CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. 63 
sider was where the photographs, when once obtained, were to be lodged 
and preserved in safety for consultation. That was left, however, to the 
Committee to report upon, but there was no reason why the Conference 
should not express its views as to what would be a good place. He 
thought the best thing would be to communicate to the Secretary of the 
Committee any suggestions the Conference might discuss. 
Mr. Topley said he would like to say a few words about the Coast- 
Erosion Committee. The importance of local observation in this subject 
was much impressed on him lately when he paid a visit to Selsea. He 
was sure the loss of land at various places (comparing it with the large 
six-inch Ordnance Survey maps made, he thought, sixteen years before) 
was very large ; he did not know the coast well previously, and could not 
tell the annual wear, nor whether it went on evenly. He spoke to Mr. 
Clement Reid about it, and he said it was lost during the years since the 
“maps were made, but the average did not represent the annual loss, as of 
date the rate of erosion had been very rapid. It was impossible for any 
but local observers to record such an important fact as that. Local ob- 
servers were wanted to take measurements from certain known positions 
—the corner of a house, a hedge, or any other fixed object—to make notes 
and compare them, and by such means to accurately record what was 
going on, and at the same time it would be seen whether the loss was 
greater at one place or at one time than at another. It would be a most 
desirable thing for local Societies to take up. The Yorkshire Naturalists 
Union, as Mr. Knubley told them at the last meeting, had already done 
He had hoped that the Isle of Man Society would also have taken 
tup; they had applied for forms, and perhaps Deemster Gill would see 
to the matter. From Kast Kent they had most valuable information from 
Mr. Dowker, a member of the East Kent Natural History Society. 
Section D. 
Mr, Knubley said that he had been asked to represent Section D and 
to bring before the Conference two matters :— 
Disappearance of Native Plants——They would remember that Professor 
house came last year prepared with a report and found no Committee 
ting ; that Committee was, however, revived, and during the course of 
year it had apparently done a considerable amount of work. In this 
ort, which he held in his hand, they treat of the disappearance, or par- 
disappearance, of fifty-five different kinds of plants in Scotland, their 
ittention being confined entirely to Scotland for the present; they 
ittribute most of the disappearances to the action of dealers and collectors ; 
they would be very glad if local naturalists’ societies would take the 
matter up and try to chronicle the disappearance of plants as far as they 
tan. Professor Hillhouse suggests the use of the eighth edition of the 
London Catalogue’ as a basis for their observations. He calls attention 
larticularly to the disappearance of certain plants, and shows the way in 
which they might disappear—for instance, Hypericum quadrangulum dis- 
appeared, having been eaten by cattle or trodden down. In another case 
eum reflecwm has disappeared from a wall owing to repairs. Various 
ner ways are mentioned, and amongst these drainage seemed to have 
been a great cause of the disappearance of native plants! 
1 See Reports, 1889, p. 435. 
