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The principal accessions were a pou-pou of a house from Waikato district, presented by Mrs. T. M. V. Horton ; stone adze, Southland, presented by Mr. A. Duncan ; a stone nose-flute from Taumarunui ; a stone pounder from New Plymouth , presented by Mrs. R. L. Cross ; and a Maori paddle from Bay of Plenty, presented by Mr. W. E. Lear. Mr. Phillipps published in Art in New Zealand the following papers : " Maori Carving "; "He Koru " ; " The Te Kuiti House." Foreign Ethnological Collections. The collection of foreign ethnological specimens benefited by the addition of several useful gifts during the year. The principal accessions were prehistoric implements from National Museum of Wales ; Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Gilbert Island material from Mrs. W. E. Boyd ; Cook Islands artifacts from External Affairs Department ; Zinyawo masks and bones from Mr. J. H. Hoddinott; 118 Cingalese tablets from Mr. I!,. McKeen, M.P. ; West Australian shield from Mr. E. M'eek ; two Mangaian ceremonial adzes by exchange from Otago Museum ; Egyptian beads from Miss Gilby ; Egyptian pottery from Miss C. Mcintosh ; Californian Native artifacts from Mr. C. H. Handley. There were also received twenty-four pieces of English arms and armour from the authorities of the Tower of London, and eighteen swords, bayonets, and knives from Mrs. Dalrymple. Bird Collections. Two very useful collections of South American birds were received—one of fourteen specimens from Miss A. M. Drury, and the other of twenty-one specimens from Mrs. H. W. Butler. Nine specimens of foreign birds and nine of New Zealand native birds were received from various donors. Reptiles. A yellow-bellied sea-snake, an occasional visitor to New Zealand, was received from the Wairoa Star, and another specimen of the same species from the Taranaki Museum. Five specimens of Australian snakes were donated by Mr. A. W. Newton. Fishes. During the year a commencement was made with the recataloguing and checking of the fish collection. Notable accessions in the past year include a cast of a broad-bill swordfish, Xiphias estara, received in exchange from Auckland Museum ; a large eagle ray, Myliobatis tenuicaudatus, from Mr. H. W. Thomas, Seatoun ; a long-finned albacore, Germo germo, from Cook Strait, presented by Messrs. A. W. and C. G. Pawley ; r:id a flying-fish, Cypselurus melanocerus, from the Tasman Sea, presented by Mr. N. J. Siepen. Entomological Department. The mounting of all collections of unset New Zealand insects has been completed during the past year. The new insect-storage cabinet is now in an advanced stage of construction and, when finished, will be used for the housing of the now large collections of New Zealand Lepidoptera. With this end in view, attention has been paid to the resorting of the collection, which is now almost ready for transfer to the new cabinet. It has been decided to adopt, in an improved design, the " tray system " of storage for this collection. This system has obvious advantages from a museum point of view, and its adoption here brings the Dominion Museum into lino with modern methods as practised in the American and British Museums of Natural History. It is to be hoped that the construction of a second similar cabinet will be authorized this year, as it is absolutely necessary. During the year, also, work has proceeded on the perfection of the technique for the making of insect dioramas ; and during the ensuing year it is hoped to place the first of these on view. Several important accessions have been made by way of presentation and exchange during the year. Those presented include 215 specimens of New Zealand Lepidoptera from Mr. G. V. Hudson, of Karori; a collection of North American butterflies in papers from Mr. Calder, of Wellington ; and a collection of unmounted Lepidoptera from New Guinea from Mr. J. L. Froggatt, of Rabaul, New Guinea. By way of exchange we secured 131 specimens of European Ipidae from Dr. Walthcr Horn, of the Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Berlin, and 177 specimens of British butterflies and moths from Mr. R. J. Collins, of Surrey, England. The Fulton collection of New Zealand beetles belonging to the Otago Museum was placed on loan to our Museum for inspection and attention and still is under our care. Numerous fine specimens of New Zealand insects, sent in for identification, have been secured for the Museum collections. Many inquiries from the general public have been answered during the year, and identifications made ; and the collections have been shown to students and overseas visitors. A further paper on New Zealand Collembola was published by the Museum Entomologist in the " Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand," Vol. 68, Part 111, December, 1938. A short course of lectures on insects and insect-collecting was given to each batch of students attached to the Education Officer's department. Botanical Department. Routine work of identifying specimens sent in, mounting of herbarium specimens, and rearranging the exhibits on view has occupied a good deal of time. The arrangements for the Native-plant Exhibition also occupied much time, but a good deal of help was received from voluntary assistants. The principal additions wore a collection of 196 species of Japanese plants from Dr. S. Watari and a small series from Lord Howe Island presented by Captain J. D. McComish.

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