REPORT. 



The Council which you appointed on the 3d November last year, 

 in presenting the Fourth Annual Report of the Society, are glad 

 to be able to say at the outset that, viewed from whatever point 

 we may, the year just closed has been one of wonderful 

 prosperity. 



Beginning the session with a membership, including all classes, 

 of 232, our growth during the year might be called extraordinary, 

 for at the close our books show the membership to be 401, the 

 increase being much greater than that of the previous year. Of 

 this number 253 are Ordinary Members, and 148 are Associates; 

 93 Ordinary Members and 76 Associates having been added 

 during the year. Your Council feel highly gratified with this 

 result ; they believe that it is to some extent an indication that 

 the broad and enlightened policy pursued by them in the man- 

 agement of the Society's aftairs has had the effect of making it 

 more widely known, and its influence more powerfully felt. 



The property of the Society has also been considerably 

 increased during the year, chiefly by gifts of books and specimens 

 to the Library and Museum, for which the donors have received 

 the thanks of the Society. One notable and valuable gift was a 

 complete set of the British Museum Natural History Catalogue, 

 presented by the Trustees of the British Museum. 



It might be thought that more should have been done towards 

 displaying in our cases those specimens which we possess. Your 

 Council had taken steps to have this done, when notice was 

 received from the Free Library Committee to quit our rooms 

 from 1st October until further notice, as it was required for an 

 Exhibition of Fine Arts. This put a stop to the plans for having 



