LIXNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. I 7 



the meetings, wliicb, as a matter of course, will be more 

 frequent. 



Some time ago the Presidents of various learned Societies 

 received an invitation from the Royal Society to a meeting to 

 confer upon the steps that miL;ht be taken jointly by the 

 Societies to commemorate Her Majesty's long reign. A sug- 

 gestion to start a "Victoria Eesearch Fund" under the joint 

 administration of the Scientific Societies was adopted at that 

 meeting, and afterwards received the approval of your Council. 

 This scheme, when more fully elaborated, will be laid before the 

 Society in due time. 



Tou are aware that the E-oyal Society has taken an active part 

 in forming an international organization for compiling a Catalogue 

 of Scientific Literature, which would be published annual I v from 

 the year 1900. The Eoyal Society has requested the Linnean 

 Society to send two delegates to a provisional Committee to 

 take part in the deliberation on the lines on which this work is 

 to be organized so far as the literature of Grreat Britain and 

 Ireland is concerned ; your Council has nominated Mr. Jacksou 

 and Prof. Howes for this function. The question in what manner 

 the Linnean Society is prepared to actually assist the scheme will 

 soon arise and will receive the most careful consideration of the 

 Council. The scheme is admittedly hedged round by great diffi- 

 culties ; but, if there should be a prospect of the Botanical 

 worker gaining thereby a help long desired, and as efficient as 

 the ' Zoological Record ' is to zoologists, I entertain no doubt 

 that the Linnean Society will give to the scheme every support 

 within its means. 



I should have wished to select for the theme of my Anniversary 

 Address a subject which would have equally ajipealed to both, 

 sides of the house. Conscious of my inability to do justice to 

 such a task, I have done what appeared to me to be the next 

 best thing : I have selected from the limited range of my studies 

 a subject which in our tiine has been a matter of general interest, 

 namely, the exploration of the Pauna of the Deep Sea. I ask 

 you to accompany me over the Oceans, and to take a general view 

 of the work accomplished and of the work still to be done. 



I have to exclude from this sketch the investigations of pelagic 

 life — that is, of the life existing within 100 fathoms from the 

 surface : I shall have therefore very little to say about Plant- 

 life, which is scarcely represented beyond that limit. Bcrthold 

 states that some of the calcareous Algae, formerly described as 

 single-chambered Poraminifera, are found at a depth of 150 

 fathoms ; the Danish naturalists found higher Algae in the 

 Kara Sea at a depth of 100 fatiioms, where the bottom-tempe- 

 rature is 1*7 Centigrade below the freezing-point. Boring Algae 



LINN. SOC. PBOCEEDINGS. — SESSION 1896-97. C 



