﻿Wellington 
  PhilosopJdcal 
  Society. 
  523 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  remarked 
  that 
  persons 
  engaged 
  in 
  testing 
  the 
  properties 
  of 
  plants 
  

   adapted 
  for 
  feeding 
  stock 
  in 
  tliis 
  colony 
  were 
  engaged 
  in 
  work 
  beneficial 
  to 
  the 
  whole 
  

   community, 
  and 
  therefore 
  he 
  welcomed 
  the 
  paper 
  now 
  contributed 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Curl. 
  At 
  the 
  

   time 
  he 
  observed 
  with 
  regret 
  that 
  no 
  mention 
  was 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  condition 
  under 
  which 
  Dr. 
  

   Curl's 
  experiments 
  were 
  performed, 
  such 
  as 
  quality 
  of 
  soil, 
  time 
  requisite 
  for 
  the 
  matura- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  iDlant, 
  mode 
  in 
  which 
  fed 
  off, 
  and 
  other 
  elements 
  necessary 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  

   correct 
  opinion 
  of 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  each 
  kind. 
  Not 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  

   mentioned 
  in 
  the 
  paper 
  were 
  adapted 
  for 
  mixed 
  pasturage, 
  although 
  most 
  would 
  doubtless 
  

   be 
  found 
  of 
  value 
  as 
  fodder. 
  He 
  remarked 
  that 
  Agrostis 
  solandri, 
  recommended 
  by 
  Dr. 
  

   Curl, 
  was 
  a 
  collective 
  species, 
  chiefly 
  consisting 
  of 
  two 
  New 
  Zealand 
  grasses, 
  Agrostis 
  

   CBinula 
  and 
  A. 
  hillardieri. 
  Poa 
  aquatica 
  was 
  merely 
  a 
  synonym 
  for 
  Glijceria 
  aquatica, 
  

   although 
  the 
  two 
  are 
  given 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  as 
  distinct 
  plants. 
  Glyceria 
  fluitans 
  was 
  a 
  grass 
  

   of 
  undoubted 
  value, 
  as 
  was 
  proved 
  by 
  the 
  condition 
  of 
  horses 
  and 
  cattle 
  feeding 
  upon 
  it, 
  

   wherever 
  naturalized 
  in 
  the 
  colony. 
  Referring 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Curl's 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  term 
  "acchma- 
  

   tized," 
  he 
  stated 
  that 
  a 
  fallacy 
  was 
  involved 
  in 
  the 
  popular 
  acceptation 
  of 
  the 
  term, 
  as 
  

   there 
  was 
  no 
  evidence 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  plants 
  or 
  animals 
  possessed 
  the 
  power 
  of 
  gradual 
  

   adaptation 
  to 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  climate 
  or 
  soil 
  other 
  than 
  those 
  for 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  originally 
  

   fitted. 
  This 
  was 
  generally 
  recognized 
  by 
  scientific 
  men, 
  who 
  used 
  the 
  term 
  naturahzed 
  

   instead 
  of 
  acclimatized. 
  

  

  4. 
  " 
  Preliminary 
  Note 
  on 
  the 
  Presence 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  Hydro-carbons 
  of 
  

   the 
  Benzol 
  Series 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  Petroleum, 
  also 
  in 
  our 
  Petroleums," 
  by 
  

   W. 
  Skey. 
  {Transactions, 
  p. 
  469.) 
  

  

  5. 
  " 
  On 
  a 
  Property 
  possessed 
  by 
  Essential 
  Oils 
  of 
  whitening 
  the 
  Preci- 
  

   pitate 
  produced 
  by 
  mixing 
  a 
  Solution 
  of 
  Mercuro-iodide 
  with 
  one 
  of 
  Mer- 
  

   curic-chloride," 
  by 
  W. 
  Skey. 
  {Transactions, 
  p. 
  470.) 
  

  

  6. 
  " 
  Preliminary 
  Note 
  on 
  the 
  Production 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  Alkaloids 
  from 
  

   Fixed 
  Oils, 
  by 
  the 
  Aniline 
  Process," 
  by 
  W. 
  Skey. 
  {Transactions, 
  p. 
  471.) 
  

  

  7. 
  "On 
  the 
  Production 
  of 
  Platino-iodides 
  of 
  the 
  Alkaloids," 
  by 
  W. 
  

   Skey. 
  

  

  8. 
  " 
  On 
  a 
  further 
  Occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  Tree 
  SwaUow 
  

   (Hylochelidon 
  nigricans) 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand," 
  by 
  Walter 
  L. 
  BuUer, 
  C.M.G., 
  

   D. 
  Sc. 
  (Transactions, 
  p. 
  360.) 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  remarked 
  on 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  fact 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  bird 
  performing 
  a 
  journey 
  on 
  

   the 
  wing 
  of 
  upwards 
  of 
  a 
  thousand 
  miles 
  without 
  a 
  break 
  or 
  rest. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Hector 
  wished 
  to 
  be 
  informed 
  whether 
  tliis 
  bird 
  was 
  gregarious 
  in 
  its 
  native 
  

   country, 
  and 
  whether 
  it 
  had 
  come 
  over 
  singly 
  or 
  in 
  flocks 
  ? 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Martin 
  Chapman 
  gave 
  some 
  interesting 
  particulars 
  of 
  the 
  breeding 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  

   tree 
  swallow, 
  as 
  observed 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  Australia, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  gregarious 
  like 
  the 
  sparrow. 
  

   He 
  advocated 
  its 
  introduction 
  and 
  naturalization 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Duller 
  stated 
  that 
  a 
  flight 
  of 
  these 
  swallows 
  had 
  been 
  seen 
  at 
  Wakapuaka, 
  near 
  

   Nelson, 
  in 
  1856, 
  when 
  specimens 
  were 
  obtained 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Lee, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  

   Otago 
  Museum. 
  

  

  The 
  President 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  believed 
  the 
  bird 
  was 
  of 
  more 
  frequent 
  occurrence 
  in 
  New 
  

   Zealand 
  than 
  was 
  commonly 
  supposed, 
  and 
  he 
  mentioned 
  the 
  chcumstance 
  of 
  a 
  pah- 
  being 
  

   shot 
  at 
  Auckland 
  some 
  time 
  ago. 
  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  proposed 
  introduction 
  of 
  this 
  

  

  