512 



referred to the bearing the discovery of radium had upon the 

 previous scientific conception of the atom. The lecturer 

 also alluded to the three different forms of matter and the 

 subsequent discovery of the fourth, termed "Radient matter." 

 A large number of important facts about radium, its emana- 

 tions and their singular properties, its powers of transmuta- 

 tion, and its enormous latent forces, as well as many interesting 

 data about radio-activity, were mentioned. 



On April 21, 1914, the winter series of monthly lectures 

 was resumed, and Mr. A. R. Riddle delivered an interesting 

 address on the "Underground Water-supplies of Australia," 

 and by means of a series of lantern slides illustrated the 

 importance and the magnitude of the large artesian basins to 

 Australia. Australia possessed at least five of these basins, 

 including the largest known in the world, the "Great Austra- 

 lian Basin," which operates in four States, and which had a 

 depth of 5,000 ft. or 6,000 ft., and an area of 569,000 square 

 miles. Facts about the Great Australian Basin, as well as the 

 other five (the Murray Basin (area 106,000 square miles), the 

 Eucla Basin (76,000 square miles), the Desert Basin, the Perth 

 Coastal Basin, the North-west Basin, and the Gulf Basin) 

 were mentioned. The water in many of the bores in these 

 basins which originally overflowed is now permanently seven 

 feet or more below the surface, of the bores, and they are now 

 sub-artesian. 



On May 19, 1914, an "Exhibit Evening" was held, and a 

 large number of exhibits were tabled by members, including 

 two cases of New Guinea and Queensland insects by Mr. A. M. 

 Lea, an uncommon collection of New Zealand flora by Miss 

 Erica Hosking, and a number of valuable mineral specimens 

 by Mr. Percival Runge. Dr. Rogers stated that "Mrs. Rogers 

 had found at Mount Compass, a few days before, a rare orchid 

 ( Pra&ophyllum intricatum) which had not been previously 

 located in this State. It was first discovered in Tasmania, 

 and subsequently a few were found in Victoria, but in both 

 States it was regarded as extremely rare. It is of the same 

 type as Fusco viride and P. nigricans, both of which occur in 

 South Australia, but it differs from these in colouration and 

 also in the fact that the labellum is fringed or bearded." Mr. 

 R. Llewellyn exhibited a specimen of tungstate of iron, 

 obtained at Wallaroo, and a beautiful crystalline specimen 

 from Mount Vesuvius. 



On July 25, 1914, Dr. H. Basedow, B.Sc, delivered an 

 instructive address on the "Australian Aborigine," illustrated 

 by an extensive series of slides. Dr. Basedow dealt with the 

 relationship of the Australian black to that of the European 



