LINNEA.N SOCIETY OF LONDON. 1 9 



this invitation has been most gratifying. No less than 26 duly 

 qualified scientific women have been elected — a very notable 

 accession to the Society, 



In the past, although good scientific \\ ork by women, in both 

 Botany and Zoology, has been brought on occasions before our 

 meetings and has been printed in our publications, the Author 

 was ever placed at a disadvantage ; and if she appeared in person 

 to read the paper, it \\as only possible as an act of grace and by 

 special permission of the Council. Now our women workers can 

 appear in their own riglit, they join us free from all disabilities, 

 and they enjoy the privileges of fellowship and the duties of 

 office on equal terms with men. Names cf both men and women 

 appeared for the first time in the list of candidates on November 

 17th, and in the ballot on December loth, 1904, when 18 were 

 elected. 



I cannot but feel that in being privileged to receive the first 

 Lady-Fellows I have, to some extent, reaped where I did not sow. 

 It would have been more appropriate, had the necessary consti- 

 tutional processes allowed, if my predecessor, Professor Vines, 

 before relinquishing the Chair, had conducted in person the 

 inauguration of the new order resulting from the changes brought 

 about during his presidency. That, however, was impossible ; but 

 he enjoyed the distinction of presenting the first Lady-Fellow, and 

 on January 19th, 1905, I had the pleasure of admitting to the 

 Fellowship Mrs. Catherine Crisp, the wife of our Treasurer ; 

 Mrs. ]Mary Ann Stebbing, the wife of our Zoological Secretary ; 

 Mrs. Percy Sladen, the widow of a former Zoological Secretary ; 

 and such well-luiown scientific workers as Miss Margaret Benson, 

 Miss Gulielma Lister, Miss Ethel Sargant, AJiss Lorrain Smith, 

 Miss Silver, Miss E. L. Turner, Mrs. Veley, and Miss E. 

 Willmott — followed at subsequent meetings during the session bv 

 Mrs. M. V. Scott, wife of our Botanical Secretary ; and others. 

 To-day I have had the honour of admitting Her Grrace the Duchess 

 of Bedford, who was in the list of first Lady-Fellows elected on 

 December loth. Such additions can be nothing but a strength 

 and an honour to our Society, and the Treasurer has signalized 

 the historic occasion by a dinner to the new Fellows and by com- 

 missioning a picture of the scene at our meeting on January 19th, 

 to be painted by Mr. James Sant, E.A., and [)resented to the 

 Society for the permanent adornment of our library. 



In all 4-1 new Fellows have been added to the roll this Session — 

 a noteworthy increase as compared with 27 last Session and 22 

 the average for the last 10 years. 



Chapter III. Sect. I. of our Bye-Laws provides that such 

 Members of the Royal Family as may express a \nsh to belong to 

 the Society become Honorary Members. It has been felt by the 

 Council, as I am sure it \\-ill be also by all the Fellows of the 

 Society, to be most appropriate, in the session when the first 

 Lady-Fellows were admitted, that the nttention of the Queen 



c2 



