148 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
Two members’ nights proved a great success, and 
your Council hopes to set another night apart for the 
benefit of the younger members. 
Excursions were held at Loftus, Lane Cove River, 
Deewhy, Killara, Heathcote, Fairfield, Taronga Park, 
National Herbarium, and were well attended. The Naster 
excursion was held at Port Hacking, twenty-two members 
attending. 
Through the courtesy and goodwill of the Under 
Secretary for Public Instruction, to whom we again ten- 
der our best thanks, the Society has received recognition 
at the hands of the Education Department, and at the 
same time has the use of this fine Assembly Hall ‘free 
of charge.’’ This latter has enabled your Council to en- 
large our paper, a fact which should bear good fruit. 
The Library has been enriched by a gift of some 
valuable works, through the generosity of Mrs. Garland. 
the widow of our late and revered member, Mr. J. R. 
Garland. Our books are to be catalogued with those of 
the Education Department, and very shortly members will 
have daily access to them. 
An Outing Committee has been formed to control 
our excursions and to draw up a,syllabus for the year. 
It is to be hoped that members will do all in their power 
to assist the committee to make a success of this depar- 
ture, and that the pages of ‘‘The Australian Naturalist’ 
will benefit thereby. 
' A design for the outside cover of the ‘‘Australian 
Naturalist,’’ by Mr. H. Zeck, appeared for the first time 
on the last issue. A prize was offered for this, for the 
express purpose of encouraging members with artistic 
tendencies. 
Your Council decided to publish ‘‘A Catalogue of 
the Plants of the County of Cumberland,’’ to be edited 
by Mr. BE. Cheel. This entails a considerable amount of 
work, and it will be a little time before this much-needed 
catalogue is completed. 
The thanks of the Society are due to Mr. Cheel for 
his generosity in undertaking this valuable work. 
As you are aware, from patriotic motives, the sum of 
£50 was invested in the war loan during the year, 
Our thanks are due to Mr. Thos. Steel, F..S., who 
has so ably edited our paper, ‘‘The Australian Naturalist,’* 
and done so much to popularise it. 
