WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 





First Meeting: 25th June, 1901. 



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



New Members. — Mr. Ben Keys, of Wellington ; Eev. H. J. 

 Fletcher, of Taupo ; and Mr. D. Matheson, of Wellington. 



Inaugural address by the President, G. V. Hudson, F.E.S., 

 " On the Senses of Insects." {Transactions, p. 18.) 



Sir James Hector spoke in high terms of the President's valuable 

 and suggestive address. It took the thoughts of members out of the 

 beaten track, arid led them to the consideration of some of the pro- 

 foundest and most suggestive problems of natural science. Regarding 

 the external ears of the weta, he was reminded of somewhat similar 

 organs found on the cephalic section of the Japanese crayfish — large and 

 conspicuous auditory apparatus arranged like a Venetian-blind. Strange 

 to say, the New Zealand species was quite destitute of these organs. He 

 propo-ed a vote of thanks to the President for his instructive paper. 



Mr. R. C. Harding seconded the motion. He said that bees were 

 not, so far as he knew, supposed to be conspicuous for the homing 

 instinct, a very small change in surroundings causing them to lose their 

 way. He could not see that Lord Avebury's experiments justified the 

 conclusion that 1 ght and colour appeared otherwise than as light and 

 colour to all creatures with eyes, though it seemed to be proved thai 

 other creatures were sensitive to vast ranges of vibratory movements 

 whioh made no impression on any of our senses. That colour pro- 

 duced similar effects on the nerves of vision of other creatures might 

 be inferred, he thought, from the effects of the red rays. Lord 

 Avebury had found them cause intense discomfort to insects ; the 

 irritating effect of red on birds and mammals was notorious in the 

 instances of the turkey and the bull ; and red in mass had an 

 irritating effect on the human nervous system. If the weta was 

 deaf to musical notes, such was not the case with all stridulating 

 insects. He had on many occasions in warm weather noticed a 

 cicada on the wall in church perfectly quiet and silent till the organ 

 voluntary began, when the insect would keep up his characteristic note 

 till the music had ceased, remaining quiet till the hymns were sung, 

 and then joining in again. Others had doubtless observed the same in 

 regard to this little insect. 



Paper.— "On the Comet of 1901," by G. V. Hudson. 

 [Transactions, p. 31.) 



Some interesting exhibits of birds were shown by Sir 

 James Hector, amongst which were two Eosella Parrots. 

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