Election of Officers for 1897

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 29, 1896, Page 613

Office-Bearers.—The four retiring members—viz., the President (Mr. Travers), one “Vice-president (Mr. R. C. Harding), and two members of the Council (Mr. Tregear and Major-General Schaw)—were all re-elected, as follow; Mr. R. L. Mestayer being elected in the place of Mr. Farquhar, who resigned. President—W. T. L. Travers, F.L.S.; Vice-presidents—R. C. Harding, E. Tregear, F.R.G.S.; Council—Sir W. Buller, K.C.M.G., F.R.S., W. M. Maskell, G. V.

Hudson, F.E.S., T. Kirk, F.L.S., Major-General Schaw, C.B., R.E.. Sir James Hector, K.C.M.G., F.R.S., R. L. Mestayer, M.Inst.C.E.; Secretary and Treasurer—R. B. Gore; Auditor—T. King. The President proposed a vote of thanks to the Auditor and to the Secretary, which was carried. Papers.—1. “Notes on the Ornithology of New Zealand,” by Sir W. Buller. (Transactions, p. 179.) Sir James Hector said he considered the notes on the birds valuable. He had just received the concluding volume of Professor Newton's great work, the “Dictionary of Birds,” and was interested to find that, from the examination of the specimens in the flesh sent Home for comparison, it had been decided that the flightless duck of the Auckland Islands (Nesonetta aucklandcia) was only a modified form of the red teal of New Zealand (Anas chlorotis). Dr. Collins, who shot specimens of the former in the Auckland Islands, was certain that he saw the same-flightless duck in a small permanent pool on the top of the Snares Island, which would be a new locality. Sir W. Buller said he had listened to Sir James Hector's remarks with much interest. He had not yet received the fourth volume of Professor Newton's “Dictionary of Birds.” The announcement made by Sir J. Hector about Nesonetta aucklandica was therefore new to him, and its importance, from a Darwinian point of view, could hardly be overestimated. If Professor Newton was right in his conclusion that Nesonetta. aucklandica was a direct descendant from Anas chlorotis—and he, for one, would pin his faith to the Professor—they had here a wonderful instance of evolution, for the brown duck of New Zealand and the flightless duck of the Auckland Islands were not merely distinct species, exhibiting entirely different habits, but represented different-genera. As to the flightless duck of the Snares, which Dr. Collins describes as being exactly the same as that found at the Auckland Islands, he had no reason to doubt that there was such a bird on the Snares, but he thought it very unlikely that it would prove to be the same as Nesonetta aucklandica, for it might have taken many hundreds of years to develope the flightless form, and, as there would be no communication between; the Auckland Islands and the Snares, the development (assuming the New Zealand bird to be the ancestor) would be on divergent lines. The Snares bird would in all probability prove to be something quite new, and it was very desirable to obtain specimens for critical examination. The following papers were read by Mr. T. Kirk, F.L.S.: 2. “Description of a New Genus of Gramineæ” (Transactions, p. 497). 3. “Remarks on Paratrophis heterophylla, Bl., of New Zealand” (Transactions, p. 498). 4. “On Carmichaelia, Corallospartium, Huttonella, and Notospartium” (Transactions, p. 501). 5. “Notes” on the Botany of the East Cape District” (Transactions, p. 509). 6. “On the History of Botany in Otago” (Transactions, p. 532). Sir James Hector said the East Cape district was very interesting from its geological structure. He had surveyed it in 1874, and published a map and sections. A large area was occupied by green sandstones, conglomerate, and shales of Upper Secondary age, and the Hikurang Range was in geological structure not unlike the Hokonui in Southland. This might account for the exceptional character of the flora mentioned by the author.

Mr. Travers said the rich and varied flora was no doubt accounted for by the complicated geological conditions mentioned by Sir J. Hector. Mr. Kirk, in reply, said that their chief knowledge regarding the botany of the East Cape was derived from the report of the visit to Tolago Bay by Dr. Solander with Captain Cook. The south limit of the puriri was sixteen miles north of Poverty Bay, where it reaches considerable dimensions; further north the forest was luxuriant, but the timber difficult to get out. In regard to general botany, there was no other locality in New Zealand that formed the meeting-ground of so many species.