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a working Club as a walking Club. That is the name by whick 

 outsiders still call us, and many know us by no other. Our object 

 was to join in visiting the most remarkable spots in the neighbour- 

 hood of Bath, rich in its scenery and abounding in objects of 

 general interest, mainly for the walk's sake, heightened in enjoy. 

 meut by the companionship of friends. The few who first met 

 weekly for this purpose were in time joined by others; and the 

 idea of combining with the walk Natural History and Antiquarian 

 pursuits, and forming ourselves into a society, was an after thoughts 

 very desirable in itself, but leading naturally to many men becoming 

 members for the walk's sake alone, which was still kept up, in 

 addition to the four more distant excursions during the summer. 



It were useless now to regret this circumstance ; but it seems to 

 call upon us to do what we can in the way of counteracting any 

 prejudicial influence it may have on the interests of the Club in a 

 scientific point of view. Nothing suggests itself to me except for 

 the future limiting membership, as some other societies limit it, to 

 working-men. Our numbers are now considerable ; why seek to 

 increase them, or even keep up our present number, if, calling 

 ourselves a scientific body, no advantage to science arise from doing 

 so. I think in this large town or its neighboiu-hood, there must be 

 some unknown to us fond of Natural History pursuits. I have 

 myself in the summer time seen collectors in the fields and lanes 

 busily plying their occupations, showing that there are such men in 

 the district. Let them be inquired for, sought after and encouraged. 

 To get them to join us would be a reciprocal benefit. Young 

 naturalists would be stimulated to give an increased attention to 

 the subject that interests them when countenanced in this way, 

 while the Club would profit by their researches. I think also it 

 might lead to an increased number of short communications to our 

 proceedings, which I have always thought desirable, if they only 

 contained notices of a few facts of interest or importance. Such 

 records would help forward the mass of details which have to be got 

 together before making any approach to a complete Natural History 

 of the district. At present, I apprehend, short papers are not 

 unfrequently held back, under the idea that we only care to have 

 longer treatises or lectures, such as make up the bulk of our hitherto 



