CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES 97 



operations for local societies.' This committee fore- 

 saw the possibility of ' the final effect of establishing 

 systematic local observation throughout the country, 

 and uniformity in the modes of publishing the results,' 

 and believed ' that the British Association is fitted 

 by its constitution and position to become an organis- 

 ing centre of local scientific work.' The Committee 

 drafted the scheme for the enrolment of corresponding 

 societies which is still in operation, formulated the 

 constitution of the Corresponding Societies Com- 

 mittee of the Association, and laid down a plan for 

 the holding of conferences of the delegates, with 

 the result that in 1885 Gal ton took the chair at the 

 first of these conferences, which have been held each 

 year since, and have been productive of much valuable 

 interchange of views between delegates of the various 

 corresponding societies and between the societies 

 and the Association, even if the ideals of the original 

 committee, in certain respects, still await realisation. 

 The published transactions of corresponding 

 societies, which are forwarded to the Association, 

 were formerly retained at the London office, where 

 they formed a small library containing certain rare 

 local publications. They were difficult of access here, 

 and were made over in 1921 to the library of the 

 British Museum (Natural History). It may be added 

 that foreign scientific publications which are received 

 by the Association, together with others not coming 

 from corresponding societies, are forwarded to the 

 library of University College, Gower Street, and 

 members of the Association have access to these, 

 under an arrangement which has existed since 1904. 



