21 
Secretaries’ Report for the year 1900. 
Twenty-four meetings of the Society have been held during the 
past year, as has been usual for some time past. The attendance 
reached high-water mark on February 20th, when the number came 
up to 23 including three visitors. The lowest was touched on August 
7th, when but four members signed the attendance book. The net 
average attendance works out to thirteen only, which cannot he called 
satisfactory, as at the last report the average attendance was fifteen, 
and that in turn was lower than the preceding twelve months. An 
attendance of thirteen, with a membership of 62, means only 20% of 
the members coming to the meetings. It is of course a fact that the 
continuance of the meetings all through the summer brings down the 
average very considerably, but the attendance must be considered from 
another point of view. On only two occasions did the numbers 
reach 20 or over. In other words on the most popular nights the 
attendance barely touched 33% of the membership. In view of these 
figures, we think it right to make a strong appeal to all the members 
to give stronger support to the society by coming in person to the 
meetings. 
The past year has witnessed two principal and very satisfactory 
events. The Transactions have again been able to be printed by means of a 
special fund. The number of pages also has risen from 68 last year 
to 80 this year, which of itself proves that there are many members 
who are doing all they can for the benefit of the Society. As has 
been repeatedly said, a Society’s standing depends largely on the 
Transactions it prints, and we have reason to be more than satisfied 
with this volume of 80 pages. The other principal event was the 
holding of a conversazione on April 21th. Previous to this function 
much doubt was entertained as to whether the finances of the 
Society would bear the strain, but, again, by the generosity of a 
number of members the money difficulty was overcome and a very 
successful soiree took place. The exhibits of lepidoptera both British 
and Exotic were particularly fine, and much material relating to 
coleoptera, diptera, neuroptera, hymenoptera, was also on view. 
Since the last conversazione three years had elapsed. If such an 
evening can be made triennial we are sure nothing but good can come 
of it. 
An excursion was made on .June 23rd, under the direction of 
Mr. H. A. Fuller, to Barthorne Woods, near Effingham Junction 
station. It proved in every way a success, and twenty members 
attended. Some anomalies were discovered in the reduced fares issued 
by the South-Western Railway Company, it being found that the 
cost per member was actually higher if all the tickets were purchased 
simultaneously for a party than if bought singly by individual members. 
Members accordingly took their own tickets. 
The Secretaries have to thank all those members who have in any 
way contributed to the success of the Society by reading notes, papers, 
starting discussions, or who have helped in any other way. The following 
list of communications, papers read, subjects for discussions, &c., 
brings to our notice that whatever the obstacles, the Society is doing 
good work. The discussions, as before, have been very fruitful in 
eliciting the remarks of a number of members, and the papers and 
shorter communications have invariably been listened to attentively. 
