PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 7 



Mr. Barff's " Short Historical Account of the University of 

 Sydney "* affords some most interesting information about the 

 Maclea}'' Collections, derived from the University records, and 

 previously unpublished. Two items are worthy of notice. First, Sir 

 William's estimate that the joint Alexander and William Sharp 

 Macleay Collection comprised the contents of about 480 drawers, 

 and his own collection, 320 drawers, or a total of 800 drawers. 

 Also, that his own own collection had been accumulated during 

 the preceding fifteen years; so that he must have begun to take 

 an active interest in entomology about the year 1858 or 1859. 



The year 1874 must have been one of the most important in 

 the history of the Macleay Collections, for it was characterised 

 by an expansion and development thereof to an extent which 

 Sir William did not contemplate when he made his offer 

 to the Senate. Without going into details, perhaps the most 

 important factor in this progress may be mentioned — Sir William's 

 decision to appoint a Curator, and the engagement of Mr. George 

 Masters in that capacity. 



On February 5th, 1875, Sir William made the following note : 

 — "This day completes the first year of Mr. Masters's Curator- 

 ship, and I think the additions to my museum during that time 

 have been very large indeed. I have now o\ er 1,000 species of 

 birds, and of these 395 are Australian. There is a fine collection 

 of fishes, and the reptiles are rapidly increasing. A large 

 number have been added from the Endeavour River, California, 

 and elsewhere, to the entomological collection; while of shells, 

 and marine animals, we have accumulated a vast number." 



But if Sir William had penned his note on some day towards 

 the end of September or in the early part of October of the 

 previous year, he would still have been in a position to speak of 

 his very extensive and comprehensive acquisitions of material, 

 including the results of a sj^stematic and successful attempt to 

 obtain a representative collection of the marine fauna of Port 



* In connection with the Jubilee Celebrations, 1852-1902, 8vo., Sydney, 



