294 Notes and Comments. 



THE ANNUAL REPORT. 



This brings us to the old question of the delay in the publi- 

 cation of the Report of the Meeting. By placing these sec- 

 tional reports together, adding the presidential address, list 

 of members, etc., (all of which were in type at Dundee), it 

 means that the report is ready, except for the page numbers 

 being altered, and the index. Surely this should not take nine 

 or ten months ? 



THE PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 



As in so many instances recently, the presidential address 

 was a wearying business. Notwithstanding the lauditory 

 remarks made during the week in Dundee, and by the press, 

 it was not the greatest of pleasures to have to sit for two hours 

 trying to catch words which were scarcely audible to those 

 occupying the front rows. When it is remembered that the 

 hall contained many hundred local ladies and gentlemen who 

 were supporters of the Association, it seems a bad start to 

 make them sit still during a very long evening, most of them not 

 hearing a word of the address. Many of the occupants of the 

 platform had copies of the address in their hands while it was 

 being read, anyone could get them on the following morning, 

 either in the reception-room or in the press. In these cir- 

 cumstances, it seems a pity that arrangements could not have 

 been made to have given a resume of the address, not more than 

 an hour in length. And, in the interests of the advancement 

 of science, a president who cannot make himself heard, should 

 either take lessons in elocution, or allow someone to read the 

 address for him. 



THE ORIGIN OF LIFE. 



As regards the address itself, there has, of course, been 

 every praise given to it, and unquestionably it is a fairly 

 comprehensive account of the present position of the question 

 of the origin of life. On the other hand, after all, the address 

 does not seem to have advanced the discussion very far, and, 

 in parts at any rate, there was just a suspicion of ' playing to 

 the gallery.' 



SPONTANEOUS GENERATION. 



In view of the remarks made in this column a little while 

 ago, in reference to the origin of life (page 203), it was of 

 interest to hear Prof. Schafer say, ' I do not hesitate to believe, 

 if living torulae or mycelia are exhibited to me in flasks which 

 had been subjected to prolonged boiling after being hermeti- 

 cally sealed, that there has been some fallacy in the premises 

 or in the carrying out of the operation. The appearance of 

 organisms in such flasks would not furnish to my mind proof 

 that they were the result of spontaneous generation. Assuming 



Naturalist, 



