Xll. 
8 th April , 1919 : The President, Mr. W. J. Hancock, in the 
("hair. Mr. H. J. Shugg was elected a member. Mr. D. A. Herbert 
read a paper on The West Australian Christmas Tree (Nnytsia flori- 
bunda), its structure and parasitism , in which he announced his dis- 
covery of definite suctorial organs on the roots; proving* the 
parasitic nature of the plant. Professor Dakin, Miss Creeth, 
Mr. Shields, Mr. Cation Grasbv, Mr. Alexander and Mr. Lane-Poole 
spoke in appreciation of the paper and congratulated the author on 
the discovery that he had made. Mr. Sutton exhibited specimens 
illustrating an unusual result in the cross-breeding of bearded and 
beardless - wheats , being a case in which the character which is usually 
dominant appeared as recessive. 
Wth April , 1919: The members of the Society, on the invitation 
of Mr. Curlewis, visited the Observatory. Mr. Curlewis exhibited 
and explained the apparatus in use. The members observed the 
Moon and the planets Saturn and Jupiter through the large tele- 
scope. 
13M May, 1919: The President, Mr. W. J. Hancock, in the 
Chair. Mr. G. F. Boultbee was elected a member. Professor Dakin 
and Mr. Sutton exhibited examples indicating the operation of Men- 
delism in connection with the cross-breeding of wheat. Dr. Simpson 
gave a short resume of a paper which he presented on Jlisingerite. 
He exhibited a specimen obtained at Westonia, and stated that it 
was fhe first time that the finding of this mineral had been recorded 
in this State. Mr. Alexander exhibited some specimens of three 
forms of white-winged wrens of the genus M alums, viz.: — M. leu - 
(Opterus Q. & G., from Dirk Hartog Island, M, edouardi , CampbL, 
fiom 1) arrow Island, and M. cyanotiis, Gould, from the mainland. He 
pointed out that the two insular forms which were both black and 
white had probably been derived independently from the blue and 
v I lif e mainland form. Professor Boss gave a resume of a paper 
which he presented on Light and the Ether . Pie drew special atten- 
tion to the theories of Einstein regarding the bending of a rav of 
light passing near to a large body such as the sun, and to the" im- 
portance of the conditions provided by solar eclipses for deciding 
the question. 
10th June , 1919: Mr. W. J.. Hancock delivered his Presidential 
Address on Science and Civilisation. Mr. Sutton, Mr. Shields, and 
Mr. Wright spoke in appreciation of the address. 
28th June , 1919: The Annual Conversazione was held. By the 
kind permission of the Senate this gathering took place in the Physi- 
cal and Biological Departments of the University. 
There was a large attendance of the members and their friends, 
and the following exhibits were shown: — 
By Professor Dakm: (1) The development of the chick. (2) 
The development of the West Australian burrowing frog, 
(3) West Australian shells. 
