LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. XI 



more earnest, nor the love of the truths of nature ever more ardent 

 and sincere than at the present time. In evidence of this steady 

 progress I vtill refer you to the meetings of our own Society, and 

 the results of those meetings in the papers already published, or 

 about to be pubKshed, in our ' Transactions ' or the ' Journal of 

 Proceedings.' I believe that I may safely compare them with 

 those of any former period for their variety and value. The bota- 

 nical element of our functions stUl predominates as it has done ; 

 and, from the nature and comparative extent of the two pursuits, 

 it must contiaue to predominate. Such indeed has been the 

 number of papers in this department, considered by the Council 

 as worthy of publication, that it has been found necessary to issue, 

 withiu the year, two supplemental parts of the ' Journal of Pro- 

 ceedings ;' a step, which, although requiriug much consideration on 

 account of the expense, is fully justified by the importance of the 

 contents of the volume. 



But while we have thus advanced in the quantity of valuable 

 matter presented to us iu our botanical department, a glance at 

 the communications belonging to the other branch of our labours 

 will show that in zoological science we have not been retrograding 

 either in their number or value. There is, however, yet room for 

 a more zealous movement amongst the zoologists of our body ; and 

 the complaint which I ventured to express on a former occasion is 

 not yet rendered unnecessary or imtimely. Many papers on zoo- 

 logical subjects are still read at the meetings of collateral societies, 

 which, as it appears to me, woidd legitimately belong to us, and 

 would merit a situation in om* own publications, where some of 

 them at least would be more in place than where they now appear. 



Iu recurring thus to the 'Transactions' of the past year, I abstain 

 from particularizing any of the papers as especially interesting or 

 valuable, as selection would be invidious where all are good, and 

 every student will be able to judge for himself of their respective 

 value and importance. Some of the most interesting of them — 

 and this refers to papers which have been read at the meetings of 

 other societies as well as of our own — are on subjects still under 

 controversy, the discussion of which belongs to another arena than 

 that of the brief addi'ess which it is my duty to ofier to you ; for 

 I have always thought that this is not the fit occasion for the 

 enunciation of individual opinion or judgment, but rather for a 

 simple sketch of the general working of the Society and the pro- 

 gress of science in connexion with it. 



The primary and ostensible office of the Linnean Society is, un- 



