V. 



ANXIVEESARY ADDRESS. 



By the Peesident, Geoege Eooper, F.Z.S. 



Delivered at the Annual Meeting, 2\st February, 1882, at Watford. 



Ladies anb Gentlemen, — 



I feel, I assure you, very great diffidence in addressing you on 

 this occasion, for I am well aware that there are many amongst you 

 far more capable of imparting instruction to me on any matters 

 connected with Natural History than I can he to them. But 

 without wasting your time on apologetic suggestions of my own 

 incompetency which are too likely to prove themselves, I will 

 merely say that the title of my address — "Facts and Fallacies 

 IN Natural History " — must not be considered as indicating an 

 intention of making dogmatic assertions and insisting on their 

 infallibility. Some of my facts may appear to you fallacies, some 

 of my fallacies facts — possibly they may be so. They will at any 

 rate give occasion for consideration, perhaps discussion. 



It was suggested to me that I should on this occasion detail the 

 results of my own experience and observations in Ornithology, but 

 not only are my opportunities limited, but that department of 

 science is already most admirably filled by other members of the 

 Society. I do not believe that any noteworthy occurrence in the 

 neighbourhood ever happens unnoted, and I would not advise an 

 old crow to fly over Cassiobury if he desired to remain iticog. 

 Besides, the faculty of observation does not always keep pace with 

 the opportunities for exercising it, and the generality of persons, 

 I fear, go through the world with their eyes partially closed. 



I dare say that many of you have read Hood's works. I hope so, 

 for he is a most humorous and entertaining writer. I remember in 

 one of his sketchy articles he repeats a dialogue between himself 

 and an old coachman, " Mat " by name, at whose side he finds 

 himself seated on the box of his coach. " Forty years, man and 

 boy," says Mat, " I have di-iven up and down this road." " You 

 must have observed a great deal in that time, and remarked many 

 things worthy of note." " Yes, I have not been asleep all the 

 time; I have had my eyes pretty well open." "Favour me with 

 the result of your observations." ""Well, I have observed three 

 things : I never see a sailor in top-boots ! I never see a Jew pedlar 

 with a Newfoundland dog ! I never see a black man driving a 

 long stage ! " These are not important results from forty years' 



