1 88 The Ottawa Naturalist. [February 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 



(Delivered December 15th, 1903.) 



Members of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club, Ladies and 

 Gentlemen : — 



Although this is but the 24th Annual Address which a presi- 

 dent of this Club has had the opportunity to deliver, the 25th 

 anniversary of the Club's organization will have passed before 

 the next president has prepared the 25th Address. The Council 

 of the Club has therefore thought it appropriate to celebrate the 

 25th anniversary at this time, and bring together as many of the 

 original members as possible. While some of the first members 

 are dead, it is pleasing to know that aU of the original Council of 

 the Club are alive ; that all of them, with the exception of one, 

 the Hon. Joseph Martin, are living in Ottawa, and that nearly 

 all of them are here to-night. 



On the loth of March, 1879, forty men assembled in the 

 rooms of the Literary and Scientific Society to organize a club 

 which would promote the study of Natural History in the Ottawa 

 district. At this meeting the club was formed and given the 

 name of the Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club, which it has credit- 

 ably borne ever since. 



The officers for that year were : — 

 President : Lieut. -Col. White. 



Vice-Presidents : J. Fletcher, W. D. LeSueur, B.A, 

 Committee : W. P. Anderson, C.E., W. R. Billings, 

 W, H. Harrington, J. Martin, H. B. Small, M.D. 



The Club had a very successful season, and by the close of 

 the year the membership had swelled to 90. This year it is 254. 



On looking over the Transactions of the Club and the seven- 

 teen volumes of The Ottawa Naturalist, one is impressed by 

 the enthusiasm of the members all the way through. How few 

 clubs, societies or associations of twenty-five years' standing can 

 show so fine a record ? There is a reason for this, however. 

 Once a man becomes an enthusiastic student of Nature he is 

 always an enthusiast, and we have many men of this stamp in 

 our Club of whom we are justly proud. We know so little about 



