﻿52^ 
  Proceeding^. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Newman 
  remarked 
  that 
  few 
  reptiles 
  cared 
  to 
  devour 
  any 
  object 
  that 
  was 
  

   stationary, 
  they 
  require 
  to 
  see 
  it 
  move. 
  He 
  did 
  not 
  agree 
  in 
  thinking 
  that 
  so 
  slight 
  

   a 
  difference 
  as 
  indicated 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Duller 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  birds 
  mentioned 
  could 
  make 
  

   a 
  distinct 
  species. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Duller, 
  in 
  reply, 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  great 
  test 
  as 
  regards 
  species 
  was 
  to 
  ascertain 
  

   whether 
  the 
  differences 
  were 
  constant. 
  As 
  naturalists 
  understood 
  the 
  term 
  he 
  considered 
  

   his 
  examples 
  were 
  distinct 
  species. 
  

  

  6. 
  "Notes 
  on 
  the 
  Breeding 
  Habits 
  of 
  the 
  Katipo 
  (Latrodectus 
  katijjoj," 
  

   by 
  C. 
  H. 
  Eobson. 
  {Transactions, 
  p. 
  391.) 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Duller 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  his 
  paper, 
  in 
  Vol. 
  III. 
  of 
  the 
  Transactions, 
  on 
  this 
  

   spider, 
  which 
  gave 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  information 
  regarding 
  its 
  habits. 
  A 
  professor 
  in 
  Sweden 
  

   had 
  since 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  Katipo 
  was 
  the 
  representative 
  of 
  an 
  entirely 
  new 
  genus 
  ; 
  

   and 
  Dr. 
  Smith, 
  a 
  celebrated 
  homoeopathist, 
  considered 
  the 
  extract 
  from 
  the 
  spider 
  in 
  

   question 
  would 
  produce 
  a 
  most 
  valuable 
  drug 
  in 
  homceopathy. 
  He 
  had 
  requested 
  him 
  

   (Dr. 
  Duller) 
  to 
  forward 
  a 
  quantity 
  to 
  England 
  for 
  experiment. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  said 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  strange 
  that 
  this 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  poisonous 
  animal 
  in 
  New 
  

   Zealand, 
  and 
  also 
  that 
  only 
  two 
  plants 
  were 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  poisonous. 
  

  

  Third 
  Meeting, 
  nth 
  August, 
  1878. 
  

   T. 
  Kirk, 
  F.L.S., 
  President, 
  in 
  the 
  chair. 
  

   New 
  Member. 
  — 
  W. 
  G. 
  Rntherfurd. 
  

  

  1. 
  "On 
  the 
  Deflection 
  of 
  Shingle-bearing 
  Currents 
  and 
  Protection 
  of 
  

  

  Eiver 
  Banks 
  by 
  Douslin's 
  Floating 
  Log 
  Dams," 
  by 
  H. 
  P. 
  MackHn. 
  (Trans- 
  

   actions, 
  p, 
  144.) 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Maxwell 
  said 
  that 
  this 
  plan 
  had 
  been 
  successfully 
  carried 
  out 
  in 
  many 
  places 
  

   He 
  did 
  not 
  tliink 
  there 
  was 
  anything 
  new 
  to 
  engineering 
  in 
  the 
  paper. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Hector 
  explained 
  that 
  the 
  author 
  did 
  not 
  give 
  this 
  as 
  a 
  new 
  invention, 
  but 
  

   merely 
  wished 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  how 
  successfully 
  the 
  plan 
  had 
  worked 
  as 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  Opawa 
  

   Eiver, 
  in 
  protecting 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Dlenheim. 
  

  

  2. 
  "Remarks 
  on 
  a 
  Species 
  of 
  Lestris 
  inhabiting 
  our 
  Seas," 
  by 
  Walter 
  L. 
  

   Buller, 
  C.M.G., 
  Sc.D., 
  etc. 
  {Transaclions, 
  p. 
  355.) 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  exhibited 
  specimens 
  in 
  illustration. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Hector 
  pointed 
  out 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  obtaining 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  oceanic 
  birds, 
  

   naturalists 
  having 
  to 
  depend 
  on 
  stray 
  specimens 
  cast 
  ashore 
  by 
  the 
  waves 
  or 
  blown 
  

   inland 
  by 
  a 
  storm, 
  and 
  he 
  expressed 
  a 
  hope 
  that 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  society 
  would 
  never 
  lose 
  

   an 
  opportunity 
  of 
  securing 
  such 
  specimens 
  and 
  forwarding 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  Museum 
  for 
  

   critical 
  examination. 
  He 
  mentioned 
  another 
  larger 
  species 
  of 
  Lestris 
  known 
  as 
  the 
  sea- 
  

   hen, 
  of 
  which 
  he 
  obtained 
  some 
  examples 
  in 
  Otago 
  soon 
  after 
  he 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  colony. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  said 
  that 
  Dr. 
  DuUer's 
  paper 
  would 
  form 
  a 
  valuable 
  contribution 
  to 
  the 
  

   Transactions. 
  The 
  seaHng 
  parties 
  visiting 
  the 
  various 
  islands 
  might 
  be 
  arranged 
  with 
  to 
  

   collect 
  such 
  specimens. 
  

  

  3. 
  "Further 
  Observations 
  upon 
  certain 
  Grasses 
  and 
  Fodder 
  Plants," 
  by 
  

   S. 
  M. 
  Curl, 
  M.D. 
  {Transactions, 
  p. 
  403.) 
  

  

  