E.—7

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Routine Work. —The taxidermist has been, as usual, engaged in refilling such jars as required it, in remounting specimens in more suitable jars, in repairing skeletons, and in keeping the exhibits generally clean and tidy. As many of the exhibits have to be used in illustration of the lectures and laboratory work in zoology, palaeontology, and odontology, and as the students of the Mining School use the cases of minerals for study, a considerable amount of time and labour is involved in keeping the cases and specimens in proper order for public display. During the latter part of the year the taxidermist was engaged in trying to remount the male seal, which was set up many years ago in a ridiculous and impossible pose —erect on its hind legs. This has long been an eyesore to me, and last year I endeavoured to obtain the male seal exhibited at the Christchurch Exhibition in order to have it mounted in a more natural pose. Failing this, I proposed to the taxidermist to take down the old seal and to try to remount it. Mr. Jennings did his best to carry out my wishes, but the skin was too tough to be moulded in any new way, and it will now be set up on its belly, scrambling over rocks, as if coming out of the sea or basking in the sun on shore. The attempt involved great labour, and necessitated the employment of outside assistance. Acquisitions. —(A) New Zealand Zoology: The register contains 325 entries. It includes a large series of specimens, 270 in number, collected by me during the two trips to the subantarctic islands in February and November, 1907. Naturally much of this is already represented in the Museum, but several important novelties were obtained, such as fish-leeches (new to science), jellyfishes, insects, earthworms, spiders, land-shells, &c, which in due time will be identified and added to the exhibits, or stored for study and reference. From other sources the most interesting are the following : A new species of large land-shell (Placostylus bollonsi) from the Three' Kings Island; a green lizard, which bore two young ones of quite a different colour-pattern ; several echinoderms new to science, of which an account is now ready for publication ; some hydrocorallines from Preservation Inlet, including the rare Labiopora, which 1 sent to Professor Hickson, of Manchester, for description; a Comatula new to the coastal waters of the Dominion; native termites; and several rare or new deep-sea shells. (B.) Foreign Zoology : There are only eleven entries, including a large African lizard, presented by Mr. Theomin; a Himalayan muntjac, which died in the Dunedin Gardens and was donated by the Superintendent of Reserves; a peculiar crustacean (Anaspides) from Tasmania, given by Mr. G. M. Thomson. (C.) Palaeontology : The eighteen entries include models and casts of various extinct animals, and a set of models of the valves of fossil brachiopods showing the arm-loop. These models, though exhibited, are chiefly used in teaching. (D.) Ethnology : A small collection of objects from Ceylon, such as personal ornaments, brass utensils, weapons, coins, manuscripts, &c, was purchased through the medium of the Director of the Colombo Museum. Unfortunately I have no cases in which to exhibit these and several other ethnological objects. Lint of Donors of Native Specimens. —l have already sent the usual formal acknowledgment of their donations to the twenty-four undermentioned individuals who have been good enough to forward specimens, and I take this opportunity of again tendering them my thanks, and of stating that specimens of even common animals —insects, spiders, shells —are always welcome. In this way it will be possible to retain for our Museum that special character which it already possesses —viz., the only representative exhibit of invertebrates in the Dominion. James Allen, M.P., white-pine borers (Pentarthrium); Captain Bollons —land-snail from the Three Kings (Placostylus); N. L. Buchanan, of Collingwood —nest of mason-bee; Judge Chapman—fragments of skulls of Maori dog; Dr. De la Tour—a rare fish (Paratrachionthys trailli); Miss Fergus, Portobello— a lizard (Naultinus elegans); Dr. Fulton—birds' eggs, beetle, &c. ; C. Gudgeon—harvest-man; A. Hamilton, Director, Dominion Museum —a sea-pen (Sarcophyllum bollonsi); J. Horan, of" Ruapuke—Crustacea; J. Jeffrey, of Anderson's Bay—termites, several insects, and other animals; J. A. Laird —beetle; Miss Mestayer, of Wellington—a rare annelid (Chloeia inermis) ; A. Michael, —a moth and its caterpillar (Porina dinoides), the vegetable caterpillar; W. Brook Oliver, of Christchurch—annelids ; Professor Park—a lizard (Pactylocnemis granulatus) ; Captain Post —two land-shells (Paryphanta hongii) ; Percy Seymour, of Cromarty—Labipora, Comatula, and echinids; Mrs. Spender, of Geraldine —small land-shells (Phenacohelix pilula); H. Suter, of Auckland —a coral (Kionotrochus suteri) and several rare marine shells from deep water; W. Sutherland —shark (Notidanus indicus) ; H. R. Tapley—a stick-insect; T. Taylor, of Koromiko —beetles, worms, lizard, and shells; E. Waite, Curator, Canterbury Museum—starfishes, seaurchins, and brittle-stars. General. —The Museum is, with the exception of the Public Art Gallery, the only permanently open free place of entertainment and instruction in Dunedin; it is open daily, Sundays included, throughout the year, having been closed only on Christmas Day, Good Friday, and Labour Day. The public has shown its appreciation of its resources by visiting it in considerable numbers, especially on Sundays and holidays. Teachers, both of town and country schools, are making increasing use of its contents as a means of instruction ; and I have been pleased to see that in some cases the children take notes of the exhibits. I would suggest that more teachers should have some definite object in view to which they should direct the attention of the children, for frequently they seem to wander round the cases in rather an aimless fashion. The conduct of visitors has, I am pleased to note, been all that can be desired. I hope that in the near future additional interest will be provided by new exhibits in the ethnological department.