28 
this occasion, and in doing so he begged to call the attention of His 
Excellency and the meeting to the cocoons of silk now on the table, 
which were the produce of worms (bomhyx morus ), the eggs of which 
had been recently imported from Japan by the Society. These cocoons 
had been produced under the fostering care of .Mrs. Pike, of South 
Yarra, a lady who has always taken a great interest in sericulture. 
This motion was seconded by Dr. Mueller, who expressed his 
sentiments of acknowledgment for the urbanity and the readiness to 
aid the Society always experienced from His Excellency the Governor, 
to whom he remarked it must be a source of gratification that an 
illustrious relative of his, Sir William Denison,* had, whilst 
Governor of Tasmania nearly eighteen years ago, initiated the great 
enterprise of bringing salmon to the Australian waters, an enterprise 
which, under his fostering care, advanced, and by the Salmon 
Commissioners of the sister colony, with the co-operation of this 
Society, and the aid of our Government, had been brought to a 
glorious issue. He also drew attention to the cochineal insects 
(coccus cacti) received by him from His Excellency Sir George Grey, 
and to the ailantus silkworm (bombyx cynthia) sent by Mr. Brady, 
of Brisbane, both of which were now for the first time exhibited to 
the Society. 
His Excellency replied, expressing the pleasure it had afforded 
him to listen to the relations of the remarkable successes which the 
Society had obtained. He might perhaps say that he thought Pro¬ 
fessor M‘Coy had shown great judgmeut and discretion in postponing 
for a time the consideration of the question which ho brought for¬ 
ward. By doing so he had avoided all risk of dissatisfaction on the 
part of the subscribers to the Society. It must be obvious to all, 
however, that no Acclimatisation Society could carry on its opera¬ 
tions without having to some extent a zoological collection. In nine 
cases out of ten it was necessary to keep under surveillance for a 
time animals which were introduced into the colony from foreign 
countries. He did not know whether acclimatisation was the correct 
term to apply to the operations of the Society, but acclimatisation 
must mean a gradual process, and an animal would not become 
acclimatised by the Society if it were at once turned out into the 
country. 
* See Despatch of His Excellency, Sir William Denison, to Earl Grey, 
dated August 13th. 1819. 
