Scientific Progress of the Past Year. [January, 
point strongly to the conclusion that the present animals 
and plants are the remains of a once more extensive Flora 
and Fauna which has been gradually broken up by geological 
and climatic changes, and which more recently has been 
greatly interfered with by the agency of man. The greatei 
portion of the botanical section has been undertaken by.Dr. 
Is. Bayley Balfour, who himself collected the materials. 
He estimates the total number of plants found at present in 
Rodriguez at 470 species, viz., 297 Phsenogams and 173 
Cryptogams ; and he establishes the remarkable faCt that ot 
the Phsenogams not less than 108 are to be regarded as 
introduced into the island, and that 189 only are indigenous. 
Great interest attaches to remains of the extindt cave-fauna 
of Rodriguez ; and the collection made by Mr. Slater sup- 
plied materials for three papers, by Mr. E. Newton, Mr. J. 
W. Clark, and Dr. Gunther. With regard to Zoology, the 
marine collections were those to which least interest was 
attached, as they consisted principally of common forms 
spread over the whole of the tropical Indian Ocean. On 
the other hand, our knowledge of the Terrestrial Inverte- 
brates received considerable additions, especially in the 
Myriopods and Arachnids, Coleoptera and Turbellaria, 
described by Mr. A. G. Butler, Mr. C. 0 . Waterhouse, and 
Mr. G. Gulliver. 
The papers presented to the Society, and read at our 
evening meetings, have been more numerous than in any 
previous year of our existence, and have during the last 
twelve months reached a total of 118. Some of them appear 
to have excited unusual interest among the Fellows and 
their friends, for on more than one occasion our meeting- 
room was filled to an almost unprecedented degree. 
But, beside the interest attaching to their reading and 
discussion, the papers themselves have offered some very 
striking features. It would be as invidious to attempt, as 
it would be impossible to establish, any general comparison 
of merit among so varied a collection of memoirs ; but I 
may still be permitted to take this opportunity of expressing 
my own impressions of a few which fall, more or less, 
within my own range of study. 
In purely experimental research — that is, in experiments 
guided by a clear conception of what was wanted to be 
done, and executed with adequate instrumental appliances 
and with the highest manipulative skill — we cannot but be 
struck by the assiduity and success with which Mr. Crookes 
has continued his labours. He has now brought to a ter- 
mination his remarkable series of papers on “ Repulsion 
i 
