10 
a 
PART OF A LIFE HISTORY 
5 ? 
which it was hoped would be used by the members also 
as a Reading Room. This, however, has been so to a very 
limited extent. 
The Executive (or Council) of the Society consisted 
at first of the officers alone — the President, two Vice- 
Presidents, the Secretary, and the Treasurer ; but in May, 
1863, it was decided to add to them six elected members, 
of whom two should retire annually. At the same meet- 
ing, too, the office of “ Reporting (or Editing) Secretary ” 
was instituted, and Mr. William Lant Carpenter, who had 
been acting as reporter for four months, was elected. In 
May, 1864, the number of elected members of Council was 
increased to nine, of whom three were. to retire annually. 
In 1875 the officers of each “ Section ” (President and 
Secretary) were made ex-officio members of the Council. 
Since 1884, when the Rules were modified considerably, 
the regulation as to the annual retirement of three of the 
elected members has been omitted, and past Presidents 
were added to the Council. 
The Rules adopted in 1862 were printed in the inaugural 
statement, together with a list of members, and another 
of “ Corresponding ” members. They numbered sixteen 
until 1874, and were printed in 1863,-4,- 8,-9, 1870,-1, 
and -4. In April, 1873, an addendum to Rule ix. was 
decided on, providing for a Life -Membership, if desired, 
on payment of £4 45. In 1875 the sixteen Rules were 
expanded into sixty-seven “ Laws,” and these were 
printed. In 1884 a revised list was again issued. In 
1895, after another revision, the number was sixty-one, 
and the “ Laws ” at present in force number sixty, and 
are being printed now (1904). 
In October, 1864, four Sections of the Society were 
inaugurated — Botanical, Entomological, Geological, and 
a combined “ Chemical and Photographic ” : and in March, 
1865, a Zoological Section was added. The first lasted 
