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Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1603, 8 January 1886, Page 2

! Ne'Wshas been received from the Hou Mr Bryce, m London, who at the time of waiting for the Kaikoura's mail was m excellent health, although he had suffered greatly from 'seavsiokiiess on the homeward voyage. From the ; time of his arrival m London Mr Bryce has been kept very busy m interviews with his lkwyers, and he wao/in hopes that .his: suit against Rusdep would be speedily brought to trial. ; It would seem, however, as if the other side were inclined to delay matters, — Chrontole, : ■. M r Drew informs us ( Chronicle) that a katipo (the poisonous spider of New Zealand) Was found at the Rifle Range on Christmas Day. It appears that on; the day m question Mr Parkes, /blacksmith,, while firing on the range had his attention attracted to the spider, which he thought answered the description of the katipo, and he captured and preserved it alive, with the .view of taking Mr Draw's opinion on it. The latter .gentleman states that it is a veritable katipo, this description of spider being 'easily distinguishable. It is a small spider with an abdomen of the size of a pea, having a brilliant vermillion spot or stripe upon it. It will be well for ■Volunteers to examine the ground at the Rifle Range carefully before assuming a lying down position m shooting. A young native has made a most interesting discovery of Maori relics near a. long-deserted villiage m the Waikato country. The accidental setting on- fire of the fern on a hill, side revealed the entrance to a cave which, apparently, did the duty at one time of a Maori i mausoleum. The quantity of human remains is not great, but some of the 1 skulls point to the distance of giants m those days. Scattered among the human remains are weapons, implements, and ornaments, m vast variety, but these the Maoris guard jealously, and will not allow the removal of so much as ope. Many of the implements and weapons, are of a familiar type, both of whalebone and greenstone, but some are Bui generis, and none of the present generation can tell their use. The walls of the cave, which occurs m limestone formation, have been covered with rude drawings, but time has almost obliterated these. Doubtless the cave has been used as the burial place of some important line of chiefs m the days spoken of by the Maoris as before the time of Captain Cook.