WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5244, 14 January 1878, Page 3

WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

At the meeting of the above society, held at the Colonial Museum on Saturday evening, W. T. L. Travers, Esq., M.H.R., in the chair. Tlie following papers were read;— “1. On the Ornithology of Now Zealand, by Dr.' Buffer, C. M.G. . This paper was a continuation of the one read; at the last meeting of the society, and was illustrated by numerous mounted specimens on the table. ; The author made interesting observations ou the habits, structure, aud geographical range of many of our native,species, and supplemented the life histories given iu his published work. ; “2. On the Species constituting the Genus Ocydromus,” by Dr. Buffer, C.M.G. This paper, which, owing to its length and technical character, only portions were read to the meeting, contains the results of a careful investigation, for the purpose of defining the groups and .determining the species; The author , eliminates altogether several socalled species introduced by- Captain Hutton aud Dr. Fiasch, and endeavors to clear np the confusion in the nomenclature. The paper will be published in extenso in the “Transactions,” for the benefit of those who desire to study the subject. ' 3. “ On the addition of the red-tailed tropic bird (Phaeton rubricanduc) to the avifauna of New Zealand,” by Dr. Buffer, C.M.G. The author exhibited to the meeting and read descriptive notes of a very, fine specimen of this remarkable bird, which was-ahot off . the Three, Kings by Mr. Henry Mair. Other examples have been found washed ashore at the North Cape aud Spirits Bay, ; thereby i establishing its claim to bo included in the list of New Zealand species. The bird is of the size of the Caspian zero, with silky, white plumage, suffused all over, and,especially on the upper surface, with a delicate roseate blush. The bill is coral red, and the tail is adorned with two narrow shafts eighteen inches in length, and of a bright red color. The President discussed several of ; the points raised iu the first of these papers. He gave the results of his own observations during a number of years, and referred to Sir GKorge Bowen’s shooting ' exploits' among the “ shaggeries” of the South Island. : He concluded with a plea for the much persecuted house sparrow, adducing evidence of Its utility iu the garden and orchard as an insectivorous bird. Dr. Hector confirmed the alleged existence ot the kakapo iu the Kaimauawa ranges, where lie had himself heard their calls when exploring iu that part of the country, although he was of opinion that the species had become extremely rare in the North Island. He;referred also to the remarkable increase of the Black Swan in this country, his own theory being that the birds first introduced from Australia had returned to their native country to bring over fresh recruits. , Mr. Martin 'Chapman, in reference to Dr. Buffer’s account of the sudden irruption, of parroquets in the cultivated parts of the Canterbury province, gave similar instances that had come under his notice in Australia, which he attributed to the failure of food in the mountains. He made also some interesting remarks on Zostcrnps, declaring his belief, froip what he had himself witnessed, that it -was destined to disappear before the pugnacious sparrow. , Dr. Duller replied generally, and stated that the kakapo of the North Island is, without doubt, the same as stnmjops habroptilus, although Mr. G. R. Gray, of the British .Museum, has described it under a different specific name.