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of Pendock, undertook to supply, by way of preface, a short account of the geology 

 and soil on which the plants grow. If I remember rightly, the manuscript, 

 although in a forward state, was not ready for the printer, and therefore the 

 publication was delayed. On behalf of the Club, I venture to express a hope that 

 Mr. Purchas will endeavour to carry out, in part at least, during the present year, 

 the completion of a work which will so greatly assist the systematic Botanist, £ind 

 will reflect so much credit on himself. 



One other subject occurs to me as worthy of a few remarks. The Aquarium, 

 now so easily procured and managed, enables us to observe the structure, and 

 study the habits, ot the numerous animals which frequent our streams and ponds 

 — the gradual development of the tadpole, of the frog, and the newt ; and the 

 transformation of the insects whose larva are aquatic, as the gnat, the dragon fly, 

 and the may-fly, and the beetles and other insects whose life is spent in the water 

 — we may watch their movements and see how the countless forms of animal life, 

 which abound in the water, are reduced in number by the predatory habits of each 

 other — we may watch the sportive activity of the smallest of our fishes ; the mode 

 in which the crayfish propels himself, the use which it makes of those jaw feet, 

 which were so fully developed in the Pterygoti, and in how wonderful a manner 

 it periodically emerges from its shelly covering, and withdrawing all its members, 

 even the delicate antennae, casts aside in an entire form its old coat, and appears 

 in all the splendour of a new one. But, in addition to these recorded facts, I 

 think the Aquarium will enable us, by careful observation, to record many new 

 facts which otherwise would escape our observation, especially in the winter 

 season, under the influence of a low temperature, when these inhabitants of the 

 water disappear, and fall more or less into a state of torpidity or comparative sleep. 



A suggestion has been made to me that the Club might with great advantage 

 increase the number of its members, and have six Field Meetings in the course of 

 the year. As regards the number of members, I think, if occasion should require, 

 the Club might advantageously alter the rule which limits our Club to fifty 

 members, but I am not aware that at present we have any candidates for admission 

 to justify its alteration. If we increase the number of our Field-days, I fear our 

 meetings will not be so well attended as they are at present, for if we look over the 

 list of our members we shall see that by far the larger portion has engagements 

 which have a prior claim on its attention, and can only make the study of Natural 

 History an " emplo>-ment for its idle time, which is then not idly spent " ; but 

 I see no reason why those members who have leisure time may not, with great 

 advantage to the Club, visit localities which are now comparatively inaccessible 

 to the Club as a body, report the result of their discoveries to the Field Meetings, 

 and thus extend our knowledge of the district. 



I cannot conclude without expressing to the members generally my deep 

 sense of the honour which they conferred on me in my election as President of the 

 Club, and tendering to them my sincere thanks for the kind support and friendly 

 aid which they have so readUy gi\-en me at the field meetings, and whenever I have 

 had occasion to seek for information during the past year. I resign my office to 



