528 Proceedhigs. 



Sixth Meeting, ^th Aiigmtj 1874. 



G. W, Hall, Vice-president, in the chair. 



New member. — Professor A. W. Bickerton. 

 No papers were read. 



Seventh Meeting. 3rcZ September^ 1874. 



Julius Haast, Ph.D., F.R.S., President, in the chair. 



Several presents from the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, were laid 

 on the table. 



The President read an extract from a letter of Comme Giordano, Inspector 

 of Mines of the Kingdom of Italy, respecting the formation of the Canterbury 

 plains. 



Eighth Meeting (Special), l^th September ^ 1874. 

 G. W. Hall, Vice-president, in the chair. 



1. " Description of a new Crustacean (Phronima novcB-zealandice)," by LI. 

 Powell, M.D. {Transactions, p. 294.) 



2. " On the Occurrence of Leptocepludus longirostris, Kaup, on the Coast 

 of New Zealand," by Julius Haast, Ph.D., F.E.S. {Transactions, p. 238.) 



3. " Results of Excavations and Researches in and near the Moa-bone 

 Point Cave, Sumner Road, illustrated with maps, selections, and ethnological 

 specimens," by Julius Haast, Ph.D., F.R.S. {Transactions, p. 54.) 



To this paper the following postscript was appended : — 



Postscript. — In the Press of 13th August of this year I observe a paragraph 

 headed "The Sumner Cave," being a risume of a paper read by Dr. Hector 

 before the Philosophical Society in Wellington, for A. McKay, on the 

 excavations made by me in that locality, end of 1872, and during which the 

 said A. McKay was one of the labourers employed by me. 



According to the Press, the summary of the New Zealand Times begins 

 with the following sentence : — 



**The exploration occupied seven weeks, and on its completion the 

 collections and notes which were made were given to Dr. Haast, and the 

 paper now read was chiefly occupied with the author's own views on the 

 question — whether the moa-hunters were possessed of tools other than those of 

 the rudest description, and whether there were any facts constituting a 

 difference between them and the Maoris of later times," 



The beginning of this sentence, which I shall show in the sequel, consists 

 of an untnith, might lead one to suppose that the so-called author has 

 committed only an indiscretion, but when I read the resume itself I found that 



