230 JOURNAL OF SCIENCE, 
DUNEDIN NATURALISTS’ FIELD CLUB: 
Dunedin, 25th July, 1882.—Annual meeting. S. W. Fulton, 
Esq., in the chair. 
The annual report, read by the Hon. Secretary (Mr. Geo. M. 
Thomson), showed that the interest in the Club had flagged 
considerably during the past.year. At the commencement of the” 
season, the attendance at the excursions was very good, but it 
fell off materially afterwards. The offer also of numerous prizes 
for collections had failed to arouse competition. Individually, 
however, many of the members had been doing excellent work, 
and many specimens had been collected (including numerous 
interesting novelties) of Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Arachnida, 
Crustacea, and Myriapoda. Only four flowering plants new to 
the district had been found during the year, one of them (Pievo- 
stylis aphylla) being new to the flora of New Zealand. It was 
recommended that, as no complete lists of the local species 
belonging to the foregoing groups had yet been compiled, publica- 
tion of the report be postponed till next year. 
The following gentlemen were elected office-bearers for the 
ensuing season:—President, Prof. T. J. Parker, B.Sc., Lond:; 
Hon Secretary, Mr. T. Chalmer; “Hon. Treasurer, «Witt ose 
Fulton ; Committee, Messrs. D. Petrie, B.A., Geo. Joachim, s. ye 
Fulton, Geo. M. Thomson, F.L.S., G. Anderson, H. Webb, and 
F, Deans. 
SOUTHMELAN Di INSRIED Ge. 
Invercargill, July 11, 1882.—Thos. Denniston, Esq., in the 
chair. 
Paper read by Mr. J. T. Thomson, C.E., on “ Self-regulating 
Windmills,” illustrated by two models—the original, which had 
been at work for six months, and an enlarged and improved form, 
Between the whips two sets of sails are placed, the larger or 
outer swung slightly out of balance, being governed by rods by 
the smaller or inner set, which in turn are attached by their inner 
edges by rods to a boss that slides on the axis of the wheel. To 
this boss is attached a weight by a cord passing over a wheel 
(pulley). The weight is calculated to equal the pressure of a 
breeze of given velocity. The rods of the inner sails have the 
appearance and action of the ribs of an umbrella. As the wind 
increases the pressure overcomes that of the weight and gradu- 
ally drives the sails back, until in a gale they merely present their 
edges, and the wheel comes to a stand still. By this ingenious 
improvement this windmill always works uniformly, and requires 
no one to attend to it. By means of a tail vane the sails are 
always exposed to the full force of the wind, and the wheel is 
kept at right angles to it. 
In the discussion which followed, the opinions expressed by 
many of the engineers and mechanics present were highly favour- 
able, on account of its simplicity and non-liability to get out of 
order. It will doubtless come into considerable use ere long. Mr. 
Thomson has patented his invention. 
8th August, 1882.—H. Carswell, Esq., in the chair. 
Paper—“ On the use of the training-walls in deepening Inver- 
