470 New Zealand Institute. 
tions of 1,050 species of beetles, a large proportion of which are new. A 
leading naturalist has expressed his opinion that no country outside Europe 
and America has such a complete descriptive catalogue of this class of 
animal life, a thorough knowledge of which is of the utmost practical 
importance to the agriculturist. 
A work descriptive of the economie minerals of New Zealand, embody- 
ing all the results of the work done in the Laboratory since its establishment 
—part of which only has hitherto been published—is being prepared for 
press with the assistance of Mr. Cox, and it is hoped may be issued some 
time during the year. 
MxzrEonRorocr. 
Observations are taken continuously on a uniform system, by the use of 
registering instruments, at the following stations, fifteen in number :— 
Mongonui, Auckland, New Plymouth, Napier, Wanganui, Wellington, Nel- 
son, Cape Campbell, Christchurch, Bealey, Hokitika, Dunedin, Queenstown, 
Wallacetown, Waitangi (Chatham Islands). 
The observations are taken at 9-80 each morning, and are published in 
the following returns :— 
l. At the end of the month the returns are completed and forwarded to 
the head office at Wellington, when, after having been examined, corrected, 
and reduced, the results are prepared for publication in the Gazette. 
2. At the end of the year the monthly sheets from these fifteen stations 
are averaged, and a eomparative table, showing the climate of New Zealand 
forthe year, prepared, and the whole forwarded to the Registrar-General 
for publication with the statisties of the colony. 
9. A monthly return is prepared for publication with “Vital Statistics,” 
from information received by telegram from the six principal stations. 
4, A return is also furnished to the press by the Wellington observer, giving 
the daily readings, with averages and remarks, for each month for that place. 
5. A special yearly report is made on the climate of New Zealand, in- 
cluding results from all stations, as compared with previous years, for 
publication in the volume of Transactions of the New Zealand Institute. 
6. A return, giving an abstract of the weather for the year, is also fur- 
nished for insertion in the yearly « Wellington Almanac.” 
7. Every two years a report is published in a pamphlet form, containing 
all the results of meteorological observations, and arranged in a convenient 
form for reference and comparison, together with all extra information from 
other than official sources on the subject, and giving diagrams and curves 
of the principal readings, : 
Tme-BAaLL OBSERVATORY. 
The astronomical observations required for giving mean time for the use 
of the Telegraph Department and throughout the colony are taken, as 
