546 REPORT OP THE COUNCIL 



Apart, also, from the gifts already referred to, he presented a 

 considerable number of valuable ethnological objects from the 

 South Sea Islands and other parts of the world. He was 

 ready, too, at any time to come forward with liberality when 

 some unusual demand on the restricted funds of the Society 

 necessitated the raising of a special subscription. As a vice- 

 president he attended the meetings of the Council very 

 regularly for many years, and always to the last followed with 

 great interest the different branches of the Society's work, 

 especially all that concerned the museum. By the museum 

 staff, and by all who are closely associated with the institution, 

 he is greatly missed. 



A clause in Mr. Crawhall's will recommends the recon- 

 sideration of the rule whereby the four members of Council 

 retiring annually are for one year ineligible for re-election. 



Certain points concerning the Society's finances call for 

 comment. In regard to the special funds of which separate 

 accounts are printed, it may be explained that the " Bison 

 Fund " was raised to meet the cost of mounting and casing a 

 fine American bison bull presented by Mr. C. J. Leyland of 

 Haggerston Castle ; and that another appeal for subscriptions 

 to the Publication Fund was made during the past spring. 

 In contrast with the result of the first appeal, two-and-a-half- 

 years ago, when nearly ;^2 50 was subscribed, the response on 

 this occasion barely reached jQ^o] and in view of the im- 

 portance of the Society's publications as one of its essential 

 activities, and of the difficulty of providing for the cost out of 

 the general fund, this result was disappointing. 



Another case has just arisen which necessitates the spending 

 of a sum too large to be provided out of ordinary income. 

 Two unusually fine local collections of beetles, formed re- 

 spectively by Mr. John Gardner and Mr. Richard S. Bagnall, 

 have been promised to the Society, on the understanding 

 that they shall be combined with the late Thomas J. Bold's 

 collection, already for many years in the museum, to form one 

 large reference collection. This is an opportunity that should 



