Wellington Philosophical Society. 659 



greatly disturbed during the last aurora, and on one occasion the instru- 

 ments worked without the batteries while an aurora was taking place. 



Mr. Maskell said one practical point not referred to is whether the 

 climate is affected by these disturbances. In Canterbury, in 1870 and 

 1882, after auroras, the summers were much wetter than usual. In 

 1867-68-69 the summers were so dry that the crops were ruined, and 

 we had no auroras. In fact, wet weather generally follows auroras. It 

 is possible that the electrical disturbances may have an effect on the 

 climate, and it would be worth while to take notice of this. 



Sir Walter Buller said that in 1857 he saw an aurora in the Waira- 

 rapa. It was of a most brilliant crimson colour. He sent a description 

 of it to the Independent, and would look it up. 



Mr. Hulke said that in the Northern Hemisphere it is sometimes so 

 red as to resemble fire. Now that we have telegraphic communica- 

 tion we can connect the appearance of sun-spots with auroras. He 

 described how, with a simple telescope, sun-spots could easily be ob- 

 served. 



Mr. Hudson, in reply, said he was glad his short notes had been the 

 means of getting so much interesting information from Sir James 

 Hector. 



Sir James Hector, in reply, said that sun-spots had been associated 

 with the growing of wheat, so that if auroras are affected by sun-spots 

 they must also affect the climate. He had also observed an aurora in 

 the Rocky Mountains in America in 1857. He thought it was better to 

 give any information he possessed on the same night as Mr. Hudson read 

 his notes, so that all the facts should be together. 



2. Ornithological Notes, by Sir W. L. Buller: (1.) On 

 Phalacrocorax colensoi, of the Auckland Islands, and P. onsloxvi, 

 of the Chatham Islands. (2.) CEstrelata neglecta. (Trans- 

 actions, pp. 129, 132.) 



Exhibits : 



Sir Walter Buller exhibited a newly-hatched tuatara lizard (Sphe- 

 nodon punctatum) which he had received from Captain Fairchild. He 

 had been for years trying to obtain this young form for the British 

 Museum, and, being of extreme rarity, he thought it would be interesting 

 to exhibit it here before sending it Home. He explained that, some eggs 

 of the tuatara having been taken into the lighthouse-keeper's house on 

 Stephen's Island, the heat of the room hatched them out. The speci- 

 men exhibited, being one of these, was about a week old when placed in 

 the bottle of spirits. 



Sir W. Buller exhibited, and made remarks on, Mr. Salvini's new 

 petrel from the Kermadec Islands [CEstrelata nigripennis) . The bird is 

 very similar to CE. cookii, with which it had hitherto been confounded. 



Mr. Maskell would like to know what Sir Walter Buller intended 

 doing with the other three young tuataras. He thought it would have 

 been better had Sir W. Buller given his first specimen to the Colonial 

 Museum, and after that considered the Home museums. He thought 

 we should have the first of everything in our own collections. The 

 captain of the Government steamer should have first supplied the Go- 

 vernment museum before he disposed of any to private collectors. 

 Since the late storm two strange birds had appeared in our harbour : 

 one a sort of gannet, and the other with long tail and wings. They were 

 beautiful birds, and seemed quite tame. Could Sir W. Buller tell us 

 what they are, and where they come from ? 



Mr. Tanner had also observed these birds, and would be glad to hear 

 something about them. 



