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As exemplifying the use of the Museum, I may say that quite recently a lady visiting the Dominion wished to get information about the New Zealand glow-worms which are so conspicuous in the Waitorao Caves. Inquiries in Wellington resulted in her being recommended to consult me. and I was able to give her all the information she desired. Inquiries have been received from the Marine Department as to the distribution of fat in the tissues of fishes. This 1 was unable to answer. But the following, and others less striking, have been replied to: From the Chatham Islands a fish was sent for naming; from Stewart Island I have received inquiries about a whale which had been cast ashore there, ami about some fishes caught there; from Alexandra I received a request to recommend a means of destroying a waterweed which was blocking up a water-race, and costing many pounds to clear away annually; from New Plymouth a request to identify small worms that occurred near an old gas-vent ; Sutherland, of Milford Sound, wished my opinion on the tracks of a bird he had observed near his house; from Oatnarii more than one lot of bones of fossil birds were received for identification. Even from far Fiji 1 received a letter asking for information about a marine worm, called by the Natives the mbalolo, that has habits rendering it of interest to zoologists. It is often supposed that a museum is a mere storehouse; but the above, which represents only a tithe of the questions put to me, indicate that the people are making use of it (or of me) as a kind of inquiry bureau; and that is what should be part of the function of a museum. Another function of a museum is to provide specialists in other countries with material required for monographs in their particular groups. For this purpose I have sent for identification a collection of myriapods from New Zealand and the neighbouring islands to Professor Sylvestri. in Italy; a small number of corals from the Kermadecs was forwarded to Dr. Vaughan, of the United States National Museum at Washington. A request for a set of our barnacles for the Indian Museum was complied with, with the result that a new species has been described by Dr. Annandale; and echinodernis were sent in exchange for others to Harvard and to Copenhagen. During the year I was able to complete a memoir on the echinoderms of the Kermadec Islands, which is now in the press. Changes in the Staff. The .Museum has suffered a great loss by the sudden death of Mr. Edwin Jennings, which occurred on the -">lst October. lie had acted as taxidermist since the foundation of the Museum on its present site, under Captain Ilutton ; and has been thus in the service of the University for thirty-three years. lie was not merely a. taxidermist a stuffer of skins; he was rather what is now called a " preparatoi ." and combined the functions which in larger museums are distributed amongst two or more individuals, for ho had become efficient in a variety of museum methods learnt from Captain Ilutton, Professor Parker, and myself. He was a very willing man, ever ready to learn new ways of mounting specimens, and to take hints as to any improvements that might be introduced into his own methods. I have placed, in the Bird Gallery a framed portrait, with a short appreciative note as to his work. His loss has meant for me a great deal of additional work, and it will take a long time to teach his successor all the things he knew about museum-work. As I was likely to be away from Dunedin for some weeks, it was not deemed desirable to take steps to fill this post till after my return, so that no appointment was made this year. I have also to put on record the retirement, owing to old age. of Mr. James Mackenzie, who had so worthily occupied the position of janitor for thirty-three years. He, like Mr. Jennings, was a very pleasant man to have under one, ready and obliging, and able to give information to visitors about the more important specimens in the collection. Hi' ceased his connect inn with the Museum at the end of November, and his successor commenced work on the 20th December, so that the Museum had to be closed to the public for three weeks. Mr. Arthur Busby, the new janitor, is doing his wort; satisfactorily. The loss to the institution of these two old and valued servants is likely to be felt for some years, not only by myself, but by every one who has business with the Museum. Summary of Acquisitions. (a.) New Zealand zoology ; The register contains entries of 100 presentations to the Museum. The more important of these are the egus of twenty species of birds, from Mr. Chalmer ; ten species of birds from the Kermadec Islands, with the eggs of thirteen species, from Mr. W. I{. B. Oliver, of Christchuich ; and a number of small, rare, deep-sea shells gi-ven by Mr. Suter. (b.) Of foreign zoological specimens there are forty entries, which include the cL r L r s of a number of introduced birds from Mr Chalmer; a golden pheasant, given by Mr. C. Bills; insects collected in British Guiana by Mr. Allen Jackson, and presented by Mr. A. Bathgate; several echinids from the Gulf of Siani, Cape of Com] Hope, Patagonia; and elsewhere in exchange for New Zealand species, came from Dr. Mortensen, of Copenhagen; earthworms from various countries, from Dr. Michaelsen, of Hamburg, nereids from Japan, given by Professor A. Izuka. Mi-. M. T. J. Bryant, of Owaka, presented some young opossums; Dr. Marshall, while at Rarotonga and Samoa, obtained some centipedes; and Mr. W Wasserbrennen presented scorpions, snakes, &c, from Malay. (c) Under the head of palaeontology I have registered twenty objects, most of which were purchased, including a number of trilobites, and models of fruits and flowers of fossil plants. (d.) The register of ethnology contains, of course, a great number of entries, owing to the gift of 250 articles from Dr. Hocken, eighty specimens from various Pacific islands, purchased by me at the sale of his collections, including several articles from Santa Cruz that were collected by the late Bishop Selwyn ; from the Andamans, thirty-thri bjects, purchased for me by Dr. W. M. Thomson ; while Mr. Hamilton presented a set of bronze copies of ancient Chinese coins. Mention must also be made of a fine greenstone axe found in Leith Street, and presented to the Museum by the Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage Board ; a model, full size, of a Japanese plough, presented by Dr. F. T. King, and some bead-work articles from Africa, given by Dr. Colquhoun. (c.) The following articles have been deposited in the Museum, and are on exhibition : A greenstone mere, by Mrs. Hocken ; a Maori canoe-paddle, with undulating handle, the property of Miss Wimperis, was also placed in my charge by Mrs. Hocken; Mr. J. T. Brvant intrusted me with two fine Maori axes in greenstone for safe keeping.