
THE PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS 
At the Annual Meeting. 

Ix consequence of his many official duties as Mayor, DR. STOLTERFOTH 
is not able this year to contribute the admirable resumé of the scientific 
work and progress of the Society which has been the chief feature of the 
Report during many years past. In its place the General Secretaries present 
an epitome, and, in addition, abstracts of Lectures, and Notes and Com- 
munications to the Society by the Members. It is hoped to extend these, if 
possible, year by year, and so include the Proceedings in the Annual Report. 
Of course, this can only be done by rigorous condensation, otherwise the extent 
of the Report would render its expense prohibitive. The amount of interest 
and pleasure the Society already gives for the very small annual subscription 
of 5/-, is vastly beyond what we are reasonably entitled to expect. It would 
be quite impossible to furnish so many admirably prepared and attractive 
Lectures, or to maintain such a model Museum and Lecture Theatre, &c., 
were it not for the fact that so much of the work of the Society is done 
gratuitously. Our sincere gratitude is due, indeed, to the able and kindly 
helpers who thus keep alive the love of natural history and cognate subjects 
among us. But even with all this gratuitous service, it requires an almost 
penurious care of the funds available from subscriptions in order to meet 
our absolutely necessary expenses. As joint holders of the Grosvenor Museum, 
we are responsible in our proportionate degree for the expense of main- 
taining it. Our quota of £60 per annum is very small for the privileges we 
enjoy, and we may at any time find ourselves called upon for an increased 
payment; but that demand will, of course, never be made except as a last 
resource. I purposely place these facts before you to show you how necessary 
it is we should have a largely increased membership list. It has grown, 
and is still doing so, but if every Member would realize the importance of 
augmenting our income by extended Membership we ought to be able every 
year to do something independently towards the perfect equipment of this 
grand building, with its priceless and admirably displayed collection of natural 
and historic treasures. The year just passed, during which I have had the great 
honour to be your President, has witnessed the steady continuation of the 
successful operation of the Society. We have had many capital Lectures 
and good audiences, and thanks to steadfast friends, such as the Rev. 
A. H. Fish, Drs. Dobie, Mr. Newstead, the Mayor, and others, we have 
had the latest scientific discoveries demonstrated and elucidated for us. We 
have also had remarkably successful Lectures from Major Wilford LLoyd, 
Mr. Lamond Howie, and Mr. Feilding. In addition to the ordinary 
Lectures, the Photographic Section has held many special “‘ Workers’”’ 
Meetings. This is an example worthy of being followed by other Sections, 
and may be commended to the Secretaries. There have also been held two 
“Museum Evenings,” when invitations were issued to assistants in the 
various large places of business in the City to come to be shown through the 
Museum; short illustrated Lectures and a little music, and finally tea and 
coffee were also provided, About 150 were present on each evening, and 
both were most successful in making known the Museum and its contents 
to many who had never before been in the building. Another new feature 
in the Society’s working was the extension of the Annual Excursion over 
