16 



surface form, or organization ; these, and innumerable other circumstances, 

 minute it may be, and apparently of small value, but which by careful 

 accumulation serve as guides to important generalizations, and contribute 

 to the establishment of truth, — offer materials abundant and inexhaustible 

 for the labours of the local naturalist, whose work should find fitting 

 record and publicity in the printed transactions of a society such as ours. 



"With reference to the publication by the London Societies of papers of 

 local importance contributed by members of the Cotteswold Club, it has 

 occurred to me that it may not be impossible to obtain permission for the 

 embodiment of such papers in the printed transactions of our own club. 

 The high character of many of these papers is such as to make us proud to 

 number their authors amongst our associates, and their bearing upon 

 subjects of local interest is so direct, as greatly to enhance their value 

 to members of our society. "While lamenting that such contributions 

 to science should have obtained publicity through channels other than our 

 own, the idea has suggested itself to me of the practicability of making 

 arrangements that such papers should be read likewise before us, and 

 printed in our transactions. — Such articles for instance as those by 

 Dr. Weight and Professor Btjckman on the "Lias" and "Oolites" are of 

 especial interest to Gloucestershire Geologists, to many of whom it would 

 be a great boon to have the means of reference thus brought immediately 

 to their hands, instead of being, as at present, confined to the pages of the 

 Quarterly Journal of Geology, to which doubtless many of us do not 

 subscribe. 



I throw this out as a suggestion, not knowing how far the rules of the 

 Metropolitau Societies may admit of such a diversion to the purposes 

 of local irrigation of some portion of their abundant streams of science, but 

 I cannot but think that a judicious liberality in such respect would 

 diminish nought of their honour or profit, while contributing largely 

 to the encouragement and development of societies such as ours, to which, 

 be it remembered, they should look for a body of provincial naturalists, who 

 wiU hereafter, it is to be hoped, become contributors in their turn, and 

 prove worthy followers of the able men and skilful observers who 

 have preceded them. 



At the risk of being thought tedious I have dilated at some length upon 

 the subject to which I have just called your attention, but in doing so 

 I have acquitted myself of a duty which it would be wrong in me, as 

 your president, to ignore. I have, however, the satisfaction of believing 

 that our future annals will shew a marked improvement in the number 

 and quality of our published papers ; a strong expression of opinion 

 in this direction having been elicited from some of our leading members 

 at our Birdlip meeting last summer, and, I may add, that the papers to be 



