430 



NATURE 



[May 25, 191 1 



madf by a great number of small steps; and no sudden 

 geoijraphiral revolution need be feared. To move with tfie 

 times ought not to be very difficuh, therefore, and to do 

 so it is mainly necessary to look to the immediate future, 

 or to take " short views of things," to use the words of 

 that wise man Sydney Smith. If this policy be steadily 

 pursuecf, the^e need be no cause for alarm for many years 

 to come, at all events ; for, as already suggested, plenty 

 of geographical work yet remains to be done. We ought 

 no doubt, in view of the changing conditions, to direct 

 our efforts with more persistence than heretofore in the 

 direction of encouraging travellers to make systematic and 

 detailed examinations of comparatively small areas, and 

 not merely to cover long distances with the result of 

 doing little more than contirm the impressions of previous 

 explorers. Their surveys should be as good as is possible 

 in the circumstances, and the information they collect 

 should be extensive, varied, systematic, and recorded with 

 reference to the needs of the students of science and 

 history, as well as of the man of commerce. In short, the 

 traveller of the future ought to be a trained topographer, 

 or to have thoroughly prepared himself in advance for 

 some definite class of investigation. 



As regards internal administration, the aim must be to 

 make the society's house a place where accurate informa- 

 tion can readily be obtained concerning all countries, 

 including our own, the information thus supplied being 

 all that could be described as geographical within the 

 most elastic meaning of the word. The acquisition of suit- 

 able maps and books should, indeed, in future only be 

 limited by financial necessity, whilst the collection of 

 geographical photographs should be well maintained. No 

 pains should be spared to make our systems of indexes as 

 perfect as possible, a subject to which, as a fact, consider- 

 able attention has recently been paid ; and with such aids 

 the staff should be in a position to give every assistance 

 to all students wishing to utilise the vast stores of informa- 

 tion which the premises should contain. In short, we 

 shall want more maps, more books, more photographs, and 

 a more convenient house to hold both them and the steadily 

 accumulating objects of interest which we own ; and if 

 the society continues to grow in usefulness on the lines 

 suggested, we must look forward to the possibility of a 

 material increase being needed in the number of the staff. 

 Moreover, our means of keeping touch with foreign 

 countries should be considered from time to time, to see 

 if they are not capable of improvement. For example, as 

 a single possible suggestion, might it not be worth con- 

 sidering whether British consuls, whilst actually serving 

 abroad, should not be allowed to join our ranks with 

 some special advantages as regards fees? Then, again, 

 partly with the same object of facilitating the supply of 

 information to our fellows, partly with the view of making 

 our collections more generally useful, and partly in order 

 to disarm the criticism made against us of wishing to 

 poach on the preserves of other sciences, it might perhaps 

 be well to allow the fellows of certain other learned 

 societies to use our libraries with the same freedom with 

 which they can now consult the maps in our map room. 



.As to the work of exploration and investigation for 

 which we are not directly responsible, this should, as 

 heretofore, continue to receive our warmest encourage- 

 ment and our help when possible. 



One other function which this society may always use- 

 fully perform, and one which has thus far been too much 

 neglected. Science is cosmopolitan, and certainly the 

 records of this society's proceedings during recent vears, 

 where the names of Sven Hedin. Pearv, Charc6t." and 

 many other distinguished foreign explorers so prominently 

 appear, prove that this aspect of our duties is not now- 

 being overlooked. It is not, however, as it seems to me, 

 in the least inconsistent with a belief in our world-wide 

 obligations to hold that the work done bv our fellow- 

 countrymen has an especial claim on our attention, and 

 that one of the aims of a national geographical society 

 should be to keep alive the knowledge of the great deed's 

 of British explorers in the past. Is it not probable that 

 the history of .Australia and New Zealand would have 

 taken a very difTerent turn if the work actually done bv 

 Laptain Cook had been forestalled bv some explorer owing 

 nothing to these isles? And yet to that great man no 

 NO. 2169, VOL. 86] 



fitting monument has yet been erected. A» to Africa, i:-' 

 map should have the name* of our fellow-country nx 

 written all over it if intended to indicate the hisiorit..! 

 development of that continent — a dcvek>pment due in lar;.' 

 measure to British exploration, the historj- of which \^' 

 should never allow to die. In the ca»c of thousands <•( 

 adventurers who set forth to .America an'! 1^ .t '- <r. . 

 these islands in times gone by, and to \ 

 Hirgely due the fact that English is now 

 known language on the face of the earth, and that ih- •■ 

 islands hold in relation to their size an absolutely uniqi ■ 

 place in the history of the world, it is true that of th' - 

 men we do not even know their names, though the eff< ■. 

 of their exertions yet surrounds us on every side. It - 

 to be hoped, therefore, that there will always exist in tl /- 

 land a body of men handed together with the obj'c, 

 amongst others, of making more widely known what w.i- 

 done by British explorers in the past, and of honouring 

 the heroic spirit of these unnamed thousands which dr«A- 

 them forth to face untold dangers, and thus to help i" 

 build that Empire of which we are so proud. 



ORGANISATIOX AND PROGRESS IS 

 ECONOMIC BIOLOGY. 

 "PJURING the past decade economic biology has slowly 

 but surely taken a definite place in our system of 

 sciences in this country, and although at present but a 

 sturdy infant, it would seem that it is destined to play no 

 mean part in stimulating research and experimentation in 

 the near future. 



We have, fortunately, outgrown the prejudice that has 

 for many years clung to practical science, and on all sid» s 

 we can see investigations taking place of deep and far- 

 reaching scientific interest, but at the same time fraught 

 with great import to man and his multifarious activities. 



Once men begin to think and work along certain definite 

 lines, it is not unnatural that they should seek to associate 

 together, in order to discuss their methods of work, and 

 the latest results obtained by their investigations. Without 

 such association much unnecessary duplication of work 

 occurs, and the lack of organisation retards otherwise 

 legitimate progress. 



The foundation of the .Association of Economic Biologists 

 in November, 1904, was the outward expression of a feeling 

 such as this that had long been simmering in the minds 

 of economic biologists in the British Isles, and on the 

 occasion of the tenth general meeting, which has recently 

 been held at the University of Birmingham, where the fir'-t 

 meeting took place, it seems not unnatural that we should 

 pause and reflect upon the organisation and progress of 

 this special branch of biological science. 



During the life of the above association, meetings have 

 been held at the universities of Birmingham, Liverpool. 

 Cambridge, Edinburgh. Oxford, and Manchester, and one 

 each at the Imperial Institute and University College, 

 London. In looking at the list of papers read at these 

 meetings, one cannot fail to be struck at the large amount 

 of original work that has been carried out by the members, 

 much of which has been published and adequately illus- 

 trated. The problems discussed relate to almost every 

 subject wherein the economic biolog^ist can aid or assist the 

 physician, veterinarian, agriculturist, horticulturist, stock 

 breeder, fruit grower, forester, fisherman, manufacturer. 

 &c. Since 1904 the members of this association have con- 

 tributed in no small degree to the general advance that 

 has been made in this particular science. 



With progress and increased interest the workers also 

 increase, and it is significant that at the last two meetings 

 questions relating to organisation have figured prominently 

 in the programmes. Few will forget Prof. Hickson's 

 admirable address delivered last year at Manchester, on the 

 place of economic zoology in a modern university, or the 

 discussion that followed, both clearly indicating how fully 

 it was realised that a sound scientific training was the best 

 preparation for future specialisation. 



In a more restricted sense, Mr. H. Maxwell Lefroy dealt 

 with the training of economic entomologists at the last 

 meetincf. Mr. I-efroy has had a long and unique experi- 

 ence of the kind of men that are required in our colonies, 

 hut so far he has failed in his efforts to obtain such from 



