president's address. 11 



labours. He was an able hoi'ticultvirist aud an excellent 

 botanist. 



At the last Commemoration of the University ot Sydney 

 the degree of B.A. was conferred upon him, at the age of 

 45 years. He had been an evening student, aud it is feared 

 that incessant study, after his daily duties in connection with 

 the Park, injured his health. 



He was a quiet student, reserved and shunning publicity 

 he rarely attended any gathering. He was, however, pre- 

 sent at the meeting of this Society held previous to his death, 

 and since he had completed his University course he expressed 

 his intention of regularly attending our meetings for the 

 future. 



He had an excellent knowledge of the Flora of New South 

 Wales, and his loss is deplored by the Sydney botanists, as 

 that of a valued colleague. 



While these notes were being written the news reached me 

 of the death in Launceston of Miss Mary Lodder on March 

 5th, 1911. She was the daughter of the late General Lodder, 

 and spent most of her life at Ulverstone, a pretty seaside 

 place in Northern Tasmania. Here she collected shells, and 

 supplied rare species to conchologists. Reference to her work 

 is frequent in Australian literature on the mollusca. Of late 

 years she had resided in Launceston, and devoted much time 

 aRd attention to the welfare of the Launceston Museum. 



As a change from the usual procedure of papers only, Mr. 

 Fletcher initiated a discussion at the Monthlv Meeting in 

 May, on Jordan's law of geminate species, as illustrated by 

 Australian conditions. The subject was carefully considered 

 and evoked much interest. On the whole it was not re- 

 garded as applicable either by botanists or zoologists. 



The more technical work of the monthly meetings was 

 further relieved by lantern-lectures ; one by Dr. Chapman 

 on precipitins : another by Mr. Henry Deane, on the 

 physiography, botany and geology of the desert country 

 traversed by the Transcontinental Railway Survey between 



