THE ADDRESS 



Of the retiring President, Elsies T. Steele, Esq., read at 

 the Annual Meeting of the Woolhope Naturalists^ Field 

 Club, held at Hereford, February 22nd, 1866. 



Gestiemen of ihb Woolhope club, 



I return you my sincere thanks for the honor you have done 

 me in appointing me your President for the past year, and for 

 the courtesy and kindness you have shown me, as -well as for the 

 indulgence you have so freely extended to my very inefficient 

 performance of the duties of that office. Seeing that I cannot 

 lay claim to more than a very superficial acquaintance with the 

 sciences we cultivate, I feel that youT considerate and very flatter- 

 ing treatment is solely attributable to your kindly feeling towards 

 a fellow-student, who was thought to take a sincere interest in 

 the welfare of the Club, and to be disposed to promote the success 

 of its operations to the best of his abUity. 



On reviewing the past season, I think I may, upon the whole, 

 congratulate you on the success of our field days. "We had the 

 benefit of a Summer remarkable for its almost imprecedented 

 number of fine days, and, although on two occasions our per- 

 ambulations were somewhat impeded by heavy showers of rain, 

 we had not one absolutely bad day, and our energies proved 

 equal to every occasion. 



Our Pirst Meeting on the 18th May, at Builth, was a re- 

 markably successful one, and was graced by a considerable 

 phalanx of members and friends. The District into which 

 we travelled opened up new ground, and that circumstance of 

 itself would account for much of the interest we derived from 

 it ; but we were highly favored in all other respects. The llev. 

 Jones Thomas kindly met us at the Three Cocks Junction, and 

 throughout the day exerted himself in doing honor to the Club, 



