ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 17 



THE PRESIDENT'S ANNUAL ADDRESS. 



By Henry H. Lyman, M.A., Montreal. 



Gentlemen, — It is with much pleasure that I welcome you to the thirty-fifth annual 

 meeting of our society, and especially is this pleasure enhanced by the fact that our 

 meeting is held in this city in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the forma- 

 tion of the Montreal branch. 



It is a subject for much congratulation that our society, which started from such 

 small beginnings, has grown to such a large number of members, with associate members 

 all over the world, and that its monthly journal takes so high a place in the field of 

 entomological periodicals. But I think that we in Montreal have some reason to be 

 proud of the fact that we are the third oldest entomological association on this continent, 

 and, without any monetary grant or assistance from Government, have been able to 

 keep our meetings up with great regularity through a quarter of a century. 



Two hundred and seventeen meetings have been held, and over 200 original papers 

 have been read by our members, and about 80 of these have been published. 



But, to turn to matters of more general interest, when an amateur entomologist, 

 with extremely little leisure to devote to this science, has the honor, or perhaps I should 

 say the misfortune, to be elected to the distinguished position of president of so 

 important a society, the question what he is to do for an annual presidential address 

 becomes at once a serious bugbear. 



We amateurs have to take our science in so scrappy a fashion, in such small 

 mouthfuls, that it is generally impossible for us to follow out any continuous line of 

 investigation or experiment, and our work is of too fragmentary a nature to afford 

 material for an important address. True, by reading and study, we might familiarize 

 ourselves sufficiently with the work which has been done in some particular line by other 

 entomologists to enable us to give a fairly accurate review of such subjects, but that 

 seems hardly desirable, unless one can add something of interest from one's own 

 observations. 



Many of my predecessors in this office have devoted much of their addresses to a 

 review of the principal injurious insects of the year, but I feel that this subject can 

 be so much better handled by those who are by profession economic entomologists that 

 I prefer to leave that task to them. 



It has occurred to me that there are many subjects, some of them small in them- 

 selves, perhaps, but which for all that are not without their interest, and I have there- 

 fore determined to invite your attention to a sort of entomological omnium gatherum or 

 olla podrida. 



But before taking up any of these subjects, it is my painful duty to refer to the sad 

 event which so early in the season, and in the maturity of his powers, deprived our 

 society of our highly respected vice-president. Prof. Panton was elected at the last 

 annual meeting, though unable to attend on account of illness, but I do not think that 

 aiiy one at that time anticipated a fatal termination, and I, certainly, looked forward 

 with pleasure to meeting him at this annual meeting. 



But the greatest loss to entomology in America, using the latter term in a wider 

 sense than our neighbors generally use it, which has occurred during the year was unques- 

 tionably that sustained in the death of Dr. George H. Horn, who since the death of Dr. 

 J. L. Leconte has been facile princeps among American coleopterists. 



By the death of Dr. J. A. Lintner, American economic entomology has suffered a 

 great loss, and I am sure his memory will be cherished by all who had the privilege of 

 his acquaintance. He was a very able entomologist and a kindly, unassuming gentleman. 



2 EN. 



