Annual Presidential Address. 377 



the British and American Associations, of which it is not 

 the Canadian analogue. The French Academy and the 

 National Academy at Washington, are rather the models 

 after which our Eoyal Society was formed. 



The monthly meetings of the Natural History Society are 

 its strictly scientific evenings, the Somerville Lectures its 

 popular evenings. At the former the papers are of a 

 technical character, and therefore, the meetings are apt to 

 be small, though really not smaller than in the case of 

 similar societies elsewhere, and now much larger than they 

 have been at times in the past. If we look back at the 

 Becords of 1844 and 1845, we read of meetings with an 

 attendance of six, five, or even four members. In 1848, 

 again, after the Society had been in existence for more than 

 20 years, we find the council regretting that at several of 

 the ordinary meetings business could not be proceeded with 

 for want of a quorum. 



Now the question sometimes arises, '' Would it not be 

 better to make the monthly meetings less technical — more 

 popular ? " Personally I do not think so. What we want, 

 it seems to me, is not fewer meetings for the discussion of 

 purely scientific questions, but more occasions for the 

 popular presentation of science. On such occasions, I am 

 sure that our friends of the Microscopical and Entomological 

 Societies would be willing and happy to give us their 

 kindly aid. Here let me say, that I regard the affiliation of 

 the latter society with ours as a step in the right direction. 

 In a community like this, what is needed is concentration 

 of energy rather than multiplicity of organizations. In 

 connection with the subject of meetings and members, 

 I would suggest that an effort be made to get more lady 

 associates and to have more of them at our meetings. 

 From remai*ks which I have recently heard, it does not 

 seem to be generally known that ladies may become asso- 

 ciate members, and that the annual fee is only $1. Addi- 

 tions should also be made to the number of our corres- 

 ponding and honorary members, and unless we wish to 

 be accused of holding intercourse with the spirit world the 



