knowledge ; and the result of the combined labours of the Curator and 

 those who have assisted liini must be considered highly satisfactory. 

 Since the date of last Eeport the Society's collection has very largely 

 increased. Some of the additions have had to be purchased, but the 

 far gi-eater portion have been presented to the Society by various 

 members, to all of whom the best thanks of the Society are due. Your 

 Council would like to urge upon members the claims of the Museum 

 for a share of their attention and help. The desire is to make it 

 thoroughly local and educational in character : to contain, not a hetero- 

 geneous collection gathered from all parts of the earth, but rather a 

 number of representative specimens of the natural products of the 

 district. This is the aim your Council have had, and this they hope 

 may be the aim of their successors. In addition to the Society's own 

 property there are exhibited in the Museum a fine Archaeological collec- 

 tion, and a remarkably tine collection of British Lepidoptera, on loan 

 from members. Should we keep on accumulating property at the rate 

 we have been doing for some time, we shall very soon be in a position 

 to have the collection thrown open to the public. 



In February Mr Grothe resigned the office of President of the Society. 

 This was intimated at the meeting held on 27tli February, in the 

 following terms : — 



" Your Council regret to inform you that our valued President, Mr Grothe, 

 has resigned his office. In making this intimation your Council wish to express 

 their high aisprcciation of Mr Grothe's services since he was first elected a 

 member of their body, and the extreme regret they feel at having to accept his 

 resignation." 



Nothing need be added to this now, beyond an expression of belief 

 that in Mr Grothe's retirement the Society has met with a loss that 

 Avill not be easily filled. 



It is very pleasant again to have to record an increase in the number 

 of members since last Report. At the close of the Financial Year 

 1877-8 the Eoll shows 460 members of all classes : — 



292 of these are Ordinary Members ; 

 8 „ are Hon. and Cor. do. ; 

 160 „ ,, Associates. 



The additions during the year have been — 



74 Ordinary Members ; 

 3 Honorary „ ; and 



37 Associates ; 



making a total of 



114 names added during the year. 



