181 



Ordijs-abt Meeting, May 1, 1883. 



H. Whittell, M.D., Yice-President, in tlie cbair. 



Ballot. — James Stirling, T.L.S., was elected a Correspond- 

 ing Member, and J. Nicholls and A. K. Yarley were elected 

 Fellows. 



Exhibits. — W. Haacke, M.D., exhibited 22 embryos o£ tbe 

 common ground shark {Mustelus anarcticus), including nine 

 females and 22 males ; also specimens of 3£eduscB, belonging to 

 the new order ^sendorliizidcs, lately founded by D. v. Lenden- 

 feldt, these he thought to belong to a new genus. Also specimens 

 of Crustacece were shown, taken from sacs in the skin of the 

 Monocanthus or Leather-jacket. Also four embryos of a Skate. 

 Also several specimens of Crypt odromia littoralis or sponge-back 

 crabs. Dr. Haacke mentioned that in dredging he had taken a 

 great number of these, some of which had simple and com- 

 pound ascidians fixed upon their backs. Prof. Tate, F.Gr.S., 

 exhibited a weevil belonging to the genus Fsalidura, giving the 

 idea of an entomological marsupial. 



Dr. Haacke read a paper consisting of " Observations made 

 on a female Trachydosaurus rugosus, and her young," by Miss 

 Tomsett, contributed by Mr. G-ovett, of Port Adelaide 

 Museum. Dr. Haacke exhibited living specimens of the same 

 species and preserved specimens o£ T. rugosus and T. asper, to- 

 gether with some dissections of the same. 



Prof. Tate, P.G.S., &c., read a description of a new species 

 and genus of Verhenacecs {Tatea suhacaulis) from Arnheim's 

 Land, diagnosed by Baron v. Mueller. He also directed atten- 

 tion to a work upon which the latter was engaged, viz., "A 

 Systematic Census of Australian Plants." He also read "Ad- 

 ditions to the Flora of Australia," mentioning that since 

 Bentham's " Flora Australiensis" was published, upwards of 

 800 new plants had been described. He next read a " Diagno- 

 sis of three new Species of Squilla." 



Dr. Haacke described his new apparatus for preserving 

 natural history specimens in spirits. 



J. Gr O. Tepper, F.L.S., sent " Botanical Notes," which were 

 read by Prof. Tate. 



T.Meteick, B.A., forwarded some remarks on the descriptions 

 of supposed new Lepidoptera, as published in this Society's 

 Transactions, which were read by Prof. Tate. In this paper 

 the author deprecates the practice of describing insects at hap- 

 hazard as presumably new, and says that "no naturalist is en- 

 titled to describe a species as new until he has carefully 

 examined for himself the description of allied species by other 

 authors, and satisfied himself that his species is, so far as he 

 can judge, truly undescribed ; and until, moreover, he has pro- 



