XU PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



with any statement of the detailed experiments made by our 

 great master, Mr. Darwin, to ascertain the extent of the 

 beneficent labours of the despised earth-worm, but I will 

 conclude what I have to say on the subject by recommending 

 you one and all to read his latest book and profit by its manifold 

 lessons, and especially to imitate, as far as you have the power 

 and opportunity, his example as a patient, unwearied, and 

 accurate observer. 



I will detain yon only a few minutes longer with a short 

 survey of the work of our Society during the past year, which I 

 am bound to say is satisfactory in extent and character. I 

 must congratulate the members on the valuable papers and 

 addresses delivered to the Geological Section — thanks to the help 

 of many able men, and the admirable arrangements of the 

 chairman and secretary of the section. At these meetings 

 connected instruction by specialists has been given by which 

 many must have profited. In microscopical work precedence 

 must be given to the valuable labours among the Desmideae 

 of Mr. A. W. Wills, who has added to the number of British 

 species and found many other kinds of great rarity. He has 

 also enriched the Society's cabinet by the gift of fourteen slides 

 on which a large number of Desmids are beautifully mounted. 

 Mr. Bagnall has not only served the Society as its Hon. 

 Librarian, but has found time to pursue his botanical studies, of 

 which he has given us the benefit at many of om- meetings. He 

 has also been devoting a good deal of attention to the prepar- 

 ation of his " Flora of Warwickshire," a work on which he has 

 been lovingly engaged for years past, and on which he has 

 bestowed a lai-ge portion of his precious leisure hours. This 

 Flora, as you are aware, is being published monthly in the 

 " Midland Naturalist," but I trust the time is not far distant when 

 it will be published separately in an enduring form, and will 

 thereby perpetuate a name deservedly honoured by us, and which 

 I venture to think will be equally honoured by our posterity. I 

 regard it as a duty incumbent on every member of this Society 

 to buy a copy of this book, and it would hasten its pubhcation 



