The Biological Society

President: Mr. S. Sampson

Secretary: Mr. D. Knox

The Biological Society states its aims as being: To foster biological relations, to provide students with a background to biology and to give them an insight into subjects they will not encounter in lectures. This is done by talks on varied subjects by outside speakers, and by field trips.

About six weekend trips are held during the year, and three week-long trips are taken—during Study Week, in the August holidays, and after finals. Although some attempt is made at serious work, these excursions are mainly social, and are very popular with both graduates and undergraduates. In the past the Society has travelled to Cass Mountain Station. Arthur's Pass; to Tarewa Field Station National Park; and to Mydia Bay in the Sounds. Accommodation is in houses or in good tramping huts, and it costs about £6 per person for the week's trip.

The Biological Society's main highlight is its journal Tuatara, which is published three times a year and has a world-wide subscription of over 1000. Tuatara, which was started in 1942 as a record of the field excursions organised by the Society in that year, has now grown to a leading publication on the fauna and flora of New Zealand. Most leading New Zealand scientists have, at some time, contributed to Tuatara and it is now well-known for its high standard.

Meetings of the Society are held monthly on a Thursday at 7.30 p.m. in a Kirk lecture-hall. After a talk by a visiting speaker supper is provided for a small fee. There is no set membership, but the meetings are attended by 40-50 people. The Society hopes that a large number of Freshers will attend its meetings and go on some of the field trips.