860 president's address. 



records, an assumption which niiglit indeed be generally safe, but 

 would also sometimes, for certain, lead the incautious reader into a 

 maze of confusion and contradiction. 



In the plan which 1 follow, I have adopted the order of 

 succession as brought out by the date of each author's first paper 

 during the year, and without any reference to the relative number, 

 length or value of his contributions. It might, I admit, very 

 naturally be urged that a classification by subjects would be more 

 convenient and useful for reference. But it is found that many 

 practical difficulties lie in the way of this procedui^e, and I have 

 therefore been induced to prefer the arrangement according to 

 authors' names, which in this case, as in that of libraries also, seems 

 to present fewer incongruities and puzzles than any other. 



Dr. von Lendenfeld has continued his Monograph of the Austra- 

 lian Sponges, commenced in 1884. Of the previous portion. Part L 

 (Vol. IX. p 121) contains a general introduction. Historical and 

 Bibliographical, to the subject ; Part II. (ib.p. 310) an account of the 

 Morphology and Anatomy of Sponges in the widest sense ; and 

 Part III. (ib. p. 1,083) deals with the Calcispongiae. Other papers 

 connected with the study of their organisms will be found at 

 pages 434, 493, 495, 641, 896, 977. In January, 1885, he read 

 Part IV. (p. 3. pi. IV.) upon the Myxospongite ; Part V. (p. 282, 

 pi. XXVI-XXXV), commences the Ceraospongiaj, which are 

 continued (to Eu$pongia) in Part VI. (p. 481, pi. XXXVI- 

 XXXVIII.) Other papers upon the Sponges occur as follows : 

 On the Phoriospongise, p. 81 ; On Carter's Australian Sponges, 

 p. 151 ; On a Sponge Destructive to the Oysters in the Clarence 

 River, p. 326 ; Addendum, No. I. to Monograph, p. 475 ; Notes 

 on Sponges Dendrilla, Raphyrus, Holme, (Src, in the Australian 

 Museum, p. 557, pi. XXXIX-XLIV. ; On a Vegetable Pseudo- 

 morph of a Siliceous Sponge, p. 726, pi. XLVIII. 5. ; Addendum 

 No. 2 to Monograph, p. 845. 



It will be observed that there are still wanting, to complete this 

 important Monograph, the history of several families of the 

 Horny Sponges, and of the Orders Monacticerae, Hyalospongige 

 and Monactihyalae. (See vol. IX., p. 340). In view of the 



