LINXEVN SOCIETY OF LOJfDOX. 17 



PBESIUE]S"TrA.L AddEESS. 



Progress of tlie Society. 



In this Anniversary Address I take up my report from last year 

 regarding the position and progress of the Society. Afterwards 

 I sliall bring before you a ^qw considerations which have parti- 

 cularly engaged my attention during the past year in working at 

 Sedges. I regret that I am unable to offer any special pabulum 

 to the Zoologists ; but the two questions arising out of Sedges 

 which I have selected for this evening arise in most other Orders 

 of Plants ; and what I have to say will be fully understood by 

 Zoologists present. 



Our Evening meetings are the life of the Society. What would 

 this Society be as a mere club for scientific publication ? During 

 the past year the meetings have been well attended — on the whole 

 as well as during the preceding year. I have not been able to 

 attend more than about halt' these meetings myself; and I thank 

 the Vice-Presidents (and Mr. Percy Sladen in particular) for 

 their readiness to take the Chair on my behalf, sometimes at very 

 short notice. 



Puhlications. 



At the date of the last Anniversary Meeting, the papers 

 on the Librarian's table awaiting publication were estimated 

 to cost £1300 — the whole sum which the Society has to spend on 

 publications being about £1000 a year. At the present time 

 the expenditure on papers awaiting publication may be estimated 

 at less than £400, i. e. exclusive of those of which the printing 

 has been commenced. To effect this reduction in arrears, the 

 Council has again been obliged to draw on capital to the amount 

 of £300 [as explained by the Treasurer]. 



It is evident that the plan of carrying on the work of the 

 Society under a load of arrears is not satisfactory. Papers, after 

 being passed for publication, have to be delayed till their turn 

 comes — to the vexation of their authors. In receiving papers for 

 reading, the Officers can accept neither very large papers nor 

 short ones entitled from their immediate interest to speedy 

 publication without displacing type already set up, and post- 

 poning older papers. Tiiese latter are, of course, the very papers 

 specially valuable at Evening meetings *. 



The Journal of the Society was intended to be a Journal, ^. e. 

 it was designed that the papers read each quarter should be 

 published each quarter ; but during the first year of its existence 

 the Journal got into arrear, and has got (till quite lately) more 

 in arrear. 



* These observations apply only to the Journal ; the papers in the Transac- 

 tions being printed separately, each complete in itself, can be published in any 

 order. 



LINN. see. PKOCEEDINQS. — SESSION 1895-96. C 



