1904-1905-] The Aims of Field- Club Excursions. 221 



2. Every excursion should have a definite aim. A vealk 

 in the country, a visit to some old castle, with or without tea 

 afterwards, is not a field-naturalist's excursion. It is desir- 

 able for convenience to consider one subject, or small number 

 of connected subjects, at a time. 



I read Goethe often — Goethe is the ideal nature-student : 

 he looked upon open nature as one of his muses. "Es ist," 

 he writes to Eckermann, " als ob der Geist Gottes dort den 

 Meuschen unmittelbar auwehte, und eiue gSttliche Kraft ihren 

 Einflusz ausiibte." Goethe's excursions through the fields 

 and forests were never without reward. When a student at 

 Leipzig, he tells us that he wandered along the brooks and 

 through the woods : he was frequently teased by his friends 

 about these solitary walks. The celebrated poet Ewald v. 

 Kleist, from whom Goethe received much inspiration, took 

 his part, maintaining that Goethe was not morose, but went 

 simply on picture-hunts (" auf die Bilderjagd "). I have told 

 this about Goethe because it is to my mind the ultimate aim 

 of all field-naturalist excursions, — they are a hunt for pic- 

 tures, for ideas, for thought-models of nature's operations. 



Let me now give a score of subjects suitable for Field- 

 Club excursions : — 



(1) ^ shore loalk — (a) Above high tide : xerophyte societies 

 of plants, shore grasses, folding of leaves to prevent loss of moist- 

 ure, &c. (h) Below high water : rock-pools, different types of 

 worms, crustaceans, &c., might be studied during separate walks. 



(2) A most interesting study is a peat hog: the kind of 

 vegetation in it — the lack of bacteria — the nature of peaty 

 water — pectin combinations, their decomposition by a bac- 

 terium, and much else. 



(3) A woodland walk : effect of shade on plant life — de- 

 ciduous trees and conifers — effects of physiological drought — 

 saprophytes on fallen leaves, &c. 



(4) A hill top, heath, moor, &c. The Pentlands should 

 always be included once a-year in Edinburgh excursions. 



(5) Trace a stream along its course. Amongst other things 

 look for molluscs, — get young transparent Cyclas on gill of 

 old one, &c. Difference in growth of algae might be noticed, 

 where stream flows quickly or slowly. Look for Vaucheria 

 in conjugation on wet rocks. 



