Children's Department: This branch shows very promising progress for the year. It now contains 2,435 books, and its own earned income touched £75 for the year. It was officially visited by two representatives of the Nelson Education Board, who expressed themselves as gratified by the facilities offered, but regretted that fuller use of the library was not made by more of the Nelson boys and girls. Nelson Philosophical Society. Annual Report for Year Ended 30th September, 1943. The Committee presents the following report on the activities of the Nelson Philosophical Society for the year ended 30th September, 1943:— The membership of the Society consists of 31 full members, including two recently transferred from the Wellington Branch of the Royal Society, and 19 Associate Members, making a total of 50—an increase of seven on last year's number. Six successful meetings have been held during the year, the average attendance of members and visitors being about 50. The following was the programme of addresses for the session:— 1942: 24th October (Annual Meeting), Mr. T. A. Glendinning, “Fermentation and Its Application to Arts and Industries.” 1943: 17th May, Presidential address by Mr. F. G. Gibbs, “Early Man”; 21st June, Dr. D. Miller, “Mosquitoes and Malaria; 19th July, Sir Theodore Rigg, public address in the Marsden Hall, “Twenty Years of Agricultural Progress in the Waimea County”; 9th August, Dr. R. O. Page, “The History and Manufacture of Leather”; 27th September, Mr. C. J. Kidson, “The Road to the Andamans.” F. G. Gibbs, President. William C. Davies, Hon. Secretary. Otago Branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Annual Report for Session 1943. Membership: The number of full members for 1943 was 150, as compared with 160 for 1942. There were 9 new members, 3 resignations, 3 deaths and deletions. Deaths: The death in action is recorded of Flying Officer J. M. Paape, one of the youngest and most promising of our members. The death is recorded with regret of Miss H. K. Dalrymple, B.A., an enthusiastic botanist. The Late John Scott Thomson: The following minute, drawn up by Dr. J. E. Holloway, F.R.S., and Dr. F. J. Turner, is placed on record:— Mr. J. Scott Thomson was a very active member of this society for many years, and a constant attender at the regular meetings. He was on our Council almost continuously from 1928 onwards. He refused nomination for the position of President but was elected Honorary Vice-president for 1942. On a number of occasions be gave addresses to the society and to the Junior Branch illustrated by his magnificent lantern slides on the vegetation of New Zealand and especially on that of the high mountains. In conjunction with Mr. George Simpson, he successfully carried out very extensive and varied botanical investigations. These were published in some 14 papers in the Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand, and in other New Zealand or overseas journals. These papers constitute a valuable contribution to New Zealand Botanical Science. The field work involved in these investigations was such as demanded long-continued and accurate observations, and considerable experimental work. The two men covered a large part of the South Island, some of their expeditions being of a very arduous nature such as would be beyond the physical powers of any but the strongest. It can be mentioned here that Mr. Thomson in his younger days represented Otago in Rugby football. It is impossible on this occasion to refer in detail to the varied botanical activities of Mr. Thomson and Mr. Simpson. They included the general ecological study of mountain and of forest vegetation, the collection of plants for the garden and for transmission to other botanists, the very successful photography of vegetation, the study of special groups of wild hybrids, the determination of the specific acidity of the soil under different types of forest trees and the precise nature of the competition between Nothofagus and the mixed subtropical forest.