Wellington Philosophical Society. 733 



Captain Cook's First Voyage," by T. Kirk, F.L.S. {Trans- 

 actions, p. 491.) 



Mr. Harding said lie had brought up this question of obtaining the 

 MS. in question before the Council of the Wellington Philosophical 

 Society, and it had been referred to the Governors of the New Zealand 

 Institute, who took steps to procure it, together with the valuable plates. 

 He was glad that the MS. had arrived. 



Mr. Maskell also said that he was pleased that the applicatioa from 

 the Governors of the New Zealand Institute had been successful. They 

 had taken action immediately it was brought to their notice. 



Seventh Meeting : 16th October, 1895. 



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



It was announced that Major-General Schaw had beeii 

 nominated to vote in the election of Governors of the New 

 Zealand Institute for the ensuing year, and that Mr. W. 

 Mitten, F.L.S. , was nominated as an honorary member of the 

 Institute. 



Payers. — 1. " On a New Species of Deinacrida, or Forest- 

 cricket, from Nelson," by Sir W. Buller. {Transactions, 

 p. 823.) 



Mr. Travers said he thought it was the larva and not the complete 

 insect that bored the holes in trees. He showed some fine specimens of 

 another kind from an island near D'Urville Island. They were found 

 among the stones on the beach. 



Mr. Hudson said this was a most interesting paper. This group of 

 insects was peculiar to New Zealand. It is difficult to say how long they 

 take to become perfect. Some other species also drill holes in wood. 



Mr. Kirk said it would be interesting if it could be ascertained how 

 long it took the insect to reach fall growth. In the Kaipara district 

 these insects live on the palm. He had never heard before that the 

 weta was poisonous. 



Mr. Hustwick said that in Nelson it was supposed to be poisonous. 



Sir W. Buller, in reply, stated that, in addition to its small size, the 

 larva was light-coloured. It subsisted chiefly on wood, and probably 

 enlarged its home as it increased in size. He always found the large 

 species (Deinacrida heteracantha) on branches of trees, where, according 

 to the Maoris, it subsisted on green leaves. He believed this latter 

 species had been extinct on the mainland for twenty-five years or more, 

 but it was still occasionally to be met with on some of the islands in the 

 Hauraki Gulf. The specimen exhibited measured, with appendages, 

 not less than 12in. in extent. The two fine specimens, male and female, 

 shown by !Mr. Travers belonged to the species Deinacrida rugosa, Buller 

 (vol. iii. of the Transactions). Till now the type-.specimen in Mr. P. 

 Buller's collection was unique. It was interesting to learn that it lived 

 among the rocks. The type came from Nelson, from Mr. Brough, the 

 discoverer of the new species described this evening. As to the alleged 

 venomous nature of the weta's bite, he could not speak from his own 

 observation, but he had experienced a stinging sensation on being pricked 

 by one of the spurs of the hind legs. He had once suffered severely from 

 the bite of the spider Latrodectus katipo, and this had taught him caution 

 in such matters. It would be interesting to test the potency of the 



