president's address. 819 



Smith upon the fornix cerebri and the margin of the cerebral 

 cortex, on the origin of the corpus callosum and other neurological 

 subjects; and finally by Mr. J. P. Hill, whose luminous paper on 

 the placenta of Perameles will, I am convinced, remain as a 

 classic record of a disco^"ery of the highest biological import. 



Not only is the subject matter of these papers largely drawn 

 from Australian sources, but in each case the papers now referred 

 to may be regarded as containing further records of investigations 

 some of whose preliminary results were formerly communicated 

 to this Society and are embodied in its Proceedings. 



Lastly, but of the very first importance, there is to be noted the 

 welcome addition to our libraries of a new Text-book of Zoology, 

 in 2 vols., the joint work of two Australasian biologists. We 

 deeply deplore the fact that the production of this great work 

 should have constituted the final episode in the splendid life- 

 work of Professor Jeffery Parker, to whom, together with his 

 distinguished collaborateur, Pi-ofessor Haswell, F.R.S., a prede- 

 cessor in this chair, we owe this magnificent compendium of 

 Zoological learning. The book is, I believe, unique in plan and 

 concej)tion. Its unsurpassed wealth of illustration reflects credit 

 alike on authors and publishers, and, along with the pre-eminent 

 excellence of its plan of exposition, must commend it to a place as 

 an educational aid and a general work of reference, hitherto 

 unoccupied, so far as I know, by any other treatise. 



I am confident that you all join me in heartily congratulating 

 Professor Haswell on the completion of this great undertaking, 

 as well as upon the recognition by the Royal Society of London 

 of his own acknowledged reputation as a scientific investigator, 

 in his election during last year as a Fellow of that august body. 



On glancing around for a subject which I miglit mo«t suital)ly 

 take as the leading subject of my address this evening, I early 

 realised that the situation was, for me, by no means an easy one. 

 It so happens that the matters which of late have chiefly occupied 

 my attention are for the most part of such specialised character that 

 the interest they possess for the general biologist is necessarily 

 slight. On the other hand, I have to regret that my own 



