4228 Entomological Society. 



The records and the collections to which I have been alluding, 

 principally British, but occasionally exotic, have combined with 

 others of economical or descriptive character to enhance the interest 

 and attraction of our meetings ; and I rejoice to observe that these 

 are invariably well attended. I know of no Society in which the 

 average attendance is so large in proportion to the actual number of 

 members ; and this leads me to remark on our acquisitions and losses 

 under this head. 



Five years ago it was thought desirable to institute a second class 

 of members, to whom the name of Subscribers was applied. During 

 the past year we have elected ten members and nine subscribers, and 

 I regret to say have lost no fewer than four members and ten sub- 

 scribers, thus giving us a gain on the year of six members, and a 

 loss of one subscriber. With a single exception, our losses have 

 occurred from resignation or default of payment ; the exception is 

 Mr. William Lancey, whose death we have to lament. 



Mr. William Lancey was elected on the 5th of April, 1852, and 

 towards the close of the same month, having accepted an appoint- 

 ment in the engineer's staff of the East Indian Railway Company, 

 left this country for the seat of his employment. In April last, in the 

 vicinity of Calcutta, he was seized with fever, from which he was 

 apparently slowly recovering, when, at the recommendation of his 

 friends, he undertook a palanquin journey to Delhi, for the purpose 

 of recruiting his strength ; on his return, however, to Calcutta, the 

 excitement attendant on the trip subsiding, he grew rapidly worse, 

 and alarming symptoms presenting themselves, he was urged at once 

 to return to England ; to this he acceded, but unhappily the virulence 

 of the fever had so prostrated him that he never rallied, and expired 

 on the 5th of May, a few days subsequent to the departure of the 

 vessel. During his short sojourn in India he prosecuted Entomology 

 with enthusiasm, and his collections, now in his father's possession, 

 afford ample evidence how industriously he devoted every spare 

 moment and opportunity to its pursuit. 



During the year we have lost two other entomologists, unconnected 

 indeed with our Society, but whose names have long been familiar to 

 the veriest tyro in our science ; I allude, of course, to Friedrich Ger- 

 mar and the venerable Fischer de Waldheim. 



. Ernst Friedrich Germar was born on the 3rd of November, 1786 ; 

 at twelve years of age he was sent to school at Meiningen, where one 

 of our most illustrious entomologists, Clairville, was then residing: in 

 1807 he removed to Leipsig, and purchased the celebrated collection 



