Vol. 69.] ANNIVERSARY MEETING BIGSBY MEDAL. xlix 



scientific men whose practical work iu geological surveying enables 

 them to judge the value of stratigraphical labours. 



It is now 32 years since the Society did me the honour to accept 

 a paper from my pen. My later work has followed that paper up, 

 though in more detail in the nomenclature both of strata and of 

 species. But my later work is guided by my interest in the study of 

 evolution, good illustrative subjects being found among Ammonites 

 and Brachiopoda. This stratigraphic and classificatory work was, 

 and is the necessary, if somewhat monotonous spade-work for 

 evolution ; for it was useless to compile genealogies while the 

 sequence of strata was unknown in detail, and while nomenclature 

 included polyphyletic forms under the same designation. 



Through attention [to, and insistence on, the importance of 

 apparently trivial details, the phenomenon of homceomorphy was 

 discovered ; and the reception accorded to homoeomorphy has, at 

 any rate, been cordial. But it involves a revision, almost a 

 rewriting, of palaeontology. Much of my earlier work I have 

 revised ; much of it I should like to rewrite. 



Such spade-work finds perhaps its fullest expression in the 

 publication ' Yorkshire Type- Ammonites ' ; for the bed-rock of 

 nomenclature must be an exact knowledge of types. And I cannot 

 let this opportunity pass without acknowledging the debt which I 

 owe to my enthusiastic collaborator, Mr. J. W. Tutcher, who com- 

 bines an excellent geological knowledge with unrivalled photographic 

 skill. His work has been the making of that publication. 



To you, Sir, and to the Council I tender my heartfelt thanks for 

 an Award which encourages me to continue my researches. 



Award oe the Bigsby Medal. 



The President then presented the Bigsby Medal to Sir Thomas 

 Henry Holland, K.C.I.E., addressing him in the following 

 words : — 



Sir Thomas Holland, — 



The Council have awarded to you the Bigsby Medal in recognition 

 of the eminent services which you have rendered to Geology, more 

 especially during your tenure of office in India. Appointed to the 

 Geological Survey of India in 1890, you proceeded to enrich the 

 ■'llecords ' and other publications, not only with papers on petrological 



vol. lxix. d 



