PRESIDENT S ADDRESS, 9 



over thirty-four years. The Society has one copy only of each 

 of the first three numbers, and consequently only one complete 

 set. The destruction of the Society's records up to September, 

 1882, has deprived us of any knowledge of the circumstances 

 which led up to the adoption of the practice of publishing a 

 Monthly Abstract; and the matter is not referred to in the 

 address of the President, at the following Annual Meeting in 

 January, 188.3. It was doubtless intended to keep Members 

 and Societies at a distance in touch with the Society's work; and 

 this it certainly did, because the "Zoologischer Anzieger," up to 

 the time of the outbreak of war, very kindly was accustomed to 

 republish the zoological portion of each monthly number. 

 " Nature," also, for many years has helped us in a similar 

 manner by publishing the abstracts of the papers read. The 

 Society's indebtedness to these two journals, for their co-opera- 

 tion in diffusing a knowledge of the work done by the Society, 

 is considerable, and may here be gratefully acknowledged. When 

 conditions again become normal, the question of the resumption 

 of the publication of the Monthly Abstract may be expected to 

 receive the consideration of the Council. 



As regards the Proceedings, the Society's printer has been 

 able to obtain the necessary amount of paper so far required, but 

 at a substantial increase in cost. Printing paper is not manu- 

 factured in Australia and we are dependent on British supplies. 

 Now that the nation is mobilised for war, and the Government 

 has placed restrictions on the production of various commodities 

 for the sake of economy in man-power and tonnage, we are likely 

 to feel the effect; and, just at present, the Council does not know 

 what are the prospects of being able to carry on our publishing 

 work on the usual scale in the immediate future. At any rate, 

 I take the opportunity of reminding Members of the Council's 

 appeal for all possible curtailment in the size of papers and in 

 the notices of exhibits, otherwise it may necessitate their being 

 declined, or being subdivided, and taken in instalments. The 

 ability to deal with long papers is deteriorating until conditions 

 again approach the normal; and, meantime, economy in space is 



