PART II. 



WELLINGTON PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 



Sixth Meeting. September 17, 1870. 

 Hon, Mr. Mantell, F.G.S., President, in the chair. 



The election of the following new members was annoimcecl : — 

 Dr. Symes, RK, H.M. S. "Galatea;" William Levin, Wellington; 

 and William Gray, Governor Bay. 



The Plonorary Secretary read a list of presentations that had recently 

 been made to the Society. 



1. Dr. Hector drew the attention of the meeting to an interesting 

 specimen of an egg of the Kiwi {Apteryx austrcdis), taken in utero. 

 He stated that the bird, from which the specimen had been taken, 

 belonged to Mr. Krull, and had recently died ; it had been presented to 

 the Museum, and on being skinned it was found to contain a fully formed 

 egg, the large size of which had evidently been the cause of the death of 

 the bird. He considered the specimen as unique, and setting at rest 

 all doubt as to whether the Kiwi really lays an egg so disproportionately 

 large to the size of the body of the bird. 



2. Dr. Hector exhibited some specimens of Adipocere, prepared by 

 Dr. Barker, of Christchurch, and read the following memoranda on the 

 subject. 



The specimens which had been submitted, proved, on chemical 

 examination, to be ammoniacal soap in different states of purity ; one 

 sample, marked "Adipocere Wax," consisted of fatty acids combined 

 with ammonia, part of which had been driven off and replaced by 

 hydrogen, through the action of hot water or steam. By this process 

 the whole of the ammonia might be removed, when the product would 

 be nearly pure stearine, like that used in the manufacture of Price's 

 patent candles. 



The Adipocere, in this as well as in all other cases, has therefore 



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