2 Proceedings of the Boyal Physical Society. 



been experiencing. On the other hand, however, the reading 

 of these " leaves of the past " have even for us a bright side — 

 I mean not as warranting or permitting us to rest on our. 

 oars, and gaze with complacency on what we once were, but 

 bright as being an example and incentive to us, and as calcu- 

 lated to inspire us with hope and confidence. What the 

 Society has been before it may be, and let us trust and deter- 

 mine it will be, again. Now, gentlemen, it is not in my power 

 to interest you, or either to grieve or gladden you by giving 

 a description of the doings, or by reading an account of the 

 state of the Society in by-gone years, as my connection 

 therewith has been of comparatively recent date. I have 

 prepared, therefore, as this source of an interesting address 

 does not exist for me, a very brief account of what I may 

 call the origin and early progress of that science of which I 

 am a humble student. 



In accordance, however, with a time-honoured and very 

 proper custom, it is my duty, before reading the few remarks 

 I have prepared, to recapitulate very briefly our doings and 

 progress during last session ; and in taking this retrospective 

 glance I think we shall find that the session which has just 

 closed has been in no way inferior to any of its immediate 

 predecessors. 



We had many excellent communications, among which 

 may be mentioned the various welcome Ornithological Notes 

 of Dr Smith, and the exceedingly interesting remarks on 

 Actinia by Dr M'Bain, which he made with reference to the 

 well-known specimen " Granny " now in his possession, and 

 which he was good enough to exhibit at the meeting. Pro- 

 fessor Duns submitted a well-illustrated paper on Evidence 

 of Prismatic Structure in Stones of Vitrified Forts ; and our 

 indefatigable Secretary as usual favoured us with notes on the 

 subject on which he is so well qualified to speak. Mr Peach 

 also read a characteristic paper on Hydroid Zoophytes. Then 

 came an exceptionally interesting paper from a source, the 

 products of which are always peculiarly welcome to us — I 

 refer to the article on the Marine Denudation of the Friesian 

 Islands, by our late Secretary, Dr Eobert Brown. Mr Grieve 

 favoured us with an enjoyable notice of a visit to the Kemains 



