Philosophical Institute of Canterbury. 559 



Ninth Meeting : 1st November, 1916. 



Present : Mr. L. Birks, President, in the chair, and thirty-three others. 



New Member. — Mr. G. Henry. 



Papers. — 1. " On the Origin of a New Species by Isolation," by Mr. 

 Henry Suter. 



2. " An Explanation of the Hardness or otherwise of the World's 

 Timber-trees," by Mr. R. Nairn. 



3. " On certain Tripolar Relations, Part 3," by Mr. E. G. Hogg. 



Exhibits. — 1. Dr. F. W. Hilgendorf exhibited a peculiarly malformed 

 beak of a starling. 



2. Mr. E. F. Stead exhibited a wineberry sucker which had enveloped 

 and killed a Parsonsia growing on it. 



Annual Meeting : 6th December, 1916. 



Present : Mr. L. Birks, President, in the chair, and twenty-seven others. 



New Members. — Messrs. W. S. Newburgh, James Keir, and George 

 Holford. 



Annual Report. — The annual report and balance-sheet were adopted. 



Abstract. 



The Council has held ten meetings during the year. Two members of the Council, 

 Messrs. A. M. Wright and G. E. Archey, have gone on active service. 



A special meeting of the Institute was held on the 10th April to welcome Captain 

 Ault and the staff of the Magnetic Survey yacht '"Carnegie" on their return from 

 circumnavigating the South Polaj regions. 



Ten ordinary meetings (including two additional) were held, at which five addresses 

 were given. Also twenty-four papers were read, which may be classified as follows : 

 Zoology, 6 ; botany, 2 ; geology, 5 ; engineering, 2 ; chemistry, 6 ; mathematics, 1 : 

 and general, 2. 



During the year ten new members were elected and one transferred ; nine having 

 lapsed membership, through resignation or other causes, there are now 181 members 

 on the roll. 



The Council desires to record that the following members are now on active service : 

 Drs. H. Acland and F. G. Gibson, Messrs. G. E. Archey, F. M. Corkill, A. Fairbairn, 

 C. E. Foweraker, G. Maclndoe, P. S. Nelson, F. S. Oliver, A. Taylor, G. T. Weston, 

 F. S. Wilding, and A. M. Wright, 



The Council records with regret that during the year four members have died — 

 Mrs. Hutton, Mr. T. H. Jackson, and, in action, Captain L. S. Jennings and Lieutenant 

 H. Lang. 



At the request of the Council, the Hon. the High Commissioner has kindly under- 

 taken the distribution of the London stock of the volumes of the Subantarctic Islands 

 of New Zealand and Index Faunae. Norae Zealandiae. Letters of appreciation and a 

 number of publications have been received in exchange. 



The Council has recognized the importance of furthering the national movement to 

 advance scientific research and extend the application of scientific knowledge. The 

 addresses by Mr. G. M. Thomson and Professor Easterfield were arranged in this direc- 

 tion. The action of the Council, following on Mr. Wild's proposals in connection with 

 agricultural research, promises to bear fruit. In order that matters connected with 

 research and the technical application of science should be constantly watched, the 

 Council set up a special committee, with Dr. C. C. Farr as honorary secretary. The 

 New Zealand Board of Industries having invited the Institute to send delegates to 

 confer with the Board on matters affecting post-war reconstructions, the Council has 

 appointed the President, with Dr. Farr and Dr. Hilgendorf, to act. 



The Council has pleasure in reporting that the application by this Institute for 

 part of the £250 granted by the Government for research has been approved by the 



