NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB

Evening Star, Issue 19410, 19 November 1926, Page 9

NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB

ANNUAL REPORT \ ■ ■ Tho annual report of the committee of the above club states: — The committee is pleased to report that the' past year has been a very successful one, and that a keen interest has been maintained in all branches of study. . The roll shows a membership of fifty-nine town members and five country members. From March 27 to December 11 arrangements were made for nineteen excursions to various parts of the district. Wet weather has in a measure marred the attendance at Saturday outings, but nevertheless good work has been done and progress made. Seventeen lectures, all of a high standard of merit, have been held, and very good attendances have been maintained. An evening was set aside for contributions from country members, and proved a great success. The botanical section has continued its examination of the area, and has to report tho discovery of several species not known formerly to have been present in this district, partly by its own members, and partly by non-members. Carex stellulata and Carex Wakatipu were noted on Maungatua by Professor Wall, and XJtricularia monanthos and Epilobium macropus by members of the club. Intensive study of the distribution of the beech trees by Messrs G. Simpson and J. Thomson has revealed these plants in many new habitata — Pine Hill, Mount Cargill, and Flagstaff —for example. The fact that Coprosma virescens is present in all areas where Olearia fragrantissima still grows is interesting, as is the further fact that in this district at any rate both grow only on volcanic soils. Mr Anderson’s offer to mount all specimens sent to him for the club’s herbarium has been gratefully accepted, and members are urged to enter earnestly into the work of collecting. A key to the trees of the Dunedin district has been prepared by Mr Martin, and distributed among members. Further additions have been made by the mycological section to the list of fungi, the most interesting being a species of blue secotium (S. superbum) found in the neighborhood of Powder Greek. The species of native birds which are still to be found in the district appear to be holding their own if not increasing in numbers. Tuis, which were absent from the district for a number of years, have been seen in varying numbers throughout the year in the Silverstream and Leith Valley Bush, and at times when food is plentiful they may be seen in considerable numbers. .. Robins are still to be seen in the Silverstream Valley, although the numbers appear to be small. The Australian parakeets are - increasing in numbers in the Leith Valley, and complaints are occasionally heard of their ravages in fruit gardens. The native parakeet has not been seen in this district for many years. A blue heron, catching small fish from the shallows, and a shining cuckoo, sitting on the electric wires, have recently been seen at Waitati. Kingfishers have also been seen along the railway line between Dunedin and Port Chalmers Owing to most of the club’s outings being made at a time when insect life ie not in evidence, it is not easy to find material to work on. Collecting in the early spring months has enabled those who study entomology to secure a fair number of insects, and amongst these are several moths wdiich are rare in this distncUnotably Morrisonia paracausta, M. disjM. horaoscia, and Deoluna egregria. The outstanding feature of the year’s work is the very fine results obtained by Miss Logie in collecting the ovae and larvae forms of a number of inserts, and successfully rearing the mature insect from these. They ccver a wide field, including fungus gnats, gall flies, ichneumons, wasps, and a Targe number of lepidoptera. Several moth larvae were found feeding upon food plant! which '.here has been no previous record of-then attacking as followsPhrissogonus denotatus feeding on heliotrope, Musotimo nitidalis feeding on kowbai. Soldosema rudiata feeding on imported fir trees. Miss Logie has take i notes, and has made a fine series of paintings of both larvae and moths, and these will form a valuable basis for an extension of this work. The geological section continued to make observations on the physiography and petrology of tho area Unfortunately the excursion to Nichol’s Creek to observe the upturned strata and phonolite dyke there was prevented by wet weather, but a successful day was spent at Taiaroa _ Heads, where the faulting, stratification, and erosion were easily noted. The complexity of the oistrict prevents any conclusions being definitely stated as yet, and the information obtained is being preserved for use in conjunction with future work. The country membership, though not largo, has extended the interests of the club, and nothing is more calculated to keep alive and rouse interest in this branch of the club’s activities than the evening set apart for their contributions. On this occasion Miss Finlayson, of Puerua, sent a very interesting paper on bird life and nature notes in general. Mr H. Warden, Wyndham, contributed a paper, accompanied by mounted specimens, on the variations ho had met with in plants of Carmichaelia Anslrres grown from seed, while Miss Junker, of Lake Wakatipu district, sent a large number of botanical and geological specimen^.