E.—B

6

Museum. During the past year the Museum has made satisfactory progress. Exchanges have been completed with the Museums in Auckland and Dunedin, as well as with St. Mary's Industrial School in Nelson; also with Sir Walter Buller and Mr. W. S. Knowles, of Ireland. Collections have been sent to the National Museum at Washington, and to Professor E. P. Taylor, F.E.S., at Oxford, but their returns have not yet been received. The bust of Sir J. yon Haast has been mounted on a pedestal made from Timaru stone, the gift of Lady Yon Haast. The printing of all the larger labels is practically completed, and attention is now being directed to improving some of the smaller ones. A new case has been placed in the ethnological room, and a series of cases round the gallery of the New Zealand room, to hold the collection preserved in fluid. The following are the principal additions to the collections : — Natural History Collections. —The large mammals and reptiles, both skins and skeletons, have been rearranged, so that they can be better seen. The only additions are some Japanese petrels, which were purchased ; and a large herbarium of British plants, presented by the Hon. E. C. J. Stevens, M.L.C. Archceological Collections. —An important collection of the so-called " Eolithic " flint implements, from the high chalk plateaux of Kent, has been obtained by purchase; also eleven pieces of ancient Peruvian pottery from the collection of the late Colonel North, and a helmet and cuirass of the French Imperial Guard of the early part of this century. Twenty excellent flint arrow-heads from Ireland were obtained by exchange. Ethnological Collections. —A model of an ocean canoe from Santa Cruz was presented by the Eev. W. G. Ivens; a so-called " fetish" or stone ring from Erromanga, by Dr. E. Millar, E.N. ; a piece of Native pottery from Espirito Santo, by Captain Leah, E.N. ; a grave-axe from New Guinea, by Mr. Aug. Hamilton; and two large wooden figures from Eangoon, by Captain James Wilson. A canoe from Earotonga and a food-bowl from the Admiralty Islands were added by exchange. The following have been purchased : A large collection of objects from the Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz, and New Guinea, and an old stone adze, mounted in a handle, from Tahiti; a very fine bronze mask, being a support for an elephant's tusk, from the City of Benin ; a remarkable wooden figure from the Island of Leti, Malay Archipelago ; an ancient giltbronze figure from China; a large bronze Buddha from India ; and a pistol from Afghanistan. Old copies of the Times, containing accounts of the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar, were presented by Mr. E. D. Thomas ; and a table-cloth of Queen Anne, as well as two plates which once belonged to Lord Clive, by Mr. J. A. Parsons. New Zealand Collections. —Six birds from the Auckland Islands, Antipodes Island, and Stewart Island were presented by Lieut.-Commander Ayscough, E.N. Mr. E. W. Fereday's well-known collection of New Zealand Lepidoptera has been acquired by purchase. This collection contains 2,530 specimens, representing 335 species, and, in addition, there are between two and three thousand duplicates available for exchange. Mr. G. V. Hudson has presented a number •of Diptera, and Mr. A. T. Urquhart his entire collection of spiders, including the types of his species published in the " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute." Mr. G. M. Thomson has also presented a number of New Zealand Crustacea; Mr. H. Farquhar several star-fishes and seaanemones ; and Professor A. Dendy has given a set of his New Zealand land-planarians. It will be thus seen that our New Zealand natural history collection has been very materially increased. Mr. Harley Thomas has presented a very interesting collection of kauri-gum, including several specimens containing insects. Maori Collections. —A Maori skull that has undergone the operation of trephining was obtained by exchange, as also were two steering-paddles. Several objects were purchased from the Urewera Natives through Mr. Elsdon Best. A Maori paint-stone and rubber, two nephrite beads, and some wooden net-floats were presented by Mr. Aug. Hamilton. A large collection of stone adzes, &c, were presented by Mr. W. W. Smith, and a few by Mr. Harley Thomas. A number of stone implements from the Chatham Islands were acquired by purchase. Library. —In addition to the usual presentations from museums, scientific societies, and foreign Governments, the following books have been presented : " The Students' Flora of New Zealand," by the Education Department; "Instincts and Habits of Solitary Wasps," by the Director of the Wisconsin Geological Survey; Gravenhorst's " Ichneumonologia Europea," by the Curator; " Fauna Hawaiiensis," vol. i., by the Trustees of the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum at Honolulu. The following have been purchased: Eatzel's " History of Mankind," vol. iii.; Partington and Heape's " Ethnological Album of the Pacific Islands," Part III.; E. Lydekker's " Deer of all Lands." School of Art. As compared with 1898 the numbers have been as follows: — 1898 : Morning—First term, 34 ; second term, 35 ; third term 33. Evening—First term, 98 ; second term, 103 ; third term, 102. Saturday—First term, 84; second term, 86; third term, 93. Friday afternoon (wood-carving) —First term, 3; second term, 8 ; third term, 6. 1899 : Morning—First term, 39; second term, 34 ; third term, 36. Evening —First term, 105; second term, 122 ; third term, 124. Saturday—First term, 81 ; second term, 78; third term, 89. Friday afternoon (wood-carving)— First term, 6 ; second term, 6 ; third term, 4. It is encouraging to note that in the class which in some respects is the most important in the school the increase in attendance is most marked—l refer to the evening class, which is associated more directly with the trades. Drawing and Painting. —Classes, both elementary and advanced, have been held on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 7to 9 p.m. The work has comprised outline and light and shade from casts of ornament and the antique, monochrome, colour, and studies from