PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS 



ON 



BIOLOGICAL INSTITUTIONS IN LIVERPOOL, 

 DURING THE PRESENT CENTURY. 



BY 



H. 0. Foebes, LL.D., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S., 



DIRECTOR OF MUSEUMS TO THE CORPORATION OF LIVERPOOL. 



My first and most pleasant duty this evening is to express 

 my sincere thanks to the Society for the high honour 

 they have done me in electing me to preside over their 

 deliberations during the coming session. It was with 

 considerable reluctance that I agreed to accept this dis- 

 tinction, because I felt, and shall feel, that the period of 

 my connection with the Society has been very short, and 

 there are older members whose claims I should consider 

 greater than any I possess, except interest in the welfare 

 of the Society and desire to aid in its advancement. The 

 honour you have done me I acknowledge, and I appreciate 

 the good opinion and kind feeling of the Society towards 

 me. I shall endeavour to earn your approval by giving my 

 best powers to the fulfilment of the duties that appertain 

 to the office, at the same time claiming your indulgence 

 wherein I fail to attain to the excellencies of my prede- 

 cessors in this chair. 



In turning over in my mind for a subject on which to 

 address you this evening, I found I had not at my command 

 any purely biological subject which was not too technical 

 for the occasion. Being sensible, in common no doubt 

 with many others of the stimulus to increased activity 

 derived from the meeting of the British Association 

 among us, I have thought that it might not be unprofit- 



