﻿528 
  Proecedings. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Travers 
  said 
  that 
  the 
  first 
  report 
  of 
  this 
  proclivity 
  in 
  the 
  Kea 
  was 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  

   of 
  Lake 
  Wanaka, 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  discredited. 
  He 
  had 
  been 
  aware 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  himself, 
  and 
  

   it 
  was 
  now 
  beyond 
  a 
  doubt. 
  The 
  kaka 
  also 
  fed 
  on 
  flesh, 
  but 
  never 
  attacked 
  the 
  living 
  

   animal. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Newman 
  remarked 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  strange 
  that 
  these 
  birds 
  should 
  prey 
  upon 
  such 
  large 
  

   animals, 
  when 
  it 
  was 
  considered 
  that 
  before 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  sheep 
  they 
  had 
  not 
  pro- 
  

   bably 
  seen 
  anything 
  larger 
  than 
  a 
  rat. 
  

  

  2. 
  " 
  On 
  Pituri, 
  a 
  new 
  Vegetable 
  Product 
  that 
  deserves 
  further 
  Investi- 
  

   gation," 
  by 
  S. 
  M. 
  Curl, 
  M,D. 
  {Transactions, 
  p, 
  411.) 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Newman 
  said 
  that 
  very 
  little 
  was 
  known 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  real 
  merit 
  of 
  this 
  plant. 
  It 
  

   was 
  no 
  doubt, 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent, 
  a 
  stimulant, 
  but 
  he 
  thought 
  a 
  great 
  deal 
  was 
  due 
  to 
  

   imagination. 
  He 
  could 
  not 
  agree 
  with 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  author's 
  statements 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  power 
  

   of 
  this 
  product, 
  especially 
  in 
  critical 
  cases 
  of 
  disease. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Kirk 
  explained 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Curl 
  only 
  suggested 
  that 
  the 
  plant 
  might 
  prove 
  useful 
  in 
  

   critical 
  cases, 
  not 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  done 
  so. 
  If 
  what 
  the 
  author 
  said 
  was 
  correct, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  

   a 
  most 
  valuable 
  drug 
  to 
  travellers 
  and 
  explorers 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Field 
  would 
  like 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  Chairman's 
  opinion 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  experiments 
  

   on 
  animals 
  referred 
  to 
  could 
  be 
  attributed 
  to 
  imagination. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Newman 
  said 
  that 
  no 
  doubt 
  the 
  plant 
  had 
  an 
  effect 
  on 
  animals, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  an 
  

   unusual 
  food 
  for 
  them. 
  It 
  was 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  experiments 
  on 
  human 
  beings 
  that 
  

   at 
  all 
  reliable 
  results 
  had 
  been 
  obtained, 
  and 
  these 
  latter 
  were 
  to 
  him 
  unsatisfactory. 
  

  

  3. 
  "Some 
  Eemarks 
  on 
  Dr. 
  Curl's 
  'Notes 
  on 
  Grasses 
  and 
  Fodder 
  

   Plants, 
  suitable 
  for 
  Introduction 
  to 
  New 
  Zealand,' 
  " 
  by 
  Henry 
  BlundeU. 
  

  

  ABSTRACT. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  paid 
  a 
  high 
  compliment 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Curl 
  for 
  his 
  work. 
  He 
  

   thought 
  that 
  though 
  rye 
  and 
  clover 
  were 
  often 
  selected 
  as 
  the 
  best 
  known 
  

   grasses 
  for 
  the 
  cultivator, 
  the 
  pasture 
  grown 
  from 
  them 
  is 
  mixed 
  with 
  other 
  

   grasses, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  getting 
  pure 
  seed. 
  Several 
  grasses 
  thus 
  

   get 
  root 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  and 
  in 
  course 
  of 
  time 
  the 
  pasture, 
  though 
  nominally 
  

   of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  varieties, 
  is 
  actually 
  composed 
  of 
  many. 
  The 
  author 
  thinks 
  a 
  

   variety 
  of 
  food 
  for 
  cattle 
  is 
  most 
  beneficial, 
  if 
  not 
  essential, 
  and 
  says 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  their 
  food 
  is 
  especially 
  noticeable 
  in 
  dairy 
  produce. 
  In 
  this 
  country 
  

   PJiormium 
  has 
  a 
  great 
  influence 
  in 
  the 
  flavour 
  of 
  milk, 
  and 
  is 
  largely 
  chewed 
  

   by 
  cattle, 
  especially 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  leaf. 
  The 
  author 
  has 
  known 
  acres 
  

   of 
  swamp 
  land 
  to 
  be 
  cleared 
  of 
  Phormium 
  by 
  cattle 
  tearing 
  off 
  the 
  leaves. 
  

   He 
  says 
  " 
  there 
  is 
  one 
  exotic 
  plant 
  which 
  I 
  think 
  is 
  deserving 
  of 
  more 
  

   than 
  the 
  passing 
  notice 
  it 
  receives 
  at 
  Dr. 
  Curl's 
  hands 
  in 
  his 
  paper 
  

   published 
  in 
  Vol. 
  IX. 
  of 
  the 
  Transactions. 
  I 
  allude 
  to 
  the 
  burnet, 
  

   which 
  grows 
  luxuriantly 
  in 
  swampy 
  soil, 
  and 
  thrives 
  well 
  in 
  soil 
  of 
  

   a 
  much 
  drier 
  description. 
  Some 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  sown 
  at 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  the 
  

   homestead, 
  on 
  a 
  run 
  where 
  it 
  throve 
  wonderfully, 
  but 
  never 
  spread, 
  

   for 
  the 
  simple 
  reason 
  that 
  the 
  sheep 
  never 
  gave 
  it 
  the 
  chance, 
  for 
  though 
  

   naturally 
  wild 
  and 
  timid 
  they 
  would 
  brave 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  to 
  get 
  a 
  taste 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  