XXXVI ROYAL SOCIETY OF CATSTADA. 



These Lectures were well attended, and excited deep interest among those concerned with the 

 subjects of which they treated. 



In addition to this Course of Lectures, the Society held a Conversazione on February 2Sth, under 

 the distinguished jiatronage of His Exccllcncj' the Governor-General and Lady Stanley, who graced it 

 with their presence. About 400 guests attended the Conversazione, which thus became a means of 

 spreading a taste for scientific knowledge and research. The Museum was thrown open on the occa- 

 sion, and the Society had the kind cooperation of the members of the Microscopical Society, who 

 exhibited specimens of great interest. 



The Society also held two field days, excursions to the country, one in the early summer and the 

 other in the autumn, on which they were accompanied by many friends, especially those who are in- 

 timatelj- connected with the educational institutions of the city, among whom the Society considers it 

 of great importance to promote scientific tastes. 



During the past year a number of alterations and improvements were made in the Museum, 

 which is under the care of Mr. J. S. Brown, greatlj' incieasing the accommodation, and enabling the 

 Society to display its valuable specimens to better advantage. 



There were numerous donations to the Museum, but those most worth}- of note wei-e the 

 following : — 



1. A very fine specimen of sea-basket, Astrophyton Agassizii ; locality, Labrador ; donor, J. S. 

 Shearer. 



2. A specimen of Balanus Hameri discovered at Elver Beaudette, P.Q., by Messrs. H. G. Stanton, 

 CE., and A. W. McNown. 



3. White Chipmunk, Tamias siriatus; locality, Huntingdon Co., P.Q. ; donor, W. H. Eintoul. 



4. A magnificent specimen of the Woodland Caiibou, presented to the Societj' by W. C. Van 

 Home. 



A large amount of work was done amongst the specimens, nearlj' all those in the upper gallerj' 

 having been rearianged, correctly named, and I'elabeled. The large collection from the Samoan 

 Islands, presented last year, has been appropriately placed, the whole presenting a very attractive 

 appearance. A new interest has been awakened in the Museum among the citizens and sti-angers 

 visiting the city, as is evinced by the large number of persons admitted to inspect its contents, in 

 1888 — an increase of 300 per cent, upon the previous year. Never has there been a j-ear in the history 

 of the Society in which so many scholars and students have taken advantage of the privileges of the 

 Museum as during the year now closed. In these circumstances, the Society unanimously resolved to 

 invite the pupils and students attending the various schools and colleges of the city to visit their 

 Museum every Saturday, free of charge, when accompanied by a teacher. In this way, it is hoped 

 that the educational influence of the Society will be greatly extended. 



The Library, which is under the care of Mr. E. T. Chambers, contains upwai-ds of 3,000 volumes, 

 many of which are rare, and are to be found in no other library in Canada. 



During the year four numbers of ' The Canadian Record of Science' were issued by a committee 

 of the Society, in which the discoveries and observations made by members have been published, and 

 thus preserved and put within the reach of future students of science. 



There were thirty -eight additions to the membership during the past yeai , bringing up the num- 

 ber now on the list to 264. The only sources of income possessed by the Society, besides the fees of 

 members, is the rental derived from the hall and other portions of their buildings. The Government 

 of the Province of Quebec has, however, made a grant to the Society of $400, and this timely donation 

 has enabled it to cai'ry on its woi-k in the modest manner that characterizes it. 



The Royal Society, as the patron of the Science as well as of the Literature of the Dominion, may 

 be disposed to listen patiently to these details regarding the work of one of the oldest of the Societies 

 to which it has been pleased to extend its countenance. The Natural History Society of Montreal ia 



