REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
Dec., 1891 . 
278 
Dr. Darwin’s fortunate and distinguished parentage, the writer gave 
an account of the origin of the cruise of the Beagle, an event that 
proved an epoch in this remarkable man’s life. A number of extracts 
were read dealing with the zoology, botany, and geology of the coun¬ 
tries visited, with remarks on the numerous observations with which 
this charming book abounds.—October 26th. Mr. J. Moore exhibited 
a small collection of local beetles ; Mr. J. W. Neville, parasite of 
tortoise; Mr. J. Collins, living diatoms; Mr. Parker, a rotifer, 
Monocerca rattus. — November 2nd. Annual Meeting and President’s 
Address. The following reports were read :—General secretary’s and 
secretary of committee’s, announcing that the society had made satis¬ 
factory progress during the year ; the treasurer’s, that he had a 
balance of £3 4s. lOd. in hand ; the curator’s, that the properties of 
the society were in good order, and that several additions had been 
made to them during the year. The reports were approved and duly 
passed. Mr. W. Dunn then proposed Professor Hillhouse, M.A., 
F.L.S., as president for the ensuing year, and referred to the advan¬ 
tages the society had gained under his careful guidance during the last 
two years. Mr. S. Delicate seconded it, and it was unanimously 
passed. The President suitably replied. Mr. B. Cracroft proposed 
Messrs. Linton and, Mulliss as vice-presidents. Mr. W. J. Parker 
seconded it, and it was passed. The other officers were re-elected. 
Mr. J. W. Neville proposed a vote of thanks to the president, and 
spoke of the kind interest he had always shown in the affairs of the 
society, of the stores of knowledge that had been placed at their 
service, and of the attention that had been given to their affairs. Mr. 
B. Cracroft seconded it, and it was duly passed, the President replying 
in a few words. After votes of thanks to the retiring officers and 
committee, the President delivered his address on “Some Thoughts 
on the Nature of Society,” a subject that was suggested by Mr. Herbert 
Spencer’s great work on Sociology. The writer said since man first 
began to think, few subjects have influenced him more than the 
problem of life. We know it is, we are conscious of its many powers, 
and are able to direct these powers to a common end. The nature 
and evolution that formed our relations with one another w r ere spoken 
of, and though society consists of units, there is an immense amouut 
of mutual dependence. The cohesion of society was compared with that 
of a lecture audience. Bees and ants were founders of societies of the 
simplest kind. The origin of society was traced from the earliest 
time. The simplest form of primitive man might use his finger-nails 
to dig roots for food, and his hands pulled fruits from the trees. After¬ 
wards a stick and a stone might be used for the same purposes, when 
the stick became an improved nail and the stone an elongated arm, as 
when thrown it would knock down fruit that was out of reach, and 
it thus supplemented his natural gifts. When the fore limbs are used 
for grasping instead of walking, a functional change is commenced. A 
hunting spider chases its prey, a web-building spider catches it in a 
net, and one kind of functional capacity has been reduced and another 
has been enlarged. At a later time the plough became an improved 
stick, the bow and arrow an improved thrown knife or spear, and 
the cannon an improved thrown stone. All the implements of civilised 
society had their representatives in savage life. The human unit in 
no way differs from animals. He might generally make a better 
home, so does the tailor bird; he might lay up a store of food for 
winter’s use, so does the squirrel. Man is a bi-lateral and bi-pedal 
animal; he has to look out for something to eat, and also to take care 
he is not eaten. His great care was his family ; if danger came he 
