MEETINGS OF SOCIETIES. 575 
three-quarters of an inch; the bevel of the coronal suture being 
thirteen lines in depth. He was inclined to refer this singular 
form to some extinct Sirenian, living in fresh waters, and of a 
much lower degree of development than those now existing. 
2. “Remarks upon a skull of an Australian aboriginal from 
the Lachlan district,’ by Baron N. de Miklouho Maclay. The 
skull, which was found by Mr C. Horsley, of Gunningbland 
Station, in the Lachlan district, is remarkable for the formation 
of the occipital bone. The superior curved line with the external 
occipital protuberance, forms nota line but a very prominent 
occipital crest, and the hindmost part of the skull is not the 
convex part of the superior portion of the occipital bone, but this 
occipital crest. The thickness of the bone between the external 
and internal occipital protuberances is 21 mm. The skull is also 
remarkable as being very dolichocephalic, the index of the breadth 
being 66.8. 
ROwAL SOCIETY OF NEW. SOUTH WALES, 
Sydney, September 5th, 1883. —Chas. Moore, Esq., F. L Ds 
Vice-President, in the chair. | 
New Members. —Messrs. H. Blaxland, W. Little, A. J. Vause, 
W. H. Warren, and T. Whitelegge. 
Papers—1. ‘‘ Notes on the genus Macrozamia,”’ with descrip- 
tions of some new species, by Mr. C. Moore. 
2. ‘On the discolouration of white bricks made from certain 
clays in the neighbourhood of Sydney,” by Dr. E. H. Rennie. 
The bricks after exposure tor some time to the air become more or 
less green or yellowish-red in colour. The author tound that the 
former hue was due to organic growths—probably Protococeus. 
The latter colouration, however, was found to be due to Vanadic 
Acid, the vanadium being present in the clay from which the 
bricks were made, and presumably forming metallic vanadates in 
the process of burning. The only method of prevention suggested 
was to burn the bricks at a much higher temperature, but this of 
course would render the production of light-coloured bricks im- 
possible. 
3. “On Irngation,” by Mr. H. C. Russell, Government Astro- 
nomer. 
Mr. Wilkinson, Government Geologist, exhibited a collection 
of very fine carboniferous fossils from Cataract Creek, near Mt. 
Wellington, Hobart, and expressed the opinion that boring opera- 
tions at that locality would lead to the discovery of workable de- 
posits of coal or kerosene shale. 
Prof. Liversidge exhibited a fossil specimen of an extinct 
Chelonian reptile which had been described by Prof. Owen, who 
stated that it was the first of the kind which he had ever seen from 
the Australian continent. 
PeaieOoOPHICAL INSTITULE OF CANTERBURY. 
Christchurch, 6th September, 1883.—Professor F. W. Hutton, 
President, in the chair. 
Papers.—1r. ‘‘ Revision of the recent Rhachiglossate Mollusca 
of New Zealand,” by Prof. F. W. Hutton. This paper in- 
