SESSION 1895-96. xix 



William Ransom, F.S.A., F.L.S. ; Stephen Salter ; F. W. 

 Silvester ; the Rev. E. T. Yaus;hau, M.A, ; G. Herbert Wailes, 

 Assoc. M. Inst. C.E. ; Hemy Warner. 



Tlic thanks of the Society were accorded to Sir John Evans, 

 K.C'.B., retirinii; fron^ the office of Vice-President; to Mr. F. 

 Maule Campbell, retiring from the office of Honorary Secretary; 

 to Air. W. R. Carter, retiring from the office of Librarian ; and to 

 Dr. A. T. Brett, retiring from the Council. 



Report of the Council foe the Year 1895. 



The presentation by the Council of the Hertfordshire Natural 

 History Society of the 21st Annual Report, is an event of some 

 importance. A scientific society which attains its majority, and 

 which has done as much good local work in its twenty-first year as 

 it did in the first year of its existence, will most probably live to 

 a good old age; and the more the members of the society have 

 devoted their energies to original local investigation, the moi'e 

 probable is it that a great long■e^'ity will be attained, for however 

 closely we may study Nature, we shall always find that she has 

 something new to tell us, her treasures being inexhaustible. 



But such an event as this is not entirely a subject for congratu- 

 lation. Looking back for twenty-one years we miss many once- 

 familiar faces, and amongst them some of our most earnest and able 

 workers, whose place we have found it hard to fill up, and perhaps 

 in one or two cases impossible. Wlien Sir John Evans (then 

 Mr. Evans) took the chair as the first President of the Society, 

 on the 11th of February, 1875, our roll was 53 members: only 

 eight of these are now on our list. At that meeting 35 more 

 were elected : only eight of these are still with us. At the close 

 of that year the Society numbered 150: now, out of about 250 

 members, only 32 were on the first year's list. 



It is also a matter for regret that there is no longer the general 

 enthusiasm which there was at first, when both our Ordinary and 

 Field Meetings were attended by a majority of our members, while 

 in recent years the average attendance has been about ten per cent. 

 This is, however, partly accounted for by the much wider area 

 over which the members are now spread. 



During the year twelve ordinary members have been elected, 

 and one corresponding member ; one member has compounded for 

 her annual subscription ; nineteen members have resigned ; and 

 we have to regret the loss by death of three honorary members 

 (Professor Charles Cardale Babington, the Right Honourable 

 Thomas Henry Huxley, and our President, Mr. Henry Seebohm), 

 and of five ordinary members (Mrs. Ackworth of Potter's Bar, 

 Mrs. Robins of Watford, Mr. G. TJpton Robins of Wheathampstead, 

 Mr. Isaac Robinson of Hertford, and the Right Honourable the 

 Earl of Verulam). 



