Fifteenth Annual Report. 543 



Libraeies. 



The libraries remain on the same footing as hitherto, and appear to be 

 greatly appreciated. But, as in all other parts of the Museum, the want of 

 sufficient space creates great inconvenience to the public. 



Neiv Zealand Institute Library. — There have been 275 volumes received 

 this year, chiefly in exchange for the Transactions of the New Zealand 

 Institute and the publications of the Museum and Geological Survey. 



Public Library. — The number of persons using this library is steadily 

 increasing. Twelve more, out of the large number of volumes missing when 

 the library was removed to the Museum, have been recovered by the 

 Librarian. 



Patent Library. — It would seem that the vast amount of information 

 contained in this library is becoming more generally known, as the number 

 of persons referring to the volumes is much larger than last year. Twenty- 

 one volumes have been added since last report. 



Meteorology. 



The meteorological observations now taken for statistical purposes are 

 limited to stations at Auckland, Wellington, Lincoln, and Dunedin, but 

 observations of rainfall, temperature, and wind-direction are received from 

 the following third-class stations, twenty in number, viz., at Petone, 

 Makara, Upper Hutt, Summit Station, Wellington, Masterton, Feilding, 

 New Plymouth, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Puysegur 

 Point, Cape Campbell, Oarnaru, Timaru, The Brothers, Farewell Spit, Lee- 

 field, Marlborough, Brighton, Otago, Taupo, and Invercargill. The results 

 are published in most cases every month either in the Gazette or in the local 

 newspapers, and are collected into the annual volume of the statistics 

 of the colony published by the Begistrar- General. 



The system of intercolonial weather exchange has now been in opera- 

 tion for two years, and the expense has proved to be much under the 

 estimate formed at the Conference. The diagram of the weather for each 

 day over the south part of Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand is pub- 

 lished the same afternoon in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Hobart, and 

 by a system of numbered blocks, which have been supplied by this depart- 

 ment, a diagram of the weather of each day is published in the morning 

 newspapers in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, and the 

 information without diagrams is published by most of the other papers in 

 the colony, being distributed by the Press Agency. .The local weather 

 warnings for the benefit of the shipping round the coast continue to be 

 supplied as heretofore by Captain Edwin, B.N., and are very generally 

 appreciated. 



