568 Proceedings. 



Seventh Meeting : 21st October, 1907. 

 Mr. E. V. Miller, President, in the chair. 



New Members. — W. Burnside, Miss E. M. Griffin, Dr. Purdv, 

 T. W. Wells. 



Professor H. A. Segar delivered a popular lecture on " The 

 Struggle for Foreign Trade." (Abstract, p. 520). 



After the close of the lecture a lengthy discussion arose, in which many 

 members took part. 



Eighth Meeting : 30th October, 1907. 



Mr. E. V. Miller, President, in the chair. 



Papers.— 1. " Maori Porest Lore," by Elsdon Best (p. 185). 

 2. " Contributions to a Fuller Knowledge of the New Zealand 

 Flora : No. 2," by T. F. Cheeseman (p. 270). 



Ninth Meeting : Uh November, 1907. 



Mr. E. V. Miller, President, in the chair. 



Mr. K. Watkins delivered a popular lecture, entitled " The 

 Canoe that brought the Maoris to New Zealand ; or, a Glimpse of 

 Polynesia in the Past." 



An armada of at least six canoes, called by the ancient Maoris the 

 "' Great Heke," left Tahiti about the year 1350, and, after a rendezvous 

 at Rarotonga, left Ngatangiia Harbour for New Zealand direct. From 

 various traditions and legends it could be gathered that the canoes were 

 double canoes, thai they had masts, a deck-house, and a stage above it. 

 Mr. Watkins exhibited a model of a canoe of this kind which had been 

 lent to him by Mr. J. L. Young, and which he considered was a close ap- 

 proximation to the canoe used by the Polynesians for their longer voyages. 

 There was every reason to believe that the Maori war-canoe as seen by 

 Europeans when New Zealand was first discovered was a comparatively 

 recent invention, and was adopted by the Maori colonists to meet the 

 new conditions they were placed in when they finally settled down in 

 New Zealand, and when communication with Polynesia ceased. Mr, 

 Watkins considered that voyages to and from Polynesia and New Zealand 

 must not be considered extraordinary, seeing that there was ample proof 

 that at one time voyages were regularly made between localities in the 

 north, west, and east of Polynesia thousands of miles apart, and that 

 there were traditions of voyages having heen made as far south as the 

 antarctic regions. 



Tenth Meeting : 12/7* December, 1907. 



Mr. E. V. Miller, President, in the chair. 



Neiv Member. — J. Clement Cuff. 



Papers. — 1. "Additions to the New Zealand Molluscan 

 Fauna," by Rev. W. Webster (p. 254). 



