PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. 



In issuing the first volume of tlie Transactions of the New Zealand 

 Institute, the Editor has to acknowledge the many imperfections of the 

 work, both in the typography and in the general arrangement, inseparable 

 from a first effort to publish in a combined form the Eeports of Societies 

 only recently organized. 



It will be observed that the size of the volume has been very consider- 

 ably increased by the insertion of matter which does not properly belong to 

 the proceedings of the current year, such as communications of earlier date 

 to the various Societies, and by the publication of eight essays which were 

 written originally in connection with the New Zealand Exhibition, 1865. 

 In future, therefore, the volume will be less bulky and expensive, and it is 

 hoped free from the errors which, unavoidably, have crept into the present 

 issue, from various causes. 



The volume is divided in:to three parts — the first part consisting of the 

 Proceedings of the various Societies which are now afiiliated under the New 

 Zealand Institute Act, derived principally from the newspaper reports of 

 the meetings, corrected and forwarded by the Secretaries, with abstracts of 

 the papers not printed in the Transactions. 



In most instances the authors, at the request of the Board, furnished the 

 abstracts of their several papers when required ; but in some cases it was 

 found impossible to communicate with the authors in time for publication, 

 in which ease the Editor, on his own responsibility, made the necessary 

 abstracts. 



The second part of the work consists of the Transactions of the Institute, 

 containing the papers read at the various meetings which were considered 

 worthy of being printed in extenso. In making this selection, the Governors 

 have dealt liberally with the various authors, in order to encourage future 

 efforts. 



Many of the papers are of a most important character, and all are 

 valuable contributions to scientific literature, particularly those bearing on 

 the natural history and resources of the colony. 



The Grovernors regret that two very learned and important papers, both 

 by Captain Hutton, viz. "On Sinking Eunds," and "Plight of Birds," 



