president's address. 473 



there recorded. Each year has seen a rapid increase in the 

 number of papers read, and the subjects treated, but this has 

 only been by increasing the labours and studies of the few real 

 students of nature in the Colonies. This does not surprise one 

 so much as that the results of our work are so entirely unknown. 

 Well, not unknown entirely, because, I suppose, there is not one 

 of you who do not receive from time to time letters of encourage- 

 ment and sympathy from the greatest living naturalist in Europe 

 and America. But in the Colonies they are unknown, and will 

 probably remain unknown in our generation. I do not refer to 

 this in terms of complaint, for the remedy is out of our reach, 

 but I do so that we may fairly estimate what is the scientific 

 spirit of the present day. Science and scientific study are not 

 popular. Scientific results, when they benefit mankind, are 

 appreciated and admired, men of science, when their reputation 

 is established hold a high and honourable position ; but the 

 labour by which all this is acquired has very few votaries indeed. 

 It is necessary to bear this in mind when estimating what is being 

 done amongst us in the present day in the Colonies of Australia. 

 It may be thought that the result is very small, and in such an 

 untrodden field, where laurels are so easily gathered, the workers 

 are few. People are accustomed to think that we are making 

 great strides. They point to the popular books and their elaborate 

 get-up as a good indication of what a harvest is being gathered. 

 Yet how few are aware of the worthless character of a large 

 proportion of our popular scientific literature. 



In one respect there is a gain. If we compare, for instance, 

 such a book as " De Montfort's Conchology " with any modern 

 work on the subject, how vast is the improvement. Who would 

 think, from the rude style and almost barbarous illustrations, 

 that De Montfort wrote barely fifty years ago. All the modern 

 works share the improvement in externals, but here the gain 

 begins and almost ends. With very few exceptions popular 

 books teach nothing solidly, and a good deal very incorrectly. 



