XV111. ABSTRACT OF PROCEEDINGS. 



A letter was read from Mrs. B. J. Smart expressing 

 thanks for the Society's sympathy in her recent bereave- 

 ment. 



Short addresses were given on the Pan-Pacific Scientific 

 Congress held at Honolulu during August, 1920 : — 



Mr. C. A. Sussmilch, the delegate deputed to represent 

 the Royal Society, explained to members that this first 

 Congress had for its object the co-ordination of our existing 

 knowledge of the Pacific region, so as to make the best 

 preparation for an early and comprehensive study of the 

 resources of that region, including Anthropology, Agricul- 

 ture, Coral Reefs, Plant and Animal Distribution, Geodesy, 

 Geography, Isostasy, Geology, Oceanography, Vulcano- 

 graphy, Seismology and related subjects. 



Mr. O. Hedley gave a brief account of the remarkable 

 flora and fauna of the Hawaiian group, illustrated with 

 lantern slides. In the opinion of Mr. Hedley, the pecu- 

 liarities of the distribution of the plants and animals con- 

 noted a former land connection of this island group with 

 continental masses, or at least with islands now far distant 

 to the south. The connection had been necessarily in the 

 nature of continuous land bridges, but may have consisted 

 of land forms rising above the sea in some directions, and 

 being submerged simultaneously at others. 



Mr. E. O. Andrews showed lantern slides illustrating the 

 physiography of the Hawaiian group. He dwelt on the 

 interesting fact that volcanic action appears to have been 

 a marked feature over the whole group at a recent period, 

 but it appears also as time progressed to have passed 

 gradually from the north-west to the south-east group 

 where active volcanoes now only occur.. 



Dr. L. A. Cotton, with the aid of lantern slides dwelt 

 briefly on the wonders of the active volcanoes at Kilauea, 



