3

E.—7

Australian and American Societies, the British Museum, and the Government of the colony, and also by several valuable works by Professor Hutton. A class from the School of Art attends the picture gallery weekly for the purpose of copying. Other students also frequent the gallery for the same purpose. The Curator reports as follows : — Sic, — Canterbury Museum, Ist July, 1889. I have the honour to report that, pursuant to my appointment by your Commissioners in London to the vacant Curatorship of the Canterbury Museum, I arrived in Christchurch on the 6th December last. On the same clay I received over the charge of the collections from Professor Hutton, the Acting-Director. I have to express my great indebtedness to him for his kind and valuable assistance in the early weeks of my work. The following alterations have taken place during the year: The large heap of rubbish, which had been accumulating for years behind, the taxidermist's rooms, having become very injurious to the collections on account of the breeding of noxious insect life in it, has been cleared away. The ground surrounding the museum has all been thoroughly put in order. The roof of the taxidermist's room, which was insufficiently lighted, has been greatly improved by the insertion of a large skylight. The modelling room, which has become dilapidated, has been refioorod, and otherwise put in good repair. The Domain Board has liberally granted an extension (for some forty feet) of the ground in the rear of the museum, to afford space for an alteration in the position of the Maori house which is in contemplation, for its better preservation and exhibition to the public. This extension has been also cleared of its under-scrub and put in good order. The extensive skylight of the ethnological room, which has leaked for so many years, and given much anxiety to those in charge of the museum, has been covered to the extent of a third with galvanised iron, and it has been fitted with additional conduits to carry off the rain more quickly. By these changes, the overpowering heat and light, which were rapidly deteriorating the numerous delicately-coloured ethnological exhibits, have been reduced with marked benefit. It is to be hoped that the roof will now resist the weather for many years to come. The roof of the Maori house has recently been repaired also, but it is still in a very bad state, and will require attention at no distant date. Two of the tall chimneys which were shaken by the earthquake of September last have been reduced to a lower level to prevent, in case of a like occurrence, the chance of damage to the roof. Within the museum a few alterations have been effected. The windows and doors in the ethnological room, communicating on the one side with the mammal room, and on the other with the New Zealand room, have been removed, so as to obtain from the central room some of its surplus light and heat for the rooms flanking it. New drawers have been made and fitted beneath some of the cases in the mammal room. In these the surplus mammalian skins, which have hitherto been stored in the taxidermist's room, exposed to the air and dust, have, after being carefully rewashed with preservative preparations, been labelled and arranged. The whole of the other unmounted skins, the skeletons, and the surplus collections generally, have been examined and carefully conserved. The collection of photographs, presented by Mr. Ollivier, mentioned in the last annual report, have all been named, and were hung in the corridor by Professor Hutton. An additional collection, since presented, has also been hung, along with the portraits of Sir Hercules Eobinson and of Sir A. Gordon, past Governors of New Zealand. Several new pictures have been deposited in the picture gallery by the Canterbury Society of Arts. Among the donations which continue to be liberally presented from time to time, few are of the noteable importance to demand particular description here. A list of them will be found as an appendix to this report. The determination of the tunny from Governor's Bay, presented by the late Mr. Potts, by Professor Hutton as a new genus, has been confirmed by Dr. Giinther, F.E.S., of the British Museum. He has described it under the name of Lejndothynnus huttonii (Hutton's Scaly Tunny), and it will be figured in his forthcoming volume describing the deep-sea fishes collected during the " Challenger " expedition. This unique specimen is, therefore, one of the most valuable recent additions to the New Zealand collection. The additions to the library consist chiefly of the Proceedings and Transactions of scientific societies, presented by these societies. To Professor Hutton's continued liberality, also, it is indebted for several costly works. A few have been added by purchase, and several works have been ordered from London, a small sum having been voted by the Committee for the purpose. Since my arrival I have been chiefly engaged in making myself acquainted with the contents of the museum. This has not been altogether an easy task, as I have been unable to find any books or memoranda giving the information regarding the various exhibits and specimens, which it is necessary to know, beyond what the labels inadequately supply. I may be allowed to state shortly some changes which it would be very advantageous to the museum to make as soon as funds may be available for the purpose. That the New Zealand collection should be not only as complete as possible, but that it should be the most important and attractive feature of the museum is beyond question. The display of specimens illustrating its zoology, botany, and geology, especially of the two former, might, I think, be greatly improved. To this end, I propose, during the coming year, to rearrange its contents, and to devote the whole space in the room to purely New Zealand exhibits. This will necessitate the removal of the general geological collection into the present technological room. The purely technological specimens will be deposited and rearranged in the skeleton room, where space will be made for them by removing the skeletons to the cases containing their corresponding stuffed representatives. This arrangement will facilitate the better study of these forms. In the mammal room and in the bird gallery, many of the cases will require alteration or reconstruction, as opportunity offers, as at present they are so made that the reflection of the light prevents their contents from being seen to any advantage. This defect is especially noticeable in the cases containing the large carnivorous animals and the great anthropoid apes, which are the finest exhibits in this gallery. I would propose also to turn the Maori house round, so as to give entrance to it from the museum by its at present closed-up doorway, which faces towards the yard. As visitors are excluded from this yard, it is impossible for them to see the elaborate ornamentation