Wellington PhilosopJiical Society. 527 



ground did not pay. He referred to the South African mines, wliere large deposits of ore 

 had been found recently, yielding as much as £60,000 worth of copper in six months. He 

 advised caution in opening up the D'Urville Island mine, and said that only those who 

 could afford to lose the money which they invested should take shares in this mine. 



Mr. Kirk said that we were indebted to the speakers for very valuable remarks on this 

 subject. He thought that the Great Barrier copper had been worked and abandoned, but 

 that very probably there was yet much ore to be extracted from the mine. 



Mr. Cos, in reply, said that the colonial mines were generally extravagantly worked, 

 and that although, in Cornwall, ore yielding as little as 3 to 4 per cent, of copper could 

 be worked, the miners there were content to make £3 per month, with the chance of a 

 good month's pay now and then, in consequence of rich deposits being found, all the 

 mining there being let to tributers ; but that at D'Urville Island the miners were getting 

 as much as £3 a week. Also, the ore in Cornwall is in well-defined lodes, whereas here 

 it is in irregular deposits, and, as he had pointed out in his paper, it would be necessary 

 to follow the ore very carefully, and ensure a considerable output before sinking capital 

 in tramways to get the ore away, or smelting works to reduce it. 



3. " On Additions to the Carcinological Fauna of New Zealand," by T. 

 W. Kirk. [Transactions p. 392.) 



Dr. Hector pointed out the value of such papers, and hoped the society would have 

 many others from the author of equal interest. 



4. " On the Cause of the Movements of Camphor when placed upon 

 the Surface of Water," by W. Skey. [Transactions, p. 473.) 



This paper was illustrated by experiments to show that the true cause for this 

 movement is not that hitherto stated, but is due to the solution of the camphor and the 

 formation of a hydrated oil, which is rapidly absorbed. The motion is due to the 

 tendency of the particles of camxahor to slide off the elevated surface of the pellicle of oil 

 that forms on the surface of the water. It was shown that small fragments of cork or 

 other light substance moistened with oil, either a fixed oil or an essential oil, or a drop 

 of bisulphide of carbon, exhibit the same phenomena, and that it is therefore not due to 

 the property which camphor possesses of giving off vapour in the solid state. The 

 experiments exhibited by Dr. Hector to demonstrate this view were extremely interesting 

 and beautiful. 



Mr. Travers stated that he remembered to have observed the same phenomena when 

 a drop of iodized collodion was accidentally dropped on the surface of water. 



Dr. Hector said that Mr. Skey wished him to state with reference to his discovery 

 mentioned at last meeting, that hydro-carbons exist in many fats and oils not hitherto 

 supposed to contain them, and that thej'' can be transformed into alkaloids by the anihne 

 process ; that in pursuing his investigation he had obtained an alkaloid from butter, 

 thus completing the general statement that both animal and vegetable fats contain such 

 hydro-carbons. 



Fifth Meeting. 28?7i Septemler, 1878. 



A. K. Newman, M.B., Vice-president, in the chair. 



New Members. — Dominick Browne, Eev. Philip Walsh, of Waitara. 



1. "Memorandum of the Kea," by the Hon* Dr. Menzies, M.L.C. 

 [Transactions, p. 376.) 



