WelUtujton Philosophical Society. 741 



of this tiightless duck iii spirit, whilst he (Sir Walter) had sent specimens 

 of the New Zealand bird, also iu spirit : so that we might expect before 

 long to hear more on this interesting subject. All we can do at present 

 is to await patiently the report of our leading comparative anatomist on 

 the question raised b}- Count Salvadori, which lias an important bearing 

 on the theory of evolution. There is another endemic form — the Auck- 

 land Island merganser {^rergns aristralis) — a form which is not met with 

 in any other part of the Southern Hemisphere ; also a peculiar species of 

 rail (Ralliis mueUcri), so called iu compliment to Baron von Mueller — a 

 bird so rare that there is only one known example, in the museum at 

 Stuttgart. On Antipodes Island there are two species of parrakeet, living 

 side by side, and found nowhere else ; and an endemic species of ground- 

 pipit (Antlins steindacJinori). On the Snares there is a species of fern- 

 bird {Sphcnceaciis caudatus) very similar to the one inhabiting New Zea- 

 land, but quite distinct both from that and from SpJtcnceacus rufescens of 

 the Chatham Islands. He said he might go on enumerating cases of this 

 kind without end ; but he had said enough to show that these islands pre- 

 sent for our consideration some important zoo geographical problems. 

 He felt, therefore, that the Society was indebted to Sir James Hector for 

 having brought the subject prominently forward by his interesting and 

 instructive lecture. 



Jlr. Travers said that i\Ir. Moseley, in his notes during the voyage of 

 the " Challenger," mentions tliis habit of the penguin keeping its egg 

 in a pouch, and adds that the albatros and the moUymawk do the 

 same ; but with this latter he did not agree, as they have good nests 

 to hold the eggs. He understood that the penguin sometimes laid two 

 eggs. 



ilr. H. Travers (with permission) gave some information about the 

 habits of the birds on these islands. He said that the so-called flightless 

 duck did fly to a slight extent; the jjenguin lays two eggs, but only 

 hatches one, the same as the gannets ; the albatros has no pouch, but the 

 penguin has. 



^Ir. Harding said this statement of these birds finding their way 

 back to tlieir own particular island is most interesting, and bears out 

 what has often been said about animal instinct: they possess senses of 

 which we have no idea. It is common to all the animal creation. He 

 gave instances of this instinct, and particularly mentioned the bee and 

 the limpet finding its way back from long distances to its own hive or 

 rock. 



!\Ir. Hustwick asked if the young birds remained on the nests until 

 the return of the parents, and, if so, how do they live. 



"Mv. Richardson thought these birds were useful in getting rid of the 

 octopus. 



The President said that the most interesting portions of Sir James 

 Hector's paper were those in which he embodied the novel and important 

 conclusions respecting the origin of the Auckland Islands, and the new 

 information respecting the elevated sea- bottom between the Auckland 

 and Campbell Islands and New Zealand: the latter especial h' removed 

 many difficulties that had been felt with regard to the distribution of 

 the plants and animals found on the islands. A similar state of things 

 existed between the North Cape and the Three Kings Islands, but it had 

 long been held— erroneously, as it now appeared — that the sea-bottom 

 between New Zealand and the Auckland Inlands was only to be touched 

 at a great depth. Although the remarks on the birds of the islands had 

 been well discussed, he should like to ask the author if he could offer any 

 explanation of the causes of the differences in the nests of the albatros 

 on different islands. On Antipodes he came across numerous nests which 

 were very roughly finished and of rather small size, while on the other 

 islands they were symmetrical and extremely regular. Were the Qif- 



