Ixiv PROCEEDINGS, 



reports of the proceecliri2;s, including the field meetings, whicli are 

 only waiting for your Editor to find time to compile them. 



The funds of the Society are not quite in such a satisfactory 

 condition as they were at the end of the preceding year, for the 

 balance in hand is a little smaller although a life composition has 

 been received and not invested, the expenditure exceeding the 

 ordinary income by about £7. 



The librarian reports that the additions to the library have 

 been about the average. With the assistance of Dr. Lones he 

 has made a slip-catalogue of both the bound and unbound works 

 in the library, noting all missing parts of serial publications. 

 A manuscript catalogue of the whole of the bound volumes has 

 been prepared, and this will form the basis of a printed catalogue 

 when the funds of the Society will allow of the expense of printing- 

 one. He wishes to take this opportunity of acknowledging his 

 indebtedness to Dr. Lones, without whose help he would have been 

 unable to carry this work through. He regrets to have to state 

 that nearly thirty works in former catalogues are missing. 



A special meeting was held on the 28tli of J^ovember in order to 

 make a few alterations in the Rules. The Society's collections, 

 other than its library, having been presented to the Hertfordshire 

 County Museum, with the consent of the Trustees and the approval 

 of the members, the office of Curator became a sinecure, and it was 

 resolved to abolish it. It was also thought desirable to dissociate 

 the office of Editor from that of Secretary, leaving, by these two 

 alterations, the number of officers the same as before. It was 

 made possible to hold elsewhere certain meetings which hitherto 

 could be held only at "Watford ; balloting for the election of 

 members was made contingent upon a ballot being demanded ; and 

 the Council was authorized to have published in the ' Transactions ' 

 the results of any investigation of a scientific natiire relating to 

 Hertfordshire undertaken at its request without such results being 

 brought before any meeting. 



The opening of the Hertfordshire County Museum is the most 

 important local event in the year of interest to the members of the 

 Society. The land at St. Albans on which the Museum is erected 

 having been given by Earl Spencer, the foundation-stone was laid 

 by Lady Evans, and on the 15th of November Lady Cowper 

 declared the Museum to be 02:)en. Although not officially connected 

 with either the Hertfordshire Natural History Society or the 

 St. Albans Archa3ological Society, except that both these Societies 

 are represented on the Executive Committee, it is perhaps not too 

 much to say that the Museum may be considered to be the out- 

 come of the harmonious working of the principal officers of these 

 Societies to achieve a result which should conduce to the 

 furtherance of the objects which both Societies are interested in 

 promoting. The Museum has been well attended for a place the 

 size of St. Albans, the number of persons visiting it since the 

 opening having averaged 175 per week. 



