24O JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



The Chairman stated that the secretary would be glad to receive 

 any contributions the members had to give. 



Papers. — (1) " Nos. 13 and 14 Compressed-air Flying Machines," 

 by Lawrence Hargrave. 



(2) '■ Some Folk-songs and Myths from Samoa, translated by the 

 Rev. G. Pratt," by Dr. J. Fraser. The paper was in continuation of a 

 series commenced in November last, and dealt with four myths now for 

 the first time translated. Dr. Fraser said that of the four the most 

 interesting was one about Mafuie, the Samoan Vulcan, and his sister 

 Ululepapa. Mafuie had his home down below, but, unlike his classical 

 compeer, he did not work in metals ; he only cultivated taro, yams, 

 etc., and had a huge ironwood tree, ever burning, with which to lighten 

 his abode and help him and his men to cook their food. On the earth 

 above there was no fire and no cooked food ; everything was eaten raw. 

 But a courageous youth named Tiitii changed all this. Like Ali Baba, 

 he discovered a password — " Rock, rock, split open " — by means of 

 which he descended to the regions below, picked a quarrel with Mafuie, 

 and, wrestling with him, broke his leg and his arm, compelled him to 

 submit, and brought away fire, touchwood, and taro. Ever since the 

 Samoans have had cooked food. Another myth bore a striking- 

 resemblance to the Biblical account of the Fall ; and yet an old native 

 of Upolu certifies it as a genuine Samoan tale. 



(3) " Preparations now being made in the Sydney Observatory for 

 the Photographic Chart of the Heavens," by H. C. Russell. (See p. 

 211.) 



(4) " On Cyclonic Storms," by H. C. Russell. 



Sydney, August 6th, 1891. — H. C. Russell, Esq., in the chair. 



New members.— Messrs. C. O. Burge, C.E., T. R. Firth, S. 

 Jamieson, B.A., M.B., G. W. Sutherland, M.B., CM. 



The Chairman announced that the society's bronze medal and prize 

 of c£25 had been awarded to the Rev. J. Milne Curran, F.G.S., for his 

 paper on "The Microscopic Structure of Australian Rocks." 



The Rev. J. Milne Curran read extracts from his paper. In the 

 introduction he referred to the work of previous observers in the same 

 field, and also the particular methods resorted to in petrographic 

 research. He explained how micro-chemical and microscopical obser- 

 vation as well as micro-photography were made available in the study of 

 Australian rocks. The great development of acidic intrusive rocks in 

 New South Wales was dwelt on, though these rocks were for the most 

 part in the pre-Tertiary age. The presence of granite and its micro- 

 scopic structure was recorded for the first time from the Lower 

 Macquarie. Here in the heart of the great Tertiary plains, granites 

 were found forming the tops of buried mountains. Many interesting- 

 rocks not hitherto studied were described, such as the gabbros of Carcoar, 

 the leucite rocks of Harden, the diabases of Blayney and Wellington, 

 and the basalts of Orange, Mendoran, Bathurst, and other localities in 

 the New England districts. The Tertiary effusive rocks were treated of 

 in great detail, revealing some very remarkable structures. 



