BULLETIN OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
02 
To form a proper conception of the important scientific 
work the Society has done during the past twenty years it 
becomes necessary to examine the volumes of the Society’s 
annual Bulletin. Each number is divided into two parts, 
viz the Bulletin proper which was established by the Society 
for the purpose of publishing new contributions to knowledge, 
and the Appendix which consists chiefly of the annual report. 
Our purpose this evening is to deal mainly with the former. 
In glancing through the volumes of the Bulletin one is sad- 
dened to meet the names of three members of the council who 
have passed from us in the past year, Dr. H. G. Addy, Dr. G. 
U. Hay and Senator Ellis. The last named has filled your 
presidential chair for the past eleven years and, from his 
having occupied it for so long a time, evidently with great 
acceptibility. The high esteem in which Senator Ellis was 
held by the council and other members of this Society is 
voiced in the resolution passed by the council soon after his 
death, and communicated to the bereaved members of the 
family. Among the names of those who have contributed 
to the pages of our Bulletin none hold a more honored place 
than our late president Senator Ellis, whose chair I tempor- 
arily fill this evening, and who, had he been living and well, 
would have addressed you. In the past decade you have 
listened to his scholarly addresses of a scientific and literary 
trend, many of which either in whole or in abstract, are to 
be found in the pages of the Bulletin. 
But there is perhaps no contributor to our work whose 
loss the Society will feel more keenly than that of the late 
Dr. George U. Hay. As yet there seems no one who can 
carry on his botanical work, nor one who is so familiar with 
the current requirements of the Society, especially as regards 
its monthly meetings and summer-field work. Quietly and 
steadily he has worked in the interests of the Society as 
is shown by the fact that hardly a Bulletin has been issued 
that has not shown by contributions to its pages his unflag- 
ging devotion to his favourite study of botany, and partic- 
ularly that of his native province. 
