“LOCAL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.’ 319: 
and field clubs, scattered over the country, which are excellently situated) 
for conducting local investigations, and are in many cases doing valuable 
work, but of which so little is generally known that it has often been, 
difficult to discover their official addresses. 
In some parts of the country the smaller societies either group them- 
selves into what is practically a federation, or else affiliate themselves to. 
some large society in their district, and the Committee think that if the 
Local Societies could more generally be induced to group themselves round 
what might be described as local sub-centres, if would not be difficult to- 
devise methods of uniting the representatives of those sub-centres in the 
performance of interesting and important duties during the meetings of the 
British Association, with the final effect of establishing systematic local 
investigation throughout the country, and uniformity in the modes of 
publishing the results. The recommendations of the Committee will tend 
wholly in this direction, because, although they have considered many 
plans of fulfilling their instructions in a direct manner, no plan recom- 
mends itself to them as superior to this indirect method in its capacity 
for producing valuable and durable effects. 
The Committee do not suggest any new topics for systematic investi- 
gation, but confine themselves to giving a few examples of what these 
topics are, taken from amongst those assigned to Committees of the 
Association during the past five years, and arranged in the order of the 
Sections that are severally concerned in them :—(A) Luminous meteors ;. 
Meteoric dust in various localities ; Rainfall ; Underground temperature : 
(C) Erosion of sea-coasts; Height of underground waters; Erratic 
blocks: (D) Photographs of typical races and crosses; Ancient earth- 
works ; Prehistoric remains ; Migration of birds at lighthouses and light- 
ships ; Periodical natural phenomena (flowering of plants, &c.) ; Injurious 
insects (their first appearance, &c.): (F) Anthropometric collections ;. 
Working of Education Code in Elementary Schools; Rudimentary 
Science in Schools: (G) Effective wind-pressure on buildings. 
It can hardly be doubted that numerous systematic investigations of 
a local character will continue to be carried on, and that their successful 
prosecution would result in important gains to science. Neither does it 
appear doubtful that the successful prosecution of such investigations by 
the smaller Local Societies would be greatly encouraged and facilitated 
by the general interest shown in their work by the more influential societies 
in their neighbourhood, by a watchful oversight, a readiness to discuss 
and publish results, and by the personal influence of their leading members. 
The Committee offer the recommendations they are about to make in the 
trust that they will serve to remind the more important Local Societies of 
the high and useful function they are able to perform by entering into 
friendly and helpful relations with the small and scattered societies of 
their respective districts, and by offering themselves as their scientific 
representatives wherever representation may be necessary. 
Believing that the British Association is fitted by its constitution and 
position to become an organising centre of local scientific work, and that 
through an extension of the system of delegation from Scientific Societies 
which has already been recognised in the Rules of the Association this 
object may be attained, the Committee venture to make the following 
proposals, thrown into the form of Rules, which, if approved, may be 
inserted amongst the Rules of the Association, with such amendments in 
the existing Rules as may be necessary in consequence. 
