froreetJingsf* 



llTH January, 1854. — Monthly Meeting ; Joseph Hone, Esq., senior member 

 of the Council, occupied the chair. 



The following gentlemen were balloted for and elected Fellows of the Society : 

 Lieutenant- Colonel Kenny, Thomas MacdoweU, and J. E. Bateman, Esquires, 

 of Hobart Town ; other candidates for membership were proposed. 



The Secretary laid on the table a complete series of forty-four charts of winds 

 and ciUTents in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, with "PUot " and "Whale Charts" 

 of Lieutenant Mam-y, of the United States ISTavy, forwarded by the Author through 

 S.P. Grifiin, Esq., U.S.N., to His Excellency the President, for the Eoyal Society's 

 Library. 



Sir William Denison also forwarded a Greological Eeport of Mr. Stutchbury's, 

 dated 1st July, 1853, and printed by order of the Legislatm-e of New South Wales. 



The Ven. Archdeacon Davies presented " A Lecture on China, past and present," 

 from the author, the Eev. A. Morrison. 



The Secretary drew attention to two skins of bu-ds of the Cuckoo tribe, {JEudyna- 

 mis taitensis ?) foi-warded to the Museum by Abraham Hort, Esq., of Wellington, 

 New Zealand, and by him procured from Walter ManteU, Esq., who obtained 

 them from Mr. Lonqust, of Pm-akami, by whom they were shot in the Otago 

 district. This bird is named 'Roekoca or Jiohoperon by the natives: it has a 

 general resemblance to ISudynamis Flinclersii, Latham, as figured by Goxdd, but 

 differs somewhat in plumage, and has a more tapering, elegant, and graceful figm-e. 

 Mr. Hort's conunimication was read. 



A note was read from James Dixon, Esq., of Skelton Castle, presenting to the 

 Museum the frontal bone of a hmnan cranium picked up by himself on the field of 

 Waterloo in 1825 ; and stating, with reference to a grass seed brought from New 

 South Wales by James Macarthur, Esq., of Deloraiae, and of which a small parce 

 was sent to the Society for distribution some months ago, as follows : — " The grass 

 Seed you gave me was sown in separate seeds about eight inches apart, and has all 

 come up well : it is now about a foot high, it stools out in a grassy manner, and 

 seems now to have a good deal of seed in it. It keeps its green colour well, and if 

 carefully planted out may prove a valuable grass for fodder or for eating dovm. 

 This dry season is, I think, much against it ; we have watered one spot, the other 

 stands the weather," &c, &c. Mr. Dixon adds — " I think it is from want of proper 



