Dr. Haast in his paper on the Measurements of the Moa, to be but a few, 

 selected from the remains of nearly two hundred skeletons obtained within a 

 small area in the Province of Canterbury, we are enabled faintly to imagine 

 the strange appearance of this country when these gigantic birds roamed over 

 it in large flocks. 



The admirable paper by Mr. Travers, dealing with the principles involved 

 in the discrimination of the various species of plants, proves that our local 

 botanists are co-operating with those of Europe in settling many of the higher 

 questions of their science. In another paper, Mr. Travers has applied his 

 botanical knowledge to a very practical purpose, by an able dissertation on the 

 manufacture of the New Zealand flax. Sir David Monro has also contributed 

 to the botanical literature of this country, an Essay as charming in style as it 

 is valuable in substance. 



I will not recall the disagreeable sensations which the earthquake waves 

 caused in last August, by commenting on the descriptions given of them by 

 Dr. Hector and Dr. Haast, beyond congratulating the members of the Institute 

 in having the facts so well recorded in our Transactions, concerning phenomena 

 which have excited a world-wide interest. In this, as in many other respects, 

 our acknowledgments are due to the accomplished Director of the Museum, 

 Dr. Hector, who is also the editor of our Transactions. 



Time and space will permit me only to glance at several other interesting 

 papers, such as those of Mr. Colenso, respecting the History, Language, and 

 Customs of the Maoris ; of Mr. Buller, and Captain Hutton, on Ornithology, 

 the former of which has called forth a critique from Professor Finsch of 

 Bremen, and a rejoinder by the author, all of which appear in the volume ; of 

 the Bishop of Wellington, on the Celtic origin of the English vowel sounds ', 

 of Mr. Dobson, on the Present State of Applied Science in the Province 

 of Canterbury • of Mr. Henry Travers, respecting the Chatham Islands ; of 

 Mr. Kirk, on the Flora of several parts of the Province of Auckland ; of 

 Captain Vine Hall, on the Island of Ilapa ; of Mr. Pharazyn, on the Taranaki 

 Iron Sand. I would also direct attention to the Inaugural Address delivered 

 to the Auckland Society, by its first President, Mr. Whitaker, as I have stated 

 on a previous occasion, " Co-operation is the secret of success in all scientific 

 pursuits ; and the New Zealand Institute, while leaving its affiliated societies 

 unfettered in the performance of their separate functions, will publish their 

 chief transactions on a uniform plan, thereby concentrating the information 

 collected by local observers throughout the country, and providing for the 

 preservation, in a permanent and accessible form, of the result of their labours." 



Passing from the records in the annual volume, it now seems desirable 

 to notice briefly the progress which has been achieved during the past year, 

 under the auspices of the Institute, in various points of practical and scientific 

 enquiry. 



