Transactions. 3 
many living at a distance, the stormy weather, 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 without drawing on the ordinary 
funds of the Society. This hope would have been realised had 
the Committee confined their operations to the repairs, &c., 
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, which 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 Habroptilus), also his gift to the 
_ Library of Buller’s History of the birds of New Zealand. The 
Smithsonian Institution has contributed most handsomely by 
_ presenting the annual report of that Institution, the Bureau of 
Ethnology, and two reports of the United States Geological 
Survey, &e., &c.; Mr Coles, V.P., presented a collection of land 
_ and fresh 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 
