heetfoedshire natueal histoey society. xiu 



Oedinaey Meeting, Gth Novembee, 1879, at Heetfoed. 



Richard B. Croft, Esq., R.N., F.L.S., etc., in the Chair. 



!^^^. Charles E. Longmorc, Hertford, was proposed as a Member 

 of the Society. 



The following paper was read : — 



"Work for the Society." By R. B. Croft, R.^., F.L.S., 

 F.R.M.S., Hon. Sec. 



The loth rule of the Society, prohibiting the extermination of rare animals and 

 plants, was first referred to as" leading to the question of acclimatization, and the 

 re-inti-oductiou of such plants as the daffodil and fritillary, now known in only a 

 few stations in Hertfordshire, was advocated, as also was the planting of hardy 

 species not indigenous but which coukl only fail to become acclimatized from being 

 up-rooted as new or rare and trausphmted into gardens ; though while success 

 might add to the loveliness of many a beautiful spot, it might puzzle many a 

 future botanist. 



Another work for members, and one in which, Mr. Croft said, he was himself 

 especially interested, was the recording of periodical natm-al phenomena, or, in 

 other words, the noting of the time of blossoming of wild flowers, of the migration 

 or commencement of song of bii'ds, and of the appearance of insects. Such ob- 

 servations, on a selected number of species, woidd be recorded in the 'Transactions' 

 of the Society, and copies would be furnished to the Meteorological Society to be 

 embodied in the annual reports of observations taken throughout England. For 

 the young, even the very young, keeping such a record woidd be found a very 

 usefiil discipline, not only in scientific but also in general observation, and it 

 would add to the pleasure of every walk by giving it an object, would foster an 

 interest in botany, and teach the observer the names of those common wild flowers 

 which ought to be known by every one. A few observations might fix the aiTival 

 of our common migratory birds in the valley of the Lea ; the cuckoo, for instance, 

 had for years been heard at Amwell a day earlier than on the north of Ware, and 

 the same remark applied to the nightingale. A succession of observations for 

 several vears, on even a single object, might lead to most interesting results. _ 



Again, those who possessed microscopes might do plenty of work for the Society, 

 not necessarily with first-class stands and high powers, for the most valuable 

 histological work had been done with microscopes which would be considered very 

 inferior now, and even at the present day in Germany, where perhaps biology 

 was more studied than in any other country, stands equal to those by our first- 

 class English makers were almost imknown. Nor should any microscopist think 

 that his instrument was not good enough to bring to the meetings of the Society, 

 for at the Scientific Evenings of the Royal Microscopical Society instruments of 

 every class were always to be seen, and" if the first microscopical society in the 

 world admitted and encouraged such latitude, surely a society of amateurs ought 

 to feel that no instrument, however small or inexpensive, was unworthy of a place 

 at its meetings. 



There was one other kind of work that he might suggest, and that was tracing 

 to the right plants names which had become obsolete. In Izaak Walton's 

 'Complete Angler' the flower "culverkeys" was twice mentioned, and the 

 question as .to what it was had recently been asked in ' Science Gossip.' He 

 would therefore suggest that an endeavour should be made to find out what 

 flower culverkeys was. 



Referring, in conclusion, to natural -history observation in general, Mr. Croft 

 said that a very common question was, What is the good of it ? The answer to 

 that question might well occupy an entire evening, but he might briefly say that 

 the study of Natural History sharpened the power of observation to an extent 

 hardly to be believed by those who had not tried it, gave a perfectly harmless and 

 very inexpensive form of recreation, always accessible, and excited a new interest 

 in, and a greater power of appreciation of, the marvellous works of our Creator. 



