1 903 Editorials 99 



intellectual dishes that were formerly served up for them. 

 It cannot be doubted that the present courses are far more 

 wholesome. The State, too, following the lead of the 

 parent, has at last realised that Nature Study must be 

 made a reality. 



Thirdly, we would point to the great increase in the mem- 

 bership of Field Clubs and Societies, and the multiplication 

 of such institutions all over the country. We have been 

 much impressed in reading the annual reports of these 

 bodies for the last two years with the uniformity with 

 which one phrase recurs. In every report one finds a 

 sentence which runs, " The number of new members elected 

 during the year was x, being an increase of x over the pre- 

 ceding year," or some like words. Everywhere the member- 

 ship of these clubs is advancing, and with that there must be 

 some degree of corresponding interest and love for natural 

 science. 



Such being the case, it behoves those who have the 

 management of Field Clubs to see that their new recruits 

 are not disappointed in their hope of gaining much good 

 and sound knowledge at the hands of their fellow-members. 

 Our Field Clubs are becoming a quiet power in the land, 

 and it is our sincere hope that that power will grow and 

 multiply, for we are convinced that it is an influence which 

 is wholly for good. 



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Our readers will remember that in our last issue we pub- 

 lished an article by W. Long entitled " How the Animals 

 Die." We felt sure that it would prove of great interest to 

 all nature lovers, and for that reason obtained permission 

 from Messrs Ginn & Co. to reproduce it, stating at the time 

 that it formed the concluding chapter of Mr Long's book, 

 ' School of the Woods.' Our expectations were more than 

 realised, and it would probably not be too much to say that 

 few articles have recently been published in natural history 

 periodicals which have attracted so much attention. The 

 number of papers which quoted it was remarkable, and not 

 a few devoted leading articles to its argument. We only 

 regret that whilst our contemporaries acknowledged it as 



