was to him a valuable piece of testimony. The evidence given by natural science on the subject appeared only to land them on the horns of a dilemma. One geologist stated that the stone of which the bird was composed was the pipe-stone of the North American Indian; another asserted that the carving was Japanese; while the ornithologist pointed out that the bird (whose species was unmistakable) was never found north of the equator—not even far north in New Zealand. He did not desire that the paper should yet be printed, but that the question should be left open; and he would endeavour to obtain sworn evidence from those who were present at the finding of the carving, if it should turn out that Mr. Walker's assertion as to his having purchased it on board some New Zealand coaster should be proved to be incorrect. The resolution proposed by Mr. Maskell was carried. 3. Sir James Hector read an account by Mr. Skeet of the appearance, observed from the coast at White Rock, of what appeared to be rocks far out at sea. A sketch was shown, giving the position of the supposed rocks. Mr. Travers said that it was most probably a large log, with birds upon it. Such a sight had been observed once at Nelson, and had caused some excitement.

Exhibits.—Mr. Hudson exhibited a valuable collection of New Zealand Micro-lepidoptera, which had been described in recent papers on the subject published in the “Transactions.” Sir James Hector exhibited several drawings of fishes recently collected by Mr. Drew, of Wanganui, some of which were either rarely met with or were new additions to the fauna. Among the former was the red mullet, a valuable food-fish that was highly prized by the ancient Romans. It was first found in New Zealand by Captain Cook, and nearly a hundred years elapsed before another specimen was caught, and the speaker had only seen five or six altogether; yet it must be tolerably abundant. Among the specimens new to New Zealand waters were the following: Chilodactylus zonatus, of the Japan seas, and Duymœria sp. (D. flagelliferœ, Japan). Another fish had also been received from Captain Fairchild, which was probably the species of wrasse or Labrus described by Dr. Solander, of Cook's expedition, and which had not since been identified.

Fourth Meeting: 28th August, 1889. Charles Hulke, F.C.S., Vice-president, in the chair. New Members.—J. B. Harcourt and F. Wallace Mackenzie, M.B.Ed.

By Coleman Phillips Papers.—1. “On the Chinese Settlement in New Zealand and Australia,” by Coleman Phillips. Abstract. Mr. Phillips, in his paper, desired to obtain the opinion of members of the Society upon Chinese immigration, as a philosophical question.