IV 



origins bear to each oilier, and the proper place which shouhl 

 be assigned to different species in the great theory of evolution 

 which was the accepted zoological hypothesis of the present 

 time. The Union had had little chance as yet to foster the 

 more scientific side of ornithology or to collect sufficient 

 data for generalization, but its foundation might have the 

 effect of, to some extent, doing away with that lack of desire 

 hitherto shown in South Africa to devote time to the advance- 

 ment of such a non-material science as ornithology and 

 kindred natural history subjects. Speaking for himself, he 

 felt that to the retiring President of the Union the thanks of 

 all ornithologists were due for having presented to them a 

 comparatively cheap form of working handbook upon which 

 students could base their future observations. He added 

 that in future he hoped that it would be possible to hold the 

 Annual Meeting of the Union in conjunction with the 

 Meetings of the South African Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science. 



Mr. Langford proposed the health of the visitors, in reply 

 to which Mr. F. B. Smith (Director of Agriculture) responded. 

 He said that it gave him great pleasure to be present at the 

 Union^s Meeting ; Agriculture, of which he was locally the 

 official representative, owed to ornithologists in all parts of 

 the world an enormous debt of gratitude, and the investiga- 

 tions of ornithologists would always have the hearty support 

 of the Agricultural Department of the Transvaal. Almost 

 every branch of natural history touched agriculture more or 

 less directly, and whilst perhaps South Africans had been in 

 the past somewhat too material in their aims, the foundation 

 of a Union such as the South African Ornithologists' Union, 

 the members of which devoted much of their leisui-e to the 

 pursuit of a delightful hobby, was a good augury for the 

 future. The study of birds — many of them beautiful creatures 

 renowned in prose and poetry — might well be included in 

 that liberal education Avhich he would advocate for every 

 person and even child in this country. Upon the detailed 

 work of members of bodies such as this Union the great 

 naturalists of the day built up the splendid edifices of scien- 



