11 
number of names figuring on the present list, will not be included in 
that for 1911. A noteworthy departure has, however, been made in 
one respect, viz., the election for the first time of a lady member, to 
whom, it may he mentioned, the Society is already indebted for more 
than one interesting exhibit. 
The mention of exhibits calls to mind the fact that this year these 
have, with a few notable exceptions, been on the whole .so few and so 
lacking in scientific interest, that the reporting secretary has thought 
it wiser to discontinue the reports to the magazines rather than to 
reveal by their continuance the nakedness of the land. Far be it from 
us to decry the “ mere collector’s ” exhibit, which must always be of 
interest in many ways, and is often provocative of discussion and 
reminiscences, but such exhibits, it must be admitted, do not afford 
good material for magazine reports, or interesting reading for the 
Transactions. Perhaps this lack of scientific interest may at least in 
part be more apparent than real, owing to the fact that members still 
seem to think that it is quite unnecessary to furnish the secretaries 
with more than the bare names and origin of their exhibits; once 
more be it urged that members should not fail to indicate in their 
note the facts, if there be any, which make the exhibit of special 
interest. 
The falling off in the exhibits is perhaps best demonstrated by the 
following details of the number of pages in the Transactions dealing 
with same:—1905, 12 pp.; 1906, 9 pp.; 1907, 9 pp. ; 1908, 8 pp. ; 
1909, 5 pp.; while 1910 certainly will not exceed the latter figure. 
The heading “Donations” appears but once in the minutes for 
1910, viz., on February 15th, when our president once more presented 
the volume of the “ Record ” for the past year, and Mr. Percy Bright 
added a number of excellent lepidoptera to the Society’s collection. 
The Transactions from some points of view, and particularly from 
that of the Reporting Secretary, are involved in the least satisfactory 
and progressive feature of the Society’s year. It was agreed, for 
sundry reasons, that the aforesaid official should be relieved of the 
task of editing the 1909 volume, which task was entrusted to another 
member, who, be it said, undertook the work far from willingly. The 
upshot was that in October the Transactions were found to be still in 
the most rudimentary embryonic condition, and having been then 
undertaken by the supposedly exonerated secretary aforesaid, are not 
yet quite ready for publication. It would be as well for members to 
bear this little incident in mind when they are disposed to grumble, 
as they have done in the past, when under the secretarial aegis the 
volume does not appear perhaps until April. 
While on this subject of 'Transactions, it must be put on record 
that the Society is indebted to the Rev. C. R. N. Burrows for the 
compilation of the index to the 1899-1907 numbers which w T as issued 
with the 1908 volume ; an apology is due to Mr. Burrows for the 
omission of mention of the fact in that number. 
This report will doubtless seem a sorry tale of w : oe, but it really 
appears to be time that it were impressed on members that a more 
active interest in the doings and welfare of the Society is needed to 
dispel the state of apathy that seems to have overtaken us as a whole. 
The winter syllabus for 1910-11 may be quoted as another case in 
xx. 
