Otago Institute. 531 



OTAGO INSTITUTE. 



At the annual meeting (7th December, 1920) the animal report and 

 balance-sheet were adopted. 



Abstract. 



Nine meetings of the Council were held during 1920. In addition to the usual 

 routine work of managing the affairs of the Institute in general, the following items 

 of special business were dealt with : — 



Fellowship of the New Zealand Institute. — At the request of the New Zealand 

 Institute the Council forwarded a list of eight nominations for the election of four 

 Fellows. 



Offer of Yale Telescopes. — Being informed that the Yale University has offered to 

 lend to New Zealand some valuable instruments for charting the heavens, &c, the 

 Council set up a sub-committee to co-operate with delegates from the Otago Expansion 

 League and from the University Council. Ministerial sympathy in the project was 

 aroused, and Dr. Adams, Government Astronomer, has completed a flying survey of 

 the more distant parts. Several sites have been selected for more detailed investigation. 



Dr. TillyariFs Visit. — Dr. Tillyard, of Sydney, was invited by the Council of the 

 Institute to visit Otago for entomological research. He was similarly invited by 

 the affiliated societies, and made remarkably successful studies in various parts of the 

 Dominion. He gave two special lectures in Dunedin, under the auspices of the Institute, 

 and reported to the Council at the end of his stay that all those special problems he had 

 set himself to solve had been either solved or were in the process of solution. 



Subsequently Dr. Tillyard accepted the position of Biologist to the Cawthron 

 Institute, Nelson, and has recently represented the Dominion at the Entomological 

 Congress in London. 



Section for the Study of the Early History of Man. — At the instigation of Mr. H. D. 

 Skinner, the Council agreed to establish a section for the study of the early history of 

 man. A committee, including as co-opted members several prominent citizens and 

 some members of the University staff, was set up to consider the best lines to foUow. 

 As a result a circular has been issued to members of the Institute and to others likely 

 to join the section. It is hoped that the movement will be successful. 



Appeal for a Larger Interest on the Part of the Public. — In order to popularize the 

 work of the Institute the Council has decided that the ordinary meetings shall be open 

 to the public. A circular has also been issued appealing for a larger membership. 



Meetings. — Eight ordinary and three special meetings of the Institute were held. 

 At these meetings the following papers were read, and have since been submitted for 

 publication in the Transactions : Dr. R. V. Fulton, " Description of a Stone supposed 

 to have been used by the Maoris for sharpening Weapons " ; Professor J. Park, " The 

 Geological History of Eastern Marlborough " ; J. M. Fowler (communicated by Pro- 

 fessor Park), " On an Ice-striated Rock-surface on the shore of Circle Cove, Lake 

 Manapouri " ; Professor W. N. Benson, " Palaeozoic and Mesozoic Seas and Lands in 

 Australasia" ; Mrs. D. E. Johnson (communicated by Dr. J. Malcolm), "Food Value 

 of New Zealand Fishes, Part II." 



The following addresses were given at the ordinary meetings during the session : 

 Dr. R. V. Fulton, " Pakeha v. Maori " (presidential address) ; Professor J. Malcolm, 

 " Some Experiments on Contraction of Muscle " ; D. Tannock, " Climate in Relation 

 to Human Welfare " ; Professor W. B. Benham, " The History of the Tuatara " ; Pro- 

 fessor J. Macmillan Brown, " The Pacific Ocean and its Future " ; Professor Dunlop, 

 " Psychology and Industry " ; P. Rouse, " The Development of Artificial Fertilizers " ; 

 Dr. Adams, Government Astronomer, " Some Observatories and their Work." 



Special addresses were given on nights other than the ordinary times of meeting 

 of the Institute. They were : " Dragon-flies and Fossil Insects," two lectures by Dr. 

 Tillyard ; and one, " Volcanoes and Volcanology," by Dr. T. A. Jaggar, Government 

 Volcanologist at Honolulu. All these addresses proved very interesting, and were 

 fairly well attended. 



Librarian's Report. — The Institute has opened subscriptions to the following new 

 journals and periodicals : Geographical Journal, Journal of the Royal Anthropological 

 Institution (in continuation), The Radio Review, Wireless, and to a very interesting 



