PKOCEEDINGSj OCTOBEK, lix 



ORCA CAPENSIS. 



In reference to a specimen upon the table, Mr. Stephens said that 

 some of the Fellows present might remember a rumour from Launceston 

 a few months ago of the discovery in the neighbourhood of Piper's 

 River of a fossil jawbone of a gigantic extinct animal. Inquiry having 

 been made, Mr. W. P. Hales had kindly secured and forwarded the 

 specimen, when it turned out to be a weather-beaten portion of the 

 skull of an Orca, several species of which inhabit the Southern Ocean. 

 There being no means at hand of identifying the species, the bone 

 had been sent to Mr. E. P. Ramsay with a request that he would kindly 

 compare it with the specimens in the Australian Museum. Mr. Ramsay 

 promptly replied as follows : — "The bone, as you jastly remarked, is 

 the jaw of an Orca, the right upper portion of the maxilla ; it agrees 

 best with 0. capensis, but has a less number of teeth." Mr. Stephens 

 went on to say that this was a very variable genus, and that Gray and 

 Van Beneden differ as to the number of teeth in Orca capensis, the 

 former giving 12-12-12-12, and the latter 13-13-13-13, as the formula. 

 The Orcas, or killers, as they are popularly termed, are without 

 exception the most ferocious inhabitants of the ocean, and even the 

 largest sized whales are not safe from their attacks. There is a good 

 skeleton of Orca pacifica in the Museum. 



VOTE OF THANKS. 



The Chaieman proposed a vote of thanks to the authors of the very 

 interesting papers that had been read, which was carried by acclamation^ 

 The meeting then terminated. 



NOVEMBEE, 1887. 



The final monthly meeting of the Royal Society of Tasmania for the 

 1887 session was held on November 21. The President, His Excellency 

 Sir Robert Hamilton, K.C.B., occupied the chair, and there was a very 

 large attendance of Fellows and visitors, including many ladies. His 

 Excellency was accompanied by Miss Hamilton, Miss Hervey, and Mr. 

 H. VV. B. Robinson. 



NEW MEMBERS. 



Messrs. J. S. Laurie and J. F. Echlin were elected Fellows of the 

 Society. 



EXPLORATION OF MOUNT MCNRO. 



The Secretary read the following letter from Baron Von Mueller : — 

 "November 19, 1887. To the Hon. Sec. Royal Society of Tas- 

 mania. — Allow me, honoured sir, to inquire whether possibly some 

 arrangements can be made this summer by your amateur naturalists to 

 explore Mount Munro, on Clarke Island, in the interest of geology, 

 zoology, and physiology. So far as I am aware, this mountain has 

 never yet been visited for the purposes of science beyond triangulation, 

 and as it is nearly as high as Strzelecki Peak on Flinders Island, 

 where Dr, Milligan made so many important observations on minerals, 

 insects, and plants, any researches carried out on high elevations of 

 Mt. Munro should also be replete with novel interest. Perhaps during 

 the Christmas and New Year's holidays some of the Tasmanian 

 scientists could unite for a tour to Mount Munro, which would not 

 involve more expenditure and exertion than spending the holidays in 

 other and less profitable excursions. The Field Naturalists' Club of 

 Victoria, at my suggestion, will institute researches on King Island 

 next month. If from Hobart and other places the Mount Munro 

 region were searched for, Tasmanian science might be expected. — 

 Respectfully yours, Ferd Von Mueller." 



