Professor Tate mentioned that in Mr. Rawlinson's recent lec- 

 ture upon " Our "Water Supply" it was suggested that much of the 

 salt water in South Australia might be attributed to sea water 

 enclosed by upheaval of surrounding land and evaporated. He 

 had seen a pit at North Adelaide, sunk to a depth of fifteen 

 feet, and was led to a different conclusion. The first six feet 

 from the surface was composed of travertine, the top being 

 very dense, the remainder becoming softer until it might be 

 compared to marl. The rest of the depth consisted of red and 

 blue clay, on the top of which brackish water was obtained. 

 Deep beneath this clay came marls, filled with marine fossils. 

 He thought the red and blue clays were the result of deposit 

 under circumstances unfavorable to animal life, such as a 

 mixture of salt and fresh water. The fact that fresh water 

 coidd be obtained by sinking through these strata, and by 

 keeping back the soakage from above, he thought proved that 

 the salt in the upper strata was obtained by concentration of 

 the saline ingredients of surface soakage. 



Prof. Tate showed a fossil head and shoulders of a fish 

 found in the marine limestone of Morgan, Murray Pviver, which 

 he described as unique. The sclerotic ring, encircling the eye, 

 was well preserved ; the dorsal fin and spines were very stout 

 and long, and the pectoral fins were also well developed. The 

 scales were large and distinct, greatly resembling those of a 

 schnapper, but apparently stouter. The ctenoid scales proved 

 it to be a perch, probably resembling the Beryx, a sea perch 

 now existing, fossils of which had been found in the chalk 

 formation. 



Mr. C. A. Wilsox read a letter (illustrated by a map and a 

 book of coloured drawings) received by him from his nephew, 

 the Rev. C. T. Wilson, Missionary to the first and second 

 parties sent by the Church of England Missionary Society to 

 the Victoria Nyanza, in Central Africa, of both of which 

 parties he is the sole survivor — the first having been destroyed 

 by fever, and the second massacred by the natives. 



The Hon. B. T. Frsnsrss read a paper upon " The Philosophy 

 of Consciousness." 



Totes of thanks were accorded to both gentlemen. 



It was resolved that Mr. Pinniss's Paper should be discussed 

 at the next meeting. 



Ordinary Meeting, January 7, 1879. 

 Professor E. Tate, P.GT.S., President, in the chair. 

 The Hox. Secretary laid upon the table six papers upon 

 conchology — chiefly South Australian shells — by Gr. F. Angas, 

 Esq. ; a list of the publications of the South Australian 

 Institue ; Australian Statistics, by H. H. Hayter. 

 2 



