Philosophical luktitute of Canterbury. 21 



a dissected plateau or peneplain, which has been formed from a previously existing 

 range of the alpiue type, the folding of which has not been acute. This was illus- 

 trated by pictures taken from the summits of mountains in the district. The effects 

 of the former glaciation to which the area was subjected in Pleistocene and more 

 recent times was then dealt with, special note being taken of the changes in drain- 

 age, the mode of truncation of spurs and dissection of the ridges between valleys, tho 

 formation of glacier pot-holes on a large scale, and the general smoothing and ter- 

 racing action of glacier ice. The marked recent retreat of the glaciers of the region, 

 notably the Cameron Glacier, was emphasized, also the fact that so few glaciers 

 are forming terminal moraines at the present time, although they formed them in 

 past times. A number of slides dealt with the Lyell and Ramsay Glaciers, at the 

 head of the Rakaia River. This locality is almost unknown, and the author, with 

 two student companions, was the first to ascend and note the features of the Lyell 

 Glacier, although its terminal face had been previously visited and crossed by 

 Mr. Roberts, the late Chief Surveyor of Westland. Two fine tributaries of the 

 Lyell Glacier were named after Professor Heim, of Switzerland, and Dr. Cockayne. 

 The last part of the paper, dealing with evidence for the change of climate which 

 followed the glaciation of the area, was held over for reading and discussion at a 

 future meeting. 



Exhibit. — Mr. R. Nairn then exhibited a specimen of Bilbergia zebri/ia 

 which showed the effect of moist conditions in a greenliouse on a phmt 

 whicli usually ^lows in arid country. 



Thihd Meeting : Ofh Jnly, 1910. 



Present : Mr. R. M. Laing (President), in the chair, and ovei eighty 

 others. 



New Members. — Miss Margaret Richardson, Mr. W. B. North, and 

 Drs. E. A. Washbourn and F. J. Borrie. 



Paper. — " Additions to the Fish Fauna of New Zealand," by Edgar 

 R. Waite, F.L.S. (see p. 25). 



Address. — " The Permanent Pastures of New Zealand," by Mr. A, H. 

 Cockayne, Government Biologist. 



The lecturer said that in New Zealand, where the pastoral interest occupied 

 the premier position, the grass crops were the most important asset. Of the 

 38,000,000 acres in occupation, grass lands claimed 36,000,000 acres, or 92 per cent. 

 There could be added another 5 per cent, for those crops, such as turnips and 

 rape, which supplemented the grass in times of scarcity. The grass crops were the 

 backbone of the rural industry. In dealing with his subject, it was necessary to 

 divide pastures into two sections — viz., permanent and temporary pastures. The 

 permanent pastures were those which remained in a more or less stable condition for 

 many years, and did not enter into any system of crop-rotation. Temporary pas- 

 tures were those which occupied a most important part in reference to crop- 

 rotation, and did not remain in a stable condition for any length of time. Of the 

 36,000,000 acres of grass land, 22,000,000 were still in their original condition. 

 They had not been sown in any way, and a large percentage was occupied by the 

 tussock region. There were 9,000,000 acres of grass land which had been formed 

 from forests, and there were 5,000,000 acres which had been ploughed and sown, 

 chiefly by machinery. 



The lecturer then proceeded to show a number of lanteim-slides showing the 

 different kinds of pasture in various parts of New Zealand, and the methods of pro- 

 ducing them. The series illustrating the transformation of rough forest land into 

 fine pasture land, graced with a homestead, and flocks and herds, was a particularly 

 informing and interesting one, the various stages from the "burn" to the final 

 scene of pastoral perfection being capitally illustrated. A number of subsequent 

 pictures showed the disastrous results which had followed overstocking and the 

 injudicious burning of tussock. In these cases the land had become depleted, and 

 its stock-carrying capacity reduced enormously. A painful illustration of the point 



