SESSION- 1897 98, xxi 



Your Delegate said that there were various ways in which 

 federation could he carried out, which he might roughly group 

 under three heads — amalgamation, union, and co-operation with 

 repri'sentation. He iustunced the Caradoc and Severn Valley 

 Field Club as a good example of the benetit of amalgamation, 

 a strong tield club doing good local work, and publisliing the 

 results, having been formed by the coalition of two Societies which 

 were struggling for existence. The advantages of union without 

 amalgamation were well illustrated by the Yorkshire Naturalists' 

 I'nion, each Society composing it being quite independent, but 

 meeting together at an annual congress in different Yorkshire 

 towns. Amongst its members were several Yorkshiremen, such as 

 himself, not now residing in the county nor being members of any 

 of the affiliated Societies. The publications of the Union were 

 devoted to the meteorology, geology, botany, and zoology of 

 Yorkshire. Under the third heading might be cited the present 

 Conference, or such Societies represented as were co-operating with 

 Committees of Research of the liiitish Association; while there 

 were several intermediate links between the three grades of \mion. 

 Federation, therefore, did not imply sacrifice of individuality. 



Second Meeting. 



The Studij of Life-histories. — Professor Miall, F.R.S., made the 

 following remarks : — 



''My appearance here this afternoon is due to the fact that 

 Professor Meldola and myself, who visited Niagara on Saturday, 

 fell into conversation upon the work of the local Societies. Your 

 Chairman thought it might be of some use to bring before this 

 meeting, in the form of suggestions, as practical as possible, some 

 portions of our talk at Niagara Falls. The local Societies carry 

 on a great variety of work, but upon that and upon the special 

 influence of those Societies with regard to scientific investigation, 

 I do not intend to offer any remarks. I desire only to bring before 

 you one particular line of inquiry which may be of interest to you, 

 and from which we may perceive how one side of natural history 

 is, as it seems to me, unjustly neglected. I refer to the study of 

 life-histories. We study animals and plants in a great variety 

 of forms ; we compile statistics of them, and we collect specimens ; 

 but the central point of interest, the life-histoiy, is neglected. 



" It may be thought that this study of life-histories is not 

 specially suited for the amateurs who compose a large part of the 

 local Societies. It cannot be denied that the work is hard and has 

 special difficulties connected with it, for to prosecute it in an 

 adequate manner involves some knowledge of anatomy and 

 physiology, and also some acquaintance with the problems of 

 development as well as a considerable power of observation and 

 much enthusiasm. These certainly appear to be large demands, 

 but we cannot expect to get any scientitic results of real importance 

 which are not procured at the cost of much labour. The things 

 which lie upon the surface and are easily got at are, as a rule, in 



