500 Proceedings. 



too extensive for jiroper treatment within the scope of a single lecture. These changes 

 proved decidedly poijular, and led to a considerable increase in the attendance. The 

 following is a list of the lectures and papers contributed : "' The Storj' of the Con- 

 stellations," by G. Aldridge ; " Alcohol in its Industrial and Scientific Aspects," by 

 A. Wyllie, Electrical Engineer to the City of Auckland ; " Recent Scientific Thought 

 concerning Light and the Ether, Part 1," by E. V. Miller ; " Recent Scientific Thought 

 concerning Light and the Ether, Part II," by E. V. Miller ; ■" The Theatre and Stage 

 Effects in Shakespear's Time," by Professor C. W. Egerton, M.A. ; " Combustion, 

 Part I," by Professor F. P. Worley, M.Sc. ; "" Combustion, Part II," by Professor F. P. 

 Worley, M.Sc. ; " House-flies and Public Health," by Professor J. C. Johnson, M.Sc. ; 

 '■ The Fossiliferous Beds at Kawa, Port Waikato," by J. A. Bartrum ; " New Fossil 

 Mollusca," by J. A. Bartrum ; " Some Recent Additions to the New Zealand Flora," 

 by T. F. Cheeseman ; "" Contributions to a Knowledge of the New Zealand Flora, 

 Part VI," by T. F. Cheeseman ; " Descriptions of New Native Flowering-plants," by 

 I). Petrie ; " A New Variety of Pteris ynacilenta," by H. Carse. 



Library. — Last October, when it became evident that the end of the war was 

 drawing near, an unusually large order was sent to the society's London agents. The 

 books may be expected about the middle of March or early in April, and will be 

 welcomed by frequenters of the library. It is hoped to forward another order shortly 

 after the arrival of the first. The magazines and serial publications subscribed to 

 have been regularly received, and made available for the use of members. A consider 

 able expendituie has been incurred in binding the back numbers of these publica 

 tions, over sixty volumes having been placed in the library from that source alone. 

 The usual presentations and exchanges have been received from foreign societies, and 

 several donations from private individuals have been added to the library. 



No department of the Institute suffers more from the want of room than the 

 library, and now that the purchase of books has been resumed the need of accommo- 

 dation will soon become a burning question. 



Museum. — The recent ej^idemic of influenza has greath' affected the attendance 

 at the Museum. In the first place, it necessitated the closing of the institution from 

 the 3rd November to the 1st December, or nearly a full month ; and after the 

 reopening it was at least another month before the attendance became normal. Taking 

 the Sunday visitors first, the register kept by the attendant shows that 20,842 people 

 entered the building on that day, being an average of 453 for each Sunday. The 

 greatest attendance was 934 on the 7th July, and the smallest 75 on the 28th April, 

 an exceedingly wet day. On the eight chief holidays of the year the total number of 

 visitors was 6,801, being a daily average of 850. The largest attendance on any single 

 holiday was 1,246 on Labour Day, closely followed by 1,232 on King's Birthday, and 

 1,145 on Easter Monday. On ordinary week-days the visitors can only be occasionally 

 counted ; but the daily average is believed to be not less than 200, which would make 

 a total of 55,000, after deducting the days on which the Museum was closed on account 

 of the epidemic. Adding to this number that already given for Sundays and holidays, 

 the total number of visitors for the whole year can be stated at 82,643. Last year the 

 estimate was 87,350. 



In the present congested state of a large portion of the Museum it is difficult to 

 make any satisfactory progress, or to exhibit more than a small proportion of the 

 additions that are regularly being received. A considerable amount of work has been 

 done in the Maori Hall in the direction of rearranging the larger carvings on the 

 eastern wall. By erecting a new framework over the show-cases space has been obtained 

 for the exhibition of several fresh carvings of interest, while the general appearance 

 has been niuch improved. During the coming season it is intended to carry out a 

 similar improvement on the western side of the hall. It should be stated that the 

 labelling of the Maori Hall has been practically completed, only a few recent additions 

 being now without printed descriptive labels. 



Numerous additions and donations have been received ; but only the more 

 important can be mentioned here. Prominent is a magnificent j)are. or carved 

 architrave for the doorway of a Maori house, evidently of great age, and in perfect 

 condition. It was dug up in a peat swamp in the Hauraki Plains, and has been 

 deposited for a long period by the finder, Mr. L. Carter, together with several other 

 interesting articles. 



An ancient house-carving, found in the mud of a branch of the Kaipara River, 

 and presenting several unusual features, has been kindly donated by Mr. A. S. Bankart. 

 It is presumed to be the work of the now extinct Waiohua Tribe, which once occupied 

 the whole of the district between the Auckland Isthmus and the Kaipara River. 



Other noteworthy additions to the ethnographical collections comprise several 

 valuable carvings deposited by Mr. A. Eady, who has already placed many specimens 



