Fourth Meeting: 11th August, 1896. Mr. A. Hamilton, President, in the chair. New Members.—J. H. Stanley, John Blair, T. J. Collins.

Mr. C. W. Adams gave a lecture on “Fire-raising by Friction.” The lecture was illustrated by two Maoris, Hamahona Tiro and Hoani Rakiraki, who produced fire by the stick-and-groove method.

Dr. Hocken read a note “On a Piece of Aztec Statuary representing the Sacrifice of a Human Victim.”

Fifth Meeting: 8th September, 1896. Mr. A. Hamilton, President, in the chair. New Member.—Dr. W. Allan.

Professor Parker announced that a nearly-complete skeleton of Harpagornis had, through the kind offices of Messrs. N. and G. Donaldson, been deposited in the Museum. The bones, with numerous other avian remains, had been sluiced out of Messrs. Donaldson's claim at Macrae's.

Mr. George Hogben, M.A., Rector of the Timaru High School, gave an account of the work and aims of the International Seismological Committee, one of the stations of which it was proposed to establish at Timaru, under his superintendence.

The President announced that the Council had made a grant of £10 towards the expense of purchasing, erecting, and maintaining for one year the necessary instruments at the Timaru station.

Paper.—“The Rise and Growth of the New Zealand Constitution,” by Dr. Hocken.

Sixth Meeting: 18th October, 1896. Mr. A. Hamilton, President, in the chair.

The following resolution was passed: “That this Institute has heard with profound regret of the death of the distinguished botanist Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller, and desires to place on record its sense of his eminent services to science.”

Mr. G. M. Thomson exhibited, and handed over to the Otago University Museum, some fossil remains which had