262 EEPOBT— 1888. 



of the members of local Societies would be far more usefully employed by 

 following the lines indicated by Professor Balfour than, as at present, in 

 simply collecting, naming, and registering local plants. As far as he was 

 concerned, he was prepared personally, and also on behalf of the Yorkshire 

 Naturalists' Union which he represented, to do everything in his power 

 to assist in carrying out practically Professor Balfour's most useful pro- 

 position. Although the compilation of local floras was most useful and 

 necessary work, yet the actual life-history of individual forms was now of 

 really paramount importance, and members of local Societies should be 

 urgently requested to carry on this work without delay. 



Sections E and F. 

 No recommendations forwarded or suggestions made. 



Section G. 

 Earth-Tremor Committee. — See under Section C. 



Section H. 



Ancient Monuments Act. — The Secretary read the following communi- 

 cation from General Pitt-Rivers : — 



' I am much afraid I shall not be able to be present at the meeting of 

 Delegates of local Societies on Tuesday ; but the subject is so important 

 for the preservation of these monuments that, in case I am not there, I 

 write in order that you may know what my view of the matter is. 



' Perhaps I cannot do better than state in a few words what the work 

 of the Inspector of Ancient Monuments is, and you will then see what 

 kind of progress is likely to be made without some assistance such as has 

 been proposed, • and in what way the assistance of local Societies can be 

 given. 



' You are probably aware that, in the original Act of 1882, fifty ancient 

 monuments in Great Britain were scheduled as monuments to which the 

 Act could apply at once if the owners were willing. Some persons sup- 

 pose that by scheduling these monuments they were actually placed under 

 the Act, but this is not the case. The scheduling was done without the 

 knowledge or consent of the owners, and their consent had to be obtained 

 both for these and for every other monument that has been since added 

 to the list. This has entailed the examination and survey of all these 

 monuments which are distributed over England, Scotland, and Wales. 

 The addresses of the owners Imd to be obtained, and this could only be 

 done on the spot. After that the owners had to be visited personally, for 

 I soon found an official letter, without a verbal explanation, almost invari- 

 ably produced a refusal. On this account I have of late found it advisable 

 never to approach an owner without a personal introduction, or without 

 doing it in such a way as to induce him to consider the matter favourably. 

 This mode of procedure for the whole country has, of course, taken a long 

 time, and the result has been that about half of these fifty monuments 

 have been voluntarily put under the Act by their owners, and of the 



' This refers to the work of the Prehistoric Eemains Committee of the British 

 Association. 



