XXIX 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



A museiira show-case has also been purchased, and the Curator 

 will be glad to receive, for exhibition in the case, geological speci- 

 mens and recent Invertebrata collected in the county, and also 

 plants, similarly collected; for the Society's herbarium, the Council 

 having decided to restrict the Society's Museum to specimens 

 collected in Hertfordshire. 



Since 1876, when a policy of insurance for £50 was taken out, 

 the property of the Society deposited in the Watford Public Library 

 has so considerably increased that it has been thought advisable to 

 increase the fire insurance to £150, and the policy for that amount 

 in the same office as before, now covers museum, show-cases, and 

 specimens, as well as the Society's library and surplus stock of 

 ' Transactions.' 



The financial condition of the Society continues to be satisfactory. 

 A slight alteration has this year been made in the balance-sheet. 

 In order to simplify the accounts, subscriptions received in advance 

 are included in the balance, instead of being appended to it as in 

 former years. In addition to the balance of £20 3s., of which, 

 amount £20 represents subscriptions paid in advance, the sum of 

 £22, being the amount received for entrance fees in 1876 and 1877, 

 has been withdrawn from the Society's current account and placed 

 on deposit at the London and County Bank. The whole of the 

 amount representing the 26 life-memberships is also invested in 

 Consols or placed on deposit with a view to future investment. 

 The arrears of subscriptions and entrance fees amount to £17, of 

 "which about £10 may be considered good. To show clearly the 

 present financial position of the Society, and the general nature of 

 the receipts and expenditure, a resume of all the balance-sheets is 

 here given. 



Eeceipts. £ s. d. 



Annual subscriptions 386 10 



Entrance fees 64 10 



Life compositions 130 



Sale of ' Transactions ' 6 14 5 



Interest on Consols and 



deposit account 6 10 6 



£o93 4 11 



Expenditure. £ s. d. 



Bool<s. stationery, and mis- 

 cellaneous printing 70 



Printing ' Transactions' 200 



Library and property pur- 

 chased 49 



Expenses of meetings 43 



Postages and sundries .. .. 57 



Purchase of £103 4«. ^d. 



Consols 100 



Deposit account at Bank 62 



Balance, being current 



account at Bank 20 3 



£593 4 11 



15 

 6 



17 

 

 1 





 



6 

 11 



7 







11 





 



Some account has now to be given of the origin and present 

 results of the change made during the year in the name and con- 

 stitution of the Society. In a letter received by your Secretary in 

 January, 1879, a member who has always taken a great interest in 

 the Society suggested the formation of a branch in East Herts, the 

 members of which might hold meetings at Hertford, Ware, and 



