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order to make these matters known and to awaken some interest in the subject, 1 have written about a dozen papers of a popular nature for various journals and societies. It is proposed to make Bulletin No. 8 a monograph on Maori games and exercises, for which a considerable amount of matter has been collected. But little field-work has been done during the past year, but during a sojourn of two weeks at Wanganui in March I was fortunate in collecting a large amount of new matter, most of which is of value as illustrating ancient forms of ritual. This accumulation of matter opens up the question of publication, the present avenues being unsatisfactory. Not only does the printing of a Museum Bulletin occupy a period measured in years, but there is also little outlet for short papers, brief monographs, etc., so many of which might be compiled on hitherto-undescribed phases of Maori life. In addition, the issue of a large monograph on any subject at once results in the acquisition of new matter from correspondents and critics, and short supplementary papers offer the best means of recording the new information. The overladen " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute" can afford little relief, while, in my own case, I have effectually blocked egress through the Polynesian Journal with over 800 foolscap sheets of manuscript awaiting publication. The following minor papers were written during the year : " Maori and Maruiwi " (read before the Wellington Philosophical Society); " The Maori as a Voyager " (read before the Wellington Philosophical Society); "Maori Voyagers and their Vessels" (read before the Auckland Institute); "Some Phases of Maori Mentality" (read before the Auckland Institute); "Incidents from Maori History of Wellington District" (in hand); " Maori Place-names" (in hand); " Reminiscences of Fort Manaia " (in hand).

Mr. H. Hamilton reports on his work on the zoological collections as follows : — Since the production of the last annual report routine work on the zoological collections has occupied most of my time. The spirit specimens of New Zealand and foreign natural history have been overhauled and in some cases rearranged. The New Zealand lizards are now more readily accessible for classification purposes, and the collection of New Zealand Echinoderms, which contains certain type material, has been remounted and put in better condition for exhibition. Mr. H. Farquhar, of Wellington, was kind enough to rename the collection according to the latest system of nomenclature. During the winter months I prepared a paper on the " Traehipterids or Deal Fishes of New Zealand," to be published in the " Transactions of the New Zealand Institute." A start was made to bring together the several collections of New Zealand Coleoptera into one representative collection. At present there are four distinct collections of New Zealand beetles housed in the Museum—(l) The Norris collection, (2) the Buller collection, (3) the Lewis collection, (4) the Simmonds collection. It is highly desirable that a truly representative working collection should be built up from the material in the collections named. This is a work of some magnitude, but the results to be gained by such an arrangement will justify the time spent. An interesting collection of beetles and other insects from Gallipoli was presented to the Museum by Trooper H. E. Browne and Lance-Corporal W. J. Henry. Another collection, at present temporarily housed in the Museum annexe in Sydney Street, is the Herbarium. Little time can be spared on the maintenance of this valuable collection of (mostly) New Zealand plants. Herbarium, specimens are subject to many destroying agencies, and should be constantly under supervision. During the year I attended to a collection made by the late Rev. W. Colenso, but there are still thousands of specimens in other collections requiring expert attention and proper accommodation. No progressive policy in this department can be adopted until these conditions are satisfied. Active collecting of natural-history specimens had to be curtailed during the past season. I obtained some interesting and rare moths from the Botanical Gardens in the evenings, and during the month of February spent some weeks in Marlborough assisting the Director on a collecting expedition. Although rather late in the season, many forms of insect-life were secured from a locality where practically no collecting had previously been done. Another of my duties has been the compiling and recording of a pamphlet collection. Miscellaneous pamphlets are classified under authors, given a serial number, and placed in portfolios. Already the number of pamphlets classified exceeds a thousand, and the practical utility of the system has been proved.

Miss A. Castle reports on the Lepidoptera as follows : — The work of the past year has been principally the relaxing and mounting of six hundred specimens of foreign Lepidoptera, and about five hundred New Zealand specimens, together with the periodical overhauling of the entomological collections. During the spring and summer months a considerable amount of time was devoted to showing the collections to parties of schoolchildren and many others who made inquiries about them. A number of New Zealand specimens were sent in for identification and information. Thanks are due in no small measure to Mr. A. Philpott, of Invercargill, for his valuable assistance, given at all times, in identifying certain New Zealand specimens, and for his generous presentation of two hundred New Zealand Micro-lepidoptera, a nucleus on which it is hoped to build a fair representative collection. Messrs. S. H. Drew and M. Wait, of Wanganui, and Mr. H. M. Simmonds, of Auckland, have augmented the New Zealand Macro-lepidoptera by some good specimens.

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