XXV. 



a swarin of meteors, and that these changed the appearance of 

 the tail hy changing their position towards each other in their 

 orhit, and that when nearest the sun they would have the 

 greatest velocity, and striking- together with greatest force 

 developed heat. They had in this the materials of both the 

 continuous spectrum and the gaseous spectrum obtained. 

 The theory was based on facts, and did not appeal to electricity 

 to account for what could not be accounted for. 



Mr. Chapple referred to the lightness attributable to 

 comets, and though if they were composed of swarms of stones 

 that they must have considerable Aveight. He also asked 

 whether much of the light was not reflected sunlight. 



Professor Lamb believed it was to some extent, but at the 

 same time it could not be said that it was to any great degree, 

 and there was a good deal of light which belonged to the 

 comet itself. There must, therefore, be heat generated by 

 these individual masses to render them incandescent. The 

 Professor went on to speak of the late comet as having been 

 seen at Buenos Ayres going northward, according to a telegram 

 received at Kiel from Dr. Gould, of the Argentine National 

 Observatory, and hoped in conclusion that when next we had a 

 brilliant comet our Observatory would not be so badly sup- 

 plied with instruments, or so inadequately provided with a 

 staff, numerically considered. South Australia owed a great 

 deal indirectly to scientific discovery, and while she could not 

 be expected to keep up an establishment such as there was in 

 Melbourne, the requisite instruments should be obtained. 



2. " On the Native Plants of Torke's Peninsula," collected 

 by Mr. J. G. Otto Tepper, E.L.S., named and arrangements 

 revised by Baron P. von Mueller, hon. memb. ; and " Remarks 

 on their Distribution," by Mr. J. G. Otto Tepper, P.L.S., 

 corresp. memb. (See p. 25.) 



Professor Tate said that it afforded him great pleasure to 

 bear testimony to the excellence of Mr. Tepper's paper dealing 

 with the distribution of the indigenous plants of Torke's 

 Peninsula in relation to the hydrographical and geological con- 

 ditions. The Rev. J. E. Tenison Woods, in his " Geological 

 Observations in South Australia," 1862, has pointed out the 

 general dependency of floral features of certain parts of the 

 South-East on geology ; but in the present essay we have a first 

 attempt to connect the distribution of particular plants with 

 that of certain rock formations. The author recognises the 

 influence of the rock formation as exerted through its physical 

 properties — not through its chemical ones. Thus, a plant has 

 predilection for granite not so much on account of the chemical 

 constituents, which it may derive from the disintegration of the 



