Otago InstitiUe. lib 



Abstract of Annual Report. 



Eight meetings of the Covincil and seven general naeetings have been 

 held. The membership of the Institute now stands at 116. 



Early m the session the colony suffered a great loss in the death of 

 itr. T. Kiik, P.L.S. At the close of the session we have to note with 

 regret the death of Mr. John Buchanan, P.L.S. , another eminent 

 botanist, and pioneer in scientific work in New Zealand; and last, but 

 not least, the Right Honourable Sir George Grey, first President of the 

 New Zealand Institute, and original President, in 1851, of the New 

 Zealand Society — the first scientific society founded in New Zealand. 



A committee has been set up to recommend books necessary for the 

 library, and they have reported to the efiect that monographs of the 

 principal groups in the animal kingdom are specially required, and they 

 liave decided to take a separate group each year. 



The Council trust that no time will be lost in making suitable ar- 

 rangements for the completion of the work on the New Zealand flora, left 

 incomplete by Mr. Kirk, as for many years the work has been urgently 

 required. 



The Council desires to recognise the satisfactor}' progress made by 

 the New Zealand Institute in the publication of the valuable work by 

 Mr. A. Hamilton on " The Art and Ethnology of the Maori." 



Since the last annual meeting matters have been almost at a stand- 

 still re the marine fish hatchery at Purakanui, but we hope we shall 

 soon be able to report favourably on the near prospect of the establish- 

 ment of the proposed hatchery. 



On the Sth December last, in reply to a letter from Mr. G. M. Thom- 

 son, the Secretary to the Marine Department wrote to say that the sum 

 of £750 was placed on the supplementary estimates, and voted for 

 " Fish-hatcheries and expenses of Expert Ayson to Canada and America, 

 but that nothing will be done by the Government in the matter of esta- 

 hlishirig hatcheries pending the return of the expert." Before his de- 

 parture for America and Europe, Mr. Ayson came down to Dunedin and 

 met some of the members of the committee and of the Otago Acclima- 

 tisation Society. As we understand that he has made excellent use of 

 his time in visiting the principal hatchery establishments and biological 

 stations of the Northern Hemisphere, and generally in obtaining informa- 

 tion on the subject, we anticipate that he will be able to give a very full 

 report of what is being done. As the amount asked by us from the 

 Government as a subsidy was £500, and as Mr. Ayson's expenses would 

 considerably exceed the extra £250 voted last year, we are glad to notice 

 that an additional sum of £250 has been voted this session. 



On the 22nd September the area indicated at Purakanui in our last 

 report was gazetted as a reserve for a fish-hatchery. 



We regret that no further communication has been received from the 

 Scotch Fishery Board in regard to the experiments to be undertaken 

 on tiehalf of this Institute in the retardation of fish ova. In reply, 

 however, to Dr. Chilton, who made direct inquiry on the subject, Dr. 

 Fulton, the s-cientific superintendent of the Scotch Board, stated that 

 the delay was due to the transference of the Board's hatchery from 

 Dunbar to Aberdeen, and that he would shortly forward a communi- 

 cation tons on the subjecr. 



The receipts for the year ended the 7th November, including a 

 balance brought forward of £27 9s. 3d., come to £86 5s. 3d. The ex- 

 penditure during the same period came to £42 lis. 3d., leaving a balance 

 in the Union Bank of £43 14s. 



Election of Officers fok 1899. — President — F. R. 

 Chapman ; Vice-presidents — Dr. Scott, A. Bathgate ; Covincil 

 — Professor Benham, Dr. Hocken, Dr. Shand, G. M. Thorn- 



