Wellington Philosophical Society. 371 



The enumeration of our Whales and Dolphins, which I communicated to 

 this Society, has already called forth critical remarks from the veteran zoologist 

 in this branch, Dr. Gray, and these, with several other communications which, 

 have appeared in home publications relative to this class, and most 

 interesting to the New Zealand reader, have been placed in the library of the 

 Society. I would specially refer to the elaborate description, by Professor 

 Flower, of the skeleton of the Berardius arnouxii, which was sent home by 

 Dr. Haast, and is now in the Museum of the Eoyal College of Surgeons. 



With reference to the Seals which inhabit our coast, I may state that the 

 examination of a large number of young and old skulls, on my recent visit to the 

 west coast of Otago, confirms me in the opinion that our present Fur Seals 

 belong to one species, Arctocephalus cinereus, which is distinct from the Fur 

 Seal of the island groups lying further to the south, such, as the Auckland 

 and Campbell Islands. However, in Dr. Haast's collection of bones from 

 Sumner Cave, which is perhaps one of the most ancient kitcben-middens 

 that has been examined, I found the skull of this more southern species, which 

 resembles Arctocephalus lobatus. 



The discovery of a second specimen of a skull of the great Elephant 

 Seal among the sand-hills south of Hokitika — the first specimen having been 

 obtained in Otago — is another instance of the modern extinction of a southern 

 form of seal in these latitudes. 



In our ichthyology several very important additions have been made. 

 The valuable communication by Captain Hutton added many new species of 

 fish to the fauna, and already material for a still further addition has been 

 obtained for the Museum. 



The successful introduction of Salmon during the past year is a subject of 

 great importance, although the experiment was not successful on so large a 

 scale as was anticipated. Still, it has been proved that the ova can be brought 

 out uninjured, even when submitted to hardships and delays that are quite 

 unnecessary under a properly-organized system. For my own part, as I urged 

 many years ago, I should prefer to see the experiment tried of obtaining the 

 ova, not only of salmon, but of trout, white fish {Coregonus), and other 

 species that inhabit the inland waters of British Columbia, in preference to 

 shipments from Britain. The argument that the flavour of the West 

 American salmon is inferior should not have any weight, when we remember 

 that the salmon of every river has its peculiarity in this respect, and that 

 nothing is more easily aflPected than the flavour of a fish accorcKng to the food 

 upon which it lives. 



The catalogiies of the Marine Mollusca and the Star-fish of our coasts, 

 prepai'ed by Captain Hiitton. will be found invaluable to collectors ; but the 

 most interesting contribution to the zoology of New Zealand is Captain 



