2 
president’s address. 
mated. In view of the difficulties of such an amalgamation, 
Colonel Irby has decided that we should receive at least 
a considerable number of his books. Separate lists of all 
these books will be printed in the Transactions under the names 
of the donors. 
The Society will also value Sir Joseph Hooker’s gift of a 
portrait of Dawson Turner, F.R.S., from an etching by Mrs. 
Turner of a drawing by J. S. Cotman of Norwich. 
Mr. H. G. Barclay, F.R.G.S., continues to present us with 
the ‘ Geographical Journal ’ monthly, and Mr. G. F. Buxton 
with the ‘ Ibis ’ quarterly, and the ‘ Zoologist ’ monthly. 
The list of Societies with which we exchange Transactions, 
etc., increases annually, and now amounts to more than 50. 
The attendance at the evening meetings has been, I am 
informed, a little above that of previous years. 
On April 26th, 1904, Mr. T. Southwell, F.Z.S., read a paper 
on “ Migration, with special reference to the Cetacea,” and 
Mr. A. Patterson contributed some Notes on local Natural 
History. 
On May 31st, a discussion on “Melanism in Moths” was 
introduced by the Rev. A. Miles Moss, and Dr. Wheeler, 
Mr. F. C. Hinde, Mr. H. J. Thouless, and others took part. 
In August I attended, as delegate of the Society, the meeting 
of the British Association at Cambridge. At the first Confer- 
ence of Delegates of Corresponding Societies, the Chairman, 
Principal E. H. Griffiths, F.R.S., discussed in his address the 
proposals made by Sir Norman Lockyer, as President of the 
previous meeting of the Association at Southport, for bringing 
about a more effective organisation of scientific workers and 
persons interested in science, in order to provide a means of 
pressing upon the central authorities, as well as upon local 
councils and committees, the “ urgent need of better education 
in science, as well as of more scientific education.” Sir Norman 
Lockyer suggested that the nucleus of such an organisation 
already existed in the British Association, which served as 
