PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 7 



years ago was taken by the thousand, only a few pairs survive. 

 Some of the American game fauna, such as the bison, are in 

 much the same condition, and nature reserves on a large 

 scale would seem to be the only cure. The difference in the 

 susceptibility of different animals to certain poisons is well 

 illustrated by some experiments with strychnine on squirrels 

 and quails, the squirrels succumbing to a dose of only 2'7 

 milligrams, whilst the quails could swaUow 40 milligrams 

 with impunity. TAVO specimens of Cuvier's whale (Ziphius 

 cavirostris), which was only known as British from a single 

 skull from Shetland, have been stranded on the coast of 

 Ireland and secured for the British Museum, which now 

 receives telegraphic information of the stranding of all 

 Cetacea. In Ireland, in the Dublin Zoological Gardens, is 

 the only living gorilla in Europe. Its health was a subject 

 of anxiety recently, but it is to be hoped that it will continue 

 to flourish. The survey of the Lake of Tiberias has already been 

 mentioned. Surveys have also been made of the fauna of 

 the Chilka lake in Bengal, and a complete regional survey 

 of Clare Island in the County of Mayo, Ireland, in which no 

 less than 3,219 plants and 5,269 animals were recorded, of which 

 11 plants and 109 animals, all however amongst very low 

 forms of life, were new to science. I have reserved to the 

 end of my zoological section my congratulations to our 

 distinguished member, my friend, Mr. Frederick D. Godman, 

 F.R.S., on the completion of the monumental work, " Biologia 

 Centrali Americana," dealing with all branches of the natural 

 history of Central America in detail in no less than 63 volumes 

 beautifully and fully illustrated, and altogether one of the 

 finest contributions ever made to scientific knowledge. Mr. 

 Salvin, his joint author, did not, unhappily, live to see the 

 end of his work. 



BOTANY AND AGRICULTURE. 



At present the more practical of the two heads of this 

 section is in people's minds owing to the war, and the Address 



