8 president's address. 



It is to be regretted that the Hon. Treasurer has again to 

 report a debit balance — on this occasion amounting to c£63 2s. Gd. 

 This is due to a combination of causes, chief among which are 

 pressure upon our publishing resources, special expenditure on 

 .sewerage connections and fencing, but particularly to the loss of 

 .£50 per annum income, due to the re-investment of the sum of 

 £5,000 upon mortgage, at a lower rate than the Society had 

 previousl}^ received. The Council has had this matter under 

 consideration, and being keenly alive to its importance, will, 

 doubtless, adopt some plan to overcome this serious contingency. 

 Should the strain upon our publishing resources continue, the 

 Council ma}^, perhaps, find it worth wliile to follow the example 

 of the Linnean Society of London, and initiate a " Donations-in- 

 ^id-of-publication " Fund.^ Usually when the Society accepts a 

 paper it bears the entire cost of publication. But there have 

 been some exceptional cases, even leaving Sir William Macleay out 

 •of consideration. On two occasions an author has voluntarily 

 defrayed the entire cost of one plate ; one author has voluntarily 

 provided process blocks, free of cost, for the illustration of a series 

 of papers, altogether amounting to about seventeen plates; and 

 still another has spontaneously contributed one-half the cost 

 of three plates. Obviously if Members who are in a position 

 to do so will continue to afford help in this direction, it will 

 certainly materially assfst in relieving the stress 



The attendance at the Meetings during the year has been 

 <iuite up to the average. Thirty-three papers w^ere read, and 

 these provided an ample range of subjects for consideration and 

 discussion. The concluding Part of the Proceedings for 1903, 

 and Parts 1-3 of the Proceedings for 1904 were published and 

 distributed during the year. Part 4 will be issued in about ten 

 days. The Volume for 1904 comprises 871 +xxii. pages and 26 

 plates. 



A new issue of the Rules and List of Members is in prepara- 

 tion, and will be sent out with Part i. of the Proceedings for 1 905. 



* See Proceedings 115th Session (1902-3), p.79: 116th Session (1903-4), 

 p.68. 



