MEETINGS OF SOCIETIES. 37 



Hawaii, &c, in order that the book might serve as a classical dictionary 

 for Polynesia. The work had proved so interesting to him that he 

 believed some of the results might also be of interest to the members of 

 the Society, and he proposed to adduce some examples of words, showing 

 the curious letter-changes and remarkable distortions of meaning in 

 many cases. Mr. Tregear then gave at length comparatives and mean- 

 ings of the Maori words koi, kao, elm, ike, huru, hono, whenua, raumati, 

 kerokero, taurekareka, erangi, ua, whahairo, mua, hoa, mahara, kokiri, 

 tareparepa, mangere, rorni, &c, &c. 



In the second part of his paper Mr. Tregear said, that the habit of 

 substituting a lost consonant between two vowels, or before a word 

 oommencing with a vowel, became so confirmed with one accustomed to 

 study the Eastern Polynesian dialects that it was almcst impossible not 

 to read Maori in the same way. Some of the words used by the Maori 

 people had a double form, with or without the k ; and other words, if 

 compared with similar forms in the different dialects, appeared to have 

 lost a consonant. It was fjossible, he believed, by comparative study, 

 to restore the lost consonants in the Maori language, although it would 

 need much study and great care. The result of his research was that, 

 although the New Zealand Maori had lost less than any of the other 

 Oceanic dialects, it was by rio means the primitive and virgin speech 

 commonly supposed. 



The President congratulated the members upon the fact of this 

 paper being the first one that had been offered in competition for the 

 Society's medals, although he was afraid that the author would have the 

 field to himself. As regards this paper it was a most interesting one, not 

 only on account of the subjects but on account of the manner in which 

 the subject had been treated. Those who took an interest in these 

 matters should be thankful for any addition made to our knowledge of 

 these dialects ; the more so when such work was done as a labour of 

 love. The way in which the author had made a comparative analysis 

 of the different Polynesian dialects threw a new light entirely upon 

 them. Some persons might consider such a paper dry, but the author, 

 from the novel manner in which he had treated his subject, had made 

 it very intei'esting, and the suggestions were extremely valuable. The 

 great value of this paper lay in the author's views on the reconstruction 

 of the originals of the numerous dialects in use in Polynesia. 



(2) "On the New Zealand Cicadce," by G. V. Hudson, F.E.S. 

 The awthor began by drawing attention to the erroneous name of 

 " locust " which was frequently applied to the Cicadce, and pointed out 

 that they had no manner of affinity with that family of insects. Allu- 

 sion was also made to the fact that they were essentially characteristic 

 of the tropical and warmer temperate regions of the world. The 

 apparatus which enables the males to make the well-known chirping 

 was then briefly described, as well as the ovipositors of the females. 

 Six species of Cicadce were noticed, and their habits, &c, described, two 

 of which, Cicada singulata and muta, were already known, and four, 

 C. tristis, C. a.prilina, C. cassiojK, C. iolanthe, were new species. The 

 author then recounted a few observations he hud made on the life- 

 histories of the Cicadce, and pointed out what a large amount of 

 investigation was still needed in that direction. 



