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WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

A meeting of the above society was held on Saturday evening. As the president (Mr. Kirk) had several papers to read, the chair was occupied by Dr. Newman, vice-president. The minutes having been confirmed, the Secretary announced the election of Mr. Dominick Browne and the Rev, Mr. Walsh as members. _ The first paper was on the “ Kea of New Zealand,” by the Hon. Dr. Menzies, M.L.C., describing the manner in which this parrot attacked sheep, ‘tearing out the flesh, and often killing them. , Mr. Travers said that tho first report of this proclivity in the kea was from the head of Lake Wakatipu, but it was discredited. He had been aware of the fact himself, and it was now beyond a doubt, *1 be kaka also fed on flesh, but never attacked the living animal. Dr. Newman remarked that it was strange that these birds should prey upon such large animals, when it was considered that before the introduction of sheep they had not probably seen anything larger than.a rat. Mr. KIRK read a paper by Dr. Curl on “ Pitun,” a new vegetable product that deserves further attention. The paper gave an account of tho use of this plant by the natives of Australia, and its power of producing increased muscular vigor, greater endurance and power of exertion without much fatigue and little food. The result of experiments by himself and others were given. ■ Dp. Newman said that very little was known as to the real merit of this plant. It was no doubt to a certain extent a stimulant, but ho thought a great deal was due to imagination. He could not agree with many of the author's statements as to the .‘power of this product, especially in critical cases of disease. Mr. Kirk explained that Dr. Curl only suggested that the plant might prove useful in critical cases—not that it had done so. If what the author said was correct, it would be. a most valuable drug to travellers and explorers in New Zealand.

Mr, Field would like to have the chairman’s opinion as to whether the experiments on animals referred to could be attributed to imagination, and Dr. Newman said that no doubt the plant had an effect on animals, as it was an unusual fond for them. It was only iu the case of experiments mi human beings that

at all reliable results bad been obtained, and those latter were to him unsatisfactory.

Mr. H. Blundell then read his remarks on Dr. Curl's notes on grasses and fodder plants, in the course of which he pointed out the value of Dr. Curl's contributions to the society generally, and particularly as regards the grasses and fodder plants, and suggested the advisability of publishing all reliable information on this subject for general information. Mr. Travels remarked that Mr. Blundell could get a great deal of the information he mentioned as to grasses, &c., from the catalogues published in England. What wo wanted here was the feeding value of grasses and character of soil. As to the disappearance of flax, he considered that the opening up of the swamps where it grows, by cattle, and the introduction of other plants, did more to make, it disappear than merely the cattle eating it. It was no doubt eaten for the pleasant bitter it contained.

Mr. Kirk remarked that some confusion existed with regard to the burnet; there are two plants well known to agriculturists under the names of the greater and the lessor burnet respectively. The former flourishes best in cool and rather moist soils, the latter in those of a dry character ; and he had observed the latter in a naturalised condition near Castlerock and in other parts of the colony. Both plants are of great value. He considered the cousolidatlon of the surface of swampy ground by cattle, and the consequent establishment of exotic roads to be more destructive tophonnimn and other swamp plants than the direct injury caused by cattle in feeding, &c. Ho regretted that he could not agree with the author in his estimate of the value of Hr. Curl’s writings. His statements were for the most part wanting in the necessary data for testing their value. He trusted Hr. Curl would furnish the results of the analysis to which he referred, with particulars ns to the nature of soil in which the grasses were growing, course of culture, and quantity of food furnished by each, in precise terms, at some future opportunity. Hr. Newman agreed with Mr. Kirk that the information contained in Dr. Carl’s papers on these subjects was scarcely full or complete enough to be of much practical value. A paper was then read on the “ Botany of the Waiheke, Kangitoto, and other Islands in the Hauraki Gulf,” by T. Kirk, F.L.S. The object of the paper was to describe the chief physical features which had affected the development of vegetable life as it now exists on the islands in the Hauraki Gulf. It described the vegetation of Waiheke Island as moderately copious, although even the more robust species rarely attained extreme dimensions. The vegetation of Motufcapn, Motuihi, and other small islands, was briefly noticed, and that of Eangifcofco, at some length. Rangitoto is a volcanic island, nearly four miles in diameter, destitute of water and of surface soil; a mass of blocks of lava, with a scoria cone 930ffc. high in the centre, but at certain seasons exhibiting an amount of floral splendour not to be found in the southern part of the colony. He attributed this luxuriance of growth, combined with diminutive stature, chiefly to the great amount of atmospheric moisture and the extremely pulverised condition of the small amount of soil from which the plants extracted their nourishment. Mr. Travers said that It would be impossible not to remark the peculiar vegetation of Kangitoto as described by Mr. Kirk.- The cause of the luxuriance of growth is no doubt due to the moisture of the climate.

Mr. TIi AVERS drew attention to a paper by Professor Houghton, of Dublin, on “ Physical Geology,” lately published in Nature, which bore out certain ■ remarks made in a paper on the same subject written by him (Mr. Travers) last year, and published in vol. X. of “ Transactions.” This terminated the meeting.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZTIM18780930.2.18

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5463, 30 September 1878, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,051

WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5463, 30 September 1878, Page 2

WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5463, 30 September 1878, Page 2

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