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H.—2B

MUSEUM. The number of names entered in the Visitors' Book during the year is 13,000 (week days 10,000 ; Sundays, 9,000) but, as mentioned in previous reports, this gives no adequate idea of the number of persons visiting the institution, as comparatively few care to sign the Register. The usual average daily attendance is about fifty on week days, and 150 on Sundays. Natural History Collections. The additions to this section have been somewhat extensive ; but the excessively crowded state of the Museum Department, renders the exhibition of recent acquisitions quite impossible, until further accomodation is provided. Mammalia. —Amongst th» animals recently added to the collection, and specially worthy of notice are : (1) two skins of the Tasmanian devil (Diabolus nrsinus), presented by Mr. J. B. Poynter, of Poverty, Bay ; per Honorable G. Randall Johnson, M.L.C; two hedgehogs (Erinaceus europceus), 1 sable marter sibellina) 1 Ermine (Mustela) 1 beautiful specimen of the platypus (Platypus anatinus). Pisces. —The most noticeable addition, to this department is a collection of 161 specimens, illustrative of the Ichthyology of the Pacific Coast of North America, presented by the United States National Museum. Jives. —The acquisitions in this section, though not very numerous, are nevertheless of a very interesting character, the chief items are : (1) several specimens of Rallus affinis and ailied species from Mr. A Hamilton, of Napier ; (2) an Australian roller (Eurystomus australis) shot at Akamotu and presented by Mr. A. Reid ; (3) A fine peacock presented by M'rs. Borlase; (4) A pure albino peacock, by Mr. Harding of Napier ; (5) A magnificent specimen of the Bird of Paradise (Paradisca raggiana), by Dr. Bennet of Sydney ; (6) Two Bustards (Otis tarda) by Mr. Banbury of London ; (7) twenty-six skins, New Zealand and Foreign, purchased by the Director. New Zealand Birds have been presented to Dr. Finch, of Bremen, Mr. Hague, of London, and Dr. Buller, Wellington. A collection of thirty-two eggs, was sent to Mr. A. Gillies, of Dunedin as an exchange. lieptilia. —Only a few New Zealand species have been added to this branch, but a collection of the forms indigenous to this colony, has been sent to the Bremen Museum. Invertebrate!,. —A collection of coloured corals, presented by Mr. H. E. Liardet; and a very fine collection of New Zealand sponges, presented by Mr. J. A. Smith of Napier, are the chief items under this heading. The sponges however are very important, as the quality leaves but little doubt that New Zealand may yet be able to produce sponges suitable for market. Ethnological. Very large collections have been received under this head, amongst the articles more especially worthy of notice are (1) two Japanese shrines, 500 years old, from the Temple of Kamakura, presented by Mr H. S. Tiffen, of Napier; (2) a large collection of weapons, domestic utensils, &c, illustrative of the ethnology of New Guinea and neighbouring islands, received in exchange from Mr H. H. Romilly, Deputy Commissioner of the Pacific ; (3) casts of Maori implements, in exchange from the Canterbury Museum ; (4) a cast of the celebrated Rorotangi, the figure of a bird carved in serpentine, reported to have been brought by the Maories to New Zealand from Hawaiki, presented by Major Wilson; (5) 2 Maori carved walking-sticks, purchased ; (6) twenty samples of pottery from South Sea Islands, presented by His Excellency Sir Arthur Gordon; (7) Hindoo Holy Writings deposited by Miss Woodward. Miscellaneous. Amongst the miscellaneous articles lately received are (1) silver seal of the colony of New Zealand, defaced by Her Majesty in Council, presented by the Hon. the Colonial Secretary; (2) seal of the Province of Wellington, presented by the Government Storekeeper; (3) collection of timber., economic vegetable substances, and casts of 12 famous nuggets, &c, in exchange from Technological Museum, Melbourne ; (4) specimens of quartz from Te Aroha, presented by the Hon. the Minister for Mines and Mr J. C. Firth; (5) 8 glass show cases, used at the Crystal Palace Wool Show, presented by the Hon. the Colonial Secretary ; (6) Map of Wellington in 1841, deposited by Hon. W. B. D. Mantell; (7) iron pipe, made by Mr P. Birley, of Auckland, deposited by Mr W. Swanson, M.H.R; (8) one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals awarded to the colony at the Crystal Palace Wool Exhibition, presented by the Hon. the Colonial Secretary ; (9) portrait in oil, known as the'" Molesworth Portrait," deposited by Sir W. Fitzherbert. Geological Survey. During the past year Mr. Cox has been engaged for three months, from January to March, in an examination of the Cape Colville peninsula, more especially at the mining centres of the Thames, Coromandel, Waitekauri, Owharoa, Waihi and Te Aroha. The most important result which he has obtained, lie in his determination of the stratification of the rocks at the Thames. He has shown there that the beds of the auriferous series consist of alternations of a moderately hard compact, pyritous, tufacoous, sandstone (tufanite of Dr. Hector), with less pyritous beds, a similar rock, which is, however, much broken up into pieces by joints, and a hard green dioritic rock, which is of true fragmental origin, but which passes at places into crystalline bands which are never continuous for any great distance. It is in the first of these that the reef have proved most highly auriferous, and while gold does occur in them while passing through the second class of country, they are not as a rule payable, and where the reefs traverse the hard rocks, they are absolutely barren. He has shewn that several of these hard belts occur, and that were they are met with in the lower level of the mines, the gold is cut off by them, but that other belts of auriferous country occur below, in which other sets of reefs have been worked. His work generally tends to show that so far from the Thames being worked out, there are yet, in all probability, as rich auriferous belts of country at lower levels as have hitherto been worked near the surface, and that gold -will be found to quite as great depths as it is practicable to work. Besides this, he has illustrated the structure and behaviour of the reefs by numerous sections, and has also prepared a plan and section of the Ohinemuri and Te Aroha Districts.