204 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



one of the two died and the other's strength was so far exhausted, 

 that he fell down and died also in attempting to dig a grave for his 

 companion. The skulls and other large bones of those two men are 

 now lying above ground, close to the house. The longest liver was, 

 according to the Eskimo account, always employed in working of iron 

 into implements- for them ; probably he was the armourer or smith." 



The Annual Report was read and adopted as follows : 

 ANNUAL REPORT. 



SESSION 1885-86. 



The Council of the Canadian Institute have the honour to lay before 

 the members their 37th Annual Report. 



The most noteworthy event in the history of the Institute during 

 the past year has been the formation of a Biological Section and the 

 incorporation into the Institute of the Natural History Society of 

 Toronto. The alterations in the regulations rendered necessary by 

 the change come into force for the first time at this meeting. It is 

 to be hoped that the Union now consummated will prove of benefit to 

 all those interested in it. 



An earnest effort has been made during the year to awaken public 

 interest in the subject of local archaeology — the study of the recoi'ds, 

 now so quickly being obliterated, of the aboriginal races of this coun- 

 try. It is much to be desired that the Provincial Grovei'nment will 

 see their way to assist in some manner this important object. 



We have lost during the past year by withdrawals and deaths 37 

 members, among whom is our lamented former President, Mr. J. M. 

 Buchan, whose untimely death last summer fell on us with startling 

 suddenness. During the year 26 new members have been elected ; 

 so that we now number on our roll 233 members, 11 less than last 

 year. In this connection it seems proper to call attention to the 

 large number of gentlemen who, after permitting themselves to be 

 nominated and elected members of the Institute, have apparently 

 performed no other function in connection with our body. On 

 examining the statistics of the past three or four years, it appears that 

 nearly one-third of these gentlemen elected as members never really 

 became such. 



