﻿Wellington Fhilosojyhical Society. 357 



these divisions there have beeu important contributions from members of our 

 own Society. In the department of Zoology we again find papers of gTeat 

 interest and high scientific value from the pen of Dr. F. J. Knox. Indeed, 

 we may congratulate not only ourselves, but the whole colony, upon the fact 

 that we still possess amongst us a veteran inquirer who, in the only occasional 

 intervals of leisure which the struggle for existence permits the colonist to 

 enjoy, is still ready and willing to devote himself to science for science's sake. 

 Again, during the past year, has he added to that store of knowledge in regard 

 to the Cetacece which frequent our shores, to which my predecessor referred when 

 opening the proceedings of last session, and it may not be uninteresting to our 

 valued contributor to learn that in all probability he will soon have an oppor- 

 tunity of examining the material portions of the skeleton of another animal 

 belonging to the class referred to, (reported to be of a species hitherto quite 

 iinknown to whalers), which has i^ecently been killed at the Chatham Islands. 

 My son has just started for those islands, with the intention, amongst other 

 things, of securing this skeleton, and I hope, in due time, to see it added to 

 the already excellent collection possessed by our Museum. Nor is it alone by 

 his writings that our valued member confers obligations upon us, for his papers 

 have usually been accompanied by illustrative anatomical preparations of the 

 greatest value, which he has afterwards added to the collections in our Museum. 

 Dr. J. E Gray, of the British Museum, who has also long taken an interest 

 in the same class of animals, transmitted some notes on the skull of Balcena 

 marginata, which were read during the course of the late session. 



The successful introduction of the English Trout into many parts of this 

 colony gives special interest to inquiries respecting the native species of Salmo- 

 nidcB. The unrivalled excellence amongst fishes of almost every species belong- 

 ing to this family as an- article of diet, and its consequent commercial value, have 

 given an importance to this class of fishes which is enjoyed by none other except 

 the ISTewfoundland Cod, and we accordingly find that in every one of the Aus- 

 tralian colonies its inti-oduction has been deemed one of the most impoi-tant 

 duties, if not the most important, which devolved upon the various acclimati- 

 sation societies. It is, therefore, interesting to find that we possess, in this 

 country, not less than three species of Salmonoid fish, (which were examined 

 and described by Dr. Hector in a paper read before our Society during the 

 past year), showing conclusively the adaptability of the waters of our rivers 

 to fish belonging to this valuable family. In this connection I may refer to the 

 recent establishment of an Acclimatisation Society in this province, and it may 

 be gratifying to you to know that one of its first objects has been to take the 

 necessary steps for the introduction of the European Trout. Receiving ponds 

 will shortly be constructed in the Botanic Gardens, and I hoj)e that in a few 

 years our beautiful rivers will aflbrd us one of those opportunities of healthy 



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