was extrcmtly pleased to see so many visitors present at 

 this tbe first meeting for the year, and he could assure them 

 that they were most kindly received by the Committee and 

 members of the Society generally. He was especially 

 gratified to see so large an attendance of the fair sex, and 

 the Society would ever strive to enlist their best feelings 

 by explaining to them the wonderful works of the Al- 

 mighty, by the powers of the microscope. (Hear, hear.) 

 He would now call upon Mr. Dowker to read a paper 

 which he had kindly consented to draw up, explaining to 

 those who were not acquainted with the Society, some of 

 the objects it has in view. 



G. DowKER, Esq., F.G.8., after making a few 

 prefatory remarks, read a paper entitled " The work of the 

 East Kent Natural History Society ; what should be ac- 

 complished, and how to set about it ; with a short summary of 

 what has been done towards a knowledge of the fauna and 

 flora of the district." He said : — 



I hope in bringing this subject to your notice at this first 

 meeting of the Society for the year, I may be pardoned if 

 I sketch out a programme which might be adopted, with 

 some modifications, by this Society, and which would, I 

 think, be some step towards working out what should be 

 the primary object of such a Society as this, viz., to de- 

 scribe and collect the Fauna, Flora, and Geology of the 

 district. 



The Society has been in existence since the year 1859, and 

 therefore we have had seven years to consider our work, for 

 it may be truly said that the primary object for which the 

 Society was established was for the collection and diffusion of 

 practical knowledge respecting Natural History, and espe- 

 cially in regard to this particular district. 



No doubt this was not entirely the object for which this 

 Society was formed. The difl^'usion of theoretical knowledge 

 on various points of Natural History generally ; the associa- 

 tion of members of congenial pursuits and tastes, to examine 



