 



1. From Master F. G. Bailey — A few very beautiful Butterflies from 



Ceylon ; a purse made by natives of Ceylon, the material of 

 which the article is manufactured being paper prepared in such 

 a manner as to be readily mistaken for leather. 



2. From Mr. Alexander Reid, Ptatho — An albino variety of the 



common Quail. 



3. From Mr. Blacklow, Brighton — A wedgetailed Eagle (Aquila 



fucosa). 



4. From Dr. Huston — A Paradise Duck. 



5. From Sir R. Officer — A Rail (Rallus j^ectoralis) from New Norfolk. 



6. From Mr. F. S. Edgar— The shell of a large Turtle. 



7. From ISIaster C. Allport, four copper coins and tokens. 



8. From Captain Gourlay, two very tine specimens of shells of the 



Pearl Oyster, measuring 9| inches in length, by Sh inches in width. 

 [In a note which accompanied this presentation Captain Gourlay stated 

 that the shells were, he believed, brought from the Solomon Island 

 Group, in the Pacific. A cargo of 70 tons of these shells was sold in 

 Sydney about three months ago, and fetched about £150 per ton ; the 

 pearl being considered superior to any pre\dously taken to that port. ] 



9. From Mr. J. W. Graves, a photographic copy of the deed of con- 



veyance of Franklin Island, by Lady Franklin, in favour of the 

 Tasmanian Acclimatisation Society. 



