WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 



First Meeting : 19th June, 1900. 



Mr. G. V. Hudson, President, in the chair. 



New Members. — Professor Easterfield a,nd Mr. E. W. 

 Petherick. 



The following publications were laid on the table : 

 Vol. XXXII. , " Transactions of the New Zealand Insti- 

 tute " ; Proceedings of Wellington Philosophical Society for 

 past year ; copy of Catalogue of Library of the Institute and 

 Society. 



The President read his address " On Entomological Field- 

 work in New Zealand." {Transactions, p. 383.) 



Mr. Travers, in proposing a vote of thanks to the President, tho- 

 roughly indorsed his remarks, and dwelt briefly on the great importance 

 of the study of inseot life, and of the enormous extent to which man 

 depended upon insects for many valuable products. The study was 

 useful and instructive, as well as interesting. 



Sir James Hector congratulated the Society on its selection of a 

 President for the current year, and on the fact that Mr. Hudson was 

 now taking a more prominent part than hitherto. It was evident that 

 he was of distinguished paits, and a thorough master of his subject. 

 Sir James seconded the motion, which was carried by acclamation. 



Mr. Hudson returned thanks to the Society. 



Sir James Hector exhibited a large collection of specimens 

 lately added to the Museum. 



Prominent among the exhibits were those collected by Mr. A. Yuill, 

 taxidermist to the Colonial Museum, during a visit which he recently 

 paid to the islands lying to the south of New Zealand. Among these 

 were specimens of the great spider-crab of the Auckland Islands; a 

 rabbit from the Auckland Islands almost as large as a hare, and illus- 

 trating the tendency of the fur to become white ; a three-months-old 

 albatros chick, which is like a ball of fluffy down, from Campbell 

 Island; a king penguin, a royal penguin (Catarrhactes schlegeli), and a 

 Gentoo penguin, from the Macquarie Islands ; a golden-crested Antarctic 

 penguin, from the Auckland Islands ; a little blue diving-penguin and 

 two scrub paroquets, from the Antipodes Islands. There were also a 

 group of paradise ducks (the painted duck of Captain Cook), from Milford 

 Sound ; a flightless teal, from the Auckland Islands ; and a kiwi, pre- 

 sented by Mr. George Fisher, M.H.R. A specimen of the Californian 

 quail and one of the Tasmanian quail were also tabled, together with an 

 old English rat (now the bush rat of New Zealand), a silver-eel caught in 

 Wellington Harbour and presented by Mr. W. Hamilton, and a black 

 swan from Wairarapa Lake, presented by Dr. Adams. On the walls were 

 hung a collection of water-colour sketches of South Island scenery by 

 Mr. H. G. Lloyd. 



