20 PROCEEDI^^GS OF THE 



Trustees have been appointed, and a report upon the amount and 

 destination of the fund has been issued b}' the Committee to all 

 subscribers. 



The two vacant places in our list of Poreign Members this year 

 have been filled by the election of Professor Oscar Hertwig of 

 Berlin, and Professor Henry Pairfield Osborn of 'New York. 

 It is a matter of congratulation to the Society that these dis- 

 tinguished names have been added to our roll. 



The Council have awarded the Linnean Medal on this occasion 

 to the Reverend Canon A. M. Norman, F.R.S., the veteran 

 Naturalist who has made additions to nearl}^ every group of the 

 British Marine Pauna. This is perhaps the highest distinction 

 we can confer ; and we are honoured by the growing list of 

 eminent men of science whose fair fame it links to that of our 

 Society. Last year the medal was conferred upon a distinguished 

 foreign Botanist. This year we honour one of our own Pellows 

 who has done much for British Science. 



One of the events of the Session has been the discussion on 

 " The Origin of Gjnnnosperms," which extended over two 

 meetings. We had hoped when the proposal first came before 

 Council that this debate might be inaugurated by our Poreign 

 Member, Dr. E. Zeiller of Paris. However, that eventually 

 proved impossible, and the discussion was opened on March 15th 

 by Professor P. W. Oliver, Mr. Newell Arber, aud Mr. A. C. 

 Seward, and on May 3rd by Dr. D. H. Scott — after which others 

 took part in a most spirited and illuminating debate. 



Amongst important inatters which have engaged the attention 

 of your Council this Session, I may mention the arrangement 

 under which we have undertaken to publish, with a certain amount 

 of outside help, the series of Reports upon the Percy-Sladen 

 Expedition to the western part of the Indian Ocean, under the 

 leadei'ship of Mr. Stanley Gardiner, in H.M. ship 'Sealark'; 

 and also the Reports upon the Collections made by Mr. Cyril 

 Crossland upon the Sudan Coast of the Red Sea. I consider it 

 a natural thing that the results of biological exploring expeditions 

 should come before the Linnean Society, and our publications in 

 the past have contained several such series of Reports, which have 

 been a credit to science and have enhanced the reputation of our 

 Society. As examples, we may recall the series of papers on 

 the Pauna of the Mergui Archipelago, in volumes 21 and 22 

 of the Zoological Journal, and the "Enumeration of the Chinese 

 Plora," lately completed after a run of 20 years through volumes 

 23, 26, and 36 of the Botanical Journal. 



To my mind, in undertaking such work we are performing an 

 important function in Biology. The publication of the results 

 of a great exploration, such as Mr. Stanley Gardiner's expedition 

 down the Indian Ocean from Ce3r]on, through the Chagos Archi- 

 pelago, Mauritius, Coetivy and various submerged banks to the 



