714 president's address. 



general visitor, a University Museum would fall very far short of 

 its purpose did it contain nothing more. For the benefit of the 

 general student of science, there must be a series of specimens and 

 preparations, accompanied by models and explained by diagrams, 

 illustrative of the morphology and life-history of all the various 

 main groups, both of plants and animals, together with small 

 collections illustrative of various special biological phenomena, 

 such as variation, mimicry, and the like. Such a series as this 

 aims at enabling the student to see for himself as many as possible 

 of the most characteristic features in the external form, internal 

 structure, the embryology, conditions of life, and the like, of the 

 leading types of animal and plant life. With the slender resources 

 at present at our disposal, only very slow progress can be made in 

 this important department of the Museum ; but a commencement 

 at least has been made, and when the necessary cases are con- 

 structed, there will soon be a good educational series for the 

 use of the student of science. Another section of the Museum 

 has been set apart for the geological collections, comprising 

 all the mineralogical, petrological, and palseontological specimens 

 previously belonging to the University, supplemented by those in 

 the Macleay collection. And, finally, the ethnological collections, 

 which are not very large, will occupy several of the bays. 



During the greater part of the life of this Society, Macleay has 

 provided it with a home, and in 1885 he presented to it the 

 commodious building in which we are now met, containing not 

 only this meeting hall and library with the secretary's office and 

 council-room attached, but also the spacious laboratory adjoining. 

 Most of you will remember the manner in which this presentation 

 was made on Oct. 31st, 1885. After relating how the Society had 

 been previously accommodated with a temporary home (the rent 

 of which was paid by himself, though this he omitted to mention), 

 he went on to say — " The necessity, however, for more room, and 

 I may add, less noise, has induced me to build the edifice we are 

 now assembled in, which I beg to present, such as it is, to the 

 Society for the period of 89 years, the unexpired term of my 

 original lease of the ground for 99 years." 



