81 
from the following : Messrs. A. Bacot, T. Gurney, E. Heasler, H. H. 
May, E. A. Newbery, C. Nicholson, G. Oldham. 
December 1st, 1896 (Annual General Meeting). Exhibits Dr. 
J. S. Sequeira: lepidoptera recently captured in the New Forest, in¬ 
cluding a specimen of G 'atocala promissa, in which the upper wings 
were of a rich dark brown, with ochreous shadings—a style of colora¬ 
tion frequently found in its congener, C. sponsa. Mr. Bacot : short bred 
series of Trie/dura crataegi and Orggia gonostigma. A short discussion 
ensued as to the double-broodedness of the latter species in a state of 
nature. 
The gentlemen, nominated at the last meeting as officers for 1897, 
were duly elected, with the exception of Mr. J. A. Clark, who resigned 
his office as Treasurer. The ballot for the five other members of tbe 
Council resulted in the election of Messrs. A. Bacot, T. Gurney, E. 
Heasler, H. H. May and C. Oldham. 
One of the Secretaries, Mr. C. Nicholson, then read the 
following : — 
SECRETARIES’ REPORT. 
It was suggested in the Secretaries’ report for last year, as you may 
remember, that 1895 would probable be memorable in the annals of 
this Society for three separate reasons, viz. : the conversazione ; the 
revision of the rules, and the fact that the Society’s exchequer had, 
for the first time in its existence, been able to meet all demands 
made upon it. 
We would suggest, in this Report, that the present year also will 
probably linger in the memories of not a few of us ; but for a sadly 
different reason. 
We may remind you that the balance-sheet for 1895 showed that 
the previous debt to the Treasurer, of £8 9s. 8d., had been reduced to 
£5 10s. 5d., thereby seeming to promise brighter days in store. The 
present balance-sheet, however, reveals the deplorable fact that the 
Society, instead of profiting by the new leaf which it turned over last 
year, has ignominiously turned it back again, and miserably yielded 
to its evidently innate tendency to wallow in financial mire. In other 
words, it has allowed itself, apparently without any resistance, to 
become involved in a debt of £16 5s. 8d. The reasons for this 
disgraceful state of affairs are numerous, but the principal one is 
easily stated. It is the old, old story. A large proportion of the 
members seem to think that the Society can be carried on without 
their subscriptions. The members who seem to share this delusion 
are far too numerous, unfortunately, to permit of this Utopian con¬ 
dition of things. 
If all the arrears and outstanding subscriptions were paid up to 
date, the Society’s coffers, instead of being in a starving condition, 
would be actually overfed to the extent of about 5s. 
In view of the fact that Mr. J. A. Clark has resigned the 
Treasurership, after holding it for so many years, it would indeed be 
ungrateful of us to forget that the Society's past needs constantly 
proved the “ Open, sesame ! ” to its Treasurer’s pocket. Is it to be 
wondered at, though, that even he at last began to be weary of these 
perpetual encroachings on his private purse ? Not at all, we think. On 
