, will. 



western Australia. Tlie hlack-fronted dottrell Mas an Austial- 

 ian species very similar, of which he knew of onl.y two specimens 

 that had been obtained in Tasmania. He had one specimen of 

 t)ie golden plover which had come from Maldon Island, in the 

 Pacihc. The bird was very thin, and must have been about 

 a week on the wing. It was thought at first to be a stray, but 

 it was now established that there was a circular plover track 

 across the Pacific. The golden plover changed its plumage 

 about Korea, and then went north as soon as the snow melted, 

 and nested on the open tiindia, which remained always frozen 

 hard less than a foot from the surface, along with millions of 

 other birds, finches, and other species. The plovers were of 

 eoonomie value because they destroyed large numbers of insects. 



T'he C'liairman iiu'iitioiied that the spurwing and a ])lack- 

 bieasted plover l)otli destroyed a land-snail which was the inter- 

 ir.ediate host of the sheep-fiuke. 



The meeting closed \\ ith an exhibition of microscopical 

 specimens, biological and petrological. 



JULY 8, 1912. 



The usual monthly meeting of the Royal Society Avas held 

 at the Museu^n. Hon. G. H. Butler presided, and there was 

 a moderate attendance of me?nbers. 



Mr. R. N. Atkinson was elected a member of the Society. 



Two papers were read: — (1) Tlie theory of the quota in pro- 

 portional representation, by E. li. Piesse, B.Sc. (2) Notes on 

 Derwent estuary fi.shes, by Robert Hall, C.M.Z.S. 



The Chairman (Hon. Dr. Butler) said there was no doubt 

 that under the Hare system it Avas necessary that every con- 

 stituency should have an odd number of members. As long as 

 there were even numbers there was bound to be the danger of 

 disproportionate representation. The party that had a major- 

 ity, even if it was a small one, was entitled to the odd member. 

 He thanked Mr. Piesse for his interesting paper. 



Mr. J. A. Johnson said tliat 1 e hoped steps would be taken 

 to bring Mr. l*iesse's paper before the people in Belgium and 

 France, who Avere interested in these matters. It represented a 

 f,reat deal of labour, and the reason no one Avas prepared to 

 discuss it Avas probably because it required a great amount of 

 n.athematical skill to criticise Mr. Piesse's figures. 



The Chairman said that the paper Avould be printed by the 

 Electoral Department, which AA^ould no doubt see that it Avas 

 distributed as Avidely as possible. 



BOTANICAL SPECIMENS. 



Mr. L. Rodway exhibited 10 dried specimens of the daisy 

 tree (Olearia steilulata), AA'hich he said AAcre classed as one 



