226 THE ORCHID REVIEW. Aucust, 1908. 
beetle hunters, with a passion for collecting, and thus took an intense 
interest in the mere variety of living things. Then both became travellers, 
observers, and collectors in some of the richest and most interesting portions 
of the globe, and were impressed with the strange phenomena of local and 
geographical distribution, and the numerous problems to which they give 
rise. Then at the critical period, when their minds were freshly stored with 
information, came the views of Malthus in his essay on population; the 
effect of all which was analagous to that of friction upon the specially 
prepared match, producing that flash of insight which led immediately 
to the simple but universal law of the “ survival of the fittest ’’ as the long- 
sought effective cause of the continuous modification and adaptation of all 
living things. 
Sir Joseph Hooker in his address dwelt upon the conditions which 
determined Darwin to agree to the proposal of his friends to the publication 
of a joint essay, how the paper was read by the Secretary of the Society, and 
that Sir Charles Lyell and Dr. Hooker said a few words to emphasise the 
importance of the event, but although intense interest was excited no 
discussion took place—“ the subject was too novel and too ominous for the 
old school to enter the lists before armouring.”’ 
Professor Haeckel and Professor Weismann were unable to be present, 
but other recipients of the medal spoke, Sir E. Ray Lancaster concluding 
his remarks by saying that “at the present day not only do the main lines 
of the theory of Darwin and Wallace remain unchanged, but the more it is 
challenged by new suggestions and new hypotheses, the more brilliantly 
does the novelty, the importance, and the permanent value of the work of 
these great men commemorated by us shine forth as the one great and 
epoch-making effort of human thought on the subject.” 
Lord Avebury, who gave the concluding speech of the afternoon, spok® 
of his intimacy with Darwin, and the amiable character and quiet life of 
the renowned philosopher, and told an amusing story of one of Darwin's 
gardeners, who thought it was such a pity that his master had not some- 
thing to occupy him, for he wandered about the garden doing nothing, and 
would stand for as much as ten minutes at a time gazing at a flower. 
The meeting was followed by a dinner at Prince’s Restaurant, and a 
conversazione and reception at Burlington House in the evening, when there 
was an extensive display of natural history objects, including many 
Lepidoptera from the Hope Collection, Oxford, and other sources, to show 
mimicry, variation, and protective resemblance. 
The only Orchidaceous exhibit was a very interesting group of “ Gaver 
glossum crispum with its varieties and hybrids,” exhibited (by permission of 
the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew) by Mr. R. Allen Rolfe, 
A.L.S. It comprised a series of dried specimens and drawings, with several 
