PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. Ixvii. 



discussed at a recent meeting of the Wellington Philosophical 

 Society, and it was then stated that investigations undertaken 

 independently by a number of New Zealand gentlemen showed 

 absolutely no evidence whatever of such a habit. This author- 

 itative statement has, however, brought forth what seems to be 

 reliable evidence that the Kea is, in some districts, most 

 destructive to sheep, though it would appear that it has no 

 special partiality for the kidney fat, but relishes any part of the 

 animal. 



Extensive experiments have lately been conducted by Pro- 

 fessor Chittenden in America on man, and by Professor Schafer 

 in Europe on rats, in regard to diet. Both are omnivorous, and 

 the results are curiously similar. The human experiments on 

 the Professor, his colleagues, and numerous other volunteers 

 lasted many months, and showed that a much smaller allowance 

 of meat than most people think necessary is desirable. In the 

 case of rats a meat diet was distinctly harmful, that of bread and 

 skim milk being the best of those tried. It should be mentioned 

 that Professor Chittenden, at all events, is not a vegetarian. 



The experiment of keeping tropical monkeys, which are very 

 liable to tuberculosis, in the open air has been tried at Dublin 

 with success, and an Indian species might have been seen lately 

 sitting happily in the snow. From two specially selected 

 Shetland and Welsh ponies Professor Ewart has succeeded in 

 obtaining a foal, which closely resembles the tarpan, the 

 Siberian wild horse a strong piece of evidence as to the origin 

 of these breeds. Several new mammals are described from the 

 Phillippines, the natural history of which is being vigorously 

 worked out by the Americans. A giant eland has also been 

 found in Central Africa, which was only known before by a pair 

 of horns. 



Of less interest is the occurrence near Roscoif, in the English 

 Channel, of a rare whale (Kogia sp.), never before found in 

 European waters. The regeneration of a bony structure in the 

 Mammalia must be of very rare occurrence, as it has not been 

 hitherto recorded, but three specimens of dormice have now 



