Otago Institute.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 34, 1901, Unnumbered Page

Otago Institute. First Meeting: 14th May, 1901. Mr. G. M. Thomson, F.L.S., President, in the chair. Amended rules consistent with the practice of the Institute were submitted to the meeting and adopted without discussion, and, on the motion of Mr. F. R. Chapman, it was resolved, “That the Institute proceed to incorporate under the Unclassified Societies Act.” New Members.—Professor Park, Dr. Marshall, and Messrs. D. B. Waters, D. E. Theomin, E. R. Smith, and W. H. Smith.

Abstract. The subject was a technical one, but it was dealt with in a manner which made it clear and interesting to all, the history and results of the researches made by men of science in Italy, France, India, and England being mentioned. The subject of malaria, the speaker said, was, fortunately for the people of New Zealand, merely of academical interest, though throughout the British Empire malarial fever was second only to tuberculosis in its ravages. It was very prevalent and largely fatal in India, and it was quite impossible to state the number who were attacked by and died of this fever in Africa. In Italy whole

districts had been depopulated by it, and the same thing had occurred in America. The subject was one of immense importance to the world, and particularly to our Empire. Some of the guesses in the past regarding the cause of this disease had been singularly near the truth, and modern scientific research had proved up to the hilt that the mosquito grew the germ in its own tissues, carried it to human beings, and infected them with the disease. It was not every kind of mosquito that did this, but only Anopheles. Investigations showed clearly that this was actually the case, and it had been thought possible to stop the disease by destroying the mosquitoes. Some good had been done in this way by draining swamps and otherwise destroying the insects, but it was found that they were not easily dealt with. The speaker explained his subject by means of some very fine diagrams, and also exhibited a number of books and periodicals containing accounts of scientific research into this subject. A short discussion took place, and a hearty vote of thanks was passed to Dr. Colquhoun for the clear and highly interesting manner in which he had dealt with the subject. Second Meeting: 11th June, 1901. Mr. G. M. Thomson; President, in the chair. The President communicated to the Institute a letter from Mr. Morton, local secretary at Hobart for the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, giving some account of the programme of the meeting to be held in January, 1902. The President laid before the Institute a scheme for compiling a faunal census for New Zealand in collaboration with the other Affiliated Societies. Papers.—1. “An Account of the External Anatomy of a Baby Rorqual (Balænoptera rostrata),” by W. Blaxland Benham, D.Sc., M.A., F.Z.S. (Transactions, p. 151.) 2. “Note on an Entire Egg of a Moa now in the Museum of the University of Otago,” by W. B. Benham, D.Sc., M.A., F.Z.S. (Transactions, p. 149.)

Third Meeting: 9th July, 1901. Mr. G. M. Thomson, President, in the chair. New Members.—Rev. Canon Mayne, Miss Rees, and Miss Lena Stewart.

Fourth Meeting: 13th August, 1901. Mr. G. M. Thomson, President, in the chair. New Member.—Dr. Young, of Invercargill. Dr. Benham, curator of the Museum, took the opportunity to bring under the notice of members a few specimens recently added to the Museum. The first was a specimen of the squid, occasionally cast ashore in the harbour. Another was the New Zealand cockchafer (Prionoplus reticularis), mounted to show its life-history from its early stages till it becomes the full-grown beetle. Specimens of Phalangium cheliferoides, Mantis, and weta, mounted in alcohol, were exhibited, and then two specimens of the leaf insect. One of these was from Fiji, and the other had been sent to the Museum by Mr. Goyen, who got it from a man in the Catlin's district. Dr. Benham said it was not a native of these islands. After exhibiting two scorpions from India, he then showed a couple of lizards, one of a common variety found on the Peninsula, and another which appeared to be new to science. It was found at Fort-rose by a man who thought it was a tuatara. Seeing an advertisement in a paper offering £1 for a tuatara, he brought it up to Dunedin. It was a beautifully coloured lizard, having brown, red, and green markings. He had not had time to work it out thoroughly, but as far as he could judge it was an entirely new variety. A couple of living specimens of Paryphanta hochstetteri from Pelorus Sound were also on view.

Fifth Meeting: 10th September, 1901. Mr. G. M. Thomson, President, in the chair. An advance volume of the “Transactions of the New Zealand Institute” was laid on the table.

Sixth Meeting: 8th October, 1901. Mr. G. M. Thomson, President, in the chair.

Annual Meeting: 12th November, 1901. Mr. G. M. Thomson, President, in the chair. New Member.—Mr. George Howes, F.E.S. On the motion of the Chairman, the following resolution was affirmed: “That the Otago Institute become registered under ‘The Unclassified Societies Act, 1895.’”

Papers. 1. “Notes on some Glacier Moraines in the Leith Valley, Dunedin,” by Professor Park. (Transactions, p. 444.) 2. “Notes on the Secular Movements of the New Zealand Coast-line,” by Professor Park. (Transactions, p. 440.) 3. “Notes on the Thames Goldfields,” by Professor Park. (Transactions, p. 435.) 4. “Reference List to the Literature of New Zealand Fishes,” by Mr. A. Hamilton. (Transactions, p. 539.) 5. “Notice of an Electric Ray new to the Fauna of New Zealand, belonging to the Genus Astrape,” by Mr. A. Hamilton. (Transactions, p. 224.)