198 REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 



with really valuable information. This is especially necessary 

 now that we are printing our Journal. I would therefore propose 

 to the meeting that you, sir, or the Local Committee at Bath, be 

 requested to return to any member who may circulate a very well- 

 known, not to say common, object, his slide, with a polite letter, 

 stating that as it has been so frequently in circulation it had better 

 be exchanged, and I would only deviate from this rule when an 

 object of the kind was accompanied by a drawing and such a 

 description as would render it really instructive to those members 

 of our Society who are students in that branch of natural history. 



And now let me turn to another point — namely, the pub- 

 lication of our Journal. The three numbers that have been issued 

 have far exceeded my expectations, and the last number is one 

 that any Society might be proud to issue. I feel sure that if we 

 can continue to secure Papers like those by Mr. Stokes and Mr. 

 Charles Elcock, and that by Mr. Lovett on 'The Embryology 

 of the Stalk-Eyed Crustacea,' the success of our experiment will 

 be assured. I have only one suggestion to make, and that is that 

 the services of a better draughtsman be secured. The plates in 

 Nos. I and 2 are certainly inferior to the letterpress. I am aware 

 that in this remark lays the main difficulty of the attempt to 

 publish the contents of our Note-Books, as the expense of 

 employing a good draughtsman is very heavy. Still, I think it is 

 a subject worthy of consideration, and therefore take the liberty of 

 bringing it before the meeting. 



Hoping that you will have a successful evening, and regretting 

 that my health prevents my joining you, 



Believe me to be, 



My dear Mr. Allen, 



Yours very truly, 



Henry Basevi." 



The Secretary stated that he had also received letters from 

 Mr. Searle, Mr. Bostock, and several others, regretting their inability 

 to be present. 



The Chairman suggested that the Secretary should be desired 

 to write to Col. Basevi, regretting his absence and thanking him 

 for his letter, ^^'ith regard to the topics of his letter, he thouglit 

 as to the Journal, that question should be left to the Journal 

 Committee. And as to the other points, respecting slides, he con- 

 sidered it would be throwing a great deal too much upon the 

 Secretary to request him to return slides not worth circulating. 

 The question of suitability or non-suitability of slides must be 

 left to the discretion of members. They might be told quietly 



