XXXll PROCEEDINGS, JUNE. 



as well as valuable addition to their collection. The addition of the 

 above species of swordfish to our catalogue of Tasmanian fishes will be of 

 much interest to ichthyologists generally. I had heard of a swordfish 

 having been seen prior to the publication of my catalogue and observations 

 on Tasmanian fishes in 1880, but being in doubt, I omitted it from the 

 list of fishes then given. Lamma cornubica. Gm. (Porbeagle shark.) 

 Prffioral portion of the snout longer than the longitudinal axis of the cleft 

 of the mouth, conical pointed ; angle of the mouth nearly midway 

 between the gill opening and nostril; teeth 13-16 — 12-14 on each side, 

 lanceolate with a small basal cusp on each side in adult specimens ; in 

 young specimens these cusps are absent ; the third tooth oq each side of 

 the upper jaw is very small ; the width of the first gill opening is 

 nearly equal to its distance from the last ; origin of the dorsal fin above 

 the root of the pectorals, which are somewhat falciform, the length of 

 their lower margin being nearly one-fourth of that of the upper. A fine 

 specimen, about 3ft, long, was recently captured by Mr. Frank Rush in 

 a graball net, and to him I am indebted for the opportunity of making 

 these observations and for enabling me on his behalf to present to the 

 Museum collection the valuable addition of so rare a species in our 

 waters. Mr. Morton since has most skilfully stuffed the example, which 

 may be seen in the Museum. 



Mr. Morton said he had tried to make arrangements to secure the 

 specimen of the swordfish, but had failed up to the present, though he 

 hoped to succeed eventually. So far as he could make out from the 

 description it corresponded very closely with the specimen contained in 

 the Sydney Museum, which had been secured in a rather curious manner. 

 Two fishermen were off the coast there fishing for schnapper, and every 

 second or third fish caught was taken off by a large fish swimming 

 around the boat. The boat was anchored by a chain, and the large fish, 

 which was found to be a swordfish, inserted his sword in a link of the 

 chain, and made away with the boat. The fishermen, who fortunately 

 had harpoons, secured the fish and sold it to the Museum for £10. 



A NEW WATER PLANT. 



Mr. R. A. Bastow read a paper on a specimen of the Biccia nutans 

 (water plant). Mr. Bastow stated that this plant was new to Tasmania, 

 and he had failed to find that it had been discovered anywhere in 

 Australasia except in one locality in New Zealand. The specimen under 

 review had been obtained by Miss Oakden, of Launceston, in a lagoon 

 near the Tamar, and was much larger than the English plant. He also 

 submitted a specimen Nitella of obtained from the pond in the Royal 

 Society Gardens. Both specimens were exhibited under the microscope. 



MISCELLANEOUS, 



Mr. Morton drew attention to specimen numbers of the Picturesque 

 Atlas of Australasia lying on the table, and referred to it as the most 

 elaborate and artistic work ever published in Australia. He had brought 

 back from Sydney with him a few of the sketches contained in the work, 

 eleven parts of which had been already published in that city by an 

 American company. He also drew attention to a portfolio containing 

 about 50 sketches of Tasmanian scenery by Mr. J. S. Prout — an artist 

 who was probably well known to some of the older members — which 

 had been very generously presented to the society by the Hon, William 

 Robertson, of Colac, Victoria. 



THANKS FOR THE PAPERS. 



The President, at the conclusion of the meeting, invited the Fellows 

 to join with him in a hearty vote of thanks to ihe gentlemen who had 

 read the papers there that night, and thereby contributed to a very 



