THE president's ADDRESS. 311 



ever true and however discouraging the statement, let it not deter us 

 from the task ; there is always a pleasure in going over and veri- 

 fying the labours of others, for the student who does this is some- 

 what in the position of one who follows in the track of some great 

 traveller through an unknown country, who may be accurate in all 

 the main features of the physiography of that land, whose roads and 

 rivers and mountains are carefully laid down in his chart, but whose 

 details have to be filled in by those who come after ; so in going 

 over the work of past observers, in the light of our advanced 

 knowledge, and by the aid of more perfect instruments, the atten- 

 tion of the student must be arrested by fresh facts and more 

 elaborate details than ever greeted the eyes of others, however care- 

 fully they may have observed. Suggestions for work that might be 

 accomplished by the members of this Club arise around me as a thick 

 crowd ; but I think I have pointed out the character of the work 

 that might be attempted during the coming year. I fear the be- 

 setting temptation of a President is a tendency to preach, but I hope 

 you will pardon me if I do possess, in common with my predecessors, 

 a great and not unnatural solicitude that the Club should be worthy 

 of the distinguished name we bear, and of him to whom we owe 

 so much in microscopical research, and in whom we see an 

 examj)le of what steady systematic work can accomplish. 



