IV 
There are 57 active members and out oi them 8 life 
members. 
Before proceeding to report our labours, we will revcit 
to two events which excited no little interest. The lust 
was a considerable shower ot shooting stars observed in 
the night of 27th to 28th November 1872, by several 
persons, including the Hon. Ed. Newton and Mrth. 
Bruce. 
TVe merely allude to this phaenomeuon, which more 
properly concerns the Meteorological Society, by whose 
learned Secretary Ch. Mcldnim, it has been already de- 
scribed with his usual accuracy and ability, in the jouiual 
“ Nature ” January 23rd, 1873. 
The other event was the appearance in May and June 
last of a rather considerable number of “ Flamingoes ” on 
several parts of the coast, as Black lliver, Grand Bay, &c. 
These birds had long disappeared from our Island. 
More than a century ago, Bernardin de St Pierre in his 
travels, mentions having seen, to use his own words : 
“ Ce bcl oiseau marin de coulcur rose ” that beautiful rose 
coloured sea bird’’ adding that there only remained tlnec 
in the Island. 
The business of the Society was to determine the species 
to which the Phoenicopterus which arrived at Mauritius 
belonged. 
They were either native of India, and came from Cey- 
Ion, making successive halts on their passage, it so, it 
was the Phoenicopterus rubidus, or they came from the 
..oast of Africa or the Capo of Good Hone, then it was 
the P. minor. 
Mr P. Lemiere, Vice-Consul of Madagascar, stated that 
in the beginning of May, a flock of Flamingoes were 
said to have been seen on the S. E. coast of Madagascar 
at Mananzay, after the bad weather which prevailed in 
the Eastern coast of Africa. It was during that month 
and the following that they appeared here. 
