Scientific.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 232, 19 February 1876, Page 19

Scientific.

WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. The annual meeting of the above society was held in the new lecture-room at the Museum on Saturday evening, the President, Dr. Buller, in the chair. On the motion of the Hon. Mr. Mantell, seconded by the Hon. Mr. Watebhouse, it was resolved to hold the ordinary meeting first, for the, purpose of having papers read and other routine business,disposed of. The minutes of the last ordinary meeting were then read and confirmed, and the names of Mr. Morgan Carkeek and Mr. Ebenezer Baker were announced as new members. The Hon. Mr. Mantell read a paper by C. H. Robson, on Moa Remains found at Cape Campbell; and in the short discussion that followed, Mr. Mantell stated that he was not yet convinced of the extinction of the moa, and that till the whole country had been thoroughly explored, it was, to his mind, an unsettled question. There was a collection of specimens on the table to illustrate the paper. The President read a paper on a Remarkable Instance of Double Parasitism, by Thomas Kirk, F. 8.5.; and Mr. Tea vers made some remarks on the specimen of Boranthus that was exhibited to the meeting. The titles of three other botanical papers by Mr. Kirk were announced by the- Secretary ; but as the papers themselves had not yet been sent in, they were ordered to stand over for next ordinary meeting. Dr. BULLER read the following papers, and exhibited specimens in illustration of his remarks:— On the Relation of Apteryx to Dinornis. On the "Validity of Aplonis Zealandicus as a New Zealand Bird. On a Remarkable Variety of Porphyrio Melanotus. On the Specific Value of Eudyptula undina. The President read interesting extracts from a letter recently received from Dr. Finsch, of Bremen. Mr. Travers, in reference to Aplonis Zealandicus, said that years ago he met with a single specimen in the South Island. This was its only known occurrence since the voyage of the Astrolabe. The Hon. Mr. Mantell read a paper on the Supposed Oxidation of Gold and Mercury by Oxygen in Presence of Water, by Mr. Skey. At the close of the ordinary business, the annual meeting, under the rules constituting

the society, took place, and the following report submitted by the council was duly adopted, and ordered to be printed.

In consequence of the extensive alterations and additions that have been lately carried on in the Colonial Museum, the society was deprived of the use of the Maori house as a meeting room, but through the courtesy of his Honor the Superintendent, the Provincial Council Chamber was placed at the disposal of the council, and there most of the meetings have been held. The council begs to record ts sense of the valuable accommodation thus afforded. , ol __ The first meeting was held on 7th of August, 18u>, when the session was opened by an address from the President, Dr. Buller, C.M.G., in which he reviewed the practical work done by the society during the past year, and traced the progress of scientific research in this colony since the resuscitation of the society in 1850. Five meetings have taken place, at which the following papers and communications were read and discussed.

GEOLOGY. 1 On Volcanic Action Begarded as Due to the Retardation of the Earth's Rotation, by J. Carruthers, C E - 2' On the Igneous Rocks of Wellington, by J. C. Crawford, F.G.S. . «,.«,« t>„„ 3. On the Probability of Finding Coal in the Province of "Wellington, by J. C. Crawford. F.G-.fc>. 4. On the Old Lake System of New Zealand, with observations as to the Formation of the Canterbury Plains, by J. C. Crawford. F.G.S. 5. Further remarks on the Igneous Rocks of Wellington, by J. C. Crawford, F.G.S.

ZOOLOGY. 1 A letter from Dr. Hector, containing interesting ornithological notes made, during his Voyage to England, communicated by Dr. Buller. 2 Remarks by Ven. Archdeacon Stock on a Barge New Zealand Bat seen in 1854, communicated by Dr. Buller. ... , A „ tmv 3. Notes on Gerygone flaviventris, m reply to J>ir. Justice Gillies, by Dr. Buller, C.M.G. 4. Remarks on Dr. Finsch's paper on the Oinitliology of New Zealand, in Vol. VII. " Transactions of New Zealand Institute," by Dr. Buller. r ,„ lrtY ,, al 5. Notice of New Fishes received at tlie Colonial Museum, by the Acting-Director. _ 6. On the Habits of the Frostfish, by C. H. 7. S On"the question, *' Is Access to the Sea Necessary to Eels," by James Duigan. 8. On the Ornithology of !New Zealand, by Vv. 9. On the Nesting Habits of the Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris), by Dr. Buller. 10. The following notices by the President, vv. Buller, with illustrative specimens : _. On |the occurence of Njroca Australis in tlie w eilington Province. - , w „ m On Remarkable Varieties of Carpophaga :iSov«3Zealandise. . ,• .„ „ o n o^ On a "New Species of Shag, proposed to be called Phalacrocorax Finschi. . -„,,,.. On the Distinctive Characters of Prion Banksu. On a specimen of Thalassidrorna nereis received at the Colonial Museum. . . .... On the Existence of Apteryx Oweni at High Altitudes in the North Island.

BOTANY. _ . . „ , 1. Notes on the Present State of the Botanic Garden in Wellington, with Description of Plants Grown therein, by John Buchanan. ~„,,„„ ™ Tnra of 2 Further Contributions to the lachen llora 01 New Zealand, by Dr. Knight, F.B.S. „„»««« . 3. On a Remarkable Instance of Double Parasitism, by T: Kirk, F:L.S. . . _„, 4. Notice of the Discovery of Pilulana in flew Zealand, by T. Kirk, F.B.S.

CHEMISTRY. ._.,.. i. 1 On the Oxidation of Silver and Platinum at Common Temperatures, by Oxygen in Presence of 2 On the Electromotive Order of Certain Metals in Cyanide of Potassium, with reference to the Use or this Salt in Milling Gold. »•»»*.«« 3 On the Absorption of Antimony and Arsenic from Acid Solutions of their Oxides by Charcoal 4 On the Solubility of the Alkalies and then- Carbonates in Ether, by W. Skey. ~. v ■■- . MISCELLANEOUS. 1. Notes on the Extinction of the Moa, by W. 1. L. Tl 2Extracts from a Better by Judge Manning bearing' on the question of the Extinction of the Moa, communicated by T. Kirk, F.B.S. - . 3. On the Probable Origin of the Maori Raeea by W. S. W. Vaux, M. A. ; communicated by Dr. Hector, Vlt S CJM ('Jr. 4. On Moa Remains, discovered at Cape Campbell, b3 Th'eS'papers°hkve all been handed to the Manager of the New Zealand Institute for publication m Vol. VIII. of the " Transactions and Proceedings. There are now 188 members on the books of tne society, twenty-seven new members having been elected since the last annual report was Presented. , As will be seen by the treasurer's balance-sheet there is at the present time a sum of £lolos 4d. to the credit of the society, notwithstanding that a sum of £llß 9s. 6d. has been expended in books, of wluen £IOO has been remitted to London for that purpose. Dr Hector, who kindly undertook the selection of these' books, has intimated by letter that he has purchased largely for the society, both in Edinburgh and in London, and no doubt in the course of a few months a consignment will reach the colony. Application has been made by the council to the Hon. Mr. Mantell, acting-director of the Colonial Museum, for the continued use of this fine lectureroom, in which the members are now assembled ; and there is every reason to hope that the society will be permitted to hold its meetings for the future in a place so admirably suited to the purpose. The thanks of the society are also due to the Director of the Geological Survey Department, for the arrangement svhereby the library of the society is safely accommodated, in one of the new Museum rooms, and made accessible to members at all convenient times.

The statement of accounts by the treasurer was then read, and (having already been audited) was adopted by the meeting. The balance-sheet showed that the year had commenced with a credit balance of £162 ss. Bd.; subscriptions during the year had been £144 175., making the total receipts to be £3l/ 2s Bd. Expenditure was represented by—Purchase of books, £l3s* 13s. 6d.; miscellaneous items, including honorarium to secretary and treasurer, £35 3s. 10d.; printing and advertising, £5 10s.; sixth of annual income paid to New Zealand Institute, as per rules, £29 155.; thus leaving a credit balance with which to beo-in the present financial year of £lOl os. 4d. The election of officers for the ensuing year was then proceeded with, the following beinc the approved list :—President, Dr. Buller, CMG .P.Li.S.; vice-presidents, T. Kirk, F.Bi.S. and C. C. Graham; council, W. T. B. Travers, F.E.S., J. O. Crawford, F.G.S., Dr. Hector, CM.G, F. 8.5.; J. Carruthers, C.E., Hon. W. B. D. Mantell, J. R. George, and J. Marchant; secretary and treasurer, B. B. Gore; auditor, Arthur Baker. The Hon. Mr. Watebhouse said he could congratulate the society on the selection of officers, and he felt no doubt whatever that in the hands of these gentlemen the affairs of the society would be wisely administered. At the same time he agreed with some observations which had fallen from the President about the attendance of members at the ordinary meetings, and he was himself of opinion that some steps ought to be taken to popularise the character of the society, so as to create a more general interest in its operations. Before going Home he had, at one of the meetings of the society, ventured to suggest an annual

soiree or conversazione, in which the ladies could take part, as a means of making the institution popular, and thereby extending its usefulness. The idea was not adopted by the council, and he thought there would be no harm in his repeating the suggestion now. Mr. Geoege said that the only reason for not acting on Mr. Waterhouse's suggestion was the want of a suitable room for such an entertainment. The fine lecture-hall in which the members were now assembled would obviate this difficulty. Dr. Buller said that in England it had become the practice for each of the leading scientific societies, at least once in the year, to hold a popular soiree of the kind indicated by Mr. Waterhouse.

Mr. Tkaveks said that a popular lecture on some scientific topic, in connection with the proposed entertainment, would be the best means of combining interest with instruction; and he referred to the great success which had attended Mr. Fitz Gerald's lecture on Art, and several other lectures delivered under the auspices of this society. He added that he would be quite willing to contribute his share to any future effort of the kind. The Hon. Mr. Mantell feared that tea and coffee could not be supplied, without putting his own kitchen under requisition, as was done during the General Assembly ball in the Museum building ; but he was nevertheless in favor of Mr. Waterhouse's proposal, and would suggest that a special meeting of council should be held at an early date, for the purpose of considering the matter in detail. The President thanked Mr. Waterhous* for bringing the subject forward, and declared the annual meeting closed.