ADDRESS 
Bead bij the President, Mr. Frederic Kitton, to the Members of the 
Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society, at their Fifth 
Annual Meeting, held at the Norfolk and Nonoich Museum, 
March 31si, 1874. 
Ladies and Gentlemb:n — I must, in the first place, thank you for 
the kind forbearance you have shown towards my many short- 
comings during my Presidency. 
I accepted the honour with considerable reluctance, as I was 
fully aware of my unfitness for the position in which you placed 
me. You will, perhaps, remember, when I accepted the Presidency 
of this Society, I stated that my studies had been chiefly of those 
minute forms of life which require the assistance of the microscope 
even to see them, and the highest powers of the instrument to study 
tlieir details. 
This branch of natural history, unfortunately for myself, does 
not come under the cognizance of this Society ; if it had I might 
have passed through my year of office more to my own satisfaction. 
I hope in future years the study of microscopic life may find a 
place in our programme. (The Leeds Xaturalists’ Field Club has 
formed a section for microscopic investigation, and an excellent 
microscope for the use of the members has been purchased by 
subscription.) 
In accordance with the custom of this and other Societies, I now 
proceed to call your attention to the papers and lectures given 
during the past session, and I cannot help expressing my regret 
that so little has been done in that direction during my official year. 
I find on looking through our minute book, that only seven papers 
and two lectures have been given during the last twelvemonths ; 
this, I think, is not creditable to a Society numbering some 120 
