Council: During the year seven well-attended meetings have been held. There has been no change in elected members. Institute Meetings: Seven evening addresses two of which were delivered by visiting lecturers, were given during last winter's session. Members' thanks for a very interesting series of lectures are due to:— Professor F. P. Worley, M.A., D.Sc.: “Chemical Warfare.” Mr. A. W. B. Powell: “Shellfish Uses Down the Ages.” Professor T. D. J. Leech, B.Sc., B.E.: “The Growth of Aviation.” Dr. Raymond W. Firth: “Malay Medicine and Magic.” Dr. E. Marsden, C.B.E., M.C., F.R.S.N.Z.: “Science in Relation to War.” Dr. D. Brown: “Radio Methods for Direction Finding and Navigation.” Dr. J. Hardie Neil, D.S.O.: “Speech and Hearing.” Three ordinary meetings were also held, papers being read by Rev. G. I. Laurenson, Dr. L. H. Briggs, and Messrs. J. C. Neill, A. W. B. Powell, and G. Archey. Anthropology and Maori Race Section: Chairman, Rev. G. I. Laurenson; Hon. Secretary, R. A. Scobie. The Committee felt that in view of the demands on members which might arise from the war, it would be better to have a short concentrated syllabus. The wisdom of this policy was borne out by the high average attendance. Membership remains at a very high level. Astronomical Section: President, Mr. R. A. McIntosh. Hon. Secretary, Mr. T. Rounthwaite. Four meetings were held last year by the Section, whose membership remains at 21. The meetings were addressed by Mr. R. A. McIntosh. Professor H. G. Forder, and Mr. T. Rounthwaite. The decrease in the number of meetings is due to the difficulty of obtaining lecturers. The most notable event of the year was the discovery by Mr. McIntosh of a bright comet now known as Comet Skjellerup-McIntosh. Mr. McIntosh has also calculated its orbit. The observatory at Symonds Street was visited by many interested members of the public, who found the comet rather disappointing, owing to the unfavourable location of the telescope. The comet gave the matter of the observatory much desirable publicity, and it is hoped that a new building and site will become a reality in the near future. The Committee wish to thank the University College Council and Professor Burbidge for the continued use of the telescope and the physics lecture room. The Museum: Attendances during the year are as follows: Visitors 130,937; school pupils 14,838; flower show 6,294; lectures 1,182. Hawke's bay Branch of the royal society of N.Z. Report for the Year ended December 31st, 1940. Meetings: At the annual meeting held on June 13 the following officers were elected:—President, C. F. H. Pollock; Council, G. Waterworth and A. G. Clark; Hon. Secretary, W. G. Ball, Hawke's Bay Art Gallery and Museum; Hon. Auditor, J. E. Gleadow; Hon. Lanternist, Hector Chapman; Representatives Museum Committee, A. G. Clark, E. S. West, D. A. Campbell, and I. J. Pohlen. On June 20th Mr. W. T. Prentice delivered a lecture on “Some Famous Hawke's Bay Maori Pas” to an appreciative attendance. Library: The thanks of the Society are recorded to Mr. J. St. J. Hindmarsh for the gift of Studies in History and Jurisprudence (2 vols.). G. V. Hudson's Supplement to Butterflies and Moths of N.Z. has been purchased; and additions of other volumes were suspended meanwhile owing to war difficulties. Periodicals available are listed in the library. Obituary: The Society and the Dominion generally have sustained a great loss in the death of Herbert Guthrie-Smith, F.R.S.N.Z., the distinguished naturalist and author. A memoir by Johannes Andersen appears in the December Transactions. The death of James Hislop also removed a very old member of this branch. He was Secretary and Treasurer from 1899 to 1910 and was elected a Life member in recognition of his services. Museum Committee: Our representatives have been regular in attendance and taken great interest in the Museum's work.