xvi President's Address 



insecta, and radiated animals. The register now records 

 44,600 specimens completely classed and labelled in the case. 

 The space is overcrowded, and there can be little doubt that 

 if the other contemplated half of the building were erected 

 it would soon be filled by relieving the present space and 

 addition of new specimens. This institution keeps up its 

 interest among the public, for during the past year there 

 have been nearly 97,000 visitors. 



The schools of technology, practical chemistry, engineering, 

 &c, as also those of the fine arts in connection with the 

 Public Library and Museum, continue doing good work, and 

 fulfilling important functions in the community. In the art 

 school there are 50 pupils in painting and 161 in drawing. 

 In the technological school there are 28 pupils in technology 

 and 18 in engineering. The museum catalogue has now 

 increased to the number of nearly 30,000 specimens. 



Since our last annual gathering two new scientific societies 

 have come into existence in Melbourne — the Victorian 

 branch of the British Medical Association and the Field 

 Naturalists' Club. The first of these is a graft on an 

 Australian stock of the great parent society in England, 

 which now numbers among its wide-spread ramifications 

 over 9000 members. The second is a young society formed 

 on the lines of the old and well-known English one of the 

 same name. Already it is making good progress, and as its 

 objects are so closely allied to those of this society, we shall 

 all wish it every success. The Microscopical Society is 

 gradually progressing, and has added to the ordinary opera- 

 tions of such a body a system of classes for instruction in 

 microscopical practice and research, which, supervised by 

 that veteran and never-tiring microscopist, the president of 

 the society, Dr. Ralph, cannot fail to do a great amount of 

 good, not onlv in training students in this branch of science 

 to the proper mode of working, but also in showing how 

 extremely useful in trade, manufacture, agriculture, and 

 numerous other directions is a little practical expertness 



