178 NOTES ON REPORT OF CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES 



mentioning that some months ago I learned that a Field Club, once 

 scientifically active and useful, had recently become so effete 

 through frequent indulgence in gratuitous meals, that excursions not 

 including tea at some big house were attended by but four or five 

 members, including the president and director ! Wherever the picnic 

 spirit is allowed to prevail in a Field Club, the scientific spirit neces- 

 sarily declines, and gastronomic members should bear in mind that 

 with the loss of scientific status invitations to tea also disappear. 



The subject of Local Museums was discussed chiefly by Canon 

 Tristram. He thought they should contain, solely or mainly, local 

 products. He mentioned that many museums had gone to utter 

 decay for want of an endowment. Those at Newcastle, York, 

 Manchester, Liverpool, and Norwich were all endowed, while that at 

 Lynn, in Norfolk, for want of an endowment was mouldering aw^ay. 

 Museums were, he added, of little use without a curator, and local 

 societies should try to promote interest in the local museum so that 

 an endowment fund, to allow of a curator being kept, might be 

 raised by the help of wealthy residents and the County Council. 

 This subject is one that will probably be discussed at much greater 

 length during the meeting of the British Association at Nottingham, 

 next year. 



T. V. HOLMES, 

 Hon. Secretary Corresponding Societies Committee ; 

 Delegate, Essex Field Club. 



I add a list of those British Association Committees of whose exist- 

 ence the Corresponding Societies should be more especially aware : — 



Correspoading Societies Committee. C7zrt/rwrt«. — Professor R. Meldola. 

 Secretary. — Mr. T. V. Holmes. Mr. Francis Galton, Sir Douglas Gallon, Sir 

 Rawson Rawson, Mr. G. J. Symons, Dr. J. G. Garson, Sir John Evans, Mr. J. 

 Hopkinson, Professor T. G. Bonney, Mr. W. Whitalcer, Mr. W. Topley, Mr. E. B. 

 Poulton, Mr. Cuthbert Peek, and Rev. Canon H. B. Tristram. 



To organise an Ethnographical Survey of the United Kingdom. 

 Chairman. — Mr. Francis Galton. Secretary. — Mr. E. W. Brabrook. Dr. J. G. 

 Garson, Professor A C. Haddon, and Dr. Joseph Anderson. 



Ascertaining and recording the Localities in the British Islands in 

 which evidence of the existence of Prehistoric Inhabitants of the 

 Country are found. Chairman. — Sir John Lubbock. Secretary. — Mr. J. W. 

 Davis. Sir John Evans, Professor Boyd Dawkins, Dr. R. Munro, Mr. Pengelly, 

 Dr. Hicks, and Professor R. Meldola. 



To investigate the Physical Deviations from the Normal among 

 Children in Elementary and other Schools. Chairman. — Sir Douglas 

 Galton. Secretary. — Dr. F. Warner. Mr. G. W. Blo.xam, Mr. E. W. Brabrook, 

 and Dr. J. G. Carson. 



