Wellington Philosophical Society. 431 



Ninth Meeting. 2^th September, 1872. 

 Dr. Hector, F.R.S., President, in the chair. 



1. " Notes on Miramar Peninsula, Wellington Harbour," by J. C. Craw- 

 ford, F.G.S. (See Transactions, p. 396.) 



The author exhibited bones of various species of the Moa which have been 

 found on the peninsula, and had been presented by him to the Colonial 

 Museum. 



The President said that the remains were as follows : — 



(1.) Human. — Skull, pelvis, extremities, Lyall Bay; thigh bone, Evans 

 Bay; thigh bones, etc., Ludlam Gully. 



(2.) Dinornis, sp. Moas. — Femur (collected by Dr. Hector), Lyall Bay ; 

 sacrum and bones of extremities of small-sized species (femur, 6 inches), 

 Ludlam Gully ; tibia and other fragments of middle size — had been split and 

 cooked (?), Evans Bay ; femur and other fragments of middle size much 

 incrusted with swamp deposit, Burnham Water, swamp ; fragments of large 

 size, sand deposit round Burnham Water. 



(3.) Cetacean bones, Burnham Water. 



(4.) Footbones of a Calf, Lyall Bay. 



2. " On the Effect of Wind-driven Sand as a Cutting Agent," by Edwin 

 Stowe, B.A. (See Transactions, p. 105.) 



This paper was illustrated by specimens collected at Waikato Heads, and 

 excited some discussion. 



3. "Notes on the Anatomy of the Huia," by F. J. Knox, L.R.C.S.E. 

 These notes were descriptive of beautifully prepared skeletons of both 



male and female of these rare and interesting birds. 



The President pointed out that the great difference in the length of the 

 beaks in the male and female huia is due only to the prolongation of the 

 horny mandible of the latter, the jaw bones being the same size in both sexes. 

 This is not the case in the kiwi, in which the apparent excess in the length of 

 the beak in the female is really produced by the lengthened bones of the face. 

 Anatomically the kiwi has the shortest beak of any known bird of its size. 

 The strong muscular crests in the skull of the male huia at once distinguishes 

 it from that of the female, and supports the view that the male beak is used 

 as an adze, and the female as a probe. 



Capt. Hutton remarked that a recent paper read to the Zoological Society 

 of London described the anatomy of the huia, and showed that it is allied to 

 the starling and crow in its structure. 



4. "On the Reclamation of Land devastated by the Encroachment of 

 Sand," by C. D. Whitcombe. (See Transactions, p. 108.) 



