Wellington Philosophical Society. 507 



might not be in favour of Mr. Tregear's contention, but the point raised 

 in Colonel ^McDonnell's paper — namely, the probable survival of the moa 

 to a very recent date — might be safely affirmed and supported by a variety 

 of evidence. Bearing on this, Mr. McKay said that some years ago he had 

 collected from a moa's nest discovered by him in the western district of 

 Nelson, and which from its position was under conditions most unfavour- 

 able for preservation of the remains found, these being scarcely pro- 

 tected from the direct action of the weather, and not more than 2in. 

 under the surface, being covered by a thin layer of leaves and deca3'ed 

 vegetable matter ; yet the bones of a moa-chick were found in this nest, 

 together with bones of small birds, lizards, and rats ; and it could not 

 well be that these had resisted destruction from time immemorial. 



Major Gudgeon stated that it was quite certain that Kawaua Paipai 

 did point out the ovens referred to and dig up the bones. Tlie reason, 

 why the Maoris did not speak much about the moa was that the existence 

 of the bird was looked upon as so much a matter of fact, and it was so 

 common. There was very little tradition on the subject. In speaking of 

 the forest at Te Wairoa. Hawke's Bay, a native had explained to him that 

 it had been burned by firing the scrub in order to capture the moa ; that 

 the bird was easily frightened, and that the Maoris of old used to fire the 

 fern and scrub round the birds, who would huddle together and fall au 

 •easy prey. 



The President said it appeared to him that every discussion on this 

 subject, especially perhaps tiie present one, added more and more weight 

 to his argument that one direct statement of fact, one positive testimony, 

 was worth a thousand negative theories drawn from absence of legends. 

 The contention of Mr. Colenso, ]\Ir. Tregear, and their friends simply 

 amounted to saying to ilaoris, " You lie when you tell us that you or 

 jour grandfather ever saw a moa, because other Maoris say nothing 

 about those birds." Weaker logic could probably not be found any- 

 where. 



2. " On some Gall-producing Insects in New Zealand," by 

 W. M. Maskell, F.K.M.S. {Transactions, p. 253.) 



3. " Notes on the Lasioptera cerealis," by G. V. Hudson. 



Abstbact. 



Mr. Hudson said that, in view of the extensive crops of rye which 

 he understood were grown in the southern parts of New Zealand, he felt 

 it his duty to bring before the Society a very serious insect-enemy to 

 rye, which, although he believed it had not at present arrived in" the 

 colony, yet might reasonably be expected to appear at any moment. 

 When he pointed out that this insect bears exactly the same relation to rye 

 as the Hessian fly does to wheat and barley, its serious character would 

 be at once understood, especially when we reflected that whole tracts of 

 country in Russia are completely devastated by its attacks. It therefore 

 behoved all farmers and others in charge of rye-crops to be on the look- 

 out for any kind of disease in the plants during the coming summer. 

 Any specimens which might be sent to him he would be very pleased to 

 examine and report on, as he had descriptions of the insect and its mode 

 of attack in his possession. 



Sir J. Hector said, in reference to this subject he might state that 

 Mr. Koebcle, of the United States Agricultural Department, who had been 

 specially sent to Australia to obtain the natural remedy for the Iccrya 

 purchasi, or wattle-blight, had been successful in securing the particular 

 ichneumon-fly near Adelaide, and that he (Sir J. Hector) had arranged 

 for a shipment being made to New Zealand at an early date. The 

 society would remember that the Icerya purchasi was the remarkable 

 Coccid described by our President some years ago, and which had proved 



