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12th April, 1898. — The sixty-ninth Anniversary Meeting of this Society 

 was held yesterday at their Offices 3 Hanover Square W. The Chair was 

 taken at 4 p.m. by Sir William H. Flower, H.C.B., F.B.S., President of 

 the Society, who was supported by Sir Joseph Fayrer, Bt., Sir John Lubbock, 

 Bt., Sir Albert Rollit, Dr. Henry Woodward, Prof. Seeley, Prof. Howes, Dr. 

 Arthur Keith, and many other Fellows of the Society. — After the Auditor's 

 report had been read, a vote of thanks accorded to them, and other prelimi- 

 nary business had been transacted, the report of the Council on the proceed- 

 ings of the Society during the past year was read by Mr. P. L. Sclater, 

 F.R.S., the Secretary. It stated that the number of Fellows on the 3 Ist De- 

 cember 1897 was 3158, showing an increase of 60 during the past year. 

 The number of Fellows' names upon the Society's books was ot that date 

 larger than it had been at any period since the year 1885. — The occurence 

 of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 together with the very favourable 

 weather experienced during the summer and autumn of that year had drawn a 

 large number of visitors to the Society's Gardens, and the total income, of 

 the Society had consequently reached the large amount of M 28,713, being 

 ^1631 more than in 1896, and greater than that of any year since the 

 year 1884. — The ordinary expenditure of the Society for 1897 had amounted 

 to M 25,329 which was an increase of ^ 1541 over that of the year 1896. 

 Besides this a sum of sB 2,375 had been paid, and charged to Extraordinary 

 Expenditure, having been mainly devoted to new works and new buildings. 



— A further sum of ^1000 had been placed to the Society's Deposit Account, 

 (which new amounted to^ 3,000) and a balance of^l074 had been carried 

 forward to the benefit of the present year. — The usual scientific meetings had 

 been held during the year 1897 and a large number of valuable communi- 

 cations had been received upon every branch of Zoologie. These had been 

 published in the annual volume of »Proceedings«, which contained 10 13 pages 

 illustrated by 57 plates. Parts 3. and 4. of the 14th Volume of the Society's 

 Quarto. — »Transactions« had also been published in 1897. The 33rd Volume 

 of the »Zoological Record« (containing a summary of the work done by 

 Zoologists all over the World in 1896) edited by Dr. David Sharp, F.RS., 

 had been likewise published, and issued to the subscribers in November last. 



— The Library containing upwards of 20,000 vols, had been maintained in 

 good order throughout the year and had been much resorted to by working 

 Naturalists. A large number of accessions both by gift and purchase had been 

 incorporated into it. — The principal new building opened in the Society's 

 Gardens in 1897 had been the new Ostrich and Crane-house which had been 

 commenced in the autumn of 1896. The final balance due to the Contractors 

 for its erection [M 1 188) had been paid to them in 1897 and charged to Extra- 

 ordinary Expenditure. — During the past summer also a new Glasshouse 

 for the reception of the Society's collection of Tortoises had been built, 

 adjoining the Reptilehouse, at a total cost of M 464, and likewise charged 

 to extraordinary expenditure. This amount, however, had been lessened by 

 the sum of ^ 150 which the Hon. Walter Rothschild, F.Z.S., who is espe- 

 cially interested in these animals, had kindly contributed towards it. A 

 third new building erected in the Gardens during the past year, and recently 

 opened to the Public, was a new Lavatory which had been built near the 

 Refreshments rooms specially for the accommodation of visitors resorting 

 to that department of the Gardens. — Since the last Anniversary a serious loss 



