11 
MARINE BIOLOGY IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 
Being the Anniversary Address of the President , Session 1913-1914. 
By 
W. J. Dakin. D.Sc., F.Z.S., 
Professor of Biology in the University of Western Australia. 
(Delivered June, 9, 1914.) 
Fortunately a considerable amount of latitude is always allowed 
in the choice of a subject for a Presidential Address. I feel that 
I shall be availing myself of that latitude in my address to you this 
evening. 
1 need scarcely enumerate the events of the year; they will be 
in the memory of you all. A petition addressed to His Majesty, 
King George V. was forwarded on June 27th, 1913, asking for 
Royal Assent to the change of designation of the Natural History 
and Science Society to that of “The Royal Society of Western Aus- 
tralia.^ The petition was granted, and on December 9th, 1913, the 
members of the old Society were informed of the change. During 
the summer recess a new set of rules was drawn up, and at the first 
meeting in 1914 it was formally agreed that the Natural History 
and Science Society of W.A. should be known in future as the 
Royal Society of Western Australia. It will not perhaps be felt 
out of place if I take a glance backward at the work of the old 
Society, and a look ahead at the prospects before us. 
The old Society was founded in 1897 as the Mueller Botanical 
Society, its aim being “the study of Botany and relative scientific 
subjects, to be promoted by periodical meetings, conversaziones and 
field excursions, and the formation of a library.” 
Previous to this date, however, the Flora of Western Australia 
had been studied by both visiting botanists and by the settlers. I 
cannot pass without mentioning the name of James Drummond, who 
might be styled the first colonial botanist of West Australia. Drum- 
mond died in the year 1863. The Society must have done much in 
its early days to stimulate and foster the study of the West Aus- 
tralian flora, but others better informed than myself in the history 
of W.A. will perhaps tell the story of those interesting times. Some 
of the very early papers published by the Society were rather of an 
