82 THE COMING OF AGE OF 



(Essex Naturalist, VI., 8i) and Dr. H. C. Sorby's 

 " General Remarks on the Marine Natural History of the 

 Colne Estuary" {Ihid. X., i66). A few of our members have 

 also dealt with the -^^ery interesting question of local changes 

 in the fauna and flora observed within the period of their 

 own experience. Mr. Laver gave us his reminiscences of the 

 Rochford Hundred in 1888 {Ihid. III., 27). Mr. French 

 hns treated of the same subject with respect to the neighbour- 

 hood of Felstead {Ibid. VI., igi) and has published a more 

 general paper on the local extinction and diffusion of Essex 

 Molluscs {Ibid. XL, 86), while Dr. H. C. Sorby has quite 

 recently enriched the Essex Naturalist with a paper " On the 

 Variations in Numbers and Habitat of Marine Animals on the 

 Coast of Essex during the last ten or twelve years" {Ihid. XII., 

 17). Mr. Laver's presidential address of 1893 ^^ the periodicity 

 of organic life raises some interesting questions in general 

 biology {Ibid. VII., 51). 



One other aspect of our zoological work may be considered 

 here, although it equally affects the botanists. I refer to the 

 subject of collecting specimens. The policy of the Club in this 

 matter was declared in unmistakeable terms in our original 

 Rules : — 



" The Club shall strongly discourage the practice of remov- 

 ing rare plants from the localities where they are to be found or 

 of which they are characteristic, and of risking the extermination 

 of birds and other animals by wanton persecution ; and shall use 

 its influence with landowners and others for the protection of 

 the same and to dispel the prejudices which are leading to their 

 destruction." Additional remarks in the same sense were made 

 in my Inaugural Address {Trans. I., 11) and the action taken by 

 us with respect to the protection of wild birds is the direct out- 

 come of this policy. I may remind you furthermore that a 

 special meeting of the Club on Feb. 25th, 1882, was devoted 

 entirely to this question of the protection of wild animals and 

 plants, and the discussion and papers on the subject by experts 

 were all brought together and printed as an appendix to the 

 third volume of our Proceedings (vol. HI., Appendix I). More 

 recently, in 1897, it will be remembered that another meeting, 

 held at Easton Lodge at the invitation of our member, the 

 Countess of Warwick, was also devoted to the consideration of 



