William Cole, took the subject up, and by his zeal and energy 

 gave to this 



' ' Airy nothing 

 A local habitation and a name." 



Our Society, in general terms, may be said to have for its 

 scope the study of nature in the field. So many eminent 

 writers have already treated of the advantages to be derived 

 from the study of nature at first hand, instead of from books 

 and museums, that any remarks which I might have to offer on 

 this subject could not but be the echoes of opinions already 

 expressed. In the words of Goethe we may exclaim : — 

 "Nature! we are surrounded and embraced by her : power- 

 less to separate ourselves from her, and powerless to penetrate 



beyond her She is ever shaping new forms : what is 



has never yet been ; what has been comes not again. Every- 

 thing is new, and yet nought but the old We live in 



her midst and know her not. She is incessantly speaking 

 to us " 



That the Epping Forest and County Field Club has met a 

 public want let the facts now speak for themselves. Although 

 not quite two months old, we already number more than 140 

 original members. Our cause has been warmly taken up by 

 the press ; in its first attempts to struggle into existence the 

 infant Society has met with kindly encouragement on all 

 sides, and many of the foremost naturalists of this country 

 have signified their approval of our objects. It is unnecessary 

 for us, therefore, to plead any excuse for our raison cVetrc — it 

 only remains for us to show those who have so readily ex- 

 tended the hand of encouragement, by our future work, that 

 their sympathy has not been given in vain. We now look 

 forward — I may add with confidence — to receiving from our 

 members substantial support in the way of contributions to 

 our publications, exhibitions of specimens at our meetings, 

 and the discussion of problems in natural science in that 

 amicable spirit which is most conducive to the real advance- 

 ment of knowledge. 



In forming a Society such as the present Field Club our 

 primary object is of course the furthering of science — the 

 annual addition of something, however humble, to the general 



