21 



SEPTEMBER, 1877. 



The monthly evening meeting of the Society was held on Tuesday, 11th 

 September, His Excellency the Governor in the chair. 



The following gentlemen, who had been previously nominated by the 

 Council, were balloted for and declared duly elected as corresponding 

 Members of the Society, viz.: Professor F. McCoy, F.G.S., Melbourne 

 University ; R. L, J. Ellery, Esq., F.R.S., F.KA.S., Government Astro- 

 nomer, Victoria ; and Mons. J. N. Verschaffelt, Ghent, Belgium. E. J. 

 Crouch, Esq., of Hobart Town, and — Woodgate, Esq., of Launceston, were 

 also elected Fellows of the Society. 



The Hon. Secretary (Dr. Agnew) brought under notice the usual 

 returns for the past month, viz. : — 



1. Number of visitors to Museum, 1727. 



2. Ditto ditto to Gardens, 5894. 



3. Plants received at Gardens. — From the Sydney Botanic Gardens, 



plants of the North American Nymphcea lutea and N. odorata. 

 From Mr. G. Brunniug, Melbourne, 41 plants and 23 varieties of 

 fruit scions. From Messrs. Shepherd and Co., Sydney, 21 fruit 

 trees. 



4. Plants, etc., sent from Gardens. — To Messrs. Shepherd and Co., 



Sydney, one case plants and seeds. To Mr. G. Brunning, Mel- 

 bourne, one ditto. For decoration of Public School grounds, 

 Oatlands, 55 plants. 



5. Time of leafing, flowering, and fruiting of a few standard plants in 



the Botanic Gardens during August, 



6. Books and Periodicals received. 



7. Presentations to Museum. 

 Meteorological Returns. 



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



2. Mount Nelson, from the Marine Board. Ditto. 



3. Melbourne, from the Government Observer. Printed tables for 



December, 1876, and Results of Observations for 1875. 



4. From the Chief Signal Office, Washington, U.S. Bulletins of Inter- 



national Observations from 13th to 22nd October, 1876. 

 The presentations to the Museum were as follows : — 



1. From E. D. Swan, Esq. Nine specunensof Uniofrom Lakes Champlain 



and Ontario. One specunen of " Clam " shell from America. 

 Land shells from Alexandria, 



2. From Mr. J. R. RolHns, Longley. A fine specimen of silicified wood 



from the Sandfly Rivulet. 



3. From R. C. Kermode, Esq. A Tartar hat, from the Crimea. A pair 



of Tartar lady's shoes. A pair of child's ditto. — A pair wooden 

 shoes (sabots), from Copenhagen. A Norwegian peasant's cap. 



4. From the Rev. W. W. Spicer. Forty-seven species of plants collected 



by Mr. E. N. Spong. 



5. From. Mr. R. R. Rex. A jar containing specimens of the leaves and 



fruit of the nutmeg tree, from Penang. Two plates of " Baleen," 

 from the whale lately foimd near East Bay Neck. 



6. From Mr. P. Tanner. A sample of Coal from the Greta mines, New 



South Wales. 



7. From Mr. Soby, Hobart Town. A Half-Farthmg, William IV. A 



small Swedish Silver Coin (10 ore), 1864. A small Chihan Silver 



Coin. 

 Referring to the whale recently cast ashore at East Bay Neck, the 

 Secretary reported that it had been purchased for the Museum by means 

 chiefly of an appeal to the Fellows of the Society, which had been very 

 generally responded to. A considerable sum would be necessary for setting 

 up the skeleton, but as the purchase did not exhaust the sum ah-eady 



