Dr. M. Couglitrey on New-Zealand liydroida. 23 



reference at mj command, and a greater supply of specimens 

 from other parts of the world with which to compare the New- 

 Zealand ones. 



Workers residing in " an out-of-the-way " part of the earth 

 labour under many disadvantages when contrasted with the 

 facilities afforded to home students. It is true they have got 

 almost a virgin soil ; but unless they are to become mere col- 

 lectors for home cabinet students, they require for almost every 

 branch of science a very great profusion of works of reference. 

 Many of the drawbacks they at present suffer from are pro- 

 bably capable of removal by the aid of patience and an im- 

 proved intercommunication with the parent country ; but other 

 difficulties would lessen were the societies at home unanimously 

 to agree to centralize their publications, remitting zoological 

 papers to purely zoological societies, and botanical to purely 

 botanical. At the present time we find in the department of 

 Hydrozoa, e. g.^ one paper among the proceedings of a botanical 

 society, another within tlie covers of a medical review, a third , 

 in one of the microscopical journals, others in the various 

 transactions of local societies, and, lastly, as custom has long- 

 established, in the present Journal. This decentralization 

 not only proves very expensive to the student, but often in- 

 volves a large amount of unnecessary labour, though the latter 

 has certainly been much lightened by that inestimable boon, 

 ' The Eecord of Zoological Literature.' Still a difficulty 

 remains ; and that difficulty may be best expressed by an 

 example : take that valuable publication, the ' Transactions 

 of the Royal Society of Edinburgh; ' let persons search through 

 the chief provincial towns of Great Britain, and see in how 

 very few the above publication may be found, and they will 

 then understand the scarcity that may exist in a place like 

 New Zealand. On account of the limited means at my dis- 

 posal, I therefore desire that these remarks may be considered 

 as purely provisional, since I do not possess by me all the 

 works I desire to make them complete. 



The classification I have adopted is that used by Mr. Hincks 

 in his ' British Hydroid Zoophytes ; ' and the order will there- 

 fore be found different from that adopted in my previous paper 

 to the New-Zealand Institute. Since those notes were written, 

 I have been able in some cases to verify, in others to correct 

 my former observations, and I have had the means of com- 

 paring the New-Zealand specimens with the British species*. 



Regarding the Athecate Hydroids and the general history 

 and reproduction of Hydroida here, I prefer to hold back my 



* I have to thank my friend Mr. T. J. Moore, of the Free Public 

 Museum, Liveqiool, for a packet of these. 



