OTAGO INSTITUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 1892, 15 May 1890, Page 11

OTAGO INSTITUTE.

An ordinary meeting of the Otago Institute was held in the lecture room at the Museum building, Great King street, on Tuesday evening, and was numerously attended, the ball being well filled. The president (Dr Belcher) occupied the chair.

AUSTRALASIAN SCIENCE ASSOCIATION.

The Peesident, before calling upon members to read papers, said : — It is my duty to call your attention to the tact that in January 1891, there will be the first meeting of the Australasian Association for the Promotion of Science in New Zealand, and that this meeting will take place in Christchurch. The local secretaries are — for Auckland, Professor Thomas ; and for Dunedin, Professor Parker; and the general secretary for New Zealand is Professor Hutton. Any of these gentlemen will be glad to receive the names of ladies and gentlemen who desire to join the Australasian Association for the Promotion of Science. I may not be out of order in mentioning that to secure our visitors something like an opportunity for seeing the natural beauties of this immediate neighbourhood, the council has already formed itself into a reception committee, with power to add to their number, in order to secure an adequate welcome to our visitors from across the water.

Professor Pabkejr. as local secretary, mentioned that the a&sociation was not purely a scientific affair, but that its social aspect was very prominent. Arrangements, he said, had been made for both railway and boat travelling, and it was to be hoped that all these things being taken into consideration, a large number of members from Dunedin and elsewhere would attend the meeting of the association.

SCIENTIFIC PAPEBS.

Mr Goyen laid on the table of the institute a purely technical paper on a new species of migas (Migas saudageri), and Mr D. Petrie also handed in a paper giving a new description of some new native plants, and reserved his remarks upon them for a future occasion. OUTLYING ISLANDS SOUTH OF NEW ZEALAND.

Mr F. R. Chapman then delivered a lecture on the "Outlying Islands South of New Zealand," giving in a most interenting manner a skutoh of his recent tour amongst these remote isl.mds. The lecture was illustrated with maps, aiirt specimens of plants and biros were shown. Ah accouufc of the visit; to the islands having recently appeared in these columns, it is unnt'eesbary now to give any report of the address. The proceedings closed Bhortly before 10 o'clock.