184 
JOURNAL OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
of Mount Egmont, made on the 31st March, 1869, and to notice 
the animals and plants then met with. 
Attention was next directed to the steel sand of Taranaki, and 
the difficulty of smelting it on a large scale. 
A description of the east coast was attempted, and an account 
given of the volcanic formation of the Island as interpreted by 
Hochstetter. 
A visit to Whakari, an active sunken volcano, forming an island 
in the Bay of Plenty, was then described, and an account given of 
the hot lakes and sulphur springs near Lake Taupo. 
Noticing the small attention that seems to have been yet given 
to the less attractive, but equally important, geological features of 
North Island, the lecturer closed this portion of his paper by 
showing that, in the remarkable absence of most of the chief groups 
of secondary rocks (as far as yet determined), the geology of the 
Island presented a marked contrast to that of the Australian Con- 
tinent, and added weight to the opinion that these two countries 
could never have been in any way connected. 
Turning to the fauna of the Island, the remarkable absence of 
terrestrial mammalia was briefly noticed, and some particulars re- 
specting the few reptiles were given. 
Previous to describing some of the more interesting birds of the 
Island, the history of the extinct *'Moa" was dwelt on at some 
length, and different opinions given as to the cause of its sudden 
disappearance. 
After a brief review of some of the fresh -water fish and insects, 
the lecturer concluded by giving a short account of the native in- 
habitants of the Island. 
ON IRON. 
ABSTfiACT OF PAPER BY MR. W. BEER. 
(Read March 21st, 1872.) 
Peancis Horner once observed that Iron is not only the soul of 
every other manufacture, but the mainspring of civilized society. 
Our immense supplies of this material enable us to keep our 
supremacy amongst nations. Iron is, of the metals termed useful, 
the most difficult of reduction from the ore. Hence it was the 
last to come into use. Perfectly pure Iron is almost unattainable. 
