24 Proceedings. 



Papers. — 1. " The Crater of Ngauruhoe," by Dr. Marshall. 



2. " Contact Rocks from West Nelson," by Dr. Marshall. 



3. "Additions to the List of New Zealand Minerals," by Dr. Marshall. 



4. " Geology of Rarotonga and Aitutaki," by Dr. Marshall. 



5. " Some New Zealand Fossil Cephalopoda,'^ by Dr. Marshall. 



6. " The Geology of Signal Hill, Dunedin," by C. A. Cotton, M.Sc. 



Annual Meeting : lO^A November, 1908. 

 Dr. Fulton in the chair. 



Annual Report. 



A special meeting of members was summoned by advertisement in December, after 

 the annual meeting, for the purpose of complying with the statute requiring that our 

 representatives on the Board of Governors of the New Zealand Institute should be elected 

 in December, Messrs. G, M. Thomson and Benham were elected. 



Yoiir Council thinks it desirable that in future the session should be extended, and 

 that the annual meeting shall be held in December, instead of in November as at present. 

 This will necessitate an application to the Registrar of Societies. 



At the meeting of the Board of Governors of the New Zealand Institute, held in 

 January, the general feeling of dissatisfaction at the delay in the appearance of the yearly 

 volume of Transactions was voiced by the southern representatives. A committee was 

 set up to inquire into the cause of this delay. Mr. Thomson was re-elected President 

 for a second year, as well as Editor of the volume. He has done his utmost to carry out 

 the suggestions made by the Government Printer in order to get the volume issued at 

 an earlier date than hitherto, but without the siiccess he had reason to expect. The 

 fault seems to lie outside the control of the Editor, for the revised proofs left his hands in 

 I\[ay, and the volume was issued in October. 



It will be remembered that at the Sast annual meeting it was announced that a scien- 

 tific expeditioji was pioceeding to the southern islands : it proved in every way a success. 

 The Government contributed generously to the finance, and will publish the report. 

 Although the results are not yet completely worked out, yet those in geology and zoology 

 that have been received show that the scientific outcome of the expedition will be of 

 great interest in elucidating the former land-connections of the islands. 



Your Council has held eight meetings for the transaction of the business of the 

 Institute, and the following matters have received their attention : — 



An effort was made by your Council to have the Auckland Islands proclaimed by 

 the Government as a scenic reserve, but, owing to the fact that the lease has still some 

 years to run, the [Minister, while expressing .sympathy with o>u- desires, is unable to further 

 them. As has already been announced to members, direct communication with the 

 lessor has apparently had the effect of rousing his hostility to this Institute. 



Your ('ouncil also drew the attention of the ]\linister of Internal Aft'airs to the de- 

 struction of birds that still goes on at certain holiday resorts, and suggested that at these 

 and other places copies of the Order in Council specifying the protected birds should be 

 exhibited on all public buildings, but no reply has been received to our communication. 



In co-operation with the Otago Acclimatisation Society and the Otago Gun Sports- 

 men's Association, your Council also took steps to urge the Minister to proclaim Toma- 

 hawk Lagoon a reserve for native game. 



The proj)osition by the Carnegie Institute to establish an astronomical observatory 

 in the Southern Hemisphere as far south as possible led the Council, at the suggestion of 

 the Philoso])hical Institute of Canterbury, to recommend the suitability of Central Otago 

 for the purpose, and we understand that the Prime Minister was asked to urge the Carnegie 

 Institute to consider the.se claims earnestly. It now appears that the observatory will 

 be established at San L\iis, Argentine. 



It will be remembered that this Institute, together witli the other New Zealand 

 scientific societies, were successful in their efforts to obtain the apjiointment of Dr. 

 C'ockajTie to make a botanical survey of certain parts of the Dominion. The recently 

 published reports on " The National Park of Tongariro " and on " The Kauri Forest of 

 Waipoua " serve to show the valuable work that has been done in this direction. 



The ordinary meetings of the Institute have been rather better attended than in 

 some former vears. Fifteen new members have been elected, but, as thirteen names have 



