OTAGO INSTITUTE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3367, 20 November 1872, Page 6

OTAGO INSTITUTE.

A meeting of the Institute was held on the evening of Tuesday, 29th ult., in the University Building, Dr. Stuart, the VicePresident, in the chair. The weather being; very inclement, the attendance was only moderate.

The annual nomination of a Governor of the New Zealand Institute having to be made, it was resolved to nominate Me Jiißtico Chapman, the President of the Institute, for that oftice. The nomination of an honorary member of tho New Zealand Institute, which waa also on the business paper for tho evening, was not proceeded with, as it did not appear that sufficient consideration had been given to the subject by the members present. Three honorary members are to be elect««l annually until the total number on the roll reaches thirty. The election is by the Governors of tho Institute, from a. list of persons nominated by tho incorporated Societies. The roll already includes boiho celebrated names, the beat known of which are Louis Agassiz, Hochstotter, Hooker, Owen, and Darwin. TJze right of nomination may Btill bo taken advantage of by the Otago Institute at its next meeting.

Mr itoBKKT Gu.MES presented to the Institute the remains of two Kiwis which* had been captured by a dog in the immediate vicinity of Duncdin, and read the following paper in reference to them :—

Several weeks ago I heard that a Kiwi liuwl been caught in the butth down the harbour aide. On communicating with the party said to have got it, and whose name is Mr Joseph Drake, 1 found that he had been out in the bush at the back of Uurko's Brewery, hunting cattle, and was attracted by his dopj worrying a bird. On going up to it he found: the bird now produced partly devoured, but still fresh and warm. The dog then also caught the companion bird, the remains of which are also now produced. They were both got at the foot ot an old broadlcaf tree, which, as is usual, had large holes in it.

So far aa I know or have heard, thiß ia the first authentic instance on record of the Kiwi being found on the can tern coast of the Middle 1 Blind, and it was this that caused me to take the trouble I have done about it. I have no doubt whatever of the facto, as stated above, seeing that the finder, Mr Drake, had no idea whatever that there was anything rare or unusual in tho matter, and had thrown away the skins, which, however, after some difficulty, were recovered, though, in a mutilated state.

I Seeing that there can be no doubt that these two birds were naming wild ther«, the I inference forces itaelf on ub that ia the vaefc | bush extending from the harbour to beyond Bloeskin there must in ail likelihood be other specimens ; and, seeing they are becoming almost extinct, it might be worth while to consider whether, in the intercuts of science,, the Institute should not take some etaps to let the fact of the existence of these birds in that bußh be as widely -known as possible to the settlers, with a view to their preservation, aa much n« possible. From Uutton's Catalogue of N.Z. Birds, I find these specimens are Grey Kiwis— Ap~ Uryjc Oweni, I have not had an opportunity of comparing them with the Hpecimcns from the West Coast now in the Museum, to s«e if they in any way differ. During the conversation which followed the reading of this paper, it was ntated that on two or throe former occasions the occurrence of tho Kiwi in the bush which lies to the norih of thia city had been reported, and that one or two (specimens had been secured. One of these, which is in the Museum, was on the table ; but in tho absence of Mr Purdie distinct information as to where it came from wsuj not elicited. A general desire v/os expressed that the fact of these strange and rare birds being in the neighbouring bosk should be made •videly known, 80 that settlers and persona traversing the hush might take aoine care to preserve them, and to observe their habits ; also, that, atseh information on the subject of their occurrence and capture as may bo in the possession of members of the Institute should be communicated at the next meeting.

Mr Webb read a short paper, entitled. '*' Notes on Plants collected near InveircargilL" The plants referred to were collected exclusively from 'the open tussock ground, between the Puvi creek and the Main East road, the object being to make a searching investigation of the vegetation of that particular area, for the purpose of comparison with that of similar ground eke where. One of the main points of interest elicited is thus stated by Mr Webb. "The vegetation included very few introduced plahta, and thosa chiefly of three or four species. Even the universal white clover had not there made headway against the native vegetation, although cattle have been constantly wandering over it ever since the first; settlement of the district. Across the area examined I found the line of tfc« oldL

lugh road still quite plainly traceable, Imfc oven hero the native plant* held their own." The plants collected had been determined by Mr Kirk, of Auckland, •ad wer*^ found to include five which had not hitherto been reported as existing in this district, vi/~, Halorctgh micrantha, Mkochark gracilima, Actrtui N. ZdawSae, Jtantago spathulata, and Potamogefan polyguHifoliut. Mr Webb promised to present the duplicates of the specimens from which Mr Kirk's determinations Jiad been made, to the Institute. A lengthy and highly interesting conversation on the circumstances under which introduced plants will or will not overrun and supplant the native vegetation, ensued.

It was resolved that the next meeting of the Institute should be held on the J'tth "November, and announced that the following papers had already been promised for that occasion, viz. :—"On the Influence of Temperature on Infant Mortality," by Dr. Dock ; "On an Astronomical Telescope of new construction," by Mr Henry Skey ; and "On the Nature of tho Zodiacal Light as indicated by the Spectroscope," by Mr Webb.

A collection of mosses gathered during the recent excursions of the Naturalists' Field Club, waa exhibited by Mr P. Thomson. Some of these specimens attracted great attention by their beauty.