Wellington Philosophical Society. 599 



governing classes, and ib lias a mischievous efEect. For, to take only two 

 things, there is a want clearly apparent in this country. In the case of 

 the Fungi, for example, there are several even now becoming very noxious 

 pests : he might instance the rust in wheat, or the Fiisicladmm (apple- 

 scab, pear-scab). These are both bad pests, and the latter is going to 

 play the mischief ere long with fruit-growing. Yet there is nobody in 

 New Zealand who has studied Fungi sj'stematically, and who is able to 

 give authoritative and influential information to the colonists, because 

 not the least encouragement is held out by the Government to scientific 

 inquiry. Again, in the case of insect pests, who is there here able to 

 advise the country with authority and influence on, say, such things as 

 Phylloxera ? Nobody : and those who do venture to say what their 

 studies have led them to know are treated practically as either visionary 

 or importunate. He hoped that an improvement in this respect would 

 come about soon, perhaps even from the very necessity of the case. For 

 his part, he desired very much to see the Government do what was urgently 

 wanted— import a man, from England or elsewhere, competent to advise 

 with full authority on both animal and vegetable pests — a man conver- 

 sant with what had been done in other countries, and able to say what 

 ought to be done here. But it is not only advice which would be required. 

 For the officer he suggested ought to have full power to act in cases o 

 necessity, as well as to instruct. He should be a man of both scientific 

 and practical knowledge, a man well acquainted with both cntomologv 

 and agriculture, and, besides, he ought not to be fettered and obstructed 

 in the way too often seen with officers of our Government. Mr. ilaskell 

 expressed regret at having taken up so much of the time of the meeting ; 

 but the question which he ventured to raise was of great importance, and 

 he trusted that before long some measure such as he suggested would be 

 adoptf>d. 



The vote of thanks for the address having been carried, 

 The President expressed his obligations to Sir J. Hector and the 

 members for their kindly appreciation of his services. In reply to Mr. 

 Travers, he quoted from his address to show that he had mentioned the 

 star-charts. Referring to the remarks of Jfr. Maskell, he said that he 

 (Mr. Maskell) was quite right. These things ought to receive more atten- 

 tion. Unfortunately, much of this kind of work, which was performed in 

 other 'countries as a labour of love, would not be undertaken by an 

 Englishman unless he could make money by it. In the village schools of 

 Germany great pains were taken to make the children acquainted with 

 everything injurious to agriculture ; in fact, many of those children 

 knew more about Nature than most of our University students did. 



Second Meeting : 2n(J July, 1890. 



C. Hulke, F.C.S., President, in the chair. 



Papers. — 1. " A Few Words on the Codhii-moths, Carpo- 

 capsa p)omonella, L., and Cacoecia excessana, Walk.," by 

 G. V. Hudson, F.E.S. {Transactions, p. 56.) 



IMr. Travers considered this a valuable paper. He thought it was 

 most important that an accurate account should be given, showing the 

 manner in which these insects deposit their eggs, whether on the surface 

 of the fruit or in the core, or where two apples are in contact, or on the 

 leaf. The dipterous insect deposits the eggs on the skin, and makes an 

 entrance there. In some districts where ants are common these in- 

 jurious moths are disappearing ; they are probably the natural enemies. 

 It was almost impossible to get rid of such pests by Act of Parliament. 

 Such investigations as Mr. Hudson was making were of far greater value. 



