MUSEUM GIFTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 69, 22 March 1934, Page 10

MUSEUM GIFTS.

COLLECTIONS GROW

GREENSTONE ORNAMENTS

KEPOET BY DIRECTOR. The council of the Auckland Institute and Museum met yesterday, the president, Professor H. W. Segal", presiding. The report by the director, Mr. Gilbert Archey, showed that 8228 people had visited the museum since the last council meeting in February, a weekly average of 2072. The attendance included 24 classes, totalling 1020 school children, who had received special instruction from the service officer. Special reference was made to the scientific trip made by Mr. B. A. Falla and Mr. A. W. B. Powell to the Three Kings and other outlying islands ot North Auckland, and the valuable data that had been gathered by the members of the expedition. In order that school children might know what ragwort looks like, a large drawing of the pest, with descriptive notes, was prepared by Mies Lucy Cranwell. This was published in the "'Auckland Star" and in the "Christchurch Star," and made the subject of a painting competition, some of the results of which were exhibited at the meeting. Mr. Archey said that it was hoped to have printed as many charts as they could get provided for distribution in schools, particularly in the North, where ragwort was fortunately little known, so that children would recognise the noxious weed when they saw it. It was thus hoped that by its early detection its spread would be checked in new districts. Birds' Eggs and Skins. Mr. Archey reported 43 accessions for the month, making a total of 109 for this year. Two important additions to the ornithological section had been made, the first being a collection "of eggs of British birds', eggs presented by Mr. F. C. Mappin, and the second being the J. McLean' collection of New Zealand and foreign birds' eggs and skins, together with pamphlets and field notes covering observations for a number of years. The collection was deposited by Mr. Bernard Chambers, of Poutu. The Maori section had benefited by several accessions of considerable importance. Mr. C. H. Pitts had presented an old tower musket owned by Patuone, the brother of Tamati Waka None. Mr. Walter. Swanson had presented a very fine greenstone kakapori. An excellent greenstone tiki and a greenstone pendant had been added to the Vaile collection, and an important chevroned pendant had been presented by Mr. R. A. Laidlaw. A pekapeka of unusual form had been presented by Mr. F. C. Mappin. Professor Thomas' Gift. Valuable additions presented by Mr. L. W. Alexander were a piece of antique stained glass, a carved lime box and a Minoan pottery flask from the Solomon Islands, the latter being the only specimen of the Minoan civilisation in the museum. Other gifts included a fossil moa bono from Cape Kidnappers, presented by Mr. 0. M. Weaver, and a set of moa gizzard stones found at Homai, presented by Mr. A. K. Duthie. •'•Professor A. P. W. Thomas had presented to the library a valuable series 'ot the"."Proceedings of the Linnean Society" dating from 1871 to 1900. Mr. Archey said they had none of this important publication in the library before, and Professor Thomas' gift was most welcome. Several important publications continued to bo received in exchange for the "Records," a new accession being the remarkably fine series of volumes sent by the Royal Natural History Museum of Brussels, which would continue to send further volumes as they appeared.