MEETINGS OF SOCIETIES. 283 



Papers. — (1) " On a Wave-propelled Vessel," by Lawrence 

 Hargrave. 



(2) "Notes on a Disease among Rabbits," by Adrien Loir. M. 

 Loir has been for some time conducting experiments with bacteria at 

 Rodd Island. During April last, the Chief Inspector of Stock (Mr. 

 Bruce) sent him 30 rabbits to the island. After a few days one died, 

 and within the six days following seven more. He placed the remaining 

 animals in separate cages, and two days later the ninth succumbed. 

 This, however, was the last death, and since then the disease has 

 completely disappeared. Two months ago, however, M. Loir received 

 an additional consignment of 30 animals, which were placed in the cages 

 occupied by the first lot. Up to the present no deaths had occurred, 

 nor had the disease yet shown itself. Post mortem examinations were 

 made of the dead animals, from which the lecturer learnt that the 

 disease was inoculable from one rabbit to another, and to any animal cf 

 another species, though the former seemed the more susceptible. The 

 blood of a rabbit having died of the disease when inoculated in ordinary 

 veal broth produced a cultivation of a microbe (streptococcus). A drop 

 of the cultivation inoculated to another rabbit gave death with the same 

 disease. Judging from the appearance of the microbe, and from the 

 physiological reaction which it produced in animals, M. Loir believed 

 that he had a microbe which was the cause of a spontaneous disease in 

 rabbits not hitherto described. 



(3) " Notes on some recent Celestial Photographs taken at the 

 Sydney Observatory," by H. C. Russell, Government Astronomer. The 

 author stated that in order to complete the photographic apparatus at 

 the Observatory, it was necessary to obtain such an attachment to the 

 star camera as would serve to record highly magnified images of double 

 stars, the moon and other objects. This had recently been added, so 

 that now he could record double stars photographically on a scale which 

 gave ample dimensions for accurate measurement. After describing the 

 principal characteristics of a large number of photographs, which were 

 laid before the meeting for inspection, he said that photography had 

 altered their view of what nebula? in detail were like. The sensitive 

 film seemed to grasp details which the eye could not see, and he was 

 disposed to think that this was not owing to the faintness of the light, 

 but to some inherent difference which the camera could and the eye 

 could not see. 



(4) "Some Folk-songs and Myths from Samoa," by Dr. John 

 Fraser, translated by Rev. G. Pratt. 



CIVIL ENGINEERING SECTION. 



Sydney, 10th September, 1891. — C. VV. Darley, Esq., in the chair. 



The discussion upon the paper read by Mr. J. I. Haycroft, on 

 "Methods of Determining the Stresses in Braced Structures," was 

 resumed by Mr. H. W. Parkinson and Mr. Grimshaw. 



