26 president's address. 



gratulations to Dr. Woolnough and Mr. Goddard, both of the 

 Sydney University, upon* their return from Fiji, bringing with 

 them data and collections bearing upon the question of the geo- 

 logical history and former geographical relations of the island, 

 which promise to be of very great interest and value. Members 

 will remember Dr. Woolnough's visit to Fiji in 1901, and his 

 conclusions as to its continental origin, embodied in his important 

 paper published in the Society's Proceedings for 1903. On that 

 visit Dr. Woolnough was single-handed. During his second visit 

 he has had the advantage of a colleague, Mr. E. J. Goddard, B.A. 

 The interval since their return has been too brief to allow of my 

 offering you a more detailed account of the work of the expedition 

 than has been made public already. By way of the Rewa and 

 Wainimala Rivers, and a cross-country track, the party reached 

 Narokorokoyawa, which they made their headquarters. Thence 

 excursions were made in as many directions as possible. Not- 

 withstanding unavoidable delays from hurricanes and floods, 

 important observations and extensive collections were made. It 

 will be some time before the complete results — biological, geo- 

 graphical, and geological — are available; but these may confi- 

 dently be expected to yield substantial gains to science. As Mr. 

 Goddard reports that an interloper, in the shape of the mongoose, 

 is ravaging the terrestrial vertebrate fauna, a visit from an 

 expedition interested in the land fauna of Fiji seems to have 

 been very seasonable. 



I have to acknowledge the Secretary's ready assistance in my 

 endeavour to put before you an adequate summary of the Society's 

 affairs during the past eventful year. 



Dr. Greig Smith, Macleay Bacteriologist to the Society, gave 

 a lecture entitled "Our First Line of Defence against Microbic 

 Attacks,"»illustrated with lantern views. After describing the 

 means of protection which the organism has at its disposal for 

 the destruction and especially the solution of microbes, such as 

 phagocytosis and bacteriolysis, the lecturer explained the nature 



