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ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



Royal Society of South Australia 



(Incorporated) 



FOR 1907-8. 



Ordinary Meeting, November 5, 1907. 



The President (J. C. Verco, M.D., F.R.C.S.) in the 



chair. 



Motion. — Dr. Rogers, M.A., proposed — "That the Go- 

 vernment be asked to provide funds for the appointment of 

 a Government Botanist, with the special object of obtaining 

 an expert knowledge of the endemic vegetation of this State 

 for economic purposes." Dr. Rogers pointed out that of the 

 three great branches of natural science the Government of 

 the State had only seriously promoted that of geology. To- 

 wards the elucidation of the native flora, except in the branch 

 of forestry, it had provided no financial assistance. A care- 

 ful study of the flora of the State might not only lead to 

 the discovery of valuable fodder plants and medicinal agents, 

 but sound botanical knowledge was essential to the thorough 

 understanding of its geological problems. Not only was this 

 State in the unfortunate position of having no public author- 

 ity to supply botanical information to the community, but 

 South Australians were in the invidious position of being 

 unable to exchange scientific courtesies with botanists in other 

 parts of the world. The motion was seconded by Mr. W. 

 HowcHiN, F.G.S., and carried. 



Nomination. — Mr. William Pope, Solicitor, Adelaide. 



Exhibits. — Mr. A. H. C. Zietz, F.L.S., Assistant Direc- 

 tor of the S.A. Museum, exhibited a skin of a young black- 

 eared cuckoo fMisocalius paUiolatus), which is fed by the 

 red throat ( Sericornis hi'unnea), and a stem of Hylacola 

 cauta, all from the neighbourhood of Meningie ; also, three 

 ground spiders, new to South Australia, from the same dis- 

 trict. Mr. Zietz also exhibited a double-yolked swan's egg; a 

 piece of shelly travertine, from a raised sea beach on the 

 Coorong. At the time of Mr. Zietz's visit the Coorong was 

 full of crabs; he also noticed gypsum on the samphire flats. 

 Dr. Rogers, M.A., showed sketches of several orchids in 

 which the blossoms were white. Many orchids show this 

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