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Field Naturalists' and Microscopical Sections, show continued 

 vitality, and that they are self-supporting. The report of the Sub- 

 committee of the Field Naturalists' Section on the Preservation 

 of the Native Flora and Fauna is of especial interest and import- 

 ance, and the efforts being made in this direction should have the 

 hearty co-operation, not only of the members of the Society, but 

 of all lovers and students of Nature. It is to be regretted that so 

 much ignorant apathy has yet to be overcome, but persistence in 

 the end cannot fail to vanquish even that obstacle. 



During the year the Library of the Society has continued to be 

 enriched by numerous periodical exchanges and valuable mono- 

 graphs, a list of which appears elsewhere. Some new European 

 exchanges have been authorised during the past year. 



It is with great satisfaction that the Council is able to announce 

 that within a few days Prof. Tate's " Handbook on the South 

 Australian Flora " will be published. This is a want that has 

 been long needed ; and the appearance of such a work will give a 

 great stimulus to botanical study. It will enable those who 

 hitherto have had to be content with playing th6 role of simple 

 collectors to become botanists ; and as a consequence they will 

 become still better collectors, because of their increased scientific 

 knowledge. Even to the fortunate possessors of Bentham's 

 " Flora Australiensis," the new work will be welcome, as it con- 

 tains descriptions of numerous plants that have been discovered 

 since the publication of that great opus. Prof. Tate's extensive 

 experience as a teacher and a scientific botanist have enabled him 

 to combine qualities not often united, and the valuable effect of 

 these are to be seen in the descriptions of the diagnostic characters 

 of plants. 



