WcUinrjion Philosopliical Society. 009 



Tilr. Maskell said the rcmaiks made by Sir Walter Buller, who was an 

 acknowledged authority on the subject of ornithology, were most inter- 

 esting, and the specimens exhibited very beautiful. Without wisliing to 

 make any reflections on the work done by Sir Walter Buller, he would like 

 to say a few words regarding the establishment of species. It was common 

 in almost all branches of science to establish what were called species on 

 grounds that seemed often very imsatisfactory, and from his own expe- 

 rience and reading for over twenty j'ears he was led to the conviction that 

 scientific works generally were overloaded with species determined in a 

 very vague manner. Tliis applied to all branches of natural science. 

 Mere difference in colours seemed sufficient to accomrt for thousanls of 

 so-called species, when probably the birds, or insects, or animals were 

 really the same, or only slightly varied. He thought it would bo quite 

 as correct to say that all bay horses were of one species and all black 

 horses another, as to say that birds in other respects alike were of dif- 

 ferent species because they were different in colour. Why should science 

 be so loaded with such small differences, especially as so few agree as to 

 colour, which depends so frequently on the formation of the human 

 eye ? If there were organic differences, that would be quite another 

 matter. 



Mr. Hudson would like to remind Mr. Maskell that domestic pro- 

 ductions varied more than those in a wild state, because in selecting 

 animals and plants for his use man has always taken those that vary in 

 the direction he required ; hence domestic animals and plants had a 

 tendencj' to vary in all directions. 



]\Ir. Robert Pharazyn said that the question was lai'gely one of ex- 

 perience — there v.ere some branches of science where colour would not 

 apply, such as chemistry. In natural history colour would have greater 

 weight, but it was really for naturalists themselves from experience to 

 judge. If difference of colour proved to be followed by difference in 

 structure or habit, then it would certainly be reliable. Animals were 

 mucli alike in habit, and it would hardly apply to them. We must asso- 

 ciate colour with other characters before it could be generally used in 

 selecting species. 



Mr. McKay said that colour was often the result of a structural 

 peculiarity, and in many instances must be regarded as specific : nacreous 

 and iridescent shells might be mentioned as illustrating this. While 

 believing that colour was never purely accidental, as contended by INIr. 

 Maskell, he did not think that colour-spois in all cases could be used to 

 determine specific differences. With respect to the occurrence of a 

 species of robin on the Snares and Chatham Islands, but not found else- 

 where within the New Zealand area, he thought this might be accounted 

 for on the supposition that the species had established itself on these now 

 separate and distant islands at a time when the Snares and Chatham 

 Islands were connected with each other, and formed part of a large island 

 which also included New Zealand. 



Mr. Henley thought the establishment of true species was a matter 

 that was determined by the instincts of the animals themselves. In the 

 cases of tamed quadrupeds, referred to by Mr. Maskell, the animals 

 recognized no distinction — to a horse every other horse was also a horse ; 

 every dog recognized his species in any other dog. If this were not so, — 

 if grey horses refused to associate with bay horses, and if, except in cases 

 of close confinement, horses of the two colours did not cross, — they might 

 fairly be considered to be two species. If they did not cross the colours 

 -would be persistent, as a rule, in the offspring. In cases of wild animals 

 and birds, if individuals different in colour, but seemingly alike in other 

 respects, never coupled, the colour alone noted a difference of species. 

 Whether this instinct for separate breeding was likely to be present in 

 special instances of birds with peculiar-coloured plumage, only one or two 

 specimens of which birds had been collected, only a specialist was com- 

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