542 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY. 



The following Instruments, Objects, etc., were exhibited : — 



The Society : — An Old Microscope by George Adams, presented to 



the Society by Members of the Council. 

 Dr. J. A. Braxton Hicks : — 16 Slides of Tropical Parasites. 



SPECIAL MEETING. 



Pursuant to the notice given at the Meeting of May 19, 1909, the 

 Meeting was then made " Special " for the purpose of receiving the 

 Eeport of the Committee appointed on December 16, 1908, and of 

 dealing with the proposal to amend the By-laws of the Society. 



Mr. J. W. Gordon said it would be remembered that at the Special 

 Meeting of the Society held on December 16 last, a resolution was 

 passed in the following terms : " That in the opinion of this Meeting 

 the time has now arrived when the question of the admission of women 

 Fellows to the full privileges of the Society must be seriously considered, 

 and that a Special Committee be appointed for the purpose of con- 

 sidering the proposals dealing with the subject, and of preparing a 

 report thereon to be submitted to a further Special Meeting of the 

 Society to be called for the purpose by the Council." This Committee 

 had held seven sittings for the purpose of preparing their report, and 

 with a view to ascertaining the feeling of the Fellows generally, they 

 had sent out 284 circulars, to which 205 replies had been received. Of 

 these 146 had expressed themselves in favour of a proposal to admit 

 ladies to the Ordinary Meetings of the Society, whereas 42 were against 

 it, and 17 signified that the winters were indifferent. With regard to 

 the proposal to admit ladies to seats on the Council, 108 were in favour 

 and 74 against it, whilst in reply to the request for the names of any 

 ladies who would actually join the Society if the By-laws were altered, 

 not a single name had been mentioned. 



The Eeport of the Committee was then read by Mr. Gordon in the 

 following terms : — 



"At a Meeting of the E.M.S. held on December 16, 1908, a resolu- 

 tion appointing your Committee was passed in the following terms : — 



" ' That in the opinion of this Meeting the time has arrived when 

 the question of the admission of women Fellows to the full privileges of 

 the Society must be seriously considered, and that a Special Committee 

 be appointed for the purpose of considering the proposal for dealing 

 ^Yith this subject, and preparing a report thereon to be submitted to a 

 further Special Meeting of the Society to be called for the purpose by 

 the Council.' 



"Your Committee proceeded forthwith to deal with the question 

 referred to it, and has held seven sittings on the undermentioned 

 dates for the purpose of preparing this report : — January 8 ; May 

 5, 13, 19, 26, 28 ; June 16, 1909. 



" For the purpose of ascertaining the feeling of the Fellows of the 

 Society upon the question proposed, your Committee drew up a circular 



