Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 13, 1880, Unnumbered Page

Hawke's Bay Philosophical Institute. Annual General Meeting. 2nd February, 1880. Dr. Spencer, Vice-president, in the chair.

First Ordinary Meeting. 4th June, 1880. Dr. Spencer, Vice-president, in the chair.

Second Ordinary Meeting. 12th July 1880. The Right Rev. the Bishop Of Waiapu, President, in the chair. 1. “On certain Historical incidents of the Ancient East Coast Maoris; showing much of their peculiar manner of living and ways of thinking in the olden time,—long before they were visited by Europeans,” by W. Colenso, F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 38.)

2. “On two newly-discovered curious Cryptogams, of the orders Hepaticœ and Lichenes, viz., Metzgeria rugulosa, Col., and Bœomyces heteromorphus, Nyl.;” exhibiting also several specimens of the same, by W. Colenso, F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 368.) Third Ordinary Meeting. 9th August, 1880. The Right Rev. the Bishop Of Waiapu, President, in the chair. 1. “On the Vegetable Food of the Ancient New Zealanders before Cook's Visit.” Part I., by W. Colenso, F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 2.)

Fourth Ordinary Meeting. 13th September, 1880. The Right Rev. the Bishop Of Waiapu, President, in the chair. 1. “On the Vegetable Food of the Ancient Maoris, before the Visit of Captain Cook.” Part II., by W. Colenso, F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 18.) Specimens of sundry indigenous vegetable articles of food, both raw and dressed, were shown in illustration of this paper. Among them were (1)The superior quality fern root Pteris esculenta, used only by chiefs, containing a very large percentage of fecula, obtained from the interior a hundred miles away; and (2) Slices of thick cake or bread, made of the meal obtained from the berries (drupœ) of the Hinau tree (Elœocarpus dentatus).

Fifth Ordinary Meeting. 11th October, 1880. Mr. H. R. Holder in the chair. 1. “Life and its Physical Correlations,” illustrating the same by references to several coloured drawings, by Dr. Spencer. (Transactions p. 109.) 2. “On the Ferns of Scinde Island (Napier),” partially illustrating the same with specimens of the rarer ferns from that locality, by W. Colenso, F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 370.) Sixth Ordinary Meeting. 8th November, 1880. Dr. Spencer, Vice-president, in the chair. 1. “Contributions towards a Better Knowledge of the Maori Race, Part III., on their Poetical Genus,” by W. Colenso, F.L.S. (Transactions, p. 57.)

Some of the very ancient and peculiar musical instruments were exhibited, and described by Mr. Colenso, all of which were also noticed in his paper.

Council Meeting. 11th October, 1880. The Vice-president, Dr. Spencer, in the chair.

Council Meeting. 8th November, 1880. The Vice-president, Dr. Spencer, in the chair. The books selected by the sub-committee appointed to do so, were considered and approved of by the Council, and £60 voted towards the purchasing of the same.