2o6 president's address. 



as I think it is entirely erroneous to believe that the study of 

 any branch of natural history can be successfully pursued 

 without specimens. Apart from this, consider for a moment 

 how many of the treasures of the public collections in this 

 country would have been in existence without the aid of the 

 private collector. On the other hand I would allow no man 

 a free hand in the taking of specimens of either birds or eggs, 

 and possibly regulations might be applied in the case of our 

 British ferns, Orchids, and other rare plants. I should first of 

 all require him to take out an annual certificate for which he 

 should pay a duty of, say, los. or ;^i. I would only allow 

 such certificate to be granted upon a declaration that the 

 taking of specimens was for a collector's private museum 

 or a public museum, and not for either sale or exchange, 

 and I should further require him to declare that at the 

 end of each year he would furnish a complete list of all 

 specimens taken, and would pay upon these a duty. 

 This duty could from time to time be fixed so as not to 

 unduly prevent the taking of specimens, but in the case 

 of rarer birds it could be made so high as to become 

 absolutely prohibitive. A false declaration I should visit 

 with most severe penalties, and one breach of the conditions 

 of a license should debar the holder of it from ever holding 

 another. This scheme is only broadly sketched, and would 

 have to be no doubt enlarged and modified in many ways, 

 but I think carefully worked out it would produce satisfactory 

 results. 



Transactions. 



During the year I was fortunate in being able to complete 

 my " Transactions " of the Natural History Society and your 

 Club. I have read much of these volumes, and the whole of 

 the other matter I have somewhat hurriedly gone through. 

 I have been struck with the immense store of valuable matter 

 contained in these " Transactions," but unfortunately it is not 

 accessable to most of us who have but a limited time in con- 

 sequence of the want of a comprehensive index. I would 



