FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2400, 4 March 1915, Page 3

FIELD NATURALISTS' CLUB

The object of the Wellington Field Naturalists' Club is to study the natural history of the plant covering around Wellington City and in its neighbourhood; to put on record a complete list of our mosses, lichens, ferns and other native plants; and to study the plant association with particular regard to variation acoording to habitat. Tho club does not limit itself to botany, but takes in all phases of natural science, entomology, zoology, geology, etc., all of which are more or less intermingled and which cannot be separately studied.

There are, says a member of the club writing to The Dominion, lichens and mosses, only a few of which are known by our leading botanists. Collecting them and sending them, perhaps to England, for identification will be another very interesting field of work for some members of the club. Our ferns are better known, but only by a few, and what could be more interesting than the study of ferns'? And that before it is too late. Within the la6t few years several varieties have disappeared entirely from our midst and others it is indeed a rare hunt to find. Our native trees desire more attention. The times and seasons of flowering of each variety ehould be known and recorded. The relation .that the giajit forest trees bear to the tiny filmy ferns should be studied. All growing so in harmony and we know not why. Our seaweeds, sea urchins, and other dwellers of the coast are also crying out for recognition, and Island Bay affords, perhaps as well as does any other bay in New Zealand, the opportunity for research in this direction. Field excursions are not the only sphere of activities in which the club hopes to engage. Indoor meetings will be held for the identification and classification of the plants, etc., that have been' collected. Papers will be read and topical addresses given.