THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 183 



time of his death a valued friend. But I should take that letter 

 of Professor Ray Lankester as just an example of what scientific 

 criticism ought not to be ; and I do not hesitate to say this to you, 

 because I have said exactly the same thing in private to Professor 

 Ray Lankester himself. I happened to be staying, at the time 

 when I read it in " Nature," with my friend, Professor Allman, 

 formerly of Edinburgh, who now resides at Parkstone, and with 

 whose extremely valuable contributions to various departments of 

 study — of the lower animals especially — many of you are doubtless 

 familiar. Professor Allman is a man of very wide attainments, 

 both in botany and zoology ; who commands the respect of every- 

 one who knows him ; who has been a most able teacher in Edin- 

 burgh, where he held a Professorship of Zoology for many years, 

 and who still is cultivating this science. He is working out the 

 hydroid polypes of the chalk formation, and everything that Pro- 

 fessor Allman has done has been done extremely well, and done in 

 the very best spirit as a man. He entirely agreed with me in 

 my great regret at the tone and the manner of Professor Ray Lan- 

 kester's criticism. Now, I believe Mr. Lowne is right scientifically. 

 I have gone into the subject a little since. I have not seen Mr. 

 Lowne's preparations, but I have conversed with those who have, 

 and I have seen the most important recent German memoir upon 

 this subject. The point under discussion is, what is really the 

 retina of the eye ? what is really the position of it ? Mr. Lowne 

 says there is a distinct membranous layer that cuts off the nerve 

 filaments from passing to what others consider the true retina. 

 Now, I put aside altogether the question whether Mr. Lowne is 

 right or wrong, but Mr. Lowne has been a very good worker, we 

 all know. He was the first who introduced or applied the more 

 modern methods of microscopical research to the investigation of 

 the eyes of arthropods. I very well remember the valuable paper 

 which he contributed to the Royal Society a good many years ago. 

 We all felt that it was a very great advance upon previous know- 

 ledge, and a great advance in the method of investigation ; and, 

 therefore, I think that anything that Mr. Lowne brings forward as 

 the result of his later investigation upon this subject is to be 

 received and treated with respect. We may differ from him, we 

 may think that he has made a mistake, that he has misinterpreted 

 what he sees, or that his preparations do not accurately show what 

 can be shown ; but I do think that it is not for anyone to say dicta- 



