7 
in its power to make a Museum and Library worthy of the 
place. We certainly possess a good nucleus, and if the Museum 
be restricted to local specimens and to collections for educa- 
tional purposes, to the exclusion of foreign curiosities, it may 
be kept within reasonable bounds, and be of real use. Starting 
as we shall do late, let us hope to avoid the sorry exhibition 
presented by many Museums which have admitted objects use- 
less for purposes of illustration, and which are simply curious. 
Real curiosities, of Jocal, have their place in special and central 
Museums, and should be rigidly excluded from local collections. 
The Society has now in full operation a series of Classes 
under the Science and Art Department of South Kensington, 
and during the past winter Botany, Chemistry, and Physiology 
Classes have been respectively conducted under Mr. SIDDALL, 
Mr. Lowe, and Mr. Cowar. These, we trust, may do as well as 
they did last year, when the per-centage of those who passed and 
took Queen’s Prizes was greater than the average throughout the 
country. These Classes are of real value to the Society, training 
up a body of Naturalists who will carry on its work when those 
who now take the lead shall have passed away; and the energy 
imparted by young blood must tend to keep alive the general 
vigour. 
We give, in the Report, a list of Prizes offered by the 
Society. These Prizes have grown gradually in number and 
value, and it is a healthy sign when there are many competitors. 
This, it is to be hoped, may be the case next September, which 
will show that there is zeal for work, and also that the liberality 
of those who give the Prizes has been appreciated. 
We now come to the more immediate work done by the 
Society during the past year, and which we shall consider under 
the following heads :-— 
EXCURSIONS, GENERAL MEETINGS, 
EvENING WALKS, SECTIONAL MEETINGS, 
CoNVERSAZIONE, EDUCATIONAL LECTURES, 
