THE 



PRESIDENT'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 



Delivered February 28th, 1880. 



Ladies and Gentlemen, 



Before proceeding to consider the objects and 

 functions of the '' Epping Forest and County of Essex Natu- 

 ralist's Field Club," it is my pleasing duty to return thanks 

 for the honour which you have conferred upon me in electing 

 me as your first President. In taking upon myself the 

 honourable duties of this position, which I shall endeavour to 

 discharge to the best of my ability, I cannot but regret that 

 this chair is not occupied by some gentleman liaving more 

 claim than myself to be considered as a naturalist. Although 

 long devoted to this study, the pressure of work of more 

 immediate necessity has left me without the time necessary 

 to follow up the subject with that persistency so necessary for 

 the achievement of useful results in anv branch of science. I 

 accept the position with the more pleasure, however, as 

 having been a former inhabitant of the Forest District, and a 

 constant frequenter of the Forest itself, in whose glades my 

 own early tastes for field natural history first found full scope 

 for gratification. 



As already stated in our preliminary circulars, considering 

 the proximity of Epping Forest to London, and the fine field 

 which it offers to the naturalist, it is a matter of surprise that 

 no such Society as that which we may now congratulate our- 

 selves upon having called into existence has hitherto been 

 formed. The idea of establishing such a Club has long been 

 present, although but vaguely, in the minds of many habitues 

 of the Forest and surrounding country, but no defined scheme 

 was broached till our energetic Honorary Secretary, Mr, 



