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Evening Star, Issue 3919, 15 September 1875, Page 2

A number of storekeepers and merchants nave been summoned to the City Police Court to answer to charges under the Dangerous Goods Act of keeping petroleum in large quantities in their places of business. iVir Davis re opens at the Temperance Hall this erasing, when, in addition to the usual strength of hia company, he will furnifth an attraction in " Natator, the Man Fish." This individual eato, drinks, and sm'.'ko.H under water.

The i'l Z.S.S. Company have presented Captain Llo.d, of the s.s. Taranaki, with a pair cf binocular glasses in commemoration of the quick rundown he made with that vessel from the Manukau to Port Chalmers with tLn cau Francisco mail.

J;imea Farrell, for many years head detect'v ti <.,f the ' >tago Police Force and afterwards sergeant of police at Lawrence, has been appinted chief detective at Wellington. No doubt the Welliugtonitea will receive j?reat benefit by the addition to their police rabks of 80 well-known and efficient as offiowr.

Byrou'a f jur-act drama " Blow for Blow," which has been shelved for a considerable time, constituted the programme at the Queen'* last evening. Mrs Darrell appeared in the dual part of the twin sisters, and gave a very effective representation of the characters, and Mr Darrell played more carefully than usual as Soraggs. Miss Leake and Messrs Musgrave and Stoaeham also appeared to advantage in their respective parts. To-night "The Trump Card," bv Mr Darrell, will be produced.

Among i/.iior questions discussed at the meeting of the Presbytery of Oamaru, on Wednesday, was tbat of permission to use instrumental music in congregations. The overdo transmitted by the Synod for the consideration of Presbyteries having been read, it was agreed by seven votes against four, " That .the overture be not agreed to." The quosMoa of union with the Northei n Presbyterian Church was also considered, and on the motion of Mr Todd, of Gamaru, it was unanimously resolved, "That the Presbytery agrees to the proposal of union with the Northern Presbyterian Church, on the basis recommended by the committee ©f Synod ' Both the above questions will come before the Synod for further discussion in January next.

At the meeting of the Otago Institute last evening there was a good attendance of members, and Mr J. S. Webb (president) was in the chair. Mr R. Gillies read a paper on "The habits of the trap-door s pider." He said that the underground excavations of the trap-door spider were truly wonderful, being driven some fifteen inches into the ground, through compact clay or loose sand sod, tbe shaft lined throughout with a tough silken coating, and the most perfect ventilation and drainage provi ed i or. At the mouth of the shaft is a trapdoor, constructed of the same material as the and provided with a hinge ingeniously fashioned. externally this door so resembles the surrounding vegetation aa to defy detection. Mr billies described his first discovery of one of these Bpiders while riding through a paddock at 4wamoko. ».?n subsequently mentioning the incident to Capt. Mutton, the latter said they had never before been found in .New Zealand, and were very scarce all over the world. Mr Gillies then pursued his investi. gatiout', with the paper he was reading as|the result. The sub-orderof Araneibfe, to whidi tbe iran-rb. or spiders klong, was k; own as the Termeliiriffl, and no far as he could ascertain, fcUfi speciincjs which he was'enabled to produce belonged io the same species. Mr Oiilies also produced several of the spiders' >!ests and described them. He said these jnii.ers wove not sou■ ably inclined, ao he had •■ •": : . U;? -x: a-:i,a> ai-.-jov*;;.-'! I/..-. .-.pid.vß in one nest, and this was a uest in which there were two galleries* So pugnacious

are they that, upon two of them being placed ia a matchbox together for a night, it was found in the morning that the one had eaten the other. Ia Otago, thay are to bo found from the Waitaki as far south as Shag Val'ev, and specimens h.ive been ontanedin Wellington ; while in Auckland, their nosts have been found in scoria walls. At the conclusion of the pap«r a short discursion ensued and a vote of thanks to Mr -Gillies concluded the proceedings.

The adjourned meeting of the Roalyn "Koa'l Board will be held in the Roslyn Hall, September 17, at 7.30 p.m.

A free entertainment in connection with the Dayspring Lodye. T.0.G.T., will be given at the Kensington School-house to-morrow evening, »t 8 o'clock. The third concert of the P>rt Chalmers Choral Union will take place at the Mus mic Hall, on Friday evening. A good programme has been (selected.

The first of the new series of S iturday evening Concerts, at the Temperance Hall, will be giren on October 2, not September 25, as previously announced, Kerr Schott, 11. A.M.L., will hold a meeting at his rooms on Thursday evening next at 8 p.m., for receiving avp'i atiotis and onrolling members for the Orchestral Instrumental Class.