﻿Wellington 
  Philosophical 
  Society. 
  621 
  

  

  1. 
  " 
  How 
  New 
  Zealand 
  may 
  continue 
  to 
  grow 
  Wheat 
  and 
  other 
  Cereals," 
  

   by 
  J. 
  C. 
  Crawford, 
  F.G.S, 
  [Transactions, 
  p. 
  149.) 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Kirk 
  considered 
  the 
  remarks 
  in 
  the 
  paper 
  regarding 
  the 
  sterile 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  

   Auckland 
  soil 
  required 
  modification. 
  He 
  had 
  seen 
  very 
  fair 
  crops 
  grown 
  in 
  that 
  locality 
  

   with 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  manure. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Hector 
  agreed 
  with 
  the 
  author 
  that 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  potash 
  was 
  taken 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   colony 
  in 
  the 
  grease 
  of 
  wool, 
  and 
  he 
  knew 
  that 
  this 
  potash 
  grease 
  is 
  saved 
  in 
  England, 
  

   and 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  after 
  manufacture 
  of 
  wool. 
  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  Auckland 
  soil, 
  he 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  it 
  was 
  inferior 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  chiefly 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  drainage 
  or 
  breaking 
  up, 
  

   Soluble 
  silica 
  is 
  the 
  constituent 
  most 
  essential, 
  and 
  therefore 
  a 
  clay 
  soil 
  is, 
  on 
  the 
  whole, 
  

   the 
  best, 
  as 
  it 
  retains 
  maniu-e 
  longer. 
  Altogether 
  he 
  thought 
  Mr. 
  Crawford's 
  remarks 
  

   were 
  valuable. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Newman 
  considered 
  that 
  possibly 
  a 
  time 
  would 
  come 
  when 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  difficult 
  

   to 
  procure 
  sufficient 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  kind, 
  and 
  the 
  wisest 
  plan 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  manufac- 
  

   ture 
  the 
  various 
  constituents 
  mentioned 
  directly 
  into 
  food 
  for 
  consumption. 
  He 
  did 
  not 
  

   see 
  why 
  they 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  as 
  easily 
  manufactured 
  into 
  food 
  themselves 
  as 
  used 
  to 
  assist 
  

   in 
  producing 
  food 
  from 
  other 
  sources. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Young 
  thought 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Crawford 
  that 
  much 
  could 
  be 
  done 
  with 
  the 
  assistance 
  

   of 
  chemistry 
  in 
  keeping 
  up 
  the 
  quality 
  of 
  the 
  soil. 
  The 
  most 
  economical 
  and 
  best 
  agent 
  

   to 
  employ 
  would 
  be 
  phosphatic 
  guano, 
  which 
  he 
  thought 
  could 
  be 
  procured 
  in 
  large 
  

   quantities 
  from 
  numerous 
  islands. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Buller 
  pointed 
  out 
  that, 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  the 
  hot 
  springs, 
  there 
  was 
  

   a 
  quantity 
  of 
  nice, 
  soft 
  mud, 
  sometimes 
  eaten 
  by 
  the 
  natives, 
  which 
  might 
  serve 
  the 
  

   purpose 
  indicated 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Newman. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Kirk 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  sulphur 
  works 
  at 
  Auckland 
  would 
  supply 
  sulphuric 
  acid, 
  which 
  

   would 
  be 
  most 
  useful 
  for 
  our 
  soils. 
  He 
  stated 
  that 
  nitrogen 
  only 
  formed 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  the 
  dried 
  plant, 
  frequently 
  less 
  than 
  1 
  per 
  cent., 
  and 
  rarely 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  3 
  per 
  

   cent., 
  and 
  therefore 
  could 
  be 
  more 
  easily 
  supphed. 
  

  

  2. 
  "Additions 
  to 
  List 
  of 
  Species, 
  and 
  Notices 
  of 
  rare 
  Occurrences, 
  since 
  

   the 
  publication 
  of 
  ' 
  The 
  Birds 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand,' 
  " 
  by 
  Walter 
  L. 
  Buller 
  

   C.M.G., 
  Sc.D. 
  [Transactions, 
  p. 
  361.) 
  

  

  3. 
  "Remarks 
  on 
  the 
  Long-tailed 
  Cuckoo 
  (Eudynamis 
  taitensisj," 
  by 
  

   Walter 
  L. 
  Buller. 
  [Transactions, 
  p. 
  353.) 
  

  

  4. 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  specific 
  Value 
  of 
  Prion 
  banksii,'' 
  by 
  Walter 
  L. 
  Buller. 
  

   [Transactioyis, 
  p. 
  351.) 
  

  

  5. 
  "Further 
  Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Habits 
  of 
  the 
  Tuatara 
  Lizard," 
  by 
  Walter 
  L. 
  

   Buller. 
  [Transactions, 
  p. 
  349.) 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Hector 
  considered 
  Dr. 
  BuUer's 
  papers 
  were 
  most 
  interesting, 
  and 
  no 
  doubt 
  some 
  

   new 
  species 
  would 
  yet 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand 
  — 
  instancing 
  a 
  red 
  wattle-bird 
  

   in 
  the 
  western 
  forest, 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  information. 
  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  tuatara, 
  he 
  

   agreed 
  with 
  Dr. 
  Buller 
  that 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  — 
  Sphenodon 
  puncl^tum 
  and 
  S. 
  guntheri 
  — 
  would 
  

   hold 
  good. 
  As 
  regards 
  their 
  feeding 
  habits, 
  he 
  found 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  eat 
  almost 
  anything 
  

   that 
  moved. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  considered 
  that 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  disposition 
  might 
  be 
  accounted 
  for 
  by 
  

   difference 
  in 
  age, 
  and 
  no 
  doubt 
  the 
  temperature 
  had 
  some 
  influence 
  on 
  their 
  habits. 
  

  

  a36 
  

  

  