25 



arm, or thigh bone, of such child, fastened by a string (with perhaps 

 eagle's talons added), round the head for a certain time after the death 

 — such I have myself seen sent home as a curiosity. 



*' Some years ago I sent to England by Mr. Briton, late Police Magis- 

 trate at Launceston, a round stone chipped all round to a circle about 

 iinches diameter, and 1^ inch thick in the centre, to 1 inch thick at the 

 edge. On this the females broke the bones of animals for the marrow, 

 using another stone about six inches in diameter for stiiking. Both 

 these stones were smooth and well worn, having evidently been long 

 in use. I daresay, wherever 'Mr. Briton's collection is, these two stones 

 could be identified from this description, and casts could be taken from, 

 them, as they were the only ones of the sort obtained. It may be also 

 well to state that the Aborigines, in moving from camp to camp, if 

 possible, carried a fire with them, to save the labour of getting it by 

 friction of two pieces of wood — the use of which was known to them. 



' ' I beg to remain, 



" Yours very truly, 

 " J. W. Agnew, Esq., " James Scott. 



" Hon. Secretary, Royal Society of Tasmania," 



All enquiries on the subject of the stone implements of the Tasmanian 

 Aborigines tend to prove that no true tomahawks were known to, or 

 fabricated by them. They merely used sharp-edged stones as knives. 

 These were made sharp, not by grinding or polishing, but by striking off 

 flakes by another stone till the required edge was obtained. As a very 

 general, if not invariable, rule, one surface only was chipped in the pro- 

 cess of sharpening. They were made from two different kinds of stone 

 — the one apparently an indurated clay rock, the other containing a 

 large proportion of silex. 



A letter from Mr. Johnston, Eailway-office, Launceston, enclosing 

 photographs of leaf impressions and a fossil Unio, was read. The fossils 

 were found on the bank of the Tamar, in a tertiary deposit, at high 

 water level. The photograph was attentively examined, and a hope was 

 expressed that Mr. Johnston would continue his explorations and favour 

 the Society with specimens of such fossils as he might meet with. 



Mr. Morton Allport remarked that having noticed in the Annals 

 and INIagazine of Natural History for May, 1873 (No. 65) page 338, a 

 paper by Professor Frederick McCoy " on a new Australian Species of 

 Thyrsites," named by him Thyrsites micropvs, he thought it right to 

 mention that the species referred to (being the Tasmanian "Kingfish)" 

 was sent to England, in spirits, by him in 1870, and that Dr. Giinther 

 had recognised it as an already described form, viz., Thyrsites solanderi. 



A good preparation in sj)irit of the nutmeg, showing the leaf, the 

 entire fruit, and the mace, sent by Mr. R. R. Rex, was exhibited. 



Specimens of the Kauri gum of New Zealand, in various stages of 

 preparation for the market, from the Ven. Archdeacon Davies, were also 

 shown. 



Some ancient bronze drinking cups from Pompeii, engravings of old 

 Dutch painters and political celebrities, &c., sent by Mr. J. Northcott, 

 were brought forward for examination. 



Mr. T. Stephens read a paper entitled " Notes on the Mersey Coal 

 Measures, and their relation to the other members of the carboniferous 

 series." 



After some conversational discussion on the "subject of the paper, in 

 which the Bishop, Mr. Grant, Mr. INl. Allport, Mr. Rule, and others took 

 part, Mr. Grant remarked upon the great value of the presentation by 

 the British Museum, and moved that a special vote of thanks should be 

 forwarded to the trustees of that institution. This was carried, and 



