224 The Aims of Field-Club Excursions. [Sess. 



had examples of allied genera, such as wood-anemone and 

 meadow-rue and the like ; but he pointed out the character- 

 istics on which each species was founded. We may remember 

 Asa Gray's saying, " Species are judgments." 



(21) Could we not take up the study of some single genus ? 

 Take, for example, the commonest of roadside weeds, Capsclla 

 Bursa - pastoris. In the neighbourhood of Landau, Salms- 

 Laubach found it in mutation — found it producing new 

 varieties, suddenly and discontinuously. Near Amsterdam, 

 De Vries found it in a state of stable equilibrium, and not in 

 mutation. Could we not find some plants here in mutation ? 

 Even if we did not succeed in that, if we got a vivid idea of 

 the new aspect the origin of species is assuming, it would be 

 worth much trouble. An epoch-making change is taking 

 place, the intellectual horizon is widening since Darwin lived, 

 and it becomes us as field - naturalists to understand the 

 newer views, and to try to find facts to support them or the 

 opposite. Species, according to the more recent investiga- 

 tions, are like great poets, great musicians, great mathema- 

 ticians, — born, not made ; and that change of view should 

 have vast future significance for human society. 



This list of subjects for Field-Club excursions might, by 

 giving the matter thought, be greatly extended. What I 

 have written has been hurriedly done, — it should have been 

 more logically arranged. The aim of my communication has 

 been to indicate that excursions should grow out of ideas — as 

 rain-drops are formed round particles of dust ; and that ex- 

 cursions, like genial showers, should in turn help to make 

 new, prolific ideas grow. Members should make suggestions. 

 Finally, the most important social requirement is co-operation. 

 Many are quite able to co-operate who do not do so : every 

 member would do good to his society and to himself by trying. 



At this meeting Mr J. G. Goodchild gave an interesting 

 paper on " Some Animals in the Upper Elf Loch," which was 

 illustrated by views of larvae and other forms of aquatic 

 animals, projected from life by the lantern microscope. 



