536 Proceedings. 



Sir James Hector said that the carvings on the karaka-trees men- 

 tioned by ]Mr. Tregear had been described by !\Ir. Travers in the 

 "Transactions."* There was another canoe of somewhat similar con- 

 struction also in the Museum, presented some years ago. 



3. " On Adulterations in Drugs," by C. Hulke, F.C.S. 



Abstract. 



The autlior stated that some three years ago he was a)inoyed when 

 carrying oat some researches at finding his work rendered useless and 

 the results vitiated by the introduction of matter foreign to the mate- 

 rials he was acting upon, and also properly foreign to the I'eagents he 

 was then using. He was too busy at that time to investigate the cause 

 of the failure, and the circumstance was forgotten ; but last winter it 

 was again brought to his mind through his having to make a quantity of 

 ammonium sulphide, and it was during its manufacture that he became 

 aware of the cause of his former failure — viz., the impurity in the 

 ammonia he had been using. He explained that his object in bringing 

 the matter before the Society was to warn those who might seek to 

 analyse their own ores to test the purity of their reagents, if possible, 

 before using them, or they might possibly find things that were not in 

 the specimen analysed. It was to the impurities of reagents, possibly and 

 probably, that many of the discrepancies in the various analyses were 

 due. 



The President stated that this subject had frequently given rise to 

 complications in questions regarding poisoning, in law-cases. 



jMr. ilaskell had found, in making preparations for the microscope, 

 that the benzine sold by the druggists was very inferior, and no doubt 

 adulterated. The onl}' brand that could be relied on was Jackson's. 



Exhibits. — During the evening Mr. Hulke exhibited a 

 specimen of a strange spider that carried its young on its body 

 without web or filament, but simply attached to the body, 

 imtil they were able to run by themselves. 



AnnuaIj Meeting : 19th February, 1890. 



A. de B. Brandon, President, in the chair. 



Neto Member.— 'H.. M. Stowell. 



1. The annual report and balance-sheet were read and 

 adopted. 



Abstract, 



The report reviewed the work of the year, mentioning that twenty- 

 two papers had been read, and that interesting as well as valuable dis- 

 cussions had followed the various contributions. The microscopic sec- 

 tion had pursued independent investigations into minute life, and had 

 contributed an exhibit to the Dunedin Exhibition. Altogether, as far as 

 scientific and useful work was concerned, the Society might fairlj' be said 

 to have had a successful session. The report noted the formation of a 

 Field Naturalists' Club, which should prove a powerful auxiliary to the 

 Society. Twelve new members had joined the Society during the year. 



Vol. ix., p. 19, and pi. i. 



