Welhngton Philosophical Society, 13 



daunted by either course. But now a pass had been discovered across the mountain 

 barrier, and the way was easy. At once, we are told, a war-party gathered, crossed 

 the pass, iought with Ngati-Wairangi, and came home laden with the stone. 



If this interpretation of the story is the true one, all the other passes known 

 to the Maoris must have been discovered since the journey of Raureka. 



3. ''Halley's Comet,"' by Mr. C. E. Adams, M.Sc, K.ll.A.S. 



The author exhibited a number of large-scale diagrams showing the path of 

 Halley's Comet, with positions every ten years since the 1833 apparition, the 

 positions being obtained by the graphical solution of Kepler's problem, using the 

 method devised by the late J. C. Adams : while other diagrams showed the relative 

 positions of the Earth, Venus, and the comet in 1835 and 1910. Appreciative 

 reference was made to the excellent results of Messrs. Cowell and Crommelin's 

 predicted return of the comet, their date of perihelion passage being 1910, April 

 16-57 G.M.T., while the actual date was very close to April 197. The difference, 

 about three days, would require a correction of about 130,000 miles in the semi- 

 major axis of the ellipse, a quantity of the same order of magnitude as the uncer- 

 tainty of the Earth's distance from the Sun. The author gave a brief account of 

 the photographs of the Sun taken every five minutes from 2 to 3 p.m. on the 

 19th May, but stated that no certain trace of the transit of the comet could be 

 seen. 



Exhibits. — ^1. Mr. H. D. Skinner exliibited a Maori paddle, piobably 

 used by the Ngai-Tahu. 



2. The President exhibited an ancient Maori musical iu.strument, 

 about 18 in. long, and elaborately carved, and resembling a flageolet. It 

 probably came from the Bay of Plenty, and was procured by Major 

 Robley. 



