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not waste our time or energy on tlieir production. In Europe, where the 

 intellectual as well as physical labour market is more numerously stocked 

 than here, this manufacture of S]3urious natural history of unnatural 

 history is in constant progress ; — few scientific periodicals reach us 

 without specimens of it, in various degrees of perfection. As in this 

 matter we never can compete with the antipodes, either in cheapness or 

 rapidity of production, let us abstain from the attempt. Let us be 

 satisfied with the nobler occupation of learning truths from nature who 

 never lies, and leave once and for ever the attempt to foster human 

 vanity by perverting the truths of nature to those to whom such 

 occupation is congenial. 



As the friendly discussion between our member, Mr. BuUer, and Dr. 

 Finsch, regarding the characters and nomenclature of some of our birds 

 cannot yet be regarded as closed, I will, in noticing their interesting 

 contributions, restrict myself to an expression of satisfaction, in which I 

 am confident you fvilly share, that we should rank among our members 

 one qualified so to avail himself of his opportunities of studying our 

 avifauna in its own country, as to be able to come to the rescue of 

 European labourers in the same field, and extricate them from the 

 lamentable confusion inseparable from the attempt to detei^mine species 

 from the dried and distorted specimens in antipodean museums. 



Our Botanical papers of last session are devoted almost exclusively to 

 the flora of the northern portion of this Island, and include a valuable 

 contribution from Mr. Kirk, on the Botany of the Thames Gold Fields, 

 especially useful as the groundwork of future investigations of the 

 causes which lead to modifications in the indigenous flora. 



For our Chemical papers, we are indebted solely to the Geological 

 Survey Department, whose able analyst, Mr. Skey, has, in the volume 

 now under considei-ation, favoured us with contributions, all more or less 

 of important practical bearing. 



Among our Geological essays, it is pleasant to find that our 

 " Wellington Gold Fields " have not escaped notice, although their yield 

 has unfortunately not yet realized the hopes of those sanguine pros- 

 pectors, whose energy would seem to merit a better return. 



Mr. Traill's letter on the Fossils of the Tertiary series of Oamaru 

 and Moeraki, is to me pai'ticularly intei-esting, treating as it does of a 

 formation Avhich I had an opportunity of hurriedly inspecting in 1848 

 and subsequent years. It is much to be desired that the investigation 

 as to the age of these beds, in which Mr. Traill has made such progress, 

 should be continued by that gentleman, as no one I am sure could bring 



