ANNUAL MEETING AND CONVERSAZIONE OF 
THE SELBORNE SOCIETY. 
T is a matter for regret that the Annual Meeting cannot 
I be held at a place equally convenient to every member, 
so that the gathering might be more representative than 
is possible under existing circumstances. But a Society 
with such wide-spreading branches must always suffer some dis- 
ability from this very fact, though in the time to come, distant 
branches may arrange to send delegates, and thus help to make 
the Annual Meeting a real meeting of the whole Society. 
However, the numbers attending the Annual Meeting and 
Conversazione on Thursday, May 7, 1896, were larger than on 
any previous occasion, and the Society’s rooms could not well 
have held more. Unfortunately, Sir John Lubbock was pre- 
vented by indisposition from occupying the chair, but Sir Wil- 
liam Flower, K.C.B., F.R.S., P.Z.S., on very short notice kindly 
consented to take his place, and gave a most interesting address. 
In opening the meeting, Sir William Flower expressed his 
regret, and that of the members present, that they were not to 
have the pleasure of listening to an address from the President, 
particularly as they would not have any address from him (the 
Chairman) instead. He had great pleasure in moving the adop- 
tion of the Report, and as printed copies had been circulated, he 
would not be obliged to read it through to them, but it could be 
adopted and taken as read. That we all feel the need of a 
Society such as this, was evidenced by the fact of the large number 
present that evening. If you were not convinced that the 
Society is doing a good work, Sir William continued, you would 
not have come here, and the particulars of that work I need 
not tell you, as you know it already. It is a curious problem in 
human nature, that some people are born into the world with a 
love for and interest in the beautiful things of nature around 
them — a love of insects, a love of birds and plants. To many 
people the study of these things is a fascination, while other 
people have it not in the least. They go through the day 
wthout observing any of these things, and without deriving any 
pleasure or instruction from all the beautiful objects of nature 
around them. It is only a very small proportion of the popula- 
tion of the world that cares for these things, and yet that 
proportion seems to arise in all nations (at all events, in all 
civilised nations;, and is observed in all periods of the world’s 
