DR HECTOR’S ADDRESS.

Globe, Volume VII, Issue 705, 22 September 1876, Page 3

DR HECTOR’S ADDRESS.

At a recent meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society, Dr Hector spoke as follows ; —“ Dr Hector commenced by thanking the president for the kind terms in which he had welcomed him back to the society. He then expressed his deep obligation to the Hon Mr Mantell, who during his protracted absence from the colony had voluntarily and without emolument carried on the department, accepting the whole of the respousi bility, and performing duties of a multifarious and very laborious kind. He next called attention to the numerous exhibits on the table, for the bulk of which he was indebted to the liberality of Captain How, C.M.Z.S., of the City of Sydney; also, to a magnificent orchid (Dendrobium tohai ), standing 2ft high, and in full flower, which was also the gift of Captain Dow. This plant was particularly interesting from the circumstance that the New Zealand flora contains a very

diminutive representative of the genu*. He pointed also to skins of a remarkable bird from the B'arallon Islands, together with a fine series of their eggs, la'ger than a turkey’s egg, beautifully colored and marked, and exhibiting a marvellous variety of character, some being creamy white, others green or blue, and others brown. He mentioned that I8,t;00 dozen of these eggs are annually taken to the San Francisco market, where they are sold for 18d a dozen. It is computed that 100,000 of these birds breed every on the islands. He exhibited also a specimen of the tropical booby (Sula fused), which was captured one day ou the yardarm of the ship, and forthwith sacrificed to science ; also, the head of a leather turtle (Sflharcis coriaced), the owner of which must have weighed not less than onethird of a ton. After a passing reference to a beautiful white land shell (a species of Bullmus) from the Solomon Islands, and a remarkable water snake ( Pelamys ), which exhibited the peculiar characteristic of a vertically flattened tail, for the purpose of aiding its progression through the water, he pointed to a collection of birds from Vancouver’s Island and North California, which he had been fortunate enough to obtain for the Museum. There were also some other American birds. He intended to baud al these over to Dr Duller for examination and identification, and would therefore only refer now to one of them— a very beautifully colored woodpecker ( C'olaptes Mexicanus), which possessed a spiny shafted tail, expressly adapted to the climbing habits of the bird. In fact it held on by its legs and tail while hammering the tree with its powerful beak in search for its food. In addition to these things he had brought a fine collection of shells from California, which would be valuable for comparison with our own molluscan fauna. Dr Hector then proceeded to give an account of his recent trip to England, and of its results from a scientific point of view. He had succeeded in making some valuable exchanges with the British Museum. Only part of the collections so obtained had reached the colony, but there were twelve or fourteen large cases now on their way out. The fossils taken home by him had been carefully studied and classified by Professor Etheridge, who was permitted by Professor Ramsay, of the School of Mines, to devote a considerable amount of time to this work. The results would be very valuable, as placing the researches of the geological survey, in this respect, on a thoroughly sound and reliable basis. In the next place he had visited all the museums where he could obtain material for ethnological investigation, aa he considered that this would be very interesting as bearing on the question of the origin of the Maori race. He had endeavored to interest ethnologists at home in this question, and the practical outcome had been the valuable treatise by Mr Yaux, which appeared in the last year’s volume of ‘ Transactions of tha New Zealand Institute.’ He had occupied one of the rooms in Westminster Chambers, where he opened and examined a large number of cases sent to him for that purpose by the British Museum authorities. Among the rest, he had opened a hermetically sealed case, supposed to have been brought home by Captain Cook after one of his voyages to New Zea land, and subsequently handed over to the Museum by the Admiralty. This case contained native weapons and carvings ; but the most interesting of these was a taiaha with a bunch of feathers at the top, among which ho detected what appeared to be a raoa’s feather. This specimen was afterwards submitted to Mr Sharpe, Professor Newton, and Mr Sclater, all of whom pronounced it the feather of a struthious bird,, more allied in character to the ostrich than the emu. There was also a common pawa shell fish hook, to which were attached some feathers with a distinct after-plume—a character not possessed by any existing bird. The evidence thus obtained he considered very valuable, as showing that the moa existed down to the period when these comparatively modern implements were in use by the Maoris. In addition to ransacking museums for everything of local interest, he had attended the various meetings of learned societies, and the annual gatherings of the British Association, where he had done all in his power to promote a feeling of interest in the colony, and to make known its great natural resources. Just as he was preparing to leave England, he received instructions from the Government to visit America for the purpose of representing the colony at the Philadelphia Exhibition. He characterised this as the most wonderful [industrial collection the world had ever seen, occupying in space an area about equal to Hyde Park, and embracing exhibits in such number and variety that it would take months even to get a cursory glance at them. The Agricultural Hall alone was a sight which would attract visitors from all parts of the globe, and was a perfect marvel of what could be accomplished in the way of national exhibitions The lecturer concluded with a somewhat detailed account of the New Zealand Court, occupying a space about equal to the lecture hall in which the meeting was being held, although somewhat narrower, and holding a very creditable position in the group of colonies represented at the Exhibition. He mentioned the objects which appeared to attract most attention, and referred particularly to the fine collection of Maori exhibits forwarded by Mr Richard Wooa, R.M., of Wanganui. The President asked for a cordial vote of thanks to Dr Hector for his entertaining and instructive address, which was carried by acclamation.