XXIII. 
founded as early as 1821; the Tasmanian Society, founded in 1838; the Victorian 
Institute, founded in 1854, and the Philosophical Society of Victoria, founded in 
1855, these two Societies shortly afterwards amalgamating in 1856 as the Philo- 
sophical Institute of Victoria, subsequently the Royal Society of Victoria. 
The working zoologists in the colonies in these early days, however, were from 
the nature of circumstances never very numerous ; and their work at first was more 
or less that of field naturalists, for their efforts in other directions were insuperably 
hampered by the want of books and of reference collections, as well as by want of 
leisure, and by their isolation. A. distinct advance was made when at least a portion 
of their work came to be published locally, and when they began to compile local 
fauna lists, and still later, from about 1852, to attempt in the light of local knowledge 
in a small way to deal critically with already described species, and to work up groups 
which had previously not received attention, because, among other reasons, it brought 
the workers in touch with intelligent colonists with a taste for natural history living 
in other and favourable localities, whose interest was aroused, and who, through 
their desire to make local collections, their anxiety to see them worked up, and 
their readiness to communicate the results of their observations, were led to become 
valuable coadjutors. 
Of the older Australian Scientific Societies* above-mentioned, the Tasmanian 
Society more particularly concerned itself with biology. It was also the first to 
issue a publication; and a very creditable production indeed, under the circumstances, 
the Tasmanian Journal is, the first Part of which was published in 1841. This 
contains, besides contributions from visiting naturalists and by others non-resident, 
two zoological papers which, as the first contributions by residents published by an 
Australian Society, deserve mention, namely, Dr. E. C. Hobson’s paper “On the 
Callorynchus australes,’ and the Rev. T. J. Ewing’s “Catalogue of the Birds of 
Tasmania.” From 1856 the Transactions of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria 
began to include a fair proportion of zoological papers. The Philosophical Society 
of Australasia and its successors were not for some considerable time [until 1866] in 
a position to publish a Journal, nor among its members in the early days were there 
apparently many active biologists. 
The rate of progress of the knowledge of Australian Vertebrata naturally has 
been more rapid than that of the Invertebrata, the larger and more conspicuous forms 
first claiming attention. Thirty years ago, even making full allowance for all that 
has been accomplished since, the knowledge of the Vertebrata was well advanced, a 
result, as regards the bulk of the terrestrial forms, largely due to the enterprise and 
* A résumé of the histories of two of these Societies will be found in the Presidential Addresses of Mr. H. C. Russell, 
B.A, F.R.S., C.M.G., and Sir Robert Hamilton, K.C.B., LL.D., to the Australasian Association for the Advancement of 
Science at the Sydney and Hobart Meetings. Reports, Vols. I. and IV. 
