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informs me is the case at present ; a very large amount of 

 money being still outstanding. This is not only a source of 

 great weakness to the Society, but inflicts unnecessary pain 

 upon our Treasurer, 



The attendance at our meetings has been considerably in 

 advance of last year ; and I would take this opportunity of 

 impressing upon members the necessity of recording their 

 names in the Attendance Book, which is always upon the 

 table near the door. Several of our members omitting to do 

 so make our average attendance appear less than it really 

 is. Even our summer gatherings, when many of us prefer to 

 be in the field, have had a much larger average attendance 

 than hitherto. 



The Exhibits at our meetings have been unusually large 

 and varied, embracing objects in most branches of Natural 

 History. Many of these exhibits have been accompanied by 

 short notes of great value scientifically — thereby enhancing 

 the interest of the objects exhibited. One would be glad if 

 more of our elder members could be prevailed upon to adopt 

 this system ; it would not only add to the interest of the 

 meeting, but be a source of encouragement and object of 

 emulation to our younger members ; for the more we diffuse 

 our knowledge, the more we are likely to popularize the 

 Science of Natural History. 



The Papers read at our meetings have been somewhat few 

 and far between, although several excellent papers have 

 been brought before us. The deficiency of longer papers 

 would, I think, be well made up, and with very great advan- 

 tage to the Society, if, as one of our earlier presidents, Mr. 

 V. R. Perkins, in his valedictory address so pithily put it, we 

 could get more short papers, not long ones. Our desiderata 

 seem to be, records of observation on habits, life-histories, 

 geographical distribution, variation — its causes and results — 

 food-plants, short accounts of members' outings and captures, 

 relation of insects to flowers ; in fact, any remarks relating 

 to the charming study of Biology. Science was never in- 

 tended to make us dull and prosy ; indeed, I am not at all 

 sure that the narration of some of our adventures in the field 

 does not tend to make our hobby more pleasing and popular. 



The typical collections in our cabinet are still under the 



