THE NEW ZEALAND 
JOURNAL OF SCLENCE. 
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No. Vol..1.—JANUARY, 1882. 
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INTRODUCTION. 
HE publication of a Magazine in the interests of Science, 
in so young a community as that of New Zealand, may 
be looked upon by many as premature, and it may be 
considered that the enterprise entered upon with this number is 
destined to that failure which attends so many efforts put forth in 
advance of the time. But no one interested in the spread of 
scientific knowledge, and, in particular, no one working at any 
branch of scientific study, will deny that great advantages may 
result from such a publication, if well conducted, ard that it may 
prove an efficient means of advancing scientific work and culture 
in our midst. The want of some closer and more frequent means 
of communication between our scientific men than is furnished by. 
our excellent annual volume of Institute Transactions, has often 
been expressed, but no one seems to have considered the time 
sufficiently ripe tor attempting to fill the existing gap. Former 
attempts, too, at periodical literature, both here and in the 
Australian Colonies, have not been of a sufficiently encouraging 
nature to tempt others into the field. Indeed it was not till last 
year, when the “Southern Science Record” was started in Mel- 
bourne, that anything like a successful attempt was made to 
supply the want. That journal, however, is almost exclusively 
Australian, so that so far as New Zealand science matters are 
concerned, we are still im statu quo ante. 
There are many ways in which such a journal as this may 
prove both of special and general use. In the first place, workers 
in all parts ot the Colony will be enabled to know what others 
are doing, and will thus be able to avoid clashing with one 
