732 Proceedings. 



whales frequent a narrow channel on the north-east coast of the North 

 Island, where they are caught in strong nets. The habitats and breeding- 

 waters of these whales are within the antarctic zone. Captain Rose 

 mentions having seen them, and last year the well-known whale-fisher 

 Captain Larsen reported that he had harpooned one in those waters but 

 lost it. The antarctic right whale was not so valuable as the arctic 

 whale, the whalebone being shorter, yet it had a very high price in the 

 London market. He was glad to be able to state that, contrary to the 

 fears expressed by Mr. Tregear at the former meeting, the subject of 

 antarctic research was being favourably considered by the Premier, and 

 there was a good prospect that the Australasian Colonies would unite in 

 voting a moderate contribution to the expense of an undertaking in which 

 they are .so greatly interested. There could then be no doubt that the 

 Mother-country would at once organize an explormg expedition to these 

 unknown regions. Prom such an expedition we might confidently expect 

 to obtain most important results, both of practical and scientific value. 



The President stated that the right whale had been taken in these 

 waters within the last seven years. There was a most interesting paper 

 on this subject in the volume of our Transactions for 1886. 



I\Ir. jMcKay said it was the first time he had heard of a right whale 

 being in these seas. He thought there must be a mistake in the matter, 

 and the whale meant was no doubt the large sulphur-bottom whale, a 

 specimen of which could be seen in the IMuseum. Tlie whalebone was not 

 of much value. 



The President stated, in reply to Mr. McKay, that no one had asserted 

 that the Greenland whale was to be found in the Antarctic Ocean, but the 

 term " right whale " had come to he applied, perhaps loosely, to any large 

 whale yielding the remarkable substance known as whalebone. Instances 

 of its use were frequently to be seen in the newspapers of the day. He 

 directed the attention of the members to a most interesting paper on 

 antarctic exploration by the late Charles Traill, published in the 19th 

 volume of our Transactions,* in which frequent mention was made of the 

 " southern right whale," or " black whale," as it is called by the whalers. 



[Note. — The following whalebone whales are recorded for the south- 

 ern seas : (1) Neobahma marginnta (the pigmy whale) ; (2) Eiibalcena 

 australis (the black whale) ; Megaptcra lalandi (the humpback whale) ; 

 Physalus australis (the southern great rorqual) ; Balmnoptcra huttoni 

 (the pike whale). No. 1 is the nearest representative of the right whale, 

 or bowhead, of the Arctic seas. The black whale (No. 2) is the tohora 

 of the Maoris, and is the one usually pursued by southern whalers. Its 

 wlialebone is only one-fifth of the value of that of the right whale. — Ed.] 



Sixth Meeting : 25th Sejyteuiber, 1896. 



Mr. T. Kirk, President, in the chair. 



Papers. — 1. " 'Notes on DactylantJms taylori," bv T. Kirk, 

 F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 493.) ' 



Sir W. BuUer said there was a drawing of this plant in Mr. Taylor's 

 book. 



<Hri .Mr. Tregear pointed out that the JNIaoi'i name of this plant is hardly 

 correct. 



2. " On a Cranial Fallacy," by E. Tregear, F.E.G.S. 



3. " Notes on MS. Descriptions of Collections made during 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., xix. (1886), 479. 



