295 



represf ntatioiis of my friends, T allowed myself to be elected, instead 

 of persisting to refuse this highest office in the gift of the Club. 



My acceptance, albeit reluctant, was, I am still convinced, a serious 

 mistake anl detrimental to the interests of the Club, whose Presidents 

 have hitherto been gentlemen having in a large degree the administrative 

 1)0 wer necessary to the offiae, as well as j)ersonal influences cdculated 

 to advance our general interests. 



Various causes have combiued to ]trevent the Council elected by 

 you from devoting so much time as in former years to the management 

 of the Club, however willing they may have been to perform the duties 

 undertaken by them. 



Yet, in spite of these drawbacks, the Club lias made substantial 

 ]>rogress, and a large amount of work has been performed in different 

 tlirections. The membership has not been much augmented, but any 

 such large increase as iu past years is perhap? hardly to be hereafter 

 expected. The ])ersons interested in our labours constitute, unfortu- 

 nately, a small class of the community, and of these, the number who 

 liave not already become members must now be few. 



Still, if our work is properly organized and performed, wo will 

 continue, it is hoped, to awaken in others an intei-est ia natural history, 

 especially in the younger members of the community. These are now 

 being trained in our various schools, and we should use our influence 

 towards having the inportaut truths of natural history presented prom- 

 inently to them. Then when they leave school witli an interest already 

 awakened in the subjects to which we devote our investigations, we 

 may look forward to their becoming fellow-workers with us, in order 

 to continue their studies in sympathetic company. To this end we 

 should strive to make our excuisions and our meetings as inviting to 

 them as po sible. Largely with this object in view an innovation has 

 been made in our course of meetings for this season; an evening 

 devoted to microsco]iic inspection of objects selected to illustrate brief 

 papers on popular subjects being substituted for one of the usu;vl 

 papers. 



A very gratifying feature of the summer's work v^as the increased 

 and sustained attendance at the sub-excursions. These collecting parties, 

 held each Saturday afternoon, were sovnetimes almost as well attended 



