Wellington Philosophical Society. 601 



amount of sweet starchy matter, which was used as food. When in 

 Sydney Botanic Gardens, the Director, Mr. C. Moore, had shown him a 

 thicket of what seemed to be the same Cordyline, which he said he (Sir 

 J. Hector) should know, as it came from New Zealand, and he (Mr. 

 Moore) informed him that it had a blue flower. He (Sir James) had 

 brought plants and suckers to New Zealand, some of which were in the 

 late Mr. Mantell's garden, and others should now be in the Wellington 

 Botanic Gardens. One most interesting point in the paper just read 

 was raised by the statement that Cook had found the natives possessed 

 the tapa-cloth plant, and that he had seen it growing. Its native name, 

 " Ante," was included in Maori vocabularies, but the plant seemed to 

 have disappeared from Maori settlements, though now again common 

 under cultivation in gardens. Yet this plant, interesting on account of 

 its economic uses and its distribution among the Pacific Islands, was 

 not mentioned in the "New Zealand Flora" either as an introduced 

 or native plant. There were many other plants in the same anomalous 

 position, and they raised a very curious question that might greatly 

 affect certain views as to the geographical distribution of plants and the 

 migration of the human race among the Pacific Islands. 



Sir W. BuUer said the Ti-tawhiti was a narrow-leafed Cordyline, and 

 very scarce. He believed he had once seen the flower, which was of a 

 pale-blue colour. The Maoris valued it because of its edible qualities. 



Mr. Harding said Mr. Colenso, of Napier, had a rare plant of this kind 

 in his garden. He understood it was Cordyline edulis, and the sole repre- 

 sentative of the species. 



Mr. Travers said there was a very similar plant growing in a garden 

 near Plimmer's Steps, in Wellington, but he understood it was from 

 Queensland. 



Mr. Tregear said the chief value in this paper was the fact that it 

 was so suggestive, and turned our attention to so many interesting facts. 

 It v?as a sort of text-book to several branches of science. There were 

 many statements that he could hardly agree with. The occurrence of 

 many of the plants named was, he thought, purely accidental. 



2. "OnFormol for preserving Natural History Specimens," 

 by S. H. Drew, of Wanganui ; communicated by Sir W. Buller. 

 (Transactions, p. 288.) 



Sir J. Hector considered Pormol very good for preserving specimens, 

 and in most respects better than spirits, but care must be taken regarding 

 its strength. 



Mr. Maskell said, in the event of an antarctic expedition formol 

 would be very generally used, but it must be dealt with carefully, and in 

 most cases a weak solution used, so as to preserve the delicate colours of 

 invertebrates. 



4. " Natural History Notes," by S. H. Drew, of Wanganui 

 Museum : (1) On Orthagoriscus mola (sun-fish) ; (2) on 

 Bota^irus pceciloptilus (bittern) ; (3) on Carpophaga novce- 

 zealandice (wood-pigeon) ; (4) on Cnemiornis (extinct goose) ; 

 (5) on moa remains found at Wanganui {Transactions, 

 p. 284.) 



