﻿Wellington 
  Philosophical 
  Society. 
  535 
  

  

  3. 
  " 
  Note 
  on 
  a 
  ciiriotis 
  Duplication 
  of 
  Tnsks 
  in 
  the 
  common 
  wild 
  Pig 
  

   (Sus 
  scrofa),'" 
  by 
  A. 
  Hamilton. 
  

  

  My 
  attention 
  "was 
  drawn 
  the 
  other 
  day 
  to 
  a 
  curious 
  jaw, 
  with 
  double 
  

   tusks, 
  of 
  a 
  pig 
  that 
  had 
  been 
  killed 
  at 
  the 
  Waipapa 
  Creek, 
  near 
  Mohaka. 
  

   As 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  accompanying 
  sketch 
  the 
  development 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  

   symmetrical, 
  the 
  two 
  tusks 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  side 
  being 
  of 
  normal 
  shape, 
  and 
  

   measuring 
  from 
  tip 
  to 
  insertion, 
  three 
  inches, 
  and 
  total 
  length 
  seven 
  and 
  

   three-quarter 
  niches. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  right 
  side 
  the 
  lower 
  tusk 
  is 
  only 
  two 
  inches 
  from 
  point 
  to 
  

   insertion, 
  but 
  the 
  basal 
  portion 
  has 
  been 
  displaced 
  and 
  turned 
  inwards 
  by 
  a 
  

   most 
  peculiarly 
  shaped 
  tusk, 
  which 
  turns 
  inwards 
  and 
  upwards 
  till 
  the 
  

   point 
  is 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  central 
  line 
  of 
  jaw. 
  The 
  end 
  has 
  been 
  worn 
  down 
  to 
  

   the 
  shape 
  of 
  a 
  finger 
  nail 
  by 
  the 
  roof 
  of 
  the 
  mouth, 
  and, 
  judging 
  by 
  the 
  

   rounded 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  incision, 
  the 
  animal 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  close 
  

   its 
  mouth 
  properly. 
  

  

  Unfortunately 
  the 
  upper 
  jaw 
  was 
  not 
  preserved 
  ; 
  it 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  

   curious, 
  as 
  the 
  lower 
  molars 
  are 
  very 
  irregular 
  and 
  worn 
  entu'ely 
  on 
  the 
  

   inner 
  side. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  supplementary 
  tooth 
  under 
  the 
  second 
  incisor 
  on 
  the 
  

   right 
  side. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Newman 
  thought 
  more 
  notice 
  should 
  be 
  taken 
  of 
  such 
  monstrosities. 
  Evohition 
  

   taught 
  us 
  that 
  such 
  monstrosities 
  were 
  nearly 
  all 
  reversions 
  to 
  some 
  old 
  type, 
  showed 
  the 
  

   ancestry 
  of 
  the 
  animal, 
  e.g., 
  children 
  who 
  breathed 
  through 
  their 
  necks, 
  branchial 
  clefts, 
  

   like 
  their 
  amphibious 
  ancestors. 
  Everyone 
  at 
  a 
  certain 
  time 
  of 
  life 
  had 
  two 
  sets 
  of 
  

   teeth 
  in 
  his 
  or 
  her 
  jaw, 
  and 
  one 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  Hunterian 
  museum 
  had 
  three 
  sets. 
  

   One 
  odd, 
  useless 
  structure 
  had 
  never 
  been 
  explained, 
  viz., 
  the 
  corn 
  on 
  the 
  inside 
  of 
  a 
  

   horse's 
  forelegs. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  T. 
  Kirk 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  monstrosity 
  described 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hamilton 
  was 
  an 
  

   instance 
  of 
  duplication 
  combined 
  with 
  distortion, 
  and 
  could 
  hai-dly 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  the 
  

   supposition 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  an 
  instance 
  of 
  reversion 
  to 
  a 
  remote 
  ancestral 
  type 
  — 
  a 
  theory 
  

   which 
  was 
  now 
  being 
  pushed 
  to 
  extreme 
  lengths. 
  

  

  4. 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  Export 
  of 
  Fungus 
  from 
  New 
  Zealand," 
  by 
  T. 
  Kirk, 
  F.L.S. 
  

   {Transactions, 
  p. 
  454.) 
  

  

  5. 
  "Description 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  Species 
  of 
  Lycopodium,'' 
  by 
  T. 
  Kirk, 
  F.L.S. 
  

   {Transactions, 
  p. 
  456.) 
  

  

  6. 
  " 
  Description 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  Species 
  of 
  Hymenophyllum," 
  by 
  T. 
  Kirk, 
  F.L.S. 
  

   {Transactions, 
  p. 
  457.) 
  

  

  Specimens 
  illustrating 
  these 
  papers 
  were 
  exhibited. 
  

  

  7. 
  "Note 
  on 
  Mr. 
  Howard 
  Saunders' 
  Eeview 
  of 
  the 
  Larincs 
  or 
  Gulls," 
  

   by 
  W. 
  L. 
  Duller, 
  C.M.G. 
  {Transactions, 
  p. 
  359.) 
  

  

  8. 
  " 
  Notes 
  on 
  a 
  new 
  Species 
  of 
  Poniaderris 
  (P. 
  tainuij," 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Hector. 
  

   {Transactions, 
  p. 
  428.) 
  

  

  