424 Proceedings. 



Apparently a bird would " sport " in the colour of its feathers, though 

 in anything in the nature of skin ic would not do so. 



3. Cuttle-fish (Architeuthis verrilla). 



Portions of a huge oitUe-fish were found at Island Bay about ten years 

 ago, and described by Mr. T. W. Kirk iu the "Transactions of the New 

 Zealand Institute," vol. xiv., p. 284. These remains have been in posses- 

 sion of the Museum authorities for some time, and have now been skilfully 

 arranged for public exhibition by Mr. A. Yuill. The two long tentacular 

 arms, which have apparently not been preserved, were each 30 ft. in 

 length when extended, so that the fish had a reach of no less than 

 20 yards. Bathers at Island Bay would do well to keep their weather 

 eye open for such ugly denizens of the deep. 



4. Recently discovered New South Wales opals — a very 

 handsome collection ; presented by Mr. W. M. Hunt, of Mas- 

 terton. 



5. Young specimen of a rare fish [Centriscus humerosus) ; 

 presented by Mr. Travers. 



6. Puriri block, with Maori stone adze embedded in it ; 

 presented by Mr. Lister, of Kohukohu. 



7. The shining cuckoo. 



Sir James Hector said the cuckoo had made a somewhat early 

 visit to New Zealand this year, and a beautiful specimen of the little 

 shining cuckoo had just been added to the collection in the Museum. 

 This bird came down here every spring, generally in the month of Sep- 

 tember, from the Andaman Islands, south of Burmah, and even from the 

 Phillipine Islands. It was a delicate little bird, with beautiful plumage. 

 The specimen secured by him must have been hatched here last year, for 

 these birds nested in New Zealand. It then went home to some tropical 

 country, spent the winter there, and returned on another trip to New 

 Zealand. The instinct that carried these birds to and fro between such 

 far-distant countries as New Zealand and the Phillipines was truly won- 

 derful. It might be, however, that the bird had a nearer winter home in 

 some of the South Pacific islands, such as Tonga or Samoa. A bigger 

 cuckoo, however, visited New Zealand from Tahiti, and a curious point 

 about it was that it selected the only pensile nest there was m New Zea- 

 land — namely, that of the fantail — for the purpose of hatching its eggs. 

 These pensile nests were more common in tropical countries where the 

 cuckoo came from. These birds turned the eggs of the fantail out of 

 the nest to lay their own there, and tiie little fantails had to liatch out 

 these bigger eggs for the interloper. Tiiis, he added, went on year after 

 year. 



8. Fossil bones (Cetacean), from Hangaroa Eiver, near the 

 Gisborne-Rotorua stock-track; found by Mr. J. B. Jackson, 

 and presented to the Museum by Mr. S. Percy Smith. 



