230 The hish Naturalist. November, 



Section K.— Botany. 



The botanists were faithful to their craft, and the attendance 

 throughout the meeting was stead}'. The President, Prof F. 

 F. Blackman, D.Sc.> F.L-S., in choosing a physiological subject 

 for his address, set an example which was maintained in 

 many of the papers read — plant physiology bulking large in 

 the programme. This pabulum was varied by a good dis- 

 cussion on the origin of Dicotyledons, and by ecological 

 papers on the woodlands of Northern and Southern Eng- 

 land. Outside the meeting room, however, various diversions 

 lightened a rather heavy programme. Saturday was spent in 

 an excursion to the Murrough of Wicklow, where even the 

 physiologists condescended to field botany. A visit to the 

 National Herbarium, followed by tea, was much appreciated ; 

 a very successful Section dinner was held in Jury's Hotel ; 

 while the members of the British Vegetation Committee, 

 accompanied by some friends, including Prof Bower, Prof. 

 Weiss, and Prof. Praeger, spent the week before the meeting 

 in Connemara and Clare, and had also a day's outing on the 

 Dublin Mountains, studying the plant formations there. 



Section L- — Education. 



The fact that so distinguished a biologist as Prof. L- C. 

 Miall, F.R.S., presided over this Section caused naturalists to 

 take no small interest in its proceedings. The presidential 

 addres3 on useful knowledge made great but not excessive 

 claims for the value of science and its place in education 

 both scholastic and professional. A most suggestive feature 

 of the address was its insistence on the need of selection and 

 of concentration. " The truly useful knowledge is mastery. 

 Mastery does not come by listening while somebody explains, 

 it is the reward of effort." No wonder that in subsequent 

 discussions the President feared that lantern slides and 

 elaborate museum specimens meant only to be looked at may 

 not always help scientific education. A discussion of special 

 interest to naturalists on " Education in relation to Rural 

 Life" took place on Friday, September 4th. D. Houston, 

 F.L.S., G. Fletcher, F.G.S., and Rev. Dr. Foley were among 

 the speakers, and the value of nature studv was warmly 

 advocated. 



