liini from making a close study of ornitholoo;y, but that, 

 although he himself could not claim any exact knowledge o£ 

 the scientific aims of regular students in the science, he knew 

 that the work done by such associations as the South African 

 Ornithologists' Union was both of scientific and practical 

 valucj and the more so in a country such as South Africa, 

 where the economic value and danger of different species of 

 birds were so little understood. He desired to wish the Union 

 every prosperity and a long period of existence in which to 

 continue and carry, if possible, to a successful conclusion the 

 work for which it was founded. 



In response to this toast the Chaikman, after thanking the 

 Mayor for his congratulatory remarks upon the Union^s 

 work and for having spared some of his valuable time in 

 which to join the Union at its Annual gathering, said that he 

 also welcomed the presence of the Director of Agriculture, 

 whose department was so very intimately connected with one 

 important side of the work of the Union. The Union was as 

 yet a very young child, with its objects and aims still imper- 

 fectly defined or understood, but if its labours were carried 

 out upon the lines of similar and older established associations, 

 it could scarcely avoid being of substantial benefit both to 

 science and to agriculture. So far the only definite pro- 

 duction of the Union had been its Journal, in connection with 

 which he desired to mention particularly the names of Messrs. 

 Bucknill and Haagner. 



Ornithology had during the last year sustained the loss of 

 some of its oldest and most renowned students. Canon 

 Tristram, Jean Cabanis, Dr. Fatio, M. Oustalet, and the 

 young and brilliant Von Erlanger were men familiar to all 

 naturalists throu;i,hout th« world ; their loss was irreparable, 

 but their names and their work would endure. Much valuable 

 addition had been recently made to the study of South African 

 Ornithology during the twelve months by the publication of 

 several important volumes dealing with the avifauna of this 

 country ; Professor Reichenow's German work on the Birds 

 of Africa was recently completed, whilst further instalments 

 of Captain Shelley's monumental volume on the same subject 



