6 
If the small circle of tried friends who meet here constituted 
the whole of the Society ; if the papers read here emanated from 
a large proportion of its Members; then we might challenge 
comparison with far more pretentious bodies. 
But we know that it is not so. We know that some of our 
best papers have been contributed by non-Members ; that of the 
large number of Members whose names appears on our books, not 
a score attend our regular Meetings, and not half-a-dozen contribute 
papers, while our Field Excursions attract but few Members, and 
sometimes even an Excursion falls through altogether, a single 
Member only making his appearance, as was the case on the day 
of the last Field Excursion of the season. 
In the hope that I may be able to suggest some means of 
remedying these undoubted evils and adverse influences, I will, 
with your permission, consider each separately. 
The first in point of importance appears to me to be the 
small attendance at our regular Meetings ; for if Members are not 
sufficiently interested in the Society to attend its Meetings, it is 
hardly to be expected that they will give themselves the trouble to 
contribute by their own labour and research to its usefulness or 
to the acquisition of fresh knowledge. 
Therefore, if we wish to infuse a warmer interest in our 
proceedings and secure the frequent attendance of a large pro- 
portion of Members, it becomes absolutely necessary that we 
should make our Monthly Meetings attractive, and past experience 
plainly shows that for this we cannot rely solely upon our Members. 
I mean, that many valuable papers read at our Meetings are 
naturally highly scientific in their character and aim, and abound 
in technicalities which can only be appreciated by those Members 
whose constant reading and well-trained minds enable them to 
follow the abstruse points and sequence of ideas developed in 
an argumentative paper. Want of familiarity with these 
technicalities, or perhaps even the elements of scientific know- 
ledge, deprives the hearer of the key which would unravel the 
mystery of phrases which contain the pith of the argument. 
Thus, while a few can grasp the structure of a scientific paper 
and readily follow the Lecturer, others obtain only a very slight 
knowledge of isolated facts, which stand out more prominently on 
account of their simple or more striking development. Let me 
not be understood as advocating the introduction of papers on 
elementary knowledge and the extinction of scientific papers, but 
I would urge that high class essays should be supplemented by 
the occasional services of distinguished specialists, who would 
instruct and delight the Members upon popular and favourite 
subjects. The funds of this Society could not be better em- 
ployed than in thus disseminating a knowledge of the various 
