THE FIRST WINTER MEETING. xxix. 



arranged only for special purposes or places. Another delegate said that a junior 

 section had been very well attended, children of schools, &c., being invited and 

 instructed. The general feeling of the meeting appeared to be that local consider- 

 ations must influence the decision of each Society, but that every effort was 

 desirable in order that the scientific tone of the excursions should be maintained. 



Dr. Martin read a paper on the Law of Treasure Trove, in which he suggested 

 that efforts should be made to more widely extend the public knowledge of the 

 law and of the arrangements made by the Treasury for the remuneration of 

 finders. Further he said that an extension of the law to cover all objects of 

 antiquity was desirable. 



Mr. Collis and Mr. Hardy read brief papers on the law of copyright as affecting 

 Scientific societies, and short discussions on these papers took place. 



In the afternoon the delegates visited the Museum of the College of Surgeons, 

 and in the evening they were the guests, at dinner, of the Royal Societies' Club. 

 It may be remarked that Dr. Mill, in proposing the toast of the British 

 Association, referred to the great assistance he had received in rainfall questions 

 from the local Societies, and that he specially named three, of which the Dorset 

 Field Club was one. 



The main feature of the meeting on October 31st was the reading of a paper by 

 Professor Boulger on the preservation of our native plants. He stated that there 

 was no authentic record of any plant having as yet become absolutely extinct in 

 the British Isles, but that several were known to have disappeared from almost 

 all the recorded localities. He also suggested that steps for their preservation 

 should be taken, both by moral persuasion and by legislation, on the lines of the 

 Wild Birds' Protection Act. Considerable discussion followed, and eventually 

 the matter was left to the Committee to deal with and to consider whether 

 circulars might not be printed and distributed calling attention to the importance 

 of preserving all our native plants. 



In conclusion, I would call attention to one feature of the Corresponding 

 Societies Committee's report, by which anew class of Corresponding Societies, to 

 be called "Associated Societies," has been created, to consist of those Societies 

 which, numbering fifty members, have no regular published proceedings. 



Information is asked for by the Committee as to the names and whereabouts of 

 such Societies, as they may prove very difficult to trace. 



PAPERS. 



The following papers were read : 



(i.) " The Durngate Street Mosaic Pavement," by Dr. Colley 

 March. (Printed.) 



Mr. ALFRED POPE said that in the Olga Road pavement they 

 came to the conclusion that the black tesserae were of Kim- 

 meridge shale. He enquired whether the black tesserae in the 

 Durngate Street pavement, although somewhat different, might 



