125 



notwithstanding its humble gmse and lowly companions, than the Lathyrus 

 palustris of the Longdon Marsh. 



Now nothing is more true than that the perusal of one volume of Natiu-al 

 History leads to the perusal of another ; and it would be strange if, surrounded 

 6y such excitement and example, I for one did not plead guilty to enlisting as a 

 humble recruit in the service of the botanist. For many years the study of geology 

 occupied most of my leisure hours, but now I often find myself making long 

 rambles merely in search of plants. I mention this not I trust egotistically, 

 but as an instance of the advantage that accrues to us aU from being thrown in 

 contact with others who have cultivated those branches of Natural History of 

 which we ourselves are altogether ignorant ; and if no other good arises from 

 the establishment of these Societies, we may surely point to some amongst us 

 who have been induced to turn over many a page of Nature's works, hitherto 

 unregarded and unknown, simply from having the right hand of fellowship held 

 out to us by those who are more advanced in knowledge than ourselves. One 

 word with regard to the future prosperity and meetings of this Society, and I 

 have done. In the eloquent words of the author of the " Botanical Looker-out," 

 " Flowers may fade, and sunmier days may wane, but the wreath we gather is a 

 perennial one, that will revive month after month and in after years," and thus 

 may it be with us. Our investigations for this season have come to a close, but 

 I trust that another spring will find us prepared for future rambles and social 

 intercourse, and that many a hiUside and mountain grove and glen of Hereford- 

 shire will yet re-echo to the friendly argument, and at least innocent mirth of 

 the friends and members of the Woolhope Club. (Applause). 



The Chairman subsequently gave — prefacing it by some complimentary 

 remarks— the health of Mr. Lees, Mr. Baxter, and the Worcester Naturalists. 

 Mr. Edwin Lees, F.L.S., said that on thepart of Mr. Baxter and himself, he thanked 

 them for theu: kindness and warmhearted welcome, though he thought the 

 President was rather hard in thus calling upon him to make sport or to show it, 

 when he himself came to find it at his friends' invitation. He could, however, 

 if he pleased, at once put in a demurrer which would fully excuse him from any 

 speech-making on that occasion ; for, as the President well knew, his voice was 

 in another county, and as a Worcestershire man he had no " locus standi " in 

 Herefordshire. But he must admit that they had one claim upon him, and that 

 he must answer for— from his strong botanical hold of the Malvern Hills, he had 

 made frequent incursions into the Silurian Vcdleys ; and the Worcester botanists, 

 when pouncing upon and appropriating rare plaints to themselves, had not been 

 careful to enquire whether they were really within the county of Hereford. His 

 friend Mr. Purchas whom he had now in his view, and who was collecting materials 

 for a Herefordshire Flora, knowing his predatory success in this way and willing to 

 make reprisals, had proposed to draw a line within which their respective operations 

 should be confined ; but he (Mr. Lees) found the pleasure of trespassing upon the 

 Hereford border too great to be withstood and so, in accordance with a system 

 which was found to work well, — at least on one side — he had declined to give up 

 anything. 



