152 THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD [Vol. Ui) 



find out all possible information, and his letter is the 

 result : — 



Queensland Museum, 

 Brisbane, 

 25th May, 1914. 

 Dear Mr. Mathews, — 



Through the kindness of Mr. GilKes, the hon. librarian 

 to the Royal Society of Queensland I secured the minute 

 book of the old Philosophical Society and gleaned some 

 little information therefrom. Much of this is indefinite, 

 but I think the following points are clear. Diggles' 

 papers were read on the dates noted by Shirley in his 

 Catalogue of Queensland Literature, and full reports 

 appeared in the current newspaper ; but according to 

 the minute-book, it was agreed, after discussion, that the 

 printing of these papers " be held over." The assistance 

 of the Government was asked, and in response, the 

 Government Printer was authorised to print the Society's 

 scientific papers. This apparently resulted in Vol. II., 

 published in 1878, which contained the report of the 

 year 1876, and Diggles' papers from 1873 onwards 

 [except paper 4]. This you have I know. I have 

 endeavoured to get from the Government Printer actual 

 particulars of publication, but they have no records and 

 cannot help us. From the minute-book, however, I 

 find that pubhcations of the report and address were being 

 sent in 1877 to the other Australian scientific bodies, to 

 some half-dozen popular scientific journals, to one or two 

 libraries and universities, and to the Royal Society of 

 London. Reprints from the earlier newspaper reports 

 were probably obtained by authors of papers and handed 

 to friends, but of this there is no definite record. 



Thus it seems that the official date of pubhcation was 

 the 1878 volume. The only reference to Vol. II. appears 

 in minutes of a meeting held 14th November, 1878, when 

 the Secretary was authorised to send a copy of this to an 

 applicant. There Vol. II. is referred to as the report for 

 1877-8. I am sorry we cannot help you with a definite 

 birth certificate of Vol. II., but the Society seems then 



