OTAGO INSTITUTE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11188, 10 August 1898, Page 6

OTAGO INSTITUTE.

'i he'monthly meeting of the Oiago Institute was held at the Museum last evening. Ur j Hocken occupied 'the übair, and there was a ' meagre attendance. 1 Professor Benham exhibited a moa's egg r which had recently been added to the Museum. The egg, Mr A. Hamilton explained, had been deposited by Mr 8. H. Turton. It was found in a district which had always ' been celebrated for the character arid number of moa remains found in it —the river flat-between Alexandra and Cromwell. The egg. was,, found partly^uncovered, and there was along with it, anothei specimen in better preservation, but the latter crumbled to nieces on being incautiously set. Two eggs were probably the number that were laid by a moa at the' breeding period. •' The Chairman read a paper that had been communicated to him from Alexandra South . on " Native' Relics in the Upper Molyneux," and prefaced it by some particulars as to the migrations of the Natives in the early times. In the paper, which he (the-chairman) regarded as. of considerable value as,showing • what, traces the Maoris left on their road across the island, the writer described several remnants found: by him on the Clyde-Alex; , audra road, these including remains of Maori • .ovens, stone knives, gun flints, etc.--:..-; ;■.,■.. -'The Chairman exhibited^a number of rare ■■ arid curious Maori implements, among which < #ere a -war belt and .instruments of Warfare j iri"'green;st6riGv-..cwfc&lenone,xblackstone,- tr.ach-.' i ite, and- schist, the manner in which these were-Jused being indicated: by him. The t radii te implement shown? by him was, he ..said, probably unique, while the schist one was extremely old. He i also exhibited a number', of implements' 'of peace,, and some very fine specimens of1 carving, one being.a carved pipd which had-belonged to the cele-' i bra'ted Hono Heke,' and another being the first piece; of Maori work givnn to him (Dr , Hocken), and forming the nucleus of his collection.' ■.'■■'■■ .;...■■..■ 'Mr vl. B.'Teniiant' exhibited specimens of ' root--nodule's found on leguminous plants, the ; special' interest attaching 'to these (which Were "found' on ' lupins) consisting in their being Of ■ extremely large size, and in their having'come from the Sandhills near Tahuria Park rtnd the batterj-, where the sea had; lately come in. The lupin was flourishing amazingly 'dt that /place; and might have something to say in the • reclamation of the sand there, and as the' nodules contained a peculiar kind of bacteria that had the power of.fixing the free nitrogen of the air the plant might ■ prove beneficial not.only by reclaim- . ing: the' sand .'but also by enriching it, and thus paving the way for other and less hardy ; plants. ■' ' *''.''