122 
NATURE NOTES 
believed would be removed by reading the report of the work 
which had been done. The Selborne Society did not intend to 
rest content with the sweet memories of its past, it proposed, 
with the help of its members, to be a very living, progressive 
body, prepared to undertake fresh work as well as to maintain 
what its efforts had promoted in the bygone years. It was 
essential, therefore, that the responsibility of guiding the Society’s 
undertakings which lay with the Council, should be shared by 
every member of the Society, and this could be done by members 
availing themselves to the full of their franchise, and voting for 
such candidates only as they could trust. And this applied not 
only to the election of councillors but the equally important 
selection of delegates by the branches, since the delegates equally 
with the elected councillors controlled the Society’s affairs. The 
election of President again gave the Society an opportunity of 
thanking Lord Avebury for his past services, and of securing his 
wise headship for another year. All must feel gratified that the 
President had taken a more intimate interest in the Society’s 
affairs during the past year, and had kept in touch with its 
proceedings. There was no occasion to elect Trustees, as these 
held office until retirement. Of the two Trustees, Lord Avebury 
and Mr. Musgrave, the former had already been spoken of, and 
the present occasion offered an opportunity for a more than 
passing reference to the latter. It was a beautiful custom in 
certain collegiate foundations to offer up prayers for the memory 
of the “ pious founder ” on one day each year. Although the 
assembly before him would not regard the present as a meeting 
for prayer, yet he thought the silent heart’s prayer of sympathy 
might well be offered for Mr. Musgrave, who, with Mrs. Mus- 
grave, was their pious founder. They remembered their patron 
saint, Gilbert White, but perhaps more recent members were 
not so mindful of Mr. and Mrs. Musgrave, to whose patient work 
and ever ready sympathy the Selborne Society owed its origin, 
and in no small measure its subsequent success. The year had 
been one of some sorrow and anxiety to Mr. and Mrs. Musgrave, 
and he knew that the members of the Selborne Society would be 
glad to hear that the shadows of serious illness had passed away 
and that their “ pious founders ” were as keenly in sympathy 
with Selbornians as ever, and with renewed strength had gained 
ever fresh enthusiasm for the causes which the Selborne Society 
held so dear. It seemed to him that the occasion should be 
marked by an expression to Mr. and Mrs. Musgrave of the warm 
appreciation in which their labours were held by this meeting, as 
representative of the Society at large. 
There was a novel feature on their Agenda this year, and 
that was the election of Honorary Members. Certain persons, 
whose names had been published in Nature Notes, had been 
nominated for this honour by the Council, and would be sub- 
mitted to the consideration of the Meeting. All had rendered 
valuable services to the Society by promoting its objects in 
