464 REPORT — 1887. 



Professor Hillhouse stated that in response to the inquiries which he had 

 circulated among the Delegates and others likely to furnish information 

 he had received details from twelve or fourteen localities recording 

 between two and three hundred disappearances of plants. Mr. Stirrup 

 stated that for years past a great destruction of plants Had been going on 

 in the Manchester district, and the local Societies had found it necessary 

 to strongly inculcate among their members the necessity of preventing 

 this extermination. Mr. Hopkinson remarked that a similar rule had 

 been always observed by the Hertfordshire Society with respect both to 

 animals and plants, and he thought that all the local Societies should 

 adopt it. Mr, Mott pointed out that one practical result illustrating the 

 benefit of Professor Hillhouse's resolution had been the omission of the 

 localities of all the rare ferns and orchids from the flora of Leicestershire, 

 which his Society was just about to publish. 



Local M-useums Committee. — Mr. Mott stated that a joint Committee, 

 composed of representatives of Sections C and D, had been recommended 

 for appointment for the purpose of reporting upon the provincial 

 museums of the United Kingdom. The work of this Committee would 

 be much facilitated by the co-operation of the local Societies, and he 

 hoped that the Delegates would bring the matter under the notice of 

 their respective Societies. The Committee consists of Mr. V. Ball, Mr. 

 H. G. Fordham, Professors Haddon and Hillhouse, Dr. Macfarlane, 

 Professor Milnes Marshall, Mr. Mott (Secretary), Dr. Traquair, and Dr. 

 Henry Woodward. 



In reply to a question as to whether the work of this Committee was 

 to be confined to public or to extend to private museums, Mr. Mott stated 

 that it might be found desirable to extend the report to some few private 

 museums. 



The Chairman remarked that the Local Museum Committee was one 

 of the most important that had yet been formed. The local museums of 

 this country were generally in a most deplorable state, and one of the 

 first things to be done was to exclude from such collections all extraneous 

 specimens that were not truly local. According to his experience he had 

 found that it was impossible for a local Society to flourish and at the 

 same time to carry on a large museum successfully. The two organisa- 

 tions should be independent, but at the same time it was most desirable 

 that the objects collected by local Societies sbould be handed over to the 

 nearest local museum. With reference to this question of local museums, 

 he considered that we in this country were much behind Germany, 

 America, and France. 



A short discussion took place with reference to the naming of speci- 

 mens in local museums, in which Mr. Eve, Mr. Hopkinson, and the 

 Chairman took part. 



Section H. 



The Committee of this Section was represented by Dr. Garson, who 

 stated that one Committee which was about to be formed on the recom- 

 mendation of their Section had arisen from the suggestion made by 

 Mr. J. W. Davis at the last Conference, viz. — 



Prehistoric Remains. — The following is the resolution sent up to and 

 adopted by the Committee of Recommendations : — ' That Sir John Lub- 

 bock, Dr. R. Munro, Mr. Pengelly, Professor Boyd Dawkins, Dr. Muir- 

 head, and Mr. J. W. Davis be appointed a Committee to ascertain and 



