9 8 The Scottish Naturalist. 



death. To his unceasing interest and efforts for its welfare the 

 Club owes much of its progress and success. We believe that in 

 all relations of life he was distinguished by courtesy and readiness 

 to assist others, no less than by the thorough and efficient discharge 

 of the duties that fell to him. He leaves a widow and family. 

 His only son is a minister of the Presbyterian Church in England. 

 [Since the above was put into type we have been favoured with 

 a sketch of Mr. Croall's life, by the Rev. Mr. Goldie, read before the 

 Archaeological and Natural History Society of Stirling, on June 6th. 

 It will appear in our next issue.] 



ON THE WOKK OF LOCAL NATUKALISTS' 

 SOCIETIES. 



By F. BUCHANAN WHITE, M.D., F.L.S. 



ONE of the chief objects of each Society is (or ought to be) the 

 study of the natural history of its district ; and, doubtless, 

 each Society does more or less of this work. But only in too 

 many cases this work is, in at least some respects, imperfect. 

 Imperfect because of want of uniformity in details, imperfect 

 because one subject has been thoroughly worked while others 

 have been untouched ; imperfect because certain districts have 

 been well investigated, while others have not been explored ; 

 imperfect because the relationships of one district to another have 

 not been considered. To overcome these causes of imperfec- 

 tion, the work of each Society should be done in a systematic 

 manner, and on a plan common, to the utmost extent possible, to 

 all similar Societies. 



It would be well that in each district a basis for future work 

 should be laid by the publication, to at least members of the 

 Society, of reports on the existing state of knowledge of the 

 natural history, in its widest sense, of the district. From these 

 reports some idea could be formed of what has been accomplished, 

 and of what remains to be done ; and the energies of the Society 

 could be directed to those fields that most require to be wrought 

 out. 



The work that lies before each Society is the preparation and 



