1869.] Biology. 603 



was made tliat there were not papers enough, and it was deter- 

 mined " that there be no department of Anthropology." Dr. Hunt 

 then demanded that the papers which he had given in to be read 

 before the department of Anthropology should be returned to him, 

 but it was decided that they could be given up only on the personal 

 apphcation of the several authors. It was finally arranged that 

 Monday, and if necessary Wednesday, be devoted to papers on 

 Ethnology and Anthropology, and that the chief department of the 

 Section have its title changed to " Zoology, Botany, and Ethnology." 

 These arrangements were not however carried out, for on Tuesday 

 and Wednesday Ethnological and Anthropological papers were 

 read in a separate room, although the name of a " department " had 

 been refusecl. 



In the department of Zoology and Botany Mr. Spence Bate 

 presided, and delivered a very interesting address " On the Physical 

 Peculiarities of Devonshire and Cornwall." He aUuded chiefly to 

 the distribution of animals and plants ; to the extreme mildness and 

 uniformity of the climate ; and to the interesting archaeology of the 

 district. The south-western peninsula was beyond the range of the 

 nightingale ; the glowworm might be seen shining in December ; 

 and strawberries were often gathered at Christmas. On the wastes 

 of Dartmoor and the uncultivated lands of Cornwall stood many an 

 unrecorded monument of antiquity. Year by year they were gra- 

 dually passing away, and it appeared to him to be the duty of 

 Ethnologists to explore all those which had not yet been accurately 

 studied, and to take such steps as were necessary to preserve them 

 aU from destruction. 



The business commenced with the " Eeport of the Committee on 

 a Close-time for Birds," which was read by Mr. H. E. Dresser, and 

 was followed by a paper by Kev. H. B. Tristram, " On the Efiects 

 of Legislation on the Extinction of Animals." The Eeport stated 

 that the recent Act for the Preservation of Sea-fowl was a first 

 step, and that it was advisable that it should be followed by legisla- 

 tion establishing a " close-time " for all birds (with a few special 

 exceptions), as was the case in many countries of Europe and 

 America. Mr. Tristram showed the efi'ects of legislation, or the 

 want of legislation, in causing the extinction of many animals. He 

 argued that if man did not interfere, a balance would be established 

 by nature which would be the best for aU parties, and that by 

 destroying birds and other animals considered to be noxious, man 

 almost invariably produced greater evils than those which he tried 

 to obviate. As an example, he might mention that the persistent 

 raid of the gamekeepers against all birds of prey had led to such 

 an increase of wood-pigeons in some parts of the country, that they 

 caused a serious injury to the farmer by consuming large quantities 



