THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 99 
Though having no personal knowledge, I believe the 
first Field Naturalists’ Society was one called the Natural 
History Association of New South Wales, conducted in 
connection with the Sydney School of Arts. Probably only 
one or two of our members belonged to that Association, 
which afterwards grew into the Field Naturalists’ Society 
of New South Wales. With this Society I have more, and 
a personal knowledge, and several of our own prominent 
members were also members. ‘This Society used to meet 
at the School of Arts, and for a time did very useful 
field work, though it did not undertake any publication. 
It met regularly every month and held excursions nearly 
every fortnight, though the attendance at these was very 
small compared with that at our own. Its annual con- 
versazione was always well attended, and was much ap- 
preciated. About 1893, for various reasons, this Society 
ceased to exist, and an attempt to revive it a couple of 
years later did not succeed. In 1200, that is, fifteen years 
ago, a number of us determined that Sydney should have 
a Field Naturalists’ Club, and we have steadily gone 
on our way, with various amalgamations, to the present 
day. I do not think that the troubles and difficulties that 
beset the earlier Societies are likely to overtake us. A 
short time after we started the members of the old Field 
Naturalists’ Society met together and handed over to us 
all their property, consisting of a bookease, with a num- 
ber of books, forming the beginning of our present Library. 
At the first meeting of the new Society, the New 
South Wales Naturalists’ Club, Mr. A. H. S. Lucas, M.A., 
B.Sc., was elected President, and he held that position 
for two years, being followed by Mr. C. Hedley, the As- 
sistant-Curator of the Australian Museum, and then by 
Mr. T. Steel, our present Editor; from that time onward 
the names of our Presidents are to be found in The Aus- 
tralian Naturalist. 
Phases of study have passed over our Society, for, at 
its inception, marine zoology, more especially the branch 
of conchology, occupied a great deal of our time, and 
many of our excursions were marine, with only an oc- 
casional entomological, as, I think, there were but three 
entomologists then in the Society, and they were all spe- 
cialists. I hope that the investigation of our marine 
fauna will not be allowed to drop entirely, as it is well 
worth study; and as we are a maritime city, collecting 
