PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6551, 3 August 1899, Page 4

PHILOSOPHICAL INSTITUTE.

A meeting of the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury was held last night at Canterbury College, Mr L. -Cockayne presiding. Mr 11. H. Rhodes was elected a member of the Institute. Captain Hutton, on behalf of Mr G. -V. Hudson, presented the Institute with a beautifully illustrated book on " MacroLepidoptera. Professor Dendy discussed a paper on the anatomy of Haastia pulvinaris, or vegetable sheep (Nelson district), by' Miss Low. The paper was a thesis for the Honours Degree in Botany, and was highly spoken of by Professor Bower, the eminent English botanist, who had expressed the opinion that the thesis should be published. The " vegetable sheep " was related to the common daisy, and was somewhat similar in form. The plant, which possessed the power of protecting itself against excessive heat or cold, grew near the tops of shingle slips, and its roots were of great length. Tho small stems, which ' grew closely together, were covered with overlapping woolly leaves. From a microscopic examination, Miss Low found that each leaf was densely clad with fine hairs, which prevented evaporation, and acted as a protection against- cold. Outgrowths on the leaves provided the apparatus by wliich the plant obtained its carbon from, the air. Mr L. Cockayne read the first part of his treatise on " The Plant Geography of the Waimakariri Eiver System," in which lie dealt with the country drained by the Waimakariri and its tributaries. He divided the district into two great climatic regions, the eastern and the western, and subdivided these into lowland, montane, sub-alpine and alpine, while to eacb region its different groups of plants, called plant formations, were assigned. Adaptations against drought or wind, such as reduction of the leaf surface, qr even entire absence of leaves ; sinking of the breathing pores, or rolling up the edges of a leaf, were described. Certain plants grew in marshes and also on dry rocks, while others grew iii salt marshes and on sandhills. The paper was of general interest to non-scientific people, treating of the nature of soils and subsoils, climate, spread of weeds and its cause, and behaviour of acclimatised plants. The paper was illustrated by line photographs, taken by the author. These will be deposited, both in. the local and Home museums. Mr R. Brown read notes on the genus Bartranua of New Zealand Musci. Among the exhibits of the evening were three specimens of the New Zealand vegetable caterpillar, by Dr Dendy ; Captain Hutton contributed notes on some New Zealand orthoptera and land shells ; and Mr R. Nairn produced a fine specimen of Ganya Elliptic*, in which class fertilisation being carried on by the wind, a superabundant amount of pollen is provided by Nature.