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PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 
affinity and analogy, the one being a natural, the other only 
an artificial arrangement and liable to error, as in Nature all 
things are perfect in my opinion. This method also leads to 
multiplication of synonymous names and cannot be too 
deeply deplored. 
I have occupied many hours in studying the Morphology 
and Physiology of Birds and know of few more beautiful 
things than the skeleton of a bird, combining as it does 
strength and lightness with perfect adaptability for the 
purpose it was designed. 
The digestive organs have provided me with a large 
amount of interesting study, varying as they do in a consider¬ 
able manner according to the food upon which the bird 
subsists. The examination of these organs will also show 
the exact substances which the bird was feeding upon. Only 
this last week I received from Norfolk two specimens of 
Circus cineraceus whose maws w r ere full of the egg shells of 
various birds, and from the one, an egg of Emberiza scham- 
iclus was taken out unbroken, proving clearly that this species 
swallows eggs whole. I make a point of preserving the 
contents of the stomachs in spirits when this is possible, 
and I find that even in closely allied species their food will 
often differ slightly. 
This style of studying Ornithology may satisfy some 
people, but I felt that a great deal more knowledge and 
pleasure was to be obtained by investigating the life history 
and habits of our native birds as they are displayed in their 
natural habitats and in a living state. To do this necessitates 
some exertion and a considerable amount of time, because 
many of the breeding haunts of our most interesting species 
are situated in wild spots difficult of approach, but which 
when visited amply repay the enthusiast. Anyone exploring 
the Bass Bock would learn more of the natural history of 
Sulci bcissana in one hour than he would acquire from all the 
books he might read in a lifetime. 
In order to become thoroughly conversaut with the natural 
history of a bird you ought to know its habits, the manner in 
which it forms its nest, the situation in which it builds, and 
the localities which it frequents. These points are far more 
interesting to me than any classification, which I look upon 
as merely an assistance to memory. 
One of the most interesting spots that I know for an 
ornithological visit is the Fame Islands, off the coast of 
Northumberland ; you will find the various islands composing 
that group tenanted by their respective species in w T ell- 
regulated colonies, and the manner in which they are 
