REPORT of the COUNCIL. 
IT seems desirable, by way of Introduction to the first 
Volume of the Proceedings of the Liverpool Biological 
Society, to give a short account of the origin of the 
Society and the object of its existence. 
It had for long been felt by not a few local biologists 
that none of the existing scientific societies in Liverpool 
exactly covered the ground included under the word 
Biology as now understood. It was moreover manifestly 
impossible to alter any of these societies into one which 
would accurately supply this felt want without funda- 
mentally changing the constitution and mode of procedure 
of the society so modified. To the majority of the 
members of those societies whose opinion was asked upon 
the matter, that alteration seemed undesirable. It was 
consequently proposed to found a new society devoted to 
the study of problems in biological science by the various 
methods now recognised as constituting the modus peed 
of a scientific society. 
With that end in view a meeting of biologists to whom 
the scheme commended itself was held in University 
College, Liverpool, on 11th December, 1886. Professor 
W. A. Herdman, D.Sc. who occupied the chair, briefly 
explained to the meeting the object for which it had been 
summoned. After some discussion it was unanimously 
resolved to found such a society as had been suggested, 
under the title of THz LiveErRPooL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
A code of laws, which had been prepared by a provisional 
committee, was thereupon read by the chairman and 
confirmed by the meeting, and the office bearers for the 
first session were elected. 
