OTAGO INSTITUTE. 



First Meeting : 8 th May, 1900. 

 Mr. E. Melland, President, in the chair. 



The President announced that Dr. Colquhoun had been 

 elected as a member of the Council, in the place of Mr. F. B. 

 Stephens, who had left New Zealand. 



New Members. — W. Powell and A. Durrand. 



Mr. A. Wilson gave an account of some recent excavations 

 at Olympia, illustrated by maps, plans, and photographs of 

 temples and statuary. 



Second Meeting : 12th June, 1900. 

 Mr. F. R. Chapman in the chair. 



Neio Members. — J. Logan, S. F. Woodhouse, W. Fels, 

 C. O. Lillie. 



Dr. Hocken laid on the table a monograph of the New 

 Zealand Hepatica, written by Dr. Berggren, of Lund Uni- 

 versity, and gave a short account of Dr. Berggren's scientific 

 research in New Zealand twenty-five years ago. 



Professor Benham exhibited several specimens of carti- 

 laginous fishes recently added to the Museum, referring to 

 the excellent method of their preparation in glycerine, which 

 had been perfected by the late Dr. Parker. He also gave 

 an account of the curious lung-fish, or Ceratodus, of North 

 Queensland, which had been presented by Mr. Sargeant, a 

 former student of our mining school. 



Dr. Benham then made a few remarks on the natural 

 history of some of the lower forms of animal life in New 

 Zealand, the result of observations made during a recent 

 holiday at Moeraki and Warrington. 



He referred to a small pink worm, 2 in. long, burrowing and creep- 

 ing along the sand, and emitting a very strong smell of rotten eggs, 

 which probably protected it from its enemies. Another example men- 

 tioned was Pectinaria, an annelid which dwelt in a conical tube, formed 

 from mucous secretion, with which particles of sand became incor- 

 porated. He found crabs of three species which burrowed in the mud, 



