tenis +) 
However, of the general vitality of the Society in one 
session as compared with another—whether it is alive and 
vigorous and likely for a while to continue so—we can 
probably judge in a rough way from such tests as the average 
attendance at our Ordinary Meetings, the number of exhibits, 
the amount of interest that appears to be excited by them 
and the discussions arising out of them. Here, again, are 
matters which can only be partially indicated by reports and 
statistics, but then it is always possible to get further indi- 
cations by the simple process of attending oneself at the meet- 
ings and taking note of what goes on. I myself, for instance, 
have been a pretty regular attendant at our meetings during 
a good many years ; and without making comparisons, which 
are always odious, I should not hesitate to say that the meet- 
ings of the closing session have been particularly well attended, 
and that as to frequency of exhibits, and the supply generally 
of interesting objects and observations—I have only at times 
regretted that they were too many to receive proper attention 
within the limits of the time at our disposal. 
On the whole, putting together what we have heard from 
the Council, and my own experiences of our meetings, and 
my opinion (so far as I am competent to form one) of the 
quality of last year’s Transactions so far as they have been 
yet published, I think—and I hope you will think so too— 
that the Barometer of the Society’s fortunes points at the 
present time to “Settled. Fair.” 
Eventful as the year 1911 has been from many points of 
view, | am not aware that it has been especially eventful in 
matters directly interesting to us as entomologists, or as 
Fellows of this Society. Once, indeed, in its course, as we 
all know, a black cloud gathered on the horizon; and not 
only every entomologist, but every one interested in Natural 
History in any sense throughout this country, heard with real 
terror that our Government had consented to an outrageous 
proposal to deprive the Natural History Museum at South 
Kensington of land long ago definitely allocated to it, and 
absolutely necessary—I do not say for any adequate future 
extension of its buildings, but even for such extension as is 
demanded by its immediate and imperative needs. Happily, 
