Mr. C. Chilton proposed the following resolution, which, after some discussion, was agreed to-"That this Society desires to place on record its high appreciation of the great services that have been rendered to science by the late Mr. Charles Darwin, and its deep sense of the loss that science has sustained through his death."

Mr. W. M. Maskell, whose views on the development theory are wholly opposed to those of the world-renowned and lately deceased naturalist, could not agree with the resolution, though he fully appreciated the labours of Dr. Darwin outside of his theory.

1st June.-W. M. Maskell, Esq., in the chair. Several donations of books were laid on the table.

Papers-(1.) "On the New Zealand Siphonariidæ," by Prof. F. W. Hutton. This paper described the shell and animal of all the species of Siphonaria and Gadinia known to inhabit New Zealand. Figures are given of the dentition, reproductive and alimentary systems, and of the jaws. The following species are recognised:

Siphonaria obliquata, Sowerby.-From Dunedin to Wellington; and at the Chatham Islands.

Siphonaria australis, Quoy and Gaimard.-From Dunedin to Cook Straits.

Siphonaria zealandica, Quoy and Gaimard.-From Auckland to Banks' Peninsula.

Siphonaria redimiculum, Reeve.-Auckland Islands.

Gadinia nivea, Hutton.-East coast of Otago.

HAWKE'S BAY PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE.

8th May, 1882.-The first ordinary meeting of the Session was held; Dr. Spencer, vice-president, in the chair.

The only paper read was one by the Hon. Secretary, Mr. Colenso, "On the large number of species and genera of ferns found in a small given area in the 70-mile Bush." Several interesting specimens illustrative of the paper were exhibited.

The Hon. Secretary also gave a brief address to the memory of Dr Darwin, an early hon. member of the N.Z. Institute, whose acquaintance Mr Colenso had made in 1835, when Dr Darwin and Admiral Fitzroy were together in New Zealand, in H.M.S. "Beagle,"

A number of entomological exhibits, including the larvæ of a species of Myrmeleon (Ant-lion) believed to be new to science, were also made by Mr Colenso.

12th June. Dr. Spencer, Vice-president, in the chair. Papers (1) Descriptions of New Ferns belonging to the genera Cyathea, Dicksonia and Hymenophyllum, collected in the 70-mile Bush," and

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(2) "On the hackneyed quotation of Macauley's New Zealander' "; both by W. Colenso, Esq., F.L.S., the Hon. Secretary. The previous paper was accompanied by specimens and illustrations of allied ferns. In the second paper the author pointed out that the simile was by no means an uncommon one, and as something very like it had been used by several authors who had

preceded Macauley-notably Kirke White, Volney, Shelley, and Billiardiere-it was probable that he was indebted to them for the

idea.

Mr. Colenso also exhibited specimens of a new species of -Gunnera, allied to G. scabra of Chili.

SOUTHLAND INSTITUTE.

9th May, 1882.-J. T. Thomson, Esq., president, in the chair. Papers-(1.) "On the work done by the New Zealand Institute," by the President. This paper gave an account of the writers who had contributed most of the articles published annually by the Institute, and of the subjects discussed. In concluding it, the author paid a high compliment to Mr. P. Goyen, the secretary of the local Society, whom he spoke of as an enthusiastic and indefatigable worker.

(2.) "On the formation of certain quartz pebbles," by Mr. Hamilton. In this paper the author sought to account for the pebbles which are so plentifully found in the neighbourhood of Invercargill, which he considered were not brought down from the hills of the interior, nor were they to be looked upon as the remains of hills which might once perhaps have existed where the pebbles are now found. He advanced the theory that they were formed from ancient forests: the carbon of the buried timber escaping by oxidation, and its place being taken by silica brought down by solution in water. This siliceous matter gradually hardened into stone, bearing marks in many cases of the woody tissues which it had replaced. Specimens were shown in corroboration of the theory, some showing the woody tissue only partially altered. In the discussion which ensued, the President dissented from the theory propounded, while Mr. Goyen suggested that the pebbles could possibly be formed from the siliceous matter contained in the wood itself.

3rd June.—J. T. Thomson, Esq., president, in the chair.

Papers-(1.) "On Forestry," by Mr. D. M'Arthur. The author detailed chiefly the history of the plantations made by the Dukes of Athol in Scotland, and dealt with the suitability of the Larch as a forest tree, and as one which would thrive in Southland. (2) "Folk-lore," by Mr. J. G. Smith.

Two new members were elected, and Mr. Carswell and the Rev. Mr. Fairclough were appointed members of the Council.

ROYAL SOCIETY OF NEW SOUTH WALES.

May 3rd, 1882.-Annual Meeting. H. C. Russell, Esq., president, in the chair.

From the annual report we extract the following:-The number of new members elected during the year was 46, and the total number of members on 30th April, 1882, was 475. The Clarke medal for the year 1882 was awarded to James Dwight Dana, LL.D., Professor of Geology and Mineralogy in Yale College, Newhaven, U.S.A., in recognition of his eminent work as a naturalist, and especially in reference to his geological and other labours in Australia when with the United States Exploring

Expedition round the world in 1839. During the year the Society received 645 volumes and pamphlets as donations, and presented 531 volumes to various kindred societies. The Council subscribed to 39 scientific journals and publications; and in all spent the sum of £206 19s. upon the library. During the year 8 meetings were held, at which 13 papers were read, and three of the sections held regular monthly meetings. The mortgage upon the Society's building was reduced from 2000 to 1500, and the amount now standing to the credit of the building fund is £35 12s. 3d. The sum of £48 18s, was handed over to the Biological Laboratory, Watson's Bay.

The receipts for the year were £1048 os. 3d., and the expenditure was £987 7s. 10d., leaving a balance in the bank of £60 12s. 5d. The sum of £218 2s. 3d. stands as a fixed deposit to the credit of the Clarke Memorial Fund in the Oriental Bank.

The election of office-bearers for the ensuing year resulted as follows-President, Mr. Chr. Rolleston, C.M.G.; vice presidents, Messrs. Robert Hunt, F.G.S., and F. N. Manning, M.D.; hon. treasurer, Mr. H. G. A. Wright, M.R.C.S E., and L.S.A., Lond. ; hon. secretaries, Professor Liversidge and Dr. Leibius; members of council, Messrs. H. C. Russell, B.A., F.R.A.S., W. A. Dixon, F.C.S., C. S. Wilkinson, F.G.S., Charles Moore, F.L.S., G. D. Hirst, W. G. Murray.

Reports from the sectional committees were read, showing that the following officers had been elected for the session :Microscopy: Chairman, H. G. A. Wright, M.R.C.S.E.; secretary, P. R. Pedley; committee, Dr. Ewan, F. B. Kyngdon, G. D. Hirst, H. O. Walker. Medical: Chairman, Dr. P. Sydney Jones; secretaries, Dr. H. N. MacLaurin, Thomas Evans, M.R.C.S.E.; committee, T. C. Morgan, L.R.C.S. Edin., A. Roberts, M.R.C.S.E., Dr. Mackellar, G. Bedford, M.R.C.S.E., Dr. Craig Dixson, Dr. Ewan.

The Chairman then read his annual address. [We regret that the space at our disposal will not allow us to print this interesting and exhaustive address in extenso; we must refer our readers for a full report to the files of the Sydney Morning Herald of 4th May. The full report of the Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods' paper on the "Geology of the Hawkesbury Sandstone," and of the discussion which followed, will be found in the Herald of May 11, 12, 13, 18, 22, and 23.-ED.]

10th May, 1882.-C. Rolleston, Esq., C.M.G., president, in the chair.

Papers-(1.) "On the Hawkesbury Sandstone," by the Rev. J. E. Tenison-Woods, F.G.S., F.L.S. (Abstract). This formation forms an oblong mass about 140 miles long, with a width of from 40 to 80 miles; it constitutes much of the Blue Mountains west of Sydney, and is also conspicuous in Sydney Harbour at the Heads, and on the banks of the Hawkesbury river. A line drawn westwards from Newcastle on the N., and another from Shoalhaven on the S., mark its approximate limits in these directions; while a line N. and S. between Sofala and Goulburn lies outside its western boundaries, except just near the former locality. It lies horizontally upon rocks of different age, sometimes on the coal measures, or upon Devonian or Silurian beds. It is overlaid

in many places by the Wainamatta beds, and by igneous rocks. In no place is there sign of upheaval, but at the first Zigzag are numerous signs of a downcast or fault. False-bedding is the characteristic feature of the formation in nearly every portion. There are two distinct forms of stratification—one which makes the main lines of subdivision, dividing the stone into massive layers of varying thickness, the spaces between the layers being often filled with a fine-grained dust, or by red bands of ironstone; and between these are fine lines of stratification which are mostly inclined to the horizon. The fossils are mostly composed of the roots and stems of plants. As a whole, the beds are from 800 to 1000 feet thick, and contain, in addition to the plant remains, patches of shale or coal, and occasionally fishes of at least two species. From a consideration of their whole structure and contents, the author concludes that the formation has been formed by wind, and he inclines to the opinion that the land from which it was derived was a desert like Arabia, in which sand storms were numerous and the accumulation of dust rapid. This view is strengthened by the examination and comparison of eolian rocks in various other parts of the world. The interior of Australia is now in many parts composed of a desert region, with shifting sand hills, fresh and salt marshes and lagoons, and when the waters dry up, as often happens, fish, etc., are left entombed in the salt. The conditions, then, requisite for the formation of such a deposit as the Hawkesbury sandstone are all to be found still in Central Australia. The appearances which have been attributed to ice-action are believed by the author to be the remains of creeks and streams which flowed among the loose sandy hillocks, and exercised a great denuding action, especially when in flood. The results of the essay are summarised thus:— 1. That the Hawkesbury sandstone is a wind-blown formation, interspersed with lagoons and morasses, with impure peat. 2. That there has been no upheaval, but rather a subsidence, which probably extends from the base of the range to the sea. 3. That the peculiar lamination of the beds is due to the angle at which dry sand slips and rests when blown by the wind. 4. The beds of ironstone represent vegetable matter destroyed in oxidizing the iron, and this is why so few plant remains are found. 5. The irregular layers of the sandstone formation probably represent what was a tranquil portion of the surface for a time, on which there may have been a vegetable growth now represented by ironstone bands. 6. The smaller gravel may be wind-blown; the larger may have been derived from creeks. This is also the origin of the fragments of shale. The creeks have undermined them and broken them up. 7. Conglomerates may have been derived from stony deserts, such as we have in the centre of Australia. They represent all the stones of a sandhill district from which the sand has been blown away. 8. The precipitous cliffs of the Blue Mountains are the hard central cores of sandhills, the loose portions of which were easily blown or washed away. 9. That in all respects the sandstone is like many desert formations of the interior. 10. That a large arid or desert region has existed in Australia in mesozoic times, while to the north and north-west there was a cretaceous sea. II. That this desert was terminated by the outpouring of vast quantities of volcanic rock, which altered.

the drainage and probably changed the climate. 12. We have no means of knowing the eastern limits of this ancient desert, as there has been a subsidence on that side. 13. This formation differs but slightly from other and more extensive aerial ones in other countries, especially in Mexico, China, Arabia, &c. 14. There is no evidence of ice-action, and all the physical features are against such a supposition.

17th May, 1882.-C. Rolleston, Esq. C.M.G., president, in the chair. This was the adjourned meeting held to discuss Mr Wood's paper. Mr. Wilkinson, Government geologist, combated Mr. Woods' conclusions at nearly all points. While endorsing the author's description of the formation of blown sand deposits, he pointed out-(1) the undulating and hilly surface of blown sand areas as seen near Sydney, whereas the prominent feature of the sections exposed in the cliffs along the coast, or fringing the harbour, or in the magnificent precipices of the Blue Mountains, was the horizontal stratification of the beds of sandstone; (2) that Mr. Woods' second conclusion applies equally well to the lower coal measures which occur near Wallerawang at 3000 feet above sea. level, and are full of spirifers and other marine fossil remains, and the bedding of which is nearly horizontal like that of the Hawkesbury sandstone overlying them; (3) the lamination or "false beding" is not confined to eolian rocks, but is met with in almost all sedimentary formations, whether of marine or fresh water origin, and is regarded as indicative of more or less strong currents in shallow water; (4 and 5) the beds and irregular bands of ironstone can hardly represent old land surfaces, as they not only curve in all directions, but are sometimes vertical; most of them have been formed from the oxidation of water containing iron in solution permeating the sandstones and shales; (6) the gravels included in the sandstone beds have evidently been brought by the same currents that transported the sand, and as some of the pebbles consist of quartzite, black slate, etc., they may have been derived from the Hartley ranges, some 60 miles distant, which are the nearest formations of the character; whereas creeks traversing blown sand beds seldom traverse such a distance. (7) The conglomerates, to satisfy Mr. Woods' theory, must occur at the base of the series, but here they are principally found in the uppermost portions. They are plainly seen to have been deposited by aqueous agencies. (8) The horizontal arrangement of the beds, and their structure, already alluded to, are against the idea of the precipitous cliffs of the Blue Mountains, being the hard central cores of sandhills. (9, 10, and 11.) The conclusions arrived at by Mr. Woods are also disputed; while 12 and 13 are passed over. In regard to the last of Mr. Woods' conclusions, it is pointed out that the signs of ground-ice are present-e.g., the sandstones lying immediately above the thin beds of shale which occur frequently enclose angular boulders, which have been torn up from the underlying beds and embedded in a very confused manner in the sand and rounded pebbles brought by the transporting currents. The angular form and mode of occurrence of these boulders of soft shale evidently show that the shale beds have been disturbed by moving ice, and this opinion is shared in by Prof. J. von Haast, director of the Canterbury Museum, N.Z.