president's address. 9 



The additions to the library for the year amounted to a total 

 of 1,272 (including 157 Vols.) received by gift or exchange from 

 202 societies and 17 individuals. 



At the last Annual Meeting I communicated to the Members 

 a recommendation from the Council to the effect that the sus- 

 pension of the payment of the entrance fee by new Members 

 should not be continued, but that the amount of the entrance 

 fee should be reduced from £2 2s. to £\ Is. for Ordinary Mem- 

 bers, and given up altogether for Associate Members. At a 

 Special General Meeting held on 27th April, 1904, the recom- 

 mendation of the Council was unanimously confirmed, and Rule 

 vi., as then amended, — 



vi. The Entrance Fee for Ordinary Members shall be one 



guinea, and the Annual Subscription one guinea; and 



for Associate 'Members the Annual Subscription shall 



be one guinea, without Entrance Fee — 



became operative after confirmation at a Special General Meeting 



held on 25th May. 



The Rules at present in force antedate the period during which 

 the Society has had investigators engaged in research work 

 officially connected therewith. 



During the settlement of the details of the scheme for the 

 endowment of the Fellowships, the Council determined that it 

 was advisable, as a mere formal matter, without any retrospective 

 significance whatever, to recommend the addition of a new Rule 

 enacting that Members officially engaged in research work under 

 the Society's auspices shall not be eligible for election into the 

 Council. At a Special General Meeting of Members held on 

 November 30th, a recommendation upon the subject by the 

 Council was offered for the consideration of the Members and 

 unanimously adopted. The new R-ule, which reads — 



Rule xi. bis. — It shall not be competent for an Ordinar}'' 



Member of the Society to hold office on the Council, and 



as Macleay Bacteriologist or Linnean Macleay Fellow 



simultaneously — 



will become operative forthwith as the result of confirmation hy 



the Special General Meeting held this evening. 



