iv. president's address. 



Science. His most notable production was the "Geology and Palaeontology of 

 Queensland and New Guinea," published in 1892 in conjunction with Eobert 

 Etheridge Junior, a work which was largely responsible for the award to the 

 joint authors of Clarke Memorial Medals by the Royal Society of New South 

 Wales in 1895. 



Last year an imijortant step was taken by our University in the institution 

 of a lectureship in Entomology — a step in which I am particularly interested. 

 Mr. A. J. Nicholson, M.Sc, who has been appointed to this important position, 

 reached Sydney towards the end of last year and we have already had the pleasure 

 of welcoming him te our meetings. He comes to us from the BiiTaingham Uni- 

 versity where he was very successful as an extramural lectui'er. After graduating 

 in 1915, he served for the remainder of the war with the Artillery. He held a 

 Research Scholarship under the Board of Agriculture in 1919 and was demoti- 

 strator in Zoology in the University of Birmingham. During 1921, after his ap- 

 pointment to Sydney, he visited the chief Institutions and Universities where 

 Entomology is studied in the United States. He has thrown himself with en- 

 thusiasm into the study of our insects and has already made several important 

 entomological trips since his arrival, on one of which I was of the party and had 

 the opportunity of making his further acquaintance. 



We offer our heartiest congratulations to Mr. J. J. Fletcher on the award 

 to him by the Royal Society of New South Wales of the Clarke Memorial 

 Medal — a fitting recognition of his distingTiished services to Natural History in 

 Australia. 



To Mr. R. J. Noble, a distinguished graduate in Agriculture of the University 

 of Sydney, we offer congratidations on being the first to receive the Ben Fuller 

 Scholarship, a traveUing scholai-sliip in Agricultural Science, one of the con- 

 ditions attached to the award of which is that the Scholar shall return and give 

 New South Wales the benefit of the experience gained abroad. 



We also offer cordial congratulations to Sir Hugh Dixson, Kt., on the 

 honour conferred 'on him by His Majesty the King; Professor T. Harvey 

 Johnston, on his appointment as Professor of Zoology in the University of Ade- 

 laide; Mr. E. C. Andrews, who has taken over the permanent Honorary Secre- 

 taryship of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science from 

 Mr. J. H. Maiden, who for many years has carried on the work of that office with 

 marked success; Mr. G. H. Hardy, on his appointment as Walter and Eliza 

 Hall fellow in Economic Biology in the University of Queensland. 



One of the most notable exhibits that have been made before us was that 

 at the September meeting of two young live platypus collected by Mr. Harry 

 Burrell. We take this opportunity of extending our hearty congratulations to 

 Mr. Burrell on the success which has attended his efforts in this field of collecting. 



The Council has, during the year, discussed mattei-s in connection with the 

 Macleay Collections and the Macleay Museum, and has infoi-med the Senate of 

 he University of Sydney that in its opinion the Collections are not easily ac- 

 ^ssible to membei-s of the Society, as they should be under the conditions at- 

 ched to Sir William Macleay's gift. The Senate referred the matter to the 

 Committee of Management of the Museum for report and we await their further 

 reply. 



In December the Royal Society of New South Wales fittingly commemorated 

 the centenary of the foundation of the first scientific society in Australia, the 

 F'liilosophical Society of Australasia, and members paid a visit to Kurnell where 

 the president and members of the original Society erected a brass tablet to mark 

 the landing of James Cook and Joseph Banks. 



