REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 1896. 



THE Council of the South London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society, in presenting the Twenty- 

 Fourth Annual Report to the Members, is pleased to be able 

 to state that the affairs of the Society continue in a satisfactory 

 condition. The membership, it is true, has not increased in 

 numbers, the twelve new Members elected being more than 

 counterbalanced by the six retirements, seven names re- 

 moved from the books for non-payment of subscriptions, 

 two elections becoming void under Bye-law viii., sec. i, 

 and the lamented death of our esteemed Member, Mr. J. A. 

 Cooper ; thus leaving the present membership at 176, con- 

 sisting of 113 ordinary at the js. 6d. subscription, 7 at 6s,, 

 15 country at 5s. and 31 at 2s. 6d., 5 life and 5 honorary, 

 as compared with a total of 180 at this time last year. 



But whereas a net decrease in numbers is always to be 

 regretted, it will be noticed that a large proportion of the 

 numerical loss is in the names removed from the books by 

 the Council in the exercise of its discretion under Bye-law 

 X., sec. 2---names of Members who, it goes without saying, 

 have been utterly inactive for some considerable time past, 

 and who are therefore no real loss to the Society ; and the 

 Council fully believes that the effective strength of the Society 

 is quite equal to, if not actually in advance of, what it was 

 at the time of the last Annual Report. The Council wish, 

 however, to take this opportunity of impressing upon the 

 Members, collectively and individually, the desirability of 

 introducing their friends, with a view to their embracing 

 the manifold advantages which this Society has to offer. 



The finances of the Society continue on a sound basis, the 

 credit balances under each heading showing an increase over 



