23 

 JULYi 1872. 



*rhc monthly evening meeting oi the Society was held oh Tuesday, 

 the 9th July, The Eight Rev. the Lord Bishop of Tasmania in the chair. 



E. Gatenby, Esq., of Macquarie Eiver, was after a ballot, declared 

 duly elected a Fellow of the vSociety. 



The Secretary brought forward the usual returns for the past month, 

 Viz. : — 



1. Visitors to Museum, 1,059. 



2. Ditto to Gardens, 1,345. 



3. Plants &c., supplied from Gardens; to Eoyal Gardens, Kew, 101 



packets seeds indigenous to Australian Colonies ; to Public 

 Offices, LauncestoUj 21 plants ; to Public School, Bagdad, 60 

 plants. 



4. Time of leafing, flowering, and fruitilig of a few standard plants 



in Botanic Gardens. 



5. Books and Periodicals received. 



6. Presentations to Museum. 

 Meteorological JRetUrns. 



1. Hobart Town, from F. Abbott, Esq., Table for June. 



2. Westbury, from F. Belstead, Esq., Table for May. 



3. Swansea, from Dr. Story, Tables for April d,nd May. 



4. Port Arthur, fi'om A^ H. Boyd, Esq^, Table for June. 



5. Melbourne, from Government Observatory, Tables for May. 



The presentations to the Museum were as follows : — 



1. From Captain Clinch — A Bow, nineteen largCj and twenty-severi 



small poisoned arrows, a head-dress, neck ornament^ &c., formerly 

 belonging to a chief of New Guinea. 



2. From Mr. Cearns— Fac simile of the letter addressed Lord Mont- 



eagle, which occasioned the discovery of the gunpowder plot. 



3. From J, W. Graves, Esq; — Photographic copy of the portrait of 



Mr; G. A. Eobinson, the protector of the aborigines. 



4. From T. E. J. Eoss, Esq; — A plumed Bronze Wmg Pigeon (Ocyphaps 



lophotes. ) 



5. From Mr. Luckman, Sorell — A pair of Shoveller Ducks {Spatula 



rhynchotis. ) 



6. From Mr» Groom — A bronze Portuguese Coin. 



7. From Mr. E. W. Stuart — Eleven specimens of Garnets found near 



Table Cape. 



8. From W. A. B. Gellibrand, Esq. — A preparation of the gravid 



uterus of the Kangaroo Eat, shewing the foetus so far advanced 

 as probably to be within a few days of removal to the pouch. 

 [Mr. M. Allport observed that this presentation which had been 

 carefully dissected by the curator, was of great interest. It was known 

 to the members that the mode of development of the fcetal marsupial 

 was for a long time a disputed point ; and even at this late date many 

 who had not had the opportunity of studying the writings of Owen and 

 others, still believed that the fcetus was developed on the teat in the 

 maternal pouch. An inspection of the preparation now on the table 

 would, however, satisfy the most sceptic d that up to a certain period 

 the foetus was develoj)ed in the uterus. How it was removed from the 

 uterus to the pouch and applied to the nipple was still a matter of 

 doubt, some observers thinking it was effected by the mouth, and others 

 by the paws of the mother. Perhaps it was effected in each way by 

 various species according to the fitness of the formation of their mouth 

 or paws for such purpose.] 



