REPORT 



OF THE 



COUNCIL OF THE RAY SOCIETY^ 



Read at the Eighth Anniversary , held at Ipswich, Juli/ ^th, 1851. 

 PROFESSOR IIENSLOW, 



IN THE CHAIR. 



Since the last Annual Meeting of the Society at Edinburgh, in the month of 

 August, 1850, the Council have not been able to issue any additional works. The 

 first work for the year 1850, being the Second Volume of Agassiz* ' Bibliographia 

 Zoologise,' was at that time ready for distribution ; and has been sent to all members 

 who have paid their subscription for that year. The Second and remaining Volume 

 for the year 1850 is Part V of Alder and Hancock's work on the ' Nudibranchiate 

 Mollusca.' In sending out this Volume, the Council would call attention to the 

 fact, that instead of publishing a Third Volume, as in nearly all previous years, they 

 have thought it advisable to increase the number of Plates illustrating this important 

 work. In doing this they have been actuated both by the wish to complete the 

 work of Messrs. Alder and Hancock in one more Part, as well as to expend the 

 income of the Society rather upon Plates and Letterpress than upon the binding or 

 covers of their books. They deem it necessary to refer to this arrangement, as it 

 might be supposed that they had found it necessary to diminish the number of their 

 publications from a falling off in their funds. It will be seen, however, on referring 

 to the accounts of the Society, that the cost of the two works will be the same as 

 those of previous years. 



In the last Report of the Society, the Council expressed a regret that they had 

 had offered to them for publication so few works on Botanical subjects. This remark 

 having met the eye of the Rev. W. A. Leighton, of Luciefield near Shrewsbury, that 

 gentleman was induced to offer the Council, for immediate publication, a work on 

 the structure and arrangement of ' The British Angiocarpous Lichens,' founded on 

 original Microscopic examination of the species. The importance of the subject, and 

 a desire to meet the wishes of their botanical subscribers, induced the Council to 

 undertake the publication of Mr. Leighton's work, and this Volume is now ready for 

 distribution to the Subscribers for the year 1851. 



It is now two years since that the Council were in correspondence with Mr. C. 

 Darwin for the publication of a Monograph on the family of Cirripedia. They are 

 glad to be able to announce, that a First Part of this work, devoted to the peduncu- 

 lated forms of the Cirripedes, and illustrated with Ten Plates by Mr. James de Carle 



