85 



President's Address. 



It is a time honoured custom for the President of a Society 

 ■which has for its object the promotion of science to deliver at 

 the close of his year of oifice an address, in which it is expected 

 that he will give a brief review of the Society's operations 

 during the year that has passed, and also bring under notice 

 someone or other of .the more prominent inquiries to which 

 his attention may have been specially directed. 



The report which our Secretary has just read gives a short 

 but accurate account of the year's proceedings. One of the 

 more important of these has been the formation of the Pield 

 Naturalists' Association as a Section of this Society. That 

 Section owes its origin to a desire expressed by a number of 

 young men — perhaps I should be right if I were to say of 

 young women also — to band themselves together for the pur- 

 pose of mutual assistance in the practical study of the more 

 elementary branches of natural science. The Section has been 

 well looked after by its Secretar}^ Mr. Pickels, and it has had 

 the advantage of having Professor Tate for its guide and in- 

 structor. A more capable man for this work does not exist in 

 the Australian colonies. It is no wonder that the Section has 

 succeeded, for with such a leader failure would be scarcely 

 possible. And this reference to the learned Professor reminds 

 me that what the Field Naturalists' Section has gained the 

 parent Society has lost. The report just read has informed 

 you that Professor Tate, after many years of efficient work on 

 our behalf, has resigned his position and offices in connection 

 with the Council, and has left a gap in our ranks which all of 

 us know too well will be difficult to fill. I can but emphasize 

 the regret expressed by the Council that the Professor has 

 felt it necessary to retire. 



During the year we have been favoured with papers on a 

 variety of interesting subjects by members and gentlemen who 

 i:ake an interest in our Society. Among the contributors I 

 may mention Professor Lamb, Professor Tate, Mr. Meyrick, 

 the Eev. W. E. Pletcher, Dr. Haacke, Messrs. Wragge, Harris, 

 Jones, Tepper, and Todd, some of whom have on more thay 

 ■one occasion placed us under obligation. But undoubtedle 

 the most memorable event in our year's proceedings, will be 

 i;hat which gives to our Society the proud boast of being the 

 £rst at which the discovery was announced, by one of our own 

 Fellows, (Dr. Haacke) that the echidna — one of the lowest 

 types of mammalia — is oviparous, and is one of the loug- 

 sought-for connecting links between mammals and the lower 

 'Classes of vertebrata. It is not my purpose to-night to discuss 



