FIRST SOIREE. 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
DELIVERED ON TUESDAY, 7TH DeceEMBER, 1880, BY JAMES FLETCHER, EsqQ., 
PRESIDENT OF THE QO, F. N. C 
Members of the Field Naturalists’ Club ; Ladies and Gentlemen : 
As President it is again my pleasant duty to congratulate you upon the 
successful termination of another collecting season, and the beginning of a new 
course of winter meetings. The programme promises to be unusually interest- 
ing, and will, I trust, induce a large attendance of the members, as well as of 
their friends. ; 
Full details of the excursions held by the Club during the summer will be 
furnished in the Annual Report of the Secretary, and it will be, consequently, 
unnecessary for me to mention more than some of the most important points 
with regard to them. The first excursion was held on the 27th May, to the west 
side of King’s Mountain, Chelsea, the rendezvous being in a grove of maple trees 
at the foot of a lovely little waterfall, which came foaming down the mountain 
side, among the green ferns and mosses, with fairy-like effect. Two days after 
this excursion, the Montreal Natural History Society held their annual field-day at 
Lachute, and it was with much regret that the Council was compelled, on account 
of the time that would have been occupied in travelling, to abandon the idea of 
making it a jcint excursion of the two clubs, like the one held last year. The 
second excursion, to the Chats Falls, brought out a large number of members, 
and was an extremely enjoyable one, notwithstanding a few contretemps. The 
third excursion, to the Baldwin Iron Mines, was very interesting, and our mem- 
bers received much kind attention from all employed there, especially Capt. 
Simmons, the overseer, who escorted a party down the mine, and explained all 
the apparatus. On the 24th August the fourth excursion was held, to Kettle 
Island, Dr. Wicksteed generously placing his steam yacht and four large boats at 
the disposal of the Club for the purpose. Another excursion, arranged for the 
7th October, had to be abandoned on account of unfavorable weather. 
During the past year we have published our first Transactions, which are 
certainly most creditable to the Club, an opinion which has been expressed by 
other societies in different parts of the country, as well as by several magazines, 
among others Science (fossip, in England, and the Popular Science Monthly, in 
the United States. This number of the Transactions is embellished by two 
plates beautifully executed by Mr. Grignard ; but, I am sorry to say, it does not 
contain all the papers read before the Club, the Council having decided to pub- 
lish those only which treated directly of local matters. 
