SESSION 1896-97. Iv 



in 1882, and was elected an honorary member of the Society in the 

 following year. He was born at Amwellbury, near Ware, in 1803, 

 and he died at Kendal on the 3rd of November, 1895. 



The death of Dr. Brett on the 11th of last July removes from 

 our ranks one of the founders of the Society ; in fact, the idea of 

 fonning a jS'atural History Society at Watford originated in a con- 

 versation between him and your present senior Secretary in the 

 summer of 1873. Dr. Erett had a very extensive medical practice, 

 and until a very recent period held most of the professional appoint- 

 ments in Watford and its neighbourhood, yet he found time to take 

 a prominent part in every movement for the benefit or advancement 

 of his town and county, devoting especial attention to everything 

 connected with technical instruction. He was one of the founders 

 of the Watford Public Library and School of Science and Art, and 

 for many years Honorary Librarian. But to no institution was 

 he more devoted than to this Society, his active interest in its 

 welfare never flagging for more than twenty-one years. He was 

 one of the Trustees and the second President, and in addition to 

 his two Presidential Addresses he read several papers before the 

 Society which will be found in the ' Transactions.' He was bom 

 in London in 1828, received his professional education at Guy's 

 Hospital, and came to Watford in 1850, residing here for forty-six 

 years. 



Miss Ormerod died on the 19th of August. Although not so 

 well known as her younger sister, Miss Eleanor A. Ormerod, 

 whose fame as an Economic Entomologist is worldwide, she had 

 a thorough knowledge of Entomology. She was also an accom- 

 plished botanist and conchologist, a very talented artist, and 

 a gifted linguist. She has designed and drawn numerous entomo- 

 logical diagrams, depicting a large number of the most important 

 injurious insects in all their life-stages, which she has presented 

 to Agricultural Colleges and Schools in this country and in our 

 Colonies, and some form a portion of the Ormerod Collection of 

 Economic Entomology in the University of Edinburgh. She 

 thoroughly understood French, Italian, Spanish, and German, 

 having mastered the latter comparatively late in life in order to 

 read and translate German entomological works for her sister. 



Mr. Stephen Salter and Mr. Henry Warner were members of 

 the Council at the time of their death. They both took a great 

 interest in the Society and frequently attended the field meetings, 

 and the former was also a very regular attendant at the evening 

 meetings, which Mr. Warner was only prevented from attending 

 by residing so far east as Wormley. 



The following papers or lectures have been read or delivered at 

 Watford during the year : — 



Jan. 21. — Notes on the Characeae, with a List of Species from the South 



Midlands ; by James Saunders. 

 Notes on Birds observed last Spring at Mentone and elsewhere 



on the Continent ; by T. Vaughan Roberts. 

 Feb. 25. — Anniversary Address — Mutual Aid amongst Animals ; by 



Prince Kropotkiu. 



