Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London - University Library

J 8
PKOCEEDINGS Or THE
PEESIDENTIAL ADDRESS.
Fellows oe the Linneak Society,—
Let me thank you most heartily for your kindness in
electing me as your President for a second Session. A more
extended acquaintance Avith the work of the office has by no
means diminished my sense of the difficulties that surround the
position. The honour carries with it a considerable weight of
responsibility, which, I am thankful to say, is shared to the full
by my colleagues the Treasurer and the Secretaries—to all of
whom I am much indebted for eifective support and kindly
consideration.
The past Session, I think I may say, has been an interesting
but an uneventful one. "We cannot have every year such great
advances in the Constitution and Fellowship of the Society as it
fell to my lot to record on our last Anniversary. The Supplemental
Charter aud the new Bye-Laws are historic landmarks
that do their beneficent work for the Society silently and for the
most part unnoticed. Our lady-Fellows, on the other hand, I am
glad to say have made their presence felt both as authors and in
debate. We have had further accessions of duly qualified scientific
women during this Session, and we may be sure that every
such admission is a strength to the Society. When they bring
their work before us we shall appreciate still further the added
gain.
Every biologist, man or woman, engaged in original work ought
to belong to the Linnean Society—it is their natural destiny,
their scientific home. There must be many outside the fold who
would be glad to enter if piloted hj a friendly hand, and whom
we should be glad to welcome when satisfied of their qualifications
and of their desire to join us in advancing Natural Science. I
commend the idea—the further extension of our Fellowship by
the introduction of suitable candidates—to the careful personal
consideration of each and eveiy Fellow.
In last year's Address I alluded to the retirement of Mr. Crisp
from the office of Treasurer, which he had held with great advantage
to the Society for over twenty years. AVe ai'e fortunate in
having appointed as his successor Mr. Horace W. Monckton,
whom we now \A'elcome and congratulate on the first anniversary
meeting since his appointment.
In all 26 new Fellows have joined the Society this Session
after the extraordinary accession of last year we return to normal
numbers. On the other side there are the inevitable losses. We
have this year to regret the death of 17 Ordinary Fellows and
—