Presidents Address. 17 



of one of the most terrible ailments by which mankind could be 

 attacked ; he referred to hydrophobia. He was glad to learn 

 that the Institute which grew up under his care and which 

 bears his name would perpetuate that name to posterity. In 

 connection with the late Professor Huxley, he might mention 

 that a committee had been formed in London with the object 

 of making arrangements for the erection of a national memorial 

 to perpetuate his memory, and he (Mr. Patterson) was asked to 

 join that committee, not in his private capacity, but as the 

 president of that Society. He regarded the request as a 

 compliment, and acceded to it. He was asked if he thought 

 it desirable to form a local committee for the object stated, and 

 he had replied that he scarcely thought it would be necessary 

 to do so, but that he would make it known through the Press 

 that he would be prepared to receive and acknowledge any 

 contributions received by him for the object in view. He 

 regretted to say, however, that this large, populous, and opulent 

 city of Belfast had not responded, through him at least, to that 

 appeal to the extent of one pound, one shilling, or one penny ; 

 but it was to the credit of an old and familiar Belfast gentleman 

 and a personal friend of his and his (Mr. Patterson's family), — 

 Mr. James Herdman, now resident in Bath — who, having seen 

 the announcement already mentioned, sent him a contribution — 

 and that was the only contribution through his hands that had 

 reached the Committee. 



The President then proceeded to deliver an address on 

 " The Migration of Birds,'' which was effectively illustrated by 

 a series of special photo-lantern slides shown by Mr. A. R. 

 Hogg. Mr. Patterson commenced his paper by stating that of 

 the large number of birds which have now — many of them in 

 his opinion wrongly — been placed on the British list some are 

 mere accidental stragglers ; and others, although met with 

 regularity, do not occur with sufficient frequency to be called 

 common ; so that the number of different species of our well- 

 known everyday birds is probably considerably below 200. Of 

 these some occur only in summer and others again only in 



