president’s address. 
539 
“ bleating ” of this bird is not vocal ; but whether produced by the 
action of the wings or tail, or by both combined, still seems open 
to doubt. 
The thanks of the Society are due to ^fr. Geoffrey F. Buxton, 
Colonel Feilden, Professor Newton, and others for sevei-al valuable 
additions to its library. 
In the last number of our Transactions, the zoological and 
botanical journals and collections made by Captain Albert 
Markham on his voyage to Hudson’s Straits were reviewed by 
Colonel Feilden and Mr. Geldart respectively; and through the 
kindness of the proprietors of ‘ Good M'ords,’ who are publishing 
a full account of this voyage, we are enabled to issue, as a 
frontispiece to this number, a portrait of Captain Markham in his 
travelling dross. 
Having now disposed of all that I wish to say on the proceed- 
ings of the Society during the past year, I desire to call attention 
to a few remarks which I hope may be interesting to the majority 
of our members, who, I believe, like myself are most anxious for 
the preservation and the continued presence of our avi-fauna. 
During the five years which have elapsed since my return homo 
to England, after an almost continuous residence of upwards of 
twenty-four years in tropical countries, I have passed through no 
inconsiderable part of England and Scotland, and have nuule a 
shorter or longer stay at several different places — places varying in 
the physical character of their neighbourhood. From constant 
observation of our fauna, and especially of our birds, which I have 
been in the habit of making, both when I resided in England 
before and now, I can safely compare the existing state of things 
with that which I remember prior to 1858 when I first visited 
the tropics. The comparison, in my mind, produces a contrast 
which cannot be agreeable to any ornithologist It is, of course, 
well know’n to all that several species of birds, which in 
those days were not so very uncommon, have since, year by year, 
become rarer. This fact has been recognized by the passing oi 
several Acts of Parliament intended to preserve some of those 
species, and I hope that much good has thereby been effected ; but 
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