8o The Field Naturalist's Quarterly May 



of a society to one branch of science means the multipli- 

 cation of societies in the same locality, and a diminution 

 of the general educative effect of field work. In other 

 words, it is the ordinary well-educated man or woman who 

 should be encouraged to join these bodies, and who should 

 find in them a world of interest, hitherto possibly unsus- 

 pected. As time goes on the serious field naturalist will 

 inevitably be drawn towards some particular branch of 

 science, and it is at this point that the work of the " one- 

 subject " society comes in. He now becomes a specialist, 

 but had it not been for the existence of the field club, he 

 would never have got that first glimpse of the wonders 

 of nature, the powerful effect of which has impelled him 

 onwards ever since. But many members remain behind, 

 unable or unwilling to specialise, — and it is by no means 

 desirable that all should do so, — and new members are 

 being constantly introduced ; and it is for this numerous 

 class that the field club should particularly cater ; for if it 

 does not, nothing in our present system of education can 

 take its place. In a very large club it is advisable to have 

 sectional meetings as well as the general ones, thus en- 

 couraging those who wish to advance in special subjects, 

 while not neglecting the ordinary member. 



The great justification of a field club ought to be that it 

 is doing work that is otherwise neglected. There is not 

 an area of ten miles square in this country but what offers 

 some object of investigation. Hence it is that Archaeology 

 is one of the subjects which field clubs largely study. In 

 our opinion they are amply justified for so doing, though 

 we at the same time think that more attention might 

 certainly be paid to the animals, more especially the smaller 

 mammals. But the preservation and interpretation of 

 ancient landmarks in the shape of buildings, as well as 

 the protection of plants and animals, fall well within the 

 scope of the functions of field societies, and such clubs as 

 the Essex Field Club have done very valuable work in these 

 directions. That the value of such work is now becoming 

 recognised needs no further proof than the fact that this 

 particular club was the object of a well-deserved tribute 

 in a leading article in the ' Standard ' only a few weeks 



