WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 7222, 18 July 1884, Page 7

WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

The first general meeting of the session of the above Koeiety was held at the Colonial Museum on Wednesday evening, Dr Newman, the vicepresident. occupying the chair in the absence of 7>r Fuller, president. TE.e first paper was read by Mr J. C. Crawford, having for its subject the depression of tho land at Hataitai, or as it is now called Watt’s Peninsula. 110 made some interesting remarks, during which lie stated that the land had subsided about loft. 'From the presence of remains of forest under layers of peat ami hard Hand where a swampy lake used to he before Mr Crawford drained the estate and converted it into a farm, lie* roughly estimated the time that must have elapsed since the depression took pi we at 10 centuries. A discussion ensued, during which Dr I lector expressed a wish that some of the shells found iu the layer of sand might bo collected for the purpose of classification. Mr Crawford read another paper on the waterworn pebbles found in the ground at the ifataitai and.other places. It was difficult to account for the presence of these pebbles; and the author could only explain tho fact by his theory that Fort Nicholson was formerly a 'fresh' water lake. Dr Hector, however, thought the reason was that the mouth of the itutt river was situated much further towards tho sea than now, Fort Nicholson being then high and dry land. Mr Crawford stated that those pebbles might bo found in the soil of any of tho cuttings in the vicinity. The next paper was one by Mr T. Kirk on tho punui, a plant discovered by Professor Byall jn J.H-18 on an island near Stewart’s Island. ’.Diagrams and specimens of this and other similar plants were exhibited. Tho speaker mentioned that there were no specimens of this plant in tho Botanical Gardena of the colony ni> till recently, but in 1878 a punni was obtained and placed in the Colonial Botanic G aniens, and underwent a change, becoming similar to a plant found in tho Auckian I Islands. Ho had given tho plant the name of aralia lyallii. It was also found on other islands and places on the south and west coast of tho South Island. Tho plant is becoming extinct through being cut down as food for sheep, pigs, goats, &c. Mr A. McKay then read a paper on “ A deposit of Iron ore near Kawakawa,” during which ho mentioned that manganese and gold were also present at tho spot in question. Ho further exhibited specimens of hematite paint made out of that ore. Tho spot was situated six miles from the Kawakawa railway and somewhat loss from the mouth of the Waitangi river. Mr W. T. b. Travers referred to the manufacture of hematite paint near Nelson, and described tho process; and attributed the want of success attending that enterprise to the fact that the work was left too much to tho so-called “ practical men,” who did not posso-s sufficient scientific knowledge. Dr Hector attributed the want of success in this and other industries to the smaU attention paid to what processes and inventions were usei in other countries, and was # sorry to hear that the enterprise proved a failure. He was, however, confident that the manufacture would prove a success if more attention were paid t o what was done in that lino in America. jVIr T. W. Kirk read several papers, one on the shell called paper nautilus, argonauta gracilis, and tho others on tho New Zealand crow, a bird of which specimens have been caught on tho Kiimitaka and in tho Wairarapa, tho bittern and brown duck, nellio or giant petrel, brown parrot or pala, the Eastern golden plover, which has, with the exception of a single specimen in tho British Museum, not been found in New Zealand- until recently, when several of them were shot at the pilot station, Worser Bay, and at Island Bay. Mr Travers thought these specimens were perhaps only tho descendants of a pair which might have been allowed to escape in New Zealand. Some discussion ensued on tho variegation in the 'color of birds, and Mr Travers announced that he was preX>aring a paper on that subject in connection with the subject of the evolution of species. In answer to a question, Dr Hector said ho thought that the birds of New Zealand were in a more primitive state of nature than elsewhere at present, but thought that when tho stoats and weasles were turned out matters would bo changed. _