PKOCEEDINGS, OCTOBER, 



OCTOBER, 1889. 



The monthly meeting was held on Monday evening, October 15. 

 There was a large attendance of Fellows and several lady visitors were 

 present, including Lady Hamilton. His Excellency (Sir Robt. G. C. 

 Hamilton, K.C.B.), President of the Society presided. 



NEW MEMBER. 



Mr. Alex. Montgomery, M.A., Government Geologist and Inspector 

 of Mines, was elected a Fellow of the Society. 



THE PRESIDENT AND "LYNX." 



The President said : My attention has been drawn to a paragraph 

 in last week's Tasmanian Mail in a column headed, " Echoes " by 

 " Lynx," in which an amusing account is given of an error I am 

 supposed to have fallen into in describing some of the young salmon 

 hatched from the ova brought over by Sir Thomas Brady, as " markedly 

 bull headed." I am supposed to have seen them, as I think the 

 writer sometimes sees things, through a distorted medium. (Laughter.) 

 Now, I am sorry to spoil so good a story. The fish I examined were 

 not looked at through a glass, and there is now here, in the Museum, 

 one of these fish which is "markedly bull headed." I do not have 

 the acquainntace of "Lynx," or I may have that pleasure without 

 knowing it, but if he will call here, or if he is here now, he can take 

 the fish out of the bottle and look at it for himself, and I am sure he 

 will agree with my description of it. But a more interesting point 

 arises as to these fish. It almost seems as if some of the characteristics 

 of these young salmon vary with their size, or the season of the year, 

 or whereas a short time ago certainly half the fish had spots on their 

 dorsal fin and a coloured tip to their adipose fin, the Curator the other 

 day could only find one possessing these characteristics, and that a 

 small one. This is a matter which might also be brought under Sir 

 Thomas Brady's notice when the specimens are sent to him, (Applause.) 



Mr. R. M. Johnston felt glad that His Excellency had noted these 

 peculiar characteristics, because Tasmania was the first to demonstrate 

 to the world the possibility of safely transporting fish over a great 

 distance. They had many things to consider in connection with the 

 acclimatisation of the fish, and it was a matter of great importance that 

 the results of their observations should be communicated to the experts 

 in the Old Country. 



early settlement of TASMANIA. 



Mr. J. B. Walker read a very interesting paper entitled " The 

 settlement under Collins in 1803-4 : The failure at Port Phillip." The 

 paper was a continuation of the very complete and graphically historic 

 account of the foundation of the colony which he has compiled from 

 official papers, reports, etc., obtained at the instance of the Tasmanian 

 Government, by Mr. James Bonwick, in London. Former papers 

 prepared by Mr. Walker dealt with the early visits of French and 

 English navigators to the colony, and in this one he gave an account 

 of the voyage of Lieut. Collins when under instructions to found a 

 colony at Port Phillip, and the failure to do so. The paper was 

 attentively listened to, and upon concluding the writer was heartily 

 applauded. 



Mr. A. J. Taylor favoured Mr. Walker's suggestion because he had 

 no doubt these documents would be more highly prized. He was 

 in hopes that before long they would have an opportunity of securing 

 for the Public Library a large number of works_ relating to the early 

 history of the colony. 



