11. PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 



Proposed Soil Survey of Australia, Proposed Federal Geological Survey, Solai- 

 Radiation Station, Gravity Survey of Australia, Effects of freezing on Meat, etc. 

 It was also decided that the Council should undertake the publication of a quar- 

 terly abstract of papers by scientific workers in Australia. 



The concluding Part of Volume xlvi. of the Society's Proceedings was issued 

 on 23rd December, the whole of the papers thus being issued during the year in 

 which they were read. That this was possible is due in a large measure to the 

 effoi-ts of our printers. 



The complete volume (536 -)- xxii. pp., 46 Plates and 188 Text-fignires) con- 

 tains thirty-seven papei-s, seven of which were contributed by members of the 

 Society's research staff. 



During the year the Rules of the Society were revised and a new issue 

 printed, copies of which have been distributed to each member. 



Some years ago the Postal Department refused to continue to allow the 

 Proceedings of- Scientific Societies to be transmitted through the post as books, 

 and the Societies, as a result, had to face a very much heavier postage rate than 

 formerly. Regulations revising the postal definition of a book have recently been 

 gazetted, and in consequence of this the Council has decided upon certain altera- 

 tions in the publication of the Proceeding's. In future five Parts will be issued 

 annually instead of four; Part i. will contain the proceedings at the Annual 

 Meeting,'' Parts ii.-iv. the papers read at the Ordinary Monthly Meetings, and 

 Part V. the abstracts of Proceedings, list of members, donations and exchanges, 

 etc. 



Mention was made a year ago of the difflculties that were being experienced 

 in cari-ying on the publication of the International Catalogue of Scientific Litera- 

 ture. Although no official repoi-ts of the negotiations have been received, we 

 learn through the Zoological Society of London that efforts to proceed with this 

 important work have been unsuccessful. This will make it a matter of consider- 

 able difficulty for the research worker to keep in touch with the work of his 

 contemporaries in foreign countries. Zoologists, however, are fortunate in this 

 respect. The Zoological Society undertook to prepare and issue the Zoology 

 volume for the yeai-s 1915-1920 inclusive at its sole financial risk, pending the 

 resumption of the Catalogue; and now, with the approval of the Royal Society,' 

 it hopes to continue the issue of the Zoological Record from 1921 onwai-ds as a 

 sepairate undertaking. 



Exchange-relations with Societies and Institutions are again very flourishing, 

 the receipts for the Session amounting to 1874 additions to the library as against 

 1603 last year. During the year the publications of the following Societies and 

 Institutions have been added to the list obtained in exchange for the Society's 

 Proceedings: — Societe Geologique et Mineralogique de Bretagne, Botanical Sur- 

 vey of South Africa, Bombay Bacteriological Laboratory, Real Academia de Cien- 

 cias y Artes de Barcelona, and Botanic Gardens, Cluj, Roumania. 



We are also fortunate in having received a large number of the publications 

 of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, which Institution has also expressed 

 its willingness to send the Society such of its future publications as come within 

 the scope of the Society's work. 



We also have to acknowledge our gratitude to Mr. G. I. Playfair, a member 

 of the Society, for a valuable donation to the librai-y consisting mainly of books 

 and reprints dealing with Algae, Diatoms and other lowly forms of plant Ufe. 

 A list of this donation has been published in the Proceedings (1921, pt. 4, p. 

 531). 



By the loss of the S.S. Canastota during the year between Sydney and 



