Presidenfs Address. 277 



in this subject since the publication of Forbes' "British 

 Starfishes " ! 



We are also glad to see that the Professor of Natural 

 History in the University is taking an active part in the 

 business of the Society, and, besides exhibiting at our meet- 

 ings many fishes of interest, including the first Torpedo 

 caught off the Scottish coasts, has furnished this number of 

 the Proceedings with two papers. The first of them, on the 

 Classification of Animals, embodies the modern theory of 

 descent in relation to this subject ; the second, on Deserted 

 Spawning-grounds of the Herring, deals with important 

 economic matters, which he has recently taken up as a special 

 study, and which must command the interest of a much wider 

 circle of readers than those who busy themselves with the 

 details of Comparative Anatomy or of Systematic Zoology. 



The remaining nine papers, nearly half of the whole, are 

 upon subjects which the popular mind usually, if not quite 

 accurately, associates under the general notion of " Geology," 

 and are indeed of the kind generally considered to be proper 

 subjects for Geological Societies. And here I must con- 

 gratulate the Society on the good appearance which the 

 present number of the Proceedings has made in this direction, 

 which shows that we are not neglecting our function as a 

 Geological Society, handed down to us from the days of 

 Fleming and Hugh Miller. I would also urge the Society 

 assiduously to persevere in cultivating Geology and Palaeon- 

 tology, and in doing so I think it a matter of congratulation 

 that so many members of H.M. Geological Survey favour us 

 with their attendance at our meetings and their contributions 

 to our Proceedings. 



Three of these papers deal with physical or pure Geology, 

 namely, on Boulder- Glaciation by Mr Hugh Miller— on the 

 Breadalbane Mines by Messrs Wilson and Cadell— on the 

 Harz Mountains by Mr Cadell. One paper relates to the 

 mineralogy of the silver districts of Colorado by Mr H. Gunn. 

 The other five are palseontological — of which three are on 

 Fossil Botany — two by Mr Kidston, and one by Mr Theodore 

 Ptichards, — while two are on Fossil Ichthyology by myself. 



Last June I had the pleasure of attending an interesting 



