•ySS Proceedings. 



Thibd Meeting: 17th Jtdy, 1898. 

 Mr. A. Bathgate, Vice-president, in the chair. 



Neiv Meynhers. — Colonel Morris, Regent Road ; H. .T. 

 Matthews, Morniugton. 



Copies of the Proceedings of the Institute for the last 

 session were handed round for distribution. 



Dr. Benham exhibited some specimens recently added to 

 the Museum, and briefly described their most interesting 

 points. The specimens included some rare Batrachians, and 

 male and female specimens of a large crab from the New 

 Hebrides. 



Fourth Meeting: 9th August, 1898. 

 Dr. T. M. Hocken in the chair. 



Professor Benham announced that he had just received a 

 telegram from Dr. Young, of Invercargill, informing him that 

 a fine specimen of the Notorms had just been caught by Mr. 

 Ross on the west side of Lake Te Anau. 



Professor Benham exhibited some specimens recently re- 

 ceived at the Museum, the principal bemg the, greater part of 

 the eggshell of a moa, deposited in the Museum by Mr. 

 Turton. This specimen was found in sandy soil near Clyde, 

 Central Otago. Another specimen was found with it, but was 

 accidentally destroyed. 



Dr. T. M. Hocken communicated a paper on " Relics of 

 the Old Native Population on the Upper Molyneux," pre- 

 facing it by some particulars as to the migration of the natives 

 in the early times. 



The writer of the paper described several old encampments of the 

 natives on the line of the Clyde-Alexandra Road, and the stone knives, 

 fragments of bones, and gun-flints found there. 



Dr. Hocken then exhibited a number of rare and curious 

 Maori weapons and implements, and described their use, and 

 gave the history of the rarer specimens. 



Mr. J. S. Tennant exhibited specimens of the nitrogenous 

 nodules found on the roots of leguminous plants. The speci- 

 mens were of unusual size, and were on the roots of lupins 

 growing at the Ocean-beach Sandhills. 



It was pointed out that the plant was very beneficial to sandhills, 

 not only by tixmg the sand, but at the same time enriching the soil 

 through the bacterial action m the root nodules. 



Mr. Hamilton exhibited a beautiful feather mat, made 

 of feathers of the brown kiwi from the Kaimanawa Ranges, 

 by Maoris at Opepe, near Taupo. 



