Proceedings of the Victoria Institute. 
Monday, 4th September, 1893. 
Sylvester Devenish , M.A ., Vice-President , in the Chair. 
The Secretary (R. J. L. Guppy) made a statement 
explanatory of the scheme of lectures and meetings approved of 
by the Committee of Management. There were to be six courses 
of six lectures each annually on Agriculture, Chemistry, Zoology, 
Botany, Geology, and on History, Literature and Music. There 
were also to be twelve evening meetings annually for the 
discussion of scientific and practical questions — at these meetings 
original papers might be read and objects exhibited. 
The speaker then pointed out the immense advantages 
derived from the cultivation of a knowledge of nature and of the 
laws and properties of forces and objects. The student of nature 
pursues knowledge for the gratification he obtains from it and 
not from the hope of any material reward. His results often of 
great value he makes a present of to the practical man. The cost 
of the hobbies of the student are repaid a thousand-fold by his 
discoveries. As an instance of this among many others the 
speaker referred to the observations of zoologists that birds of 
prey were useful and not injurious to man — the experience of 
Scotch farmers had proved this. A book prepared by the United 
States Ornithological department showing the habits of owls and 
hawks was exhibited in further support of the statement. 
Monday, 2nd October 1893. 
Sylvester Devenish , M.A., Vice-President in the Chair . 
The following paper was read ; — 
