52 



whose willing services our Society so fortunatel}' commands ; 

 further, if by chance he cannot speak with any authority on 

 matters lepidopterous, there are still many others who can, 

 and it is not altogether a disadvantage for the Chairman to 

 leave the discussion of points that may arise chiefl}' in the 

 hands of the members assembled around him. 



With the commencement of the new century our Society 

 has completed an existence of twenty-nine years, and during 

 that period I think I may safely say it has done much to 

 advance the knowledge in this country of Natural History in 

 general and Entomology in particular, and at the same time 

 to raise the status of its advocates and students. It is for us 

 who are members to-day to carry on its career of usefulness 

 into the century that lies before us. 



Numerically we stand almost exactly where we did at this 

 time last year. We have lost one member by death — Mr. H. 

 Williams, a comparatively young man, who was formerly 

 Secretary of the Society, but who has not often been present 

 since he went to live at Southend. Mr. Williams' death 

 took place but a few weeks since, and the Council no doubt 

 expressed the feeling of the rest of the Society when it passed 

 a unanimous vote of condolence with his relatives at their 

 loss. 



Our pecuniary position, as shewn by the Balance Sheet, is 

 sound, but the Treasurer has always before him the annuall}' 

 recurrent difficulty with regard to the publication of the 

 " Proceedings." My predecessor in the Chair in his address 

 last year hoped that during the year some scheme might be 

 devised by the Council to meet the difficulty. Though the 

 matter has not been lost sight of, nothing quite practicable 

 seems at present to have been suggested, and the position 

 therefore is the same as last year ; but it certainly does not 

 appear to be quite the right thing that the bod}- of the 

 members should be indebted to the generosit}' of a few for 

 their copy of the " Proceedings," and that is what it really 

 comes to, for the Treasurer assures me that the cost of 

 publication amounts to about eight shillings per member, 

 leaving a deficit of sixpence per member to carr}' on the 

 business of the Society. Perhaps the members at large may 

 be able to suggest some better scheme than that at present 

 in vogue. 



It is with the greatest pleasure that I notice an increase in 

 the average attendance. Last year, according to the attend- 

 ance-book, it was about twentj'-five : this 3'ear it has reached 

 over twentv-six, and thig, from notes I have made from time 



