Vol. XXVII, 

 191C 



1 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. 45 



in reprinting the few numbers necessary to enable sets to be 

 made up for sale or for exchange purposes. 



Mr. J. H. Harvey seconded the motion for the adoption of 

 the report, which was carried unanimously. 



ELECTION OF OFFICE-BEARERS. 



There being no other nominations, the following office-bearers 

 were declared duly elected : — President, Mr. F. Wisewould ; 

 vice-presidents, Mr. J. A. Kershaw, F.E.S., and Mr. J. A. Leach, 

 M.Sc. ; hon. treasurer, Mr. G. Coghill ; hon. librarian, Mr. J. T. 

 Hamilton, F.L.S. ; hon. editor, Mr. F. G. A. Barnard; hon. 

 secretary, Mr. A. D. Hardy, F.L.S. ; hon. assistant secretary and 

 librarian, Mr. C. Waters. 



The hon. secretary announced that though seven persons 

 had been nominated for the five vacancies on the committee. Dr. 

 Hall and Mr. A. H. E. Mattingley, C.M.Z.S., had asked for 

 their names to be withdrawn, owing to pressure of other engage- 

 ments. The chairman therefore declared Messrs. R. W. Armitage, 

 J. Gabriel, J. P. M'Lennan, F. Pitcher, and Dr. C. S. Sutton 

 duly elected as members of committee. 



president's address. 



The retiring president, Prof. A. J. Ewart, D.Sc, then delivered 

 a short address, in which he recalled some of the notable features 

 of the past year's work. He referred to Dr. Hall's suggestive 

 paper, " Ungarnered Grain," and regretted that up to the present 

 there appeared to be little response to the writer's suggestions, 

 also to the work being done by the Plant Names Committee. 

 This work, he said, was progressing, but it was of such a character 

 that it could only be done slowly. Speaking of the future of the 

 Club, which he considered extremely rosy, there were two things 

 to be avoided — the Scylla of over specialization, and the Charybdis 

 of superficiality. The former might lead to the formation of 

 cliques, and the proceedings drift into too technical a character, 

 while under the second condition the treatment of subjects might 

 be too superficial, and the Club become a mutual admiration 

 society ; such self-satisfaction would surely spell stagnation. It 

 was difficult to exactly indicate future action — that must be a 

 matter of common-sense adjustment; and, as the need of change 

 becomes evident, the society must adapt itself, bearing in mind 

 always its principal aim — the study of natural history. This 

 should always be in the shape of field work. Hence the Club 

 represents the "back to nature" cry in science. At one time 

 systematic characters were the only points considered by nat- 

 uralists. Afterwards laboratory results were deemed indispens- 

 able, and carried to such a pitch that, speaking broadly, some 

 laboratory naturalists, when in the field, could hardly distinguish 

 a crocodile from an earthworm. The present school combines 



