fly. Dr. Elkington remarked that it was 

 ubiquitous in its habits, and unpleasant 

 in its history and associations, and, under 

 •experiments, it had been proved capable 

 of conveying on its f^eet and body the 

 germs of disease. In a more enlightened 

 age the houseAvife would regard flies with 

 the same horror and disgust as she now- 

 regarded bugs and fleas. He had little 

 doubt that domestice flies, so-called, were 

 responsible for a fair proportion of cases 

 ■of communicable diseaise, especially, per- 

 haps, of typhoid fever. Its possibilities, 

 however, did not end there. Diseases 

 e.specially, perhaps small-pox, might be 

 readily conceived as spread by that 

 jtneans. He confessed, in fact, to a doubt 

 as to wihether the real cause of the aerial 



connections oi small-pox was not partly 

 or wholly due to insect life. 



On the proposition of Sir John Dodds. a 

 hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Dr. 

 Elkington, and to Mr. Plate, for lending 

 works of art to the society. 



An Ancient Tree. 



Mr. E. M. Johnston exhibited a speci- 

 men of a piece of a tree which had been 

 found embedded in the rocks near Barnes 

 Bay (Southern Tasmania). He said the 

 trunk of tlie tree from which the speci- 

 men was taken was from 15 to 20 million 

 years' old. and was about 12ft. long and 

 18in. to 20in. in diameter. 



