MEETINGS OF .SOCIETIES. 35 



ANNUAL MEETING. 



Dunedin, 18th Novembar, 1890.— Rev. H. Belcher, M.A., LL.D., 

 President, in the chair. 



Paper. — The President read a paper on Ibsen's Works. 



ANNUAL REPORT. 



The Secretary (Professor Gibbons) read the annual report as 

 follows :-— 



In presenting their report for the past session the council has to 

 again express its regret that the meetings of the society have not been 

 more largely attended by the members and the public. The system of 

 sending out post cards to members on the eve of each meeting has been 

 abandoned in favour of putting an advertisement in the newspapers, 

 without producing any appreciable change in the numbers attending 

 the meetings. A conversazione was held on March 1, during the visit 

 of the Senate of the New Zealand University to Dunedin. During the 

 session six general meetings were held. At the first an interesting 

 account was given by Mr. Chapman of his visit to the outlying 

 islands south of New Zealand when he exhibited maps and speci- 

 mens of the birds and plants obtained on them. At the July 

 meeting a paper " On the extinction of the Moa " was read by Rev. 

 Mr. Christie, of Waikouaiti ; and at the September meeting a paper 

 " On the food of the Moa and its extinction," by Mr. Vincent Pyke, 

 was also read. At the August meeting a paper " On the philosophy of 

 David Hume " was read by Professor Salmond. At the other meetings 

 papers were read as follows: —"A new species of Megeis," by Mr. 

 Goyen ; " Description of Native plants," by Mr. Petrie; " The etymo- 

 logy of the Penguin," by Dr. Belcher ; " On the Cat in Ancient Italy," 

 by Dr. Belcher j " On the anatomy of the Red Cod (Lotella Bacchus) " 

 by Mr. Beattie ; " The New Zealand Squillidse," and " The change in 

 the form of an Isopod," by Mr. Chilton; "On a new parasitic Copepod/' 

 and "Two species of Cumacea," by Mr. Thomson; "On the origin of the 

 Sternum," by Professor Parker. In the course of the session a new 

 bookcase has been obtained for the library, to which numerous additions 

 of books have been made, including Day's " Fishes of India" ; and a 

 large number of back volumes of periodicals have been bound. A 

 microscope-attachment to the magic lantern has been obtained, which 

 the council hope will prove an additional attraction to the meetings. 

 During the session four new members were elected. The number on 

 the roll is now 123, of whom 10 are life members. The balance-sheet 

 shows a balance from last year of .£76 2s. Id., subscriptions to date 

 £129 2s. 6d., making total receipts £205 4s. 7d. Cash expenditure, 

 £96 5s. 7d. ; leaving a credit balance of £108 19s. The liabilities 

 amount to £50. There is also a sum of £277 14s. standing in the 

 bank on fixed deposit. 



On the motion of Mr. A. Wilson, M.A., the report was adopted. 



The following gentlemen were elected office-bearers for 1891: — 

 President: Professor F. B. de M. Gibbons, M.A. Vice-Presidents: 

 Rev. H. Belcher, M.A., LL.D., and Mr. C. W. Adams. Hon. 



