﻿New 
  Zealand 
  Institute. 
  579 
  

  

  proper 
  cabinets 
  have 
  been 
  provided 
  for 
  their 
  reception, 
  so 
  that 
  this 
  special 
  

   gift 
  from 
  the 
  Trustees 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  which 
  numbers 
  28,000 
  species 
  

   of 
  plants 
  for 
  reference, 
  is 
  still 
  inaccessible 
  to 
  students. 
  

  

  Natural 
  History 
  Collections. 
  — 
  The 
  detailed 
  study 
  and 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  

   collection 
  is 
  rapidly 
  advancing, 
  and 
  arrangements 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  with 
  the 
  

   Education 
  Department 
  to 
  secure 
  the 
  services 
  of 
  a 
  wood 
  engraver, 
  so 
  that 
  

   the 
  illustrations 
  for 
  the 
  new 
  editions 
  of 
  the 
  Natural 
  History 
  Catalogues, 
  

   which 
  are 
  now 
  out 
  of 
  print, 
  may 
  be 
  obtained 
  in 
  a 
  form 
  that 
  will 
  admit 
  of 
  

   their 
  being 
  also 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  illustration 
  of 
  elementary 
  text-books 
  for 
  the 
  

   use 
  of 
  schools. 
  

  

  Mammalia. 
  — 
  The 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Zealand 
  Cetacea 
  has 
  under- 
  

   gone 
  revision, 
  and 
  the 
  results, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  they 
  relate 
  to 
  the 
  larger 
  forms, 
  have 
  

   been 
  published 
  in 
  the 
  Transactions 
  of 
  the 
  Institute 
  ("On 
  the 
  Whales 
  of 
  the 
  

   New 
  Zealand 
  Seas," 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Hector. 
  Vol. 
  X., 
  p. 
  331). 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  important 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  this 
  section 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  

   fine 
  skeleton 
  of 
  the 
  Whale-killer 
  (Orca 
  pacifica], 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  

   Society 
  of 
  Tasmania. 
  

  

  Birds. 
  — 
  The 
  principal 
  additions 
  to 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  bu'ds 
  during 
  the 
  

   year, 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  exchange 
  from 
  the 
  private 
  Museum 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Macleay, 
  

   F.L.S., 
  at 
  Sydney. 
  

  

  Fishes. 
  — 
  Very 
  extensive 
  additions 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  alcoholic 
  col- 
  

   lections 
  in 
  this 
  department, 
  360 
  specimens 
  having 
  been 
  received, 
  including 
  

   a 
  typical 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  Australian 
  sea 
  and 
  river 
  fishes 
  ; 
  a 
  small 
  collection 
  

   of 
  Polynesian 
  fish 
  made 
  by 
  Lord 
  Hervey 
  Phipps 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  

   of 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  Coast 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  contributed 
  by 
  the 
  Smithsonian 
  

   Institute. 
  

  

  The 
  collection 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand 
  fishes 
  has 
  been 
  greatly 
  extended 
  and 
  

   improved 
  by 
  the 
  substitution 
  of 
  fresh 
  preparations. 
  

  

  Invertehrata. 
  — 
  The 
  additions 
  in 
  this 
  section 
  nixmber 
  887, 
  and 
  consist 
  

   chiefly 
  of 
  Australian 
  Crustacea, 
  Echinodermata, 
  and 
  Mollusca, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  

   series 
  of 
  preparations 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Zealand 
  Mollusca 
  to 
  facilitate 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  

   the 
  soft 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  animals. 
  

  

  Mention 
  has 
  also 
  to 
  be 
  made 
  of 
  a 
  valuable 
  collection 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand 
  

   Insects, 
  37 
  in 
  number, 
  collected 
  and 
  presented 
  by 
  the 
  Eev. 
  Father 
  Sauzeau, 
  

   of 
  Blenheim. 
  

  

  Ethnological. 
  — 
  The 
  only 
  important 
  addition 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  

   weapons 
  of 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Paris 
  (New 
  Caledonia) 
  natives, 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  

   of 
  which 
  are 
  sling-stones 
  made 
  of 
  steatite, 
  which 
  are 
  projected 
  from 
  a 
  shng 
  

   made 
  of 
  cloth 
  spun 
  from 
  the 
  hair 
  of 
  the 
  flying 
  fox. 
  

  

  Minerals. 
  — 
  In 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  various 
  mineral 
  and 
  rock 
  specimens 
  

   obtained 
  by 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey, 
  a 
  very 
  valuable 
  series, 
  numbering 
  400 
  

  

  