﻿Ixxxix 
  

  

  THE 
  PRESIDENT'S 
  ADDRESS 
  

  

  Ladies 
  and 
  Gentlemen, 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Council 
  which 
  has 
  just 
  been 
  read, 
  

   it 
  is 
  I 
  think 
  fairly 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  past 
  year 
  has 
  been 
  one 
  of 
  

   more 
  than 
  usual 
  prosperity 
  for 
  our 
  Society. 
  Not 
  only 
  do 
  

   our 
  finances 
  — 
  thanks 
  in 
  large 
  measure 
  to 
  our 
  energetic 
  

   Treasurer-^show 
  a 
  balance 
  in 
  our 
  favour 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  highly 
  satisfactory, 
  but 
  the 
  steady 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  numerical 
  

   strength 
  of 
  the 
  Society 
  during 
  the 
  past 
  session 
  is 
  most 
  encourag- 
  

   ing, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  new 
  Fellows 
  elected 
  on 
  December 
  3rd 
  

   has 
  only 
  once 
  been 
  exceeded, 
  I 
  believe, 
  at 
  any 
  previous 
  

   meeting. 
  

  

  With 
  one 
  exception 
  of 
  recent 
  date, 
  due 
  to 
  causes 
  entirely 
  

   beyond 
  our 
  control, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  Fellows 
  present 
  

   reached 
  probably 
  the 
  lowest 
  point 
  in 
  our 
  entire 
  history, 
  our 
  

   meetings 
  have 
  been 
  very 
  fully 
  attended, 
  and 
  the 
  exhibits 
  

   and 
  discussions 
  have 
  been 
  quite 
  up 
  to 
  their 
  usual 
  high 
  standard. 
  

   Notwithstanding 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  printing, 
  and 
  even 
  

   more 
  that 
  of 
  illustration, 
  continues 
  to 
  grow 
  by 
  leaps 
  and 
  bounds, 
  

   the 
  Transactions 
  and 
  Proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  Society 
  for 
  the 
  past 
  

   year, 
  though 
  they 
  may 
  not 
  attain 
  the 
  bulk 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  former 
  

   annual 
  volumes, 
  are 
  not 
  a 
  whit 
  behind 
  any 
  of 
  their 
  predecessors 
  

   in 
  scientific 
  value 
  and 
  interest. 
  Among 
  so 
  many 
  meritorious 
  

   papers 
  it 
  is 
  perhaps 
  invidious 
  to 
  draw 
  special 
  attention 
  to 
  any 
  

   one 
  of 
  them; 
  but 
  we 
  may 
  congratulate 
  ourselves 
  on 
  being 
  

   enabled 
  to 
  publish 
  in 
  our 
  Transactions 
  a 
  memoir 
  on 
  so 
  

   suggestive 
  and 
  interesting 
  a 
  subject 
  as 
  the 
  paper 
  by 
  Dr. 
  

   Eltringham 
  on 
  " 
  Butterfly 
  Vision." 
  

  

  Our 
  Library 
  continues 
  to 
  increase 
  steadily, 
  and 
  the 
  difficulties 
  

   arising 
  from 
  the 
  inadequate 
  space 
  in 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  compelled 
  

   to 
  house 
  it 
  become 
  more 
  painfully 
  evident 
  year 
  by 
  year. 
  The 
  

   necessity 
  of 
  seeking 
  more 
  ample 
  accommodation 
  is 
  thus 
  in 
  a 
  

   measure 
  forced 
  upon 
  us 
  ; 
  and 
  although 
  some, 
  including 
  myself, 
  

  

  