Proceedings of the Royal Society for the month of September, 1877

The monthly evening meeting of the Society was held on Tuesday, 11th September, His Excellency the Governor in the chair.
In the absence of the author, the Secretary read the concluding portion of "Notes on the Hobart Town Reservoir," by T. Stephens, Esq., F.G.S. The Rev. W. W. Spicer, M.A., F.R.M.S., read a paper entitled " Notes on the Flora of Tasmania." The author gave a most graphic and masterly sketch of the distribution of the flora throughout the island, with descriptions of many of its peculiar forms, and of their effect on the scenery, contrasting them with the vegetation at home and elsewhere. The paper throughout betrayed a perfect and practical acquaintance with all the known flora of Tasmania, and was listened to with the greatest interest and attention.
In reference to a subject which was brought forward at a late meeting of the society, to wit, the difference in the time of the leafing of trees here and in England, His Excellency mentioned he had recently noticed in the Gardens at Government House that the Oak came into leaf earlier than the Sycamore, whilst the reverse was the case in England.
His Excellency also presented a parcel of the pods of Prosopis juliflora obtained from the Royal Gardens, Kew. On the parcel being opened it was found that almost every pod had been attacked by a sort of weevil, the vitality of the seed being probably destroyed in consequence.
After the meeting, Mr. Lewald, who has had experience in chemical analysis under the "Adulteration of Food Commission," in England, showed, by means of the Society's microscope, how, by polarised light, various animal and vegetable fats may be distinguished from each other; and how, therefore, in the case of mixture of any of these substances for the purpose of fraud, the adulteration may be detected. The substances subjected to the polariscope were sperm oil, paraffin, beef fat, mutton fat, and cocoa butter.