PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



spleiulid group of creatures to wliich Anurtea belongs may soon 

 liave the same duty rendered it as has been done for the 

 Infusoria, and that we may not have to wait long for a mono- 

 graph or manual of the Eotatoria, a work which I believe is 

 already in progress. 



I confess to having paid perhaps too little heed to the advice 

 upon collecting, which was at hand when I first sought after the 

 minute mysteries of fresh-water life, preferring rather to work- 

 away with that enthusiasm which knows no obstacles and heeds 

 no rebuffs when creatures new to me, and possibly new to 

 science, were to be found, and in seeking tliein relied rather 

 upon the knowledge gained by experience than any which might 

 be gathered from books. 



There appeared two ways open for systematic hunting, 

 and much might be said in favour of both — that first adopted 

 being the plan of naming the localities, and then taking care to 

 place the gathering from each in bottles bearing a conspicuous 

 number, little time being spent in actual examination on the 

 spot. The contents afterwards were carefully scrutinised by 

 the aid of the microscope, which should always be done on the 

 same day, and good note made of the localities from which 

 anything of special interest was derived. 



This plan answers very well, and soon gives one consider- 

 able knowledge of the inhabitants of a number of habitats, but 

 is open to the objection, especially where long journeys are 

 made, that good gatherings may be taken of things of little 

 interest, and small ones of what is most valuable, thereby 

 wasting much time and possibly missing the opportunity of 

 taking some specimens which are never again to be met with, 

 an expei'ience I have had many times. 



The next method is the one I greatly prefer, and always 

 adopt if there is time to carry it out, and that is to ascertain 

 on the spot, as far as possible, what the gathering contains. 



I fear many who think microscopic creatures altogether 

 beyond recognition without the aid of a powerful instrument 

 will regard this method as a most difficult one, and yet I believe 



