Transactions. 3 



many living at a distance, the stormy weatliei', and numerous 

 other meetings occurring on the same dates, they may be regarded 

 in a favourable light. 



There were eleven Committee meetings held during the session, 

 all of which were well attended. 



The Sub-Committee which had been appointed in session 

 1884-85 to make arrangements respecting the Presbytery House, 

 completed their task to the Society's satisfaction. On the 2nd 

 October, 1885, the Annual Meeting was held in this building, 

 which the Society now holds on lease for 15 years at a nominal 

 rent. In my last report I expressed the hope that the expense 

 incurred would be defrayed witliout drawing on the ordinary 

 funds of the Society. This hope would have been realised had 

 the Committee confined their operations to the repairs, «tc., 

 proposed, but as the work proceeded, further improvements were 

 made. It is, however, gratifying to know that £83 18s 6d has 

 been raised by private subscriptions, and by adding the Presby- 

 tery's donation to this, the balance, as our treasurer will inform 

 us, is not very large. 



The Society's specimens, whicli had been deposited in the 

 Observatory Museum, were removed to this building in January 

 last. Since we purposed forming a collection of local specimens, 

 the donations to this Society have been both important and 

 numerous. It would occupy too much time to enumerate the 

 different articles presented, and as they are all registered in the 

 minute-book, the following notice may suffice. Special mention 

 must be made of Captain Maxwell's donation of five British 

 birds, a stoat, and a hedgehog, and a rarity from New Zealand, 

 the ground parrot (Stringops IfahroptibisJ, also his gift to the 

 Library of Buller's History of tlie birds of New Zealand. The 

 Smithsonian Institution lias contributed most Iiandsomely by 

 presenting the annual report of that Institution, the Bureau of 

 Ethnology, and two reports of the United States Geological 

 Survey, &c., &c. ; Mr Coles, V.P., presented a collection of land 

 and fi'esh water shells and 110 specimens of flowering plants; Mr 

 Sam. Chrystie, a collection of bird's eggs ; Mr Robinson-Douglas 

 has further presented the Journal of the Linnean Society ; Major 

 Bowden, 9 volumes of the Philosophical Journal ; Mr Arthur 

 Bennett, F.L.S., a collection of plants for distribution ; Mrs 

 Gilchrist, a collection of minerals, Greviella (41 parts), and 3 

 vols, of the Transactions of the Cheshire Historic Society ; the 



