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Typo: A Monthly Newspaper and Literary Review, Volume 5

Wellington Philosophical Society

page 30

Wellington Philosophical Society

Annual Meeting. 13th February, 1891.

The Annual Meeting of the Society was held on Friday, 13th February, the President, Mr Charles Hulke, in the chair. The minutes of the last annual meeting were read and confirmed. New Member—Mr W. T. Cohen.

  • 1. The Annual Report and Balance-sheet were read and adopted. The following is an abstract:—

    The Report stated that during the past year six general meetings had been held, which had on the whole been fairly well attended, and some interesting discussions had taken place on the various papers read, as will be seen from the reports of the proceedings published in the usual liberal manner by Messrs Lyon and Blair in their Monthly Record and Review. The titles of the papers, with the names of the authors, were given, making a total of twenty-five. Four new members had been elected during the year, the total number of members now on the books being one hundred and fifty. The receipts during the year amounted to £150 3s 6d, and the expenditure was £120 4s 3d, leaving a balance of £29 19s 3d; there was also a fixed deposit in the bank of £20, the first payment to the prize fund.

    The report, on the motion of Mr H. W. Robinson, seconded by Mr C. T. Richardson, was adopted.

  • 2. Election of Office-bearers.—The election of office-bearers for 1891 resulted as follows:—President, Mr E. Tregear; Vice-Presidents, Mr A. McKay and the Hon. R. Pharazyn; Council, Sir J. Hector, Sir W. Buller, Messrs W. M. Maskell, A. de B. Brandon, G. V. Hudson, W. T. L. Travers, and C. Hulke; Secretary and Treasurer, R. B. Gore; Auditor, T. King.

In the absence of the newly-elected President, Mr Hulke remained in the chair, and thanked the members for the assistance they had afforded him during his term of office.

Mr T. Kirk stated that he thought Saturday evenings would be more convenient for the members than Wednesdays.

The Secretary stated that the day had been changed from Saturday to Wednesday at the request of many members.

The Chairman said the question would be brought before the Council.

The following papers were then read:—

  • 1. On a Deposit of Diatomaceous Earth at the Bay of Islands, by A. Mckay, F.G.S.

    The author stated that he had had an opportunity of examining a deposit of diatomaceous earth about half a mile to the east of the residence of the Hon. Henry Williams, and that he brought samples from the upper surface, and from about one foot below the surface of the deposit, which were submitted to Mr Maskell, who found only recent species in the samples from the upper part, and fossil forms only in the samples taken at about a foot from the surface of the deposit. Such being the result of the examinations made by Mr Maskell, on his describing the conditions under which the deposit had accumulated, by way of explanation of the facts, Mr Maskell suggested that probably an older diatomaceous deposit had been denuded for supply of the lower part of the deposit under description, and in which only fossil forms are found, while the higher and last deposits were manifestly due to diatoms which (of recent forms only) had lived and died within the area wherein their remains had accumulated. But this is not the only explanation that may be advanced, and he (Mr McKay) deemed it necessary to describe more closely the position of the deposit and the conditions under which it had accumulated. After giving a full account of the locality in question, and the position of the specimens collected, Mr McKay stated that on the stones and fern fronds which are under water when the basin is full, the green living diatoms are deposited, forming a coating of from ⅙in. to ½in. thick, according to circumstances. This deposit round the margin of the basin soon bleaches white on the surface. According to Mr Maskell it is almost wholly composed of living forms of diatomaceæ. Very probably the same samples, Mr McKay thought, would be found among the grass-roots, and for the first few inches into the deposit filling the basin itself. Unfortunately, Mr McKay did not bring samples to prove that such is the case; but it is so self-evident that this must be so that no doubts need be ventured on the subject. The deposits in the middle of the basin are 6ft. to 8ft. thick, and were exposed by the cutting-down of a cattle-track crossing the creek at this place. Mr McKay took a sample from about 1ft. below the surface. Some of this also was examined by Mr Maskell, whose decision as to the fossil nature of the species forming this part of the deposit has already been stated. Subsequently Mr Maskell forwarded samples to England, which were examined by one of the chief authorities on diatoms, whose decision was in accordance with the conclusion Mr Maskell had already arrived at. Such were the facts of the case, and such the conclusions arrived at by competent authorities. And yet he (Mr McKay) was not satisfied that the true explanation had been hit upon; and here he ventured a theory of explanation to which, though there might be objections grave as applied to Mr Maskell's explanation, they were yet not the same, and he had therefore written the paper so that the Society might have an opportunity of debating the probabilities of each. Considering the conditions under which the diatomaceous deposits had accumulated, it was reasonable to expect that recent forms of diatoms would be found in the lowest, as well as the highest, beds of the deposit; and it was certainly surprising that the upper beds, or latest part of the deposit, should be wholly composed of recent species, which were absent from the middle and lowerparts. It was quite a possibility that the fossil-species forming the bulk of the deposit had been derived from an older deposit, either forming the bed of the lake or now buried beneath the scoriæ hills to the east of Paoroa. But it seemed to him that, in order to account for the facts of the case, it must be supposed that at first only fossil-species carried along the underground channels were deposited in the little basins whence the specimens were obtained. And as the deposit was entirely composed of fossil-species to within 1ft. of the present surface, the introduction or appearance of living forms was of very recent date. As, however, the weposit was manifestly of quite recent date, and as at first the conditions were as fit for the existence of recent forms of diatoms as they now were, it seemed extraordinary that throughout the deposit there was not a mixture of fossil and living species. Taking these facts into account, he (Mr McKay) would prefer to account for the difference in the species found in the top and bottom beds of the deposit, by supposing that the species first living in the pond gave place to other forms, either modified descendants of the original species or species introduced from different stocks, and in this way would avoid the necessity of hypothecating an older deposit, the existence of which had not been proved, and, at the same time account for the separateness of the living and extinct forms as they were found in the higher and lower parts of the deposit. He would here add that as the surface-layers were formed wholly of living forms, and all were extinct at about 1ft. 6in. from the surface, it seemed reasonable to suppose that at, say, 6ft. from the surface other and quite distinct species might be found. And as Mr Williams informed him, he (Mr Williams) dug into the deposit to a yet greater depth without passing through it. Other and quite distinct species, it was probable, would be found in the first-named and lower parts of the deposits. If samples were taken not more than 6in. apart in the section of the deepest part of the deposit, an examination of these would be likely to set at rest any doubts as to the true origin and mode of accumulation, since it was mainly a derived and secondary deposit; then from about 1ft. from the surface to the greatest depth there should be little variation of the specific forms; while on the other hand, if the species changed more than once, that would go far to prove the correctness of his theory on the subject.

    Mr Maskell said that as he had been referred to in Mr McKay's paper, it would be necessary for him to ask the writer's leave to add a short note for the Transactions, explaining his view of this rather puzzling matter. He had no pretensions to a knowledge of geology; but it was possible that a microscopist's observations might sometimes come in useful as an aid to a geologist, and perhaps this was the case in the present instance. Put very shortly, the point was this: When Mr McKay handed over to him some specimens of these diatomaceous deposits, he was at once struck with three peculiarities in them. First, the upper deposit evidently owed its greenish tinge to the presence of endochrome in the diatoms, showing therefore that these organisms were not only recent, but alive. Secondly, the lower deposit, on the other hand, was not only pure white, from the absence of any endochrome, but also remarkably and exceptionally clean and clear from sand and dirt, having all the appearance of a perfectly pure fossil diatomaceous mass. Thirdly (and this was the important point), in the upper deposit he found only a quantity of two species of the genera Melosira and Himantidium, with a very few Naviculæ; whilst in the lower deposit, with one species of Melosira, and a few Naviculæ, there were many specimens of a peculiarly-shaped diatom, which, from the distinct cross page 31visible on it, he took for a Stauroneis. Having submitted specimens of this to Dr de Lautour, of Oamaru, a leading diatomist of the colony, that gentleman considered it as a new species; and he agreed with Mr Maskell that it was undoubtedly 'fossil.' Specimens of the deposit were also sent to Mr Grove, one of the first authorities in England on diatoms, and to Mr Hardman, another very eminent student of the same family at Liverpool; and these gentlemen, whilst ascribing this particular diatom to the genus Achnanthes, also agreed that it was clearly fossil. Now, the result of these investigations showed positively, as he thought, that there is a radical and important difference between the two deposits. The upper one is recent, with living diatoms and no Achnanthes; the lower one is conspicuously full of Achnanthes, quite in a fossil state. If the geological evidence, taken by itself, seemed to point to a similarity of conditions and of time in which both deposits were formed, the microscopical observations went to show that there must have been a considerable difference of time, at least. It seemed to him that the two classes of evidence would have to be taken together; or, at least, the indications of the microscope should receive full attention. The case certainly was a peculiar one, as the two deposits were so closely adjoined.

    Mr Hulke supposed that Mr McKay wished to show that he had evidence of evolution, while Mr Maskell contended that this had not been proved. Had those deposits been bones, Mr McKay would not, he presumed, say they were the same had the bones been of distinct forms. It would be interesting to know whether the lower deposits were much abraded.

    Mr McKay briefly replied, and said he felt sure that his statements would be fully borne out by any one carefully examining the district where these deposits had been found.

  • 2. On the Botany of Antipodes Island, by T. Kirk, F.G.S.

    Antipodes Island is about 460 miles from Port Chalmers in a southerly direction, and is simply the crater of an extinct volcano. An overflow of lava on the eastern side has formed an angle where a landing may be made with some difficulty, but only in the finest weather. In all other places the cliffs are steep, so that the island is practically inaccessible. The albatros and other oceanic birds breed on the island, which, in some places, is dotted over with the nests of the great albatros, constructed of earth, built up into a truncated cone about eighteen inches high, slightly concave on the upper surface, and usually containing one large egg. The highest point on the island, Mount Galloway, a rounded hill, is about 1320 feet above sea level. There is not a tree on the island; nothing much larger than a gooseberry bush. The chief vegetation consists of masses of coarse sedges and grass. The island is about as desolate a place as can well be imagined. Some bushy shrubs at the base of Mount Galloway were enlivened by the yellow-headed parroquet, which was rather common although not abundant. About fifty-five species of plants were collected, of which the most striking was named Pleurophyllum criniferum, with smooth leaves something like rhubarb leaves, and erect stems five feet high, carrying large disc-like heads of reddish-purple flowers; it is found also on the Auckland and Campbell Islands. Two plants are peculiar to this little island: a pretty Gentian with yellow or red stems and leaves. The yellow-stemmed form has white flowers; that with red stems, white flowers striped with red, the result in both being that the flowers are inconspicuous; the other plant is a large herbaceous Groundsel, resembling in some respects a species found on the Falkland Islands.

  • 3. On the Botany of the Snares, by T. Kirk, F.G.S.

    The Snares consist of a group of rocky islands, situate near the 48th parallel of south latitude, and about sixty-five miles from the South Cape of Stewart's Island. The principal island is inhabited by thousands of crested penguins, which perch on the trees in rare numbers, forming 'rookeries' during a greater part of the year, but during the breeding-season the trees are forsaken. In many places the ground is honeycombed by petrels, which occur in large numbers. Several land-birds were noticed: a small snipe found also on the Auckland Islands; a small bird only known elsewhere on the Chatham Islands; and the South Island grass-bird; all species with very poor powers of flight. Two fur-seals were also noticed. The island is remarkable for the occurrence of two grand trees, Senecio Muelleri, which is probably the largest species of the genus, and one of the grandest, the trunk being sometimes two feet in diameter, and the tree twenty-five feet high. The other is Olearia Lyalli, which is nearly thirty feet high, with leaves from four to seven inches in length, white on back surfaces, and producing racemes of large button-like velvety flower-heads on the tips of the branches. Both these trees are amongst the rare plants of the world, the first being confined to the Snares and Herekopere Island, the other to the Snares and the Auckland Islands. The punui is a strong growing herb, which resembles in most particulars the punui of Stewart's Island.

    The leaves are sometimes two feet across, and are carried on leafstalks as thick as a rhubarb-stalk. About twenty-five other kinds were observed, two or three of which had evidently been introduced by sealers.

  • 4. On the Wandering Albatros, with an exhibition of specimens and the determination of a new species (Diomedea regia), by Sir Walter Buller, K.C.M.G., F.R.S.

    This paper reviewed the history of Diomedea exulans, and referred to an exhibition of specimens made by the author at a meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society on February 13th, 1885, when he had expressed his conviction that two distinct species of wandering albatros were being confounded under the above name. He had lately had an opportunity of examining sixteen examples of the supposed new bird (collected at Campbell Island, on the Auckland Islands, and off the New Zealand coast), and he had now no hesitation whatever in declaring it to be a distinct species, readily distinguishable from Diomedea exulans by its larger size, by its perfectly white head and neck from the nest to maturity, and by its having the bare eyelids jet-black, at all ages, instead of being greenish-purple as in the other species. This albatros being undoubtedly the noblest of the entire group, he selects for it the distinctive specific name of Diomedea regia. Its great breeding-place is Campbell Island, where it nests some five weeks earlier than Diomedea exulans does on the Auckland Islands. Captain Fairchild, who has made the breeding habits of the albatros his special study for some years past, was till lately of opinion that this larger species never came farther north to breed; but on the occasion of his recent visit to the Auckland Islands, he found a colony of them breeding there, but in a separate locality and quite distant from Diomedea exulans. Here, too, in the Auckland Islands, the two species observed their own breeding times, Diomedea regia actually hatching-out its young whilst the other species was only preparing to lay. Amongst the hundreds of nests of the latter examined by him only one contained eggs (two instead of one, a very unusual circumstance). The author's collection contains a fine series of skins of both species. Diomedea regia has a perfectly white head neck, and body, with blackish-brown shoulders and wings, even from the nest; one of the exhibits having still remnants of the down adhering to the plumage. Apart from the much larger size of the bill (exceeding eight inches, measured along the column), it is further distinguished from the common species by having a distinct black line along the cutting edge of the upper mandible. Diomedea exulans, on the other hand, has a dark-colored nestling, and the young bird of the first year has a uniform sooty-grey plumage, with a white face. The bird passes through many phases in its progress towards maturity, and no two individuals are exactly alike in the delicate markings of their plumage. In his 'Birds of New Zealand' (vol. ii, pp. 190-192), the author has described no less than ten of these intermediate or transitional states.

    The following papers were then taken as read:—

  • 5. On the Fossil Flora of New Zealand, by Prof. Van Ettinghausen; communicated by Sir James Hector.
  • 6. On Pleurophyllum, with description of New Species, by T. Kirk, F.L.S.
  • 7. On the New Zealand Species of Centrolepsis, by T. Kirk.
  • 8. On the Macrocephalous Olearias, by T. Kirk.
  • 9. Notes on certain Carices, by T. Kirk.
  • 10. Further Notes on New Zealand Fishes, by Sir James Hector.
  • 11. On Patent Fuel, by Sir James Hector.
  • 12. On the Discovery of Leiodon Remains in Middle Waipara, by J. Mckay, F.G.S.
  • 13. On Belemnites Australis with Dicotyledonous Leaves, by A. McKay.
  • 14. On the Alleged Insular Character of Young Secondary and Older Tertiary Formations in New Zealand, by A. McKay.
  • 15. On Lithological Characters in Sequence as a Means of Co-relation and as Indicative of Age, by A. McKay.

Before the close of the meeting, Mr Hulke called attention to a paper recently read by Mr McKay on Telescopic Photography, and read extracts from a recent number of Nature showing how Mr McKay's method was now being used in other parts of the world in Astronomical Photography. This, he added, must be very gratifying to the Society and to Mr McKay.