188 Royal Society of Victoria. 



action to that of men rowing in a boat firmly anchored. They 

 would not move the boat, but would sweep along bodies floating 

 on the water, whereas if the boat were released, they would move 

 the boat. The enquiry was interesting, and must have involved 

 much time and labour. It was well known that the cilia did 

 mechanical work in the living body, as by sweeping mucus, 

 particles of dust, &c., out of the air passages, and it might be 

 possible to determine the amount of power exerted by them from 

 the range of movement produced by them in the way shown by 

 Mr. McAlpine. 



Mr. Blackett asked whether the ciliary motion had been itself 

 observed, and whether, if so, it was proportional to the rate of 

 observed motion. 



Mr. McAlpine said the paper was a fragment, and the 

 important part of it was to follow in a paper on the oyster. He 

 had drawings of the palp in its natural position, but while under- 

 going rotation it became altered so as to be unrecognisable by 

 comparison, with the drawing. All the parts are ciliated, and the 

 motion was in the opposite direction to the stroke of the cilia. 

 The cilia were capable of changing directions, of reversing them- 

 selves and causing an object to move in the opposite direction. 

 In a separate paper he proposed to treat of motion of the frog's 

 heart. 



On the motion of Messrs. White and Blackett, the thanks of 

 the Society were voted to Mr. McAlpine for his interesting paper. 



Mr. G. B. B. Steane's paper " On Bainfall and Flood Discharge," 

 was held over for the next meeting. 



Thursday^ \Oth November^ 1887. 



Present : the President, Professor Kernot, in the chair, and 

 thirty-five members and associates. 



Mr. J. D. LiUis, Mr. W. T. Kendall, M.B.C.V.S., and Mr. J. 

 Cohen, M.R.C.V.S., were duly elected by ballot, members of the 

 Society. To save time, ballot papers were used as formerly, 

 instead of balls. 



The Librarian reported the receipt of 30 scientific publications 

 since the last meeting of the Society. 



The President reported that the Conversazione would be held 

 in the Athenaeum Hall, on Friday, the 9th December. 



Mr. Lucas reported progress on the subject of the reservation 

 of the Promontory as a National Park. It was proposed that the 

 Promontory and the adjacent islands and waters should be vested 

 in trustees, to preserve the native fauna, flora, and fisheries, and 

 for public recreation. The Academy of Art and the Boyal 

 Geographical Society supported the proposal of the Field 



