558 Proceedings. 



One was a pigmy owl from Sir Walter Buller, who obtained it in 

 Vancouver; a number were sent from the Rocky Mountains by Dr. 

 Hector in 1859. Its large companion was the great horned owl from 

 Norway. 



A beautiful tropic bird. 



This bird had its breeding-ground in Sunday and Kermadec Islands, 

 arriving, it is affirmed, punctually to the day each year. The egg is laid 

 in a hole in the tufa rock, and the parents take turns in the incubation, 

 and abandon the growing fledgling to live on its own fat during the 

 growth of its quill feathers, until it is able to take flight to the tropios. 



Some sponges from the Chatham Islands. 

 Note by Sir James Hector. 



I have received about eighty New Zealand and Chatham Island 

 specimens freni various sources, representing twelve species, mostly fan 

 and finger sponges, and a few of Euspongia, which is a toilet sponge. 

 The two specimens now submitted are fair samples of the latter genus, 

 which includes the velvet sponge, and would, no doubt, have a commer- 

 cial value. All I have seen are cast-up specimens from the beach, and 

 most of them appear to have been for a long time tossed abous on the 

 shore and exposed to the weather. 



Sponges in commercial terms are classified as " sheep-wool " or 

 " Turkey " sponge (which is the most valuable of all kind?), " white reef," 

 "velvet," "black reef," " boat," "hard head," "grass," "yellow," and 

 "glove" or "finger" sponge. Sailors and fishermen also give familiar 

 names to sponges, such as " feather," " fan," " bell," " lyre," " trumpet," 

 "distaff," "peacock's tail," and "Neptune's glove." Three hundred 

 species are known to science, and are classed under the follow- 

 ing groups: (1) Pedicellated and non-padicellated ; (2) foliaceous ; 

 (3) globular ; (4) concave ; (5) digitaled. 



The best quality of sponges in the market are obtained on the Syrian 

 coast, the next best from the Grecian Archipelago and coast of Barbary. 

 In Greece over seven hundred boats are employed in these fisheries, and 

 three thousand men, two hundred of whom are expert divers using the 

 modern diving-dress. The coarser and inferior varieties are g=it tiered in 

 shallow waters by the aid of three-pronged harpoons. The marketable 

 sponges form colonies in from 5 to 25 fathoms of water. Tne finer kinds 

 are only obtained by diving, the divers being armed with a long, broad 

 knife, with which the sponges are carefully detached. The value of 

 sponges so obtained is usually much greater than that of those torn off 

 the rocks with harpoons. 



Sponges are now successfully reared by artificial propagation. A 

 fresh-gathered specimen of a good variety is cut into small fragments 

 from the centre outwards, each having a portion of the outer surface 

 with its covering of dark-coloured slime or tar like gelatinous substance, 

 as on this the vitality cf the sponge depends. The fragments are then 

 strung on copper wire at about 14 in. apart, and the strings are sunk or 

 attached to the bottom of the sea in suitable situations for their growth, 

 the essential conditions being calm, sheltered rocky coves with sufficient 

 depth of clear water and moderate tidal current. In about seven years a 

 crop of high-class sponges has been grown for the market at Key West, 

 Florida. On the American coast, and especially at the Bahamas, the 

 trade is very extensive, employing several thousands of persons, and pro- 

 ducing sponges for export to the value of £120,000 per annum. 



A series of immature flat-fish, which were submitted for 

 opinion by the Marine Department. 



They represented — (1.) The flounder, or patiki, wrongly named 

 " plaioe," about one-tenth adult size. (2.) The turbot sole, wrongly 



