Page:Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute - Volume 1 (2nd ed.).djvu/482

448 the Black fish, which is known to occasion great sickness or vertigo to those who slaughter them when stranded. Some years ago, two men were actually drowned while cutting the throats of several of these fishes in Massacre Bay, having fallen on their faces in a few inches of water; Mr. Mackay, one of the party, saved his life and that of one of his companions only by extraordinary exertions.

3. "On the Geographical Botany of New Zealand," by James Hector, M.D., F.E.S. (Transactions, p. 157.)

This was explanatory of a series of essays on the above subject, written by Sir D. Monro, and Messrs. Travers and Buchanan, for the New Zealand Exhibition, 1865, but which had not been printed for want of funds. They were now laid on the table to appear among the Transactions of the Society.

Dr. Hector, in communicating these essays, explained the chief physical peculiarities which regulate the distribution of the vegetation of the South Island, illustrating the same by maps and diagrams. The greatest altitude in such a section of the island was about 10,000 feet, but the mean elevation of the ridges that connect the summits of the higher mountains was only 5,000 feet; while there occur breaks or "passes" in the mountain chain, which, by permitting the passage of the western winds, give rise to local modifications of the flora at the points where they led out on to the eastern slope. These breaks have all about the same altitude of less than 2,000 feet above the sea level, being sufficiently low to allow of the transfusion of many species of plants. After alluding to the marked difference in the character of the flora, caused by the climate, on the moist western slopes of the island, and the comparatively arid district in the interior and parts of the east coast where forests are rare. Dr. Hector described the division of the flora into zones, according to position and altitude. Considerable discussion ensued, in which Messrs. Travers, Hart, Hamilton, and Pharazyn took part.

4. "On the Mineralogy of Gold in New Zealand," by J. Hector, M.D., F.R.S.

The author explained that the manner of distribution of alluvial gold is a separate question from the distribution of gold in the rock matrix. On the former subject he had already explained his views, and the object of the present communication was, to explain the conditions under which gold occurs in the rock matrix of New Zealand, and the minerals and rocks associated with it. The introductory portion of this paper involved a large amount of theoretical geology, which the author illustrated by maps and longitudinal sections of the island. The second part of this paper had to be deferred.