ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS. XI. 



wiedii ; this " blind snake " shows unusual transparency 

 for a land vertebrate, and when held before a strong light 

 its viscera may be discerned and the pulsations of the 

 heart noted. 



Dr. Hamlyn-Harris exhibited a Fijian chief's necklet 

 made of a sperm whale's tooth, highly polished, with a 

 <;ord of plaited and twisted vegetable fibre, much prized 

 and formerly a sort of native currency. Also a fine set of 

 shell implements collected recently by him from reveral 

 native camps on Dunk Island, the knives and spoke-shaves 

 being made from a species of Perna. A very interesting 

 implement was a triangular (shark tooth chaped) scarify- 

 ing implement, evidently used by the natives for the pur- 

 pose of making tribal and other decorative marks. The 

 «et of implements demonstrated the manufacture of i^hell 

 iish-hooks. Discs of about an inch or so square are 

 cut from the black-lip shell, Margaritifera margaritifera ; 

 a centre hole is pierced by means of a quartz drill 

 until the aperture is sufficiently large to admit of the 

 use of the small coral files which further enlarge the hole. 

 The discs are then divided into two and worked down 

 until the proper crescent-shaped fish-hook is sufficiently 

 pointed to render it of service. Some weathered pieces 

 of a species of Chama were shown, thece being of a similar 

 «hape to the fish hooks, and thought by some to have given 

 the aboriginal the first idea of shape. Another interest- 

 ing exhibit was an aboriginal plane made of a land shell 

 (Xanthomelum pachysiyloides) , bearing the native name 

 *' KuRRA Dju." This implement is used for planing 

 the fruit of the Moreton Bay Chestnut {Castanosjiermum 

 -australe) — native name " Tindaburra " — the operator being 

 able to regulate the thickne s of the shaving to a nicety. 



Abstract of Proceedings, September 27th, 1915. 



The ordinary' monthly meeting was held in the Geology 

 Lecture Theatre, in the University, at 8 p.m. 



Dr. T. H. Johnston, President, in the chair. 



The Pre ident expressed the sympathy of the Society 

 with the relatives of the late Mr. C. W. Costin, who had 

 been a member of the Society from 1906 to 1914. 



