Wellington Philosophical Society. 555 



Fifth Meeting : 16th October, 1900. 

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



The President referred to the loss the Society and science 

 in general had sustained by the death of Mr. W. Skey. 



Sir James Hector moved, That a record be made on the minutes of 

 the Society, and a letter of sympathy forwarded to Mr. Skey's widow. 

 Mr. Skey, he said, joined his department in 1862, and, with a natural 

 bent for chemistry and diligent labour and study, he had attained such 

 a position as to be recognised as one of the world's foremost authorities 

 in certain branches of soience. In Mr. Skey the colony had lost a good 

 servant and an able scientific man. 



Mr. G. C. T. Richardson seconded the motion, and Mr. Hustwick 

 added his testimony to the value of Mr. Skey's researches. 



The motion was unanimously adopted. 



Papers. — 1. "Motions of the Atmosphere in the Southern 

 Hemisphere," by Major-General Schaw, C.B., R.E. ; read by 

 Sir James Hector, in the absence of the author through ill- 

 ness. (Transactions, p. 376.) 



Even in his hours of illness, said Sir James, General Schaw still 

 followed his scientific pursuits on the lines in which he had so dis- 

 tinguished himself. The paper, which was highly technical and was 

 illustrated by diagrams, dealt with generalised conclusions from a long 

 series of observations with the balanced wind-vane, devised by the author 

 some years ago, by which ascending and descending currents were indi- 

 cated. Sir James Hector added that a device somewhat similar was used 

 some forty years ago in Switzerland, but more minute observations were 

 now being made in Europe by means of captive balloons. Investigations 

 of this nature, systematically carried out, were tending greatly towards 

 a precise knowledge of this difficult and intricate subject. 



2. "The Regrowth of Totara," by Mr. J. Rutland, of 



Pelorus Sound. (Transactions, p. 324.) 



Sir James Hector said the paper was an important and valuable con- 

 tribution to the subject. He thought the author scarcely made sufficient 

 allowance for difference of soil. All experience confirmed his conclusion 

 as to the permanent injury inflicted on forest-trees by transplantation. 

 He instanced a number of blue-gums grown by him from seed years ago. 

 In some places two or three seeds had been planted in the same hole and 

 came up together, in which case he removed and replanted the super- 

 fluous trees. Those left undisturbed had grown to 45 ft. or 50 ft. in 

 height, and he could not span them with his arms ; the others never 

 throve, and were now not more than 16 ft. or 20 ft. high and 12 in. or 

 15 in. in diameter. 



Two other papers, "The Lepidoptera of Southland," by 

 Mr. A. Philpott (Transactions, p. 167), and " Seals as Navi- 

 gators," by Mr. R. Henry (Transactions, p. 439), were taken 

 as read. 



The natural-history specimens shown included specimens of the fast- 

 disappearing native thrush or piopio (Tumagra hectori), and examples of 

 the ferocious carnivora — stoats, ferrets, and weasels — imported by the 

 Government to keep down the rabbits, but which have, with inexcusable 

 perversity, devoted themselves to the extermination of our beautiful native 



