X EOYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA. 



At the Annual Meeting of the Club, held on March 17th last, the following Officers were 

 elected for the year 1885-86 : — 



President ^V. H. Harrington. 



let Vice-President. John Macoun. 



2nd do S. S. Woods. 



Secretary James Fletcher. 



Treasurer T. J. MacLaughlin. 



Librarian "VV. L. Scott. 



r F. D. Adams, 

 Committee } Henry M. Ami, 



( Eev. C. F. Marsan. 



V. Fi'om the Nova Scotian Institute of Natural Science, through Dr. J. G. MacGregor : — 



The Institute has just concluded a somewhat successful session. I say "somewhat" successful, 

 because we feel the effect of the establishment of the Eoyal Society in a diminution of the number and 

 value of the communications brought before us, — the more important papei's being naturally contri- 

 buted to your Society. We hope, however, that before very long, the establishment of the Eoyal Society 

 may result in a stimulus which will produce so much eneigetic work, that the Transactions of both the 

 central and the local Societies may be large as to number and valuable as to contents. 



The scientific communications of the past Session have been as follows : — 



1. Geological Notes of Excursions in Nova Scotia with members of the British Association, by 

 Eev. Dr. Honeyman, D.C.L. 



2. On Feather Alum Halotrichite, by Edwin Gilpin, A.M. 



3. On new or rare plants of Nova Scotia, by Prof G. Lawson, Ph. D., LL.D. 



4. Louisburg, past and present, — historico-geological, by Eev. D. Honeyman, D.C.L. 



5. List of Plants collected round Truro, Nova Scotia, by G. G. Campbell, B. Sc. 



6. On Fresh-water Sponges of Nova Scotia, by A. H. McKay, B.A., B. Sc. 



7. Note on Temperatures of Maximum Density, by Prof. J. G. MacGregor, D.Sc. 



8. Nova Scotian Ichthyology, — additions to the Catalogue of Nova Scotian fishes, by Eev. Dr. 

 Honeyman, D.C.L. 



During the session, the Institute has spent a good deal of time in a careful revision of its hiws. I 

 send you herewith a copy of the laws as finally passed. 



I embrace this opportunity of suggesting that the Eoyai Society should take steps to promote 

 co-operation in the work of our local Societies. There are manj' kinds of scientific work, such, for 

 instance, as the observation of the migration of birds, which can only be carried on with complete 

 success by means of simultaneous observations over the whole country. Might it not be well to ajipoint 

 a Committee, consistiiig of Fellows of the Eoyal Society and Delegates of affiliated Societies, to 

 draw uj) a series of recommendations as to woi'k of this kind and modes of carrying it out ? Eeports 

 of the work carried out by the local Societies on the lines of this Committee's recommendations might 

 be published in full in their Transactions, and a General Eeport might be published by the Central 

 Committee in the Transactions of the Eoyal Society. 



