Wellingto7i Philosophical Society. 435 



Twelfth Meeting. 2^rd October^ 1872. 

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



New member s. — Rev. R. Taylor, F.G.S., John Clarkson, Charles Napier 

 Bell. 



Mr. Charles C. Graham was chosen to vote in the election of the Board of 

 Governors for the ensuing year in accordance with clause seven of the New 

 Zealand Institute Act. 



1. " Notes on some of the Birds brought by Mr. Henry Travers from the 

 Chatham Islands, with Descriptions of the New Species," by Capt. F. W. 

 Hutton, C.M.Z.S. (See Transactions, p. 222.) 



2. " Description of the Extinct Gigantic Bird of Prey Hokioi," by a 

 Maori; communicated by Sir G. Grey, K.C.B., Hon. Mem. N.Z. Inst. 



(translation.) 



This bird, the Hokioi, was seen by our ancestors. We (of the present day) 

 have not seen it — that bird has disappeared now-a-days. The statement of our 

 ancestor was that it was a powerful bird, a very powerful bird. It was a very 

 large hawk. Its resting place was on the top of the mountains ; it did not 

 rest on the plains. On the days in which it was on the wing our ancestors 

 saw it ; it was not seen every day as its abiding place was on the mountains. 

 Its colour was red and black and white. It was a bird of (black) feathers, tinged 

 with yellow and green ; it had a bunch of red feathers on the top of its head. 

 It was a large bird, as large as the Moa. Its rival was the hawk. The hawk 

 said that it could reach the heavens ; the hokioi said it could reach the 

 heavens ; there was a contention between them. The hokioi said to the hawk, 

 " what shall be your sign ?" The hawk replied, " kei " (the peculiar cry of the 

 hawk). Then the hawk asked, "what is to be your sign?" The hokioi 

 replied, "hokioi-hokioi-hu-u." These were their words. They then flew and 

 approached the heavens. The winds and the clouds came. The hawk called 

 out "kei " and descended, it could go no further on account of the winds and 

 the clouds, but the hokioi disappeared into the heavens. 



*' Kei " is the cry of the hawk. " Hokioi-hokioi " is the cry of the hokioi. 

 " Hu-u " is the noise caused by the wiugs of the hokioi. It was recognized 

 by the noise of its wings when it descends to the earth. 



3. " On the Origin in New Zealand of Folygonum aviculare, L.," by W. 

 T. L. Travers, F.L.S. (See Transactions, p. 310.) 



In the discussion that followed Mr. Travers stated that he did not believe 

 that Capt. Cook succeeded in introducing the potato and grasses, but that the 

 seeds he scattered were anti-scorbutic plants. 



