Ixii PROCEEDINGS, 



not been quite continuous during this period, as he ceased to be 

 Secretary while being President for two years, and for a few years 

 afterwards. He would still continue to do his best for the interests 

 of the Society. 



Report of the Council for the Year 1899. 



In presenting the 25th Annual Eeport, the Council of the 

 Hertfordshire J^ atural History Society has the pleasure of announcing 

 that the slight falling-oif in the nnmber of members during the 

 last few years seems to have come to an end, there being an increase 

 of two in the year 1899. Although there is no indication of 

 increasing interest in the evening meetings, the field meetings, 

 which were more numerous than usual, have generally been well 

 attended, this being in great measure due to each having been 

 arranged for the convenience of cyclists. 



During the year fourteen ordinary members have been elected ; 

 one member has compounded for his annual subscription ; nine 

 members have resigned ; and the Council regrets to have to record 

 the loss of three members by death — Sir William Flower, an 

 Honorary Member ; Mr. George Pearson, a life member ; and 

 Mrs. Osborne, an annual subscriber. 



Sir William Henry Flower, K.C.B., D.C.L., F.R.S., President of 

 the Zoological Society, died on the 1st of July, aged 68. Educated 

 for the medical profession, he gave up practice in 1861 on being 

 appointed Curator of the Hunterian Museum. Eight years later 

 he became Hunterian Professor, and in 1884 he relinquished both 

 these posts to succeed Professor Owen as Director of the Natural 

 History Museum, which office he held until about a year before his 

 death. He did much good zoological work, but is best known as 

 our chief authority on natural history museums, and on the methods 

 by which such museums may be made educationally useful. He 

 was elected an Honorary Member of the Society in 1893. 



Mr. George Pearson died at Brick endonbury on the 3rd of March, 

 aged 65. Until a few years ago he was head of the firm of 

 S. Pearson & Son, the well-known contractors and engineers, 

 who have carried out many great undertakings in all parts of the 

 world. A large number of Koman coins were found on his estate 

 some years ago and were described in our ' Transactions ' by Sir 

 John Evans (Vol. IX, p. 169), Mr. Pearson making a donation to 

 the Society to cover the cost of illustration. 



The census of the Society at the end of the years 1898 and 1899 

 was as follows : — 



1898. 1899. 



Honorary Members 16 lo 



Corresponding Members 3 3 



Life Members 46 46 



Annual Subscribers 137 140 



202 204 



