LiirKrEA.Tsr societs: op london^. Ixxxi 



danger to tliemselves iu resisting amendments. The Linnean 

 Society in past times, I may be allowed to admit (as I was myself 

 at the time for several years a member of the Council and a con- 

 stant attendant at its deliberations), looked on with indifference 

 whilst Zoological, Botanical, Ornithological, Entomological, and 

 other Societies were set up under various pretexts to carry off its 

 active or discontented members ; and we seemed to be falling 

 asleep with the additional incubus of the heavy debt incurred 

 by the purchase of the Linnean Herbarium, zoological collections, 

 and library. That time is now fortunately over. Under the con- 

 ciliatory influence and able management of my predecessor in 

 this chair, one of our present Vice-Presidents, on entering the 

 Council, succeeded in stirring up the energies of the Society by a 

 thorough reform in its proceedings. The result is a constantly 

 increasing prosperity, which it behoves us to apply to the promo- 

 tion of the highest objects of our Association. We are proud to 

 reckon amongst our fellows all that is most eminent in the 

 country in Zoology as well as in Botany. The valuable, rare, and 

 costly works of our large library, as well as those of more daily 

 practical use, are very fairly divided between the two branches ; 

 all our efforts have been directed to the promotion of both ; the 

 chair I now occupy has been alternately filled by the special 

 votaries of each. It has been, and should be, our ambition to 

 establish ourselves firmly as the great centre for all biological 

 science, whence the various branches should radiate. But for 

 this there are great practical difiiculties to be overcome. Mere 

 opposition Associations have died a natural death, and entomolo- 

 gists have such inexhaustible numbers of individual objects to work 

 up in detail, as to give occupation enough for a distinct Society with- 

 out interfering with us ; but the extraordinary prosperity of the 

 Zoological Society under its present active management threatens 

 to withdraw from us much of zoological matter that our botanical 

 members would be anxious to partake in. 



The Zoological, or as it soon became, the Entomological Club 

 of the Linnean Society, was first separated from us as a distinct 

 Zoological Society with a view chiefly to establish and maintain a 

 collection of living animals, which could not come within our proper 

 attributes ; and had we then been active we might have retained our 

 connexion so as to secure the scientific business, in correspondence 

 with but apart from the more special objects of the new esta- 

 blishment. As it is, the Zoological Society have gradually pro- 

 vided themselves with immense resources ; they have meetings for 



LINN. I-BOC, — YOI-. IS, / 



