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Volume 37, 1904
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Otago Institute.

First Meeting: 10th May, 1904.

The President, Professor W. B. Benham, read his presidential address.

The President, after returning thanks for the honour done him in electing him to the office of President for another year, said that since the last presidential address was delivered the Institute had sustained the loss of two valuable members of its Council—Mr. Justice Chapman and Mr. A. Hamilton. Both gentlemen have been valued coadjutors in the Council's affairs. It was frequently complained that the meetings were “dull,” and in order to render them less dull, and even interesting, discussions of papers and casual talks on various subjects of interest would be welcomed. These two gentlemen were always ready to join in such discussions and to give such casual talks. There were, unfortunately, few members—lay members, if he might so express himself to distinguish them from the few professional scientists—who were so ready to give their opinions as those two were. One often hears it stated that in former days—in the good old days when the Institute was young, it was vigorous too—its meetings were interesting, the papers more varied and less abstruse, and so forth. It had sometimes occurred to him that a possible means of revival of that much-to-be-desired condition of affairs might be attained if they made it a rule that no professor or lecturer—i.e., no professional—should read a paper or even be present at the meetings. Let them lay their papers on the table for publication in the Transactions, but let the evening meetings be conducted by “lay members.” It had occurred to him that then, perhaps, younger folk would be induced to bring forward matter for discussion. In their programme for the present session they had, as members would be glad to note, two or three “new performers” in the lecture-room. It was a very general, but wholly erroneous, idea that the Institute was mainly connected with science; but that was not so. The laws of the Institute referred to the “promotion of art, literature, philosophy, and science,” and yet it had come about that science, at any rate in recent years, had predominated in the agenda lists, and that biology, perhaps, had till the last year or two taken the lead. Was there no advancement in art, literature, or philosophy? Where were their literary and philosophical members? Was it that the folk who were interested in these matters preferred to keep their ideas to themselves? Why was it that only scientific men, or chiefly so, attended and read their articles? Were they to conclude from this absence of votaries of arts, literature, and philosophy, and the presence of scientific men, that it was only science and its followers that were awake, alive, and active? It might be that there were societies for arts, literature, and philosophy; if so, they seemed to hide their light under a bushel. In any case, it would be a pleasing change if some of their members were to discourse on some of these subjects at their meetings. Since their last meeting two important events in the scientific world had occurred. The first was the meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, which met for the first time in Dunedin, and for the second

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time of its existence in New Zealand. The success of the gathering was due primarily to the energy and labour of the local secretary, Mr. G. M. Thomson—(applause)—and also to the activity of the various business men of the city, who willingly gave up their time, and acted on the different sub-committees to which was intrusted the work of entertaining the visitors. The second event was the safe arrival of the “Discovery,” with the welcome news of “All well on board.” Biologically, the most important fact ascertained was that fossil plants occurred in the sandstone of the continental plateau, which rose to a height of 8,000 ft. or 9,000 ft. This added one more piece of evidence in favour of the view already put forward by several Australasian biologists that Tierra del Fuego extended further south at some earlier geological period than it did at present, and connected with an antarctic continent, which in its turn was continuous with New Zealand or Australia. But in order to judge of the period and character of this great land they must wait till the rocks gathered by the expedition had been examined. Nevertheless, those already collected by Borchgrevinck and previous explorers indicated a similarity, if not identity, with some of the rocks of Victoria. As the subject was suggested for discussion at one of their meetings, he would reserve further remarks on the importance of the results until that occasion. After referring to the completion of the marine-fish hatchery at Portobello, and to the attempts in January last to investigate the floor of the continental shelf round this colony, the President spoke of a number of scientific works recently completed in New Zealand, among which he mentioned Captain Hutton's “Index to the Fauna of New Zealand” and “Natural History of New Zealand,” and Mr. Hudson's “Neuroptera.” He then turned to a more special matter, and considered the utility of the study of zoology and botany, and in an interesting account of work carried on in both subjects he showed many serviceable results that were being daily achieved by investigators. One had only to refer to the bulky annual report of the Department of Agriculture to note the variety and the value of the investigations carried on by the Government biologists. The study of the life-histories of insects and other creatures—especially those that attacked the various kinds of fruit-trees, timber-trees, of cereals, and so forth—enabled the zoologist to suggest remedies or preventives. So, too, with regard to the various parasites that affected cattle. The proper treatment of the disease necessitated a knowledge of the cause, and this in turn demanded a scientific study of the organism that in many cases was the cause of the trouble. He proceeded to deal at length with some of these parasitic diseases and with the biological work required in treating them, making special reference to the cause of malarial fever, sleeping sickness, and other ailments, and the remedies which, after investigation by scientists, have been adopted to counteract some of them.

At the conclusion of the address, which occupied an hour and a half in delivery, Mr. J. C. Thomson proposed a vote of thanks to Dr. Benham for his lucid and instructive remarks, which was carried with applause.

New Member.—Mr. E. Herbert.

Second Meeting: 3rd June, 1904.

Dr. Marshall exhibited a spindle-shaped stone implement that had been found in a rock-cleft during excavation-work at Musselburgh, also specimens of pitchblende and radium.

During the evening three speakers dealt with different phases of the results of the “Discovery” expedition.

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Dr. P. Marshall took up the history of discovery in geography and geology, and gave some details of the voyages from the finding of the South Shetlands in 1599 to the second year of the Scottish expedition, which was first reported on the 31st May of this year. He laid particular stress upon Cook's voyage in 1744, and Ross's in 1839–43, and mentioned that each of the voyagers considered that a southern continent existed, owing to the numerous large flat-topped icebergs consisting of inland ice that they encountered in every longitude. He mentioned that fossils had been discovered by the Swedish expedition in Graham Land that were probably vegetation indicating a tropical climate, and also some land-animals. Mr. Ferrar, of the “Discovery,” had found leaf-fossils at an elevation of 6,000 ft. in south Victoria Land. The existence of volcanoes in south Victoria Land and Graham Land seemed to point to a connection between the great volcanic land of South America and a Pacific line through New Zealand.

Mr. J. S. S. Cooper spoke of what had been done by the expedition in physics. He referred to the very cold weather experienced, the register being at times 68° below zero, which was much colder than anything experienced in the Arctic regions. Pendulums were swung in order to discover the force of gravity, and the results would have an important bearing on the theories as to the shape of the earth. Important findings were also made in atmospherical electricity. A very complete set of apparatus sent down was checked in Christchurch before it went away and after it came back. It was owing to the liberality of the New Zealand Government in providing a magnetic observatory at Christchurch that Lyttelton was made the base of the expedition. One curious thing he mentioned—namely, in the western sledge journey Lieutenant Shackelton got to the south of the south magnetic pole, so that his magnetic needle pointed in an exactly contrary direction to that in which it should point, the north end pointing south. A suspended needle pointed almost vertical, the horizontal force being practically nothing. Mr. Cooper exhibited curves taken by Mr. Bernacchi, and compared them with curves taken at the same time in Christchurch and Germany. On corresponding days they showed similar characteristics, thus proving that the disturbances recorded had been felt all over the world at the same time. A great magnetic storm in November, 1903, which largely deranged the telegraphic system of Europe, was clearly recorded at Christchurch and by the “Discovery” party.

Mr. G. M. Thomson touched on the biological work of the expedition. There were, he said, several remarkable differences betweent the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The former had quite a rich flora, including a large number of flowering-plants, and numerous mosses and lichens. In short, in the Arctic summer of a few weeks' duration the sheltered parts were full of verdure and beautiful flowers—poppies, buttercups, white scurvy-grass, purple saxifrages, and others—with beds of green grass in many places. The mosses—green, red, and brown—occurred in large beds wherever there was moisture, and the dead moss formed masses of peat. The rocks were everywhere covered with many-coloured lichens. Thus the whole aspect was varied and warm-coloured. But in the Antarctic there were no flowering-plants whatever, very few lichens, and still fewer mosses. There being no plant-life, there was none of the insect-life such as was always associated with plants. The invertebrate fauna were all obtained within the 100-fathom line. There was no littoral or tidal zone, because the shore was mostly hidden under a permanent ice-face. The “Gauss” found much the same. The coast, where accessible, was covered with an ice-face, and elsewhere was precipitous and inaccessible, and falling steeply to a deep sea. The most interesting discovery of all, perhaps, was that made by Mr. Ferrar, who accompanied Captain Scott on his western journey. A great

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glacier, filling the valley, was followed for about eighty miles to a height of 9,000 ft., where it joined the inland ice. On the edge of this inland ice he found fossil leaves in a bed of sandstone of the Tertiary age. These fossils were not yet worked out, but included Dicotyledons, which pointed to a warmer climate.

A vote of thanks was accorded the speakers for their interesting contributions.

Third Meeting: 19th July, 1904.
Professor Evans delivered an address on “Photography in Colour.”

The process in hand might, he said, be called “the reproduction of certain effects of light by means of certain other effects of light.” What, then, was light? He could not tell them. All he could say was that, just as the clearest views of the phenomena of sound were reached when we imagined them as caused by wave disturbances passing out from sonorous bodies, so was the most comprehensive understanding of the phenomena of light reached if we looked upon it as wave disturbances passing out in all directions from luminous bodies. He went on to explain the science of light, and illustrated his remarks by projecting, by means of a powerful limelight, a white light on the wall, showing that white light was made up of many other colours by inserting a prism and throwing the reflection of the visible spectrum on the wall. He then spoke at some length on the wave theory of light, and illustrated the wave-lengths by means of diagrams thrown on a screen by a lantern. The problem of colour-photography was as old as photography itself All attempts to solve it could be divided into two groups—they prepared light sensitive surfaces, which retained the colour of the light to which they were exposed, or they produced ordinary photographic pictures, which were coloured and then superposed to obtain the desired effect. The first might be called the direct, and the second the indirect method. The earliest partly successful applications were those of Becquerel, St. Victor, Seebeck, and Poiterin. The two first named covered a highly polished silver mirror with a thin layer of silver-chloride, and exposed it to the light until the delicate surface was converted to the brown subchloride. By projecting the solar spectrum on the prepared surface good coloured impressions were obtained. Poiterin substituted paper for the silver substratum, but no other substance had been found that could replace the silver-subchloride. The method and the coloured image given by that substance were not permanent; the image was destroyed by further exposure to light; and, despite numerous experiments, no chemical had been discovered that could fix the subchloride without destroying the colour. A light sensitive substance could only be altered by those coloured rays which the substance absorbed; red light would have no effect on a red body, green rays no influence on a green body. He illustrated these facts by experiments with the lights thrown on the wall, and, after exhibiting slides of photographs of various coloured flowers, showing how the different blossoms had been brought out more prominently by the use of different coloured screens in the photographic process, he went on to explain the different wave-lengths of the lights, and the impressions of photographs taken by the human eye, illustrating the latter with an optical delusion. Continuing, he said that, though the ear could distinguish the different notes in a chord, the eye did not distinguish between the colours forming one composite colour. Upon that inability most of the theories of colorisation were based. With the normal eye all the possible colour - sensations could be given

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by red, green, and violet (or blue - violet) mixed in proper proportion. He then went on to explain the three sets of nerves in the eye, and the sensation caused by the colours on the three nerves, after the Young-Helmholtz theory. The primary colour-sensations were red, green, and violet. Throwing discs of the three colours on the wall, he showed that red and green together produced yellow, violet and red produced a purple, and green and violet produced a bluish green. By superposing the red, green, and violet a fair white light was produced. He then projected the picture of an ordinary photograph on the wall, and by superposing the three coloured discs in front of it the photograph stood out in natural colouring, the result being received with prolonged applause. Various pictures were shown in the same manner, including a beautiful sunset view, the red flush in the sky, the gold tinting of the clouds, and the blue and green of the sea being seen to perfection. He stated that not one of the negatives had been retouched, but were simply taken through three coloured screens, and then projected through three coloured glasses. Was it not possible to do away with the complex triple lantern and superpose the three photos permanently? Certainly it was, and that was just how the many modern beautiful reproductions of oil and water-colour paintings were being formed. By placing the three screens in the front of one lens there would simply be a subtraction and consequent darkness instead of light. Evidently, if they wanted to reproduce in colour, they must make three gelatines and stain them, and use complementary colours, so that each film would receive certain rays only. The method was to take the three negatives from the three-colour screens and then form three printing-blocks. The lecturer then explained the technique of the printing-block colours, and concluded by saying that the practical part of this process consisted of the decomposition of the original colours and the printing. The problem of colour-decomposition by photographic means could be considered as solved, as by employing different sensitive and light filters the condition of sensitiveness could easily be regulated; but the recomposition of the three-colour pictures by the means of printing left much to be desired. The production of the photo-mechanical printing-surfaces was uncertain, and the printing process itself lacked that uniformity which three-colour printing required.

The lecturer was tendered a hearty vote of thanks at the close of his address.

Fourth Meeting: 9th August, 1904.

Professor Scott gave an address on “Primitive Man,” illustrating his remarks by the exhibition of numerous models.

The President, Professor Benham, exhibited “ski” that had been used by members of the “Discovery” Antarctic Expedition, also a fossil crab from Waipara, and a fossil crayfish from Ahuriri.

Papers.—1. Mr. G. M. Thomson: A Paper by Mr. J. A. Thomson, B.Sc., “On a Small Salt Pool in the Barewood District.”

2. “On Pecten huttoni,” by Professor Park. (Transactions, p. 485.)

3. The President contributed a paper by Mr. W. Dunbar “On the Skull of Regalecus parkeri.”

New Members.—Messrs. A. Bowman, C. W. Hay, and F. W. Payne.

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Fifth Meeting: 13th September, 1904.

The President, Professor Benham, exhibited specimens of the emperor penguin from Victoria Land, and of a nestling albatros (Diomedea regia), and of Ramulina which had been dredged near Otago Heads.

Mr. G. M. Thomson exhibited a collection of dried specimens of Mycetozoa.

Papers.—1. “The Genesis of Ore-deposits,” by Professor Park.

2. “The Marine Tertiaries of New Zealand,” by Professor Park. (Transactions, p. 489.)

3. “Border Segregation of Igneous Masses,” by Professor Park. (Transactions, p. 486.)

4 “Some Olivine Rocks from Milford Sound,” by Dr. Marshall. (Transactions, p. 481.)

5. “Some Earthworms from the North Island,” by Professor Benham (Transactions, p. 281.)

6. “Some Earthworms from the Southern Islands,” by Professor Benham. (Transactions, p. 285.)

7. “Note on Ramulina globulifera,” by Professor Benham. (Transactions, p. 300.)

Mr. G. M. Thomson led a discussion on the metric system, and the President, Mr. Justice Chapman, Messrs. Skey, Payne, Fels, McPhee, and Professor Park took part in it.

Sixth Meeting: 11th October, 1904.

Dr. Benham, the President, exhibited some excellent photographs of various species of New Zealand Phasmidæ.

Dr. Benham read a paper entitled “Notes on Dr. Bergh's Diagnosis of certain New Zealand Nudibranchs.” (Transactions, p. 312.)

Mr. R. Gilkison read a most interesting paper on “The Treatment of Crimes and Criminals.”

He strongly advocated the classification of criminals, and cutlined the methods that had been adopted in America and elsewhere with this object.

The lecture aroused much interest, and several members took part in the discussion that followed.

Seventh Meeting: 8th November, 1904.

Dr. Hocken exhibited two of the medals that were struck to commemorate Captain Cook's second voyage.

The President exhibited the natural cast of the brain of an extinct species of whale.

Papers.—1. “The Geology of Dunedin,” by Dr. Marshall.

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Dr. Marshall dealt with the physiography and development of the surface features as well as with the details of the interesting alkaline igneous rocks of the locality.

2. “Further Notes on Sipunculids,” by Professor Benham. (Transactions, p. 301.)

3. “On Earthworms from the Kermadecs,” by Professor Benham. (Transactions, p. 298.)

4. “The Occurrence of Large Masses of Ferrous Sulphate in Gold-mines,” by Mr. M. Paul; communicated by Professor Park. (Transactions, p. 551.)

The annual meeting was then held.

The report of the Council for the past year was read.

The Council has remained unchanged since its election in November, 1903, but a cordial welcome was extended to one of its members, Dr. Hocken, on his arrival from an extended visit to Europe.

During the session four new members were elected, three resigned, one deceased, and eight were struck off the roll for non-payment of subsoription. This is a reduction of eight members, so the total is now reduced to 104.

Two items of extraordinary expenditure appear in the balance-sheet. The one is an amount of £50, which is the balance of the sum promised by the Institute to the marine-fish hatchery. The Council was represented at the opening of the institution, and the representatives were thoroughly satisfied with its equipment, and have every confidence that valuable economic results will accrue from its establishment. The second large payment is a sum of £25 for the purchase of fifty copies of the “Index Faunæ Novæ-zealandiæ.” The work was published at the expense of the Canterbury Philosophical Institute, and the sum named above represents the amount of financial assistance that your Council felt justified in granting towards the expenses incurred in publishing this highly important work. The Council regrets that the other affiliated institutes did not contribute towards the expense of publication.

The lecture given by Professor Evans, of Canterbury College, was delivered in the Stuart Hall, and proved highly interesting. The Council thinks that the practice of inducing prominent scientific men in other centres to give lectures has proved so successful that it should be continued.

The new constitution of the New Zealand Institute came into operation during the past year. The Council considers that this direct representation greatly increases the benefits that the local institutes derive from the central body.

The balance-sheet, duly audited, was adopted. The receipts for the year, including a balance of £34 11s. 11d., amounted to £143 6s. 2d., and the expenditure to £267 16s. A sum of £150 was withdrawn from deposit to meet this expenditure, and a balance of £25 10s. 2d. remains at the Union Bank.

Election of Officers for 1905.—President—Mr. J. C. Thomson; Vice-Presidents—Professor Benham, Dr. T. M. Hocken; Council—Messrs. A. Bathgate, E. E. Collie, Dr. Fulton, Dr. Marshall, Professor Park, Messrs. G. M. Thomson and D. B. Waters; Hon. Secretary—Mr. R. Gilkison; Hon. Treasurer—Mr. W. Fels.

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