THE



Hvicultural /nbagasine,


BEING THE JOURNAL OF THE


AVICULTURAL SOCIETY.



VOL. IV. — NO. 48. All rights reserved. OCTOBER, 1898.


REPORT OF THE COUNCIL OF THE

AVICULTURAL SOCIETY FOR THE YEAR 1897-8.


Altliougli the increase in membership has not been so

:great during the past year as in the previous one, we still have

to report a steady growth, somewhat exceeding that in 1895-6.

Forty-five new members have been eledted, and the number now

on the roll is two hundred and eighty-four.


It was found that the practice of issuing plates in two

:States, black and white to ordinary members, and hand-coloured

to those who paid an extra subscription, was a cause of much

labour to the Hon. Secretary and to the publishers, and for

various reasons undesirable. We had therefore to choose

between raising the subscription sufficiently to enable coloured

plates to be supplied to all members, and abandoning the plates

altogether. The response to the circular issued in reference to

this matter shewed that a large majority of the members was

in favour of an increase in the subscription ; and we accord-

ingly altered the rules by making the future annual subscription

7/6 instead of 5/-. The extra 2/6 will not fully meet the cost of

the plates ; and we are relying upon an expedled large increase in

membership, and in the sale to non-members, to justify this

step.


Two of the plates issued this year were from the drawings

by Mr. P. J. Smit, and all of those to appear next year have

been drawn by him. It was intended that half the number of

the plates for next 5^ear should be drawn by Mr. Frohawk, but

lie was too busy to undertake them.



