494 REPORT— 1903. 



Of course I should like the information to be obtained, as far as 

 possible, without rooting up the clumps, which is rather like killing the 

 goose which lays the golden eggs. I should be glad of drawings of 

 germinating seeds. 



Section E, Geography. 



The Secretary of the Conference read the following list of subjects for 

 research in connection with local geography, which he had received from 

 Mr. E. Heawood, M.A., tlie Recorder of the Section :— 



Correlation of Physical Surface Features with Geological Structure, 



Evolution of River Systems. 



Relation of Physical Factors to Distribution of Population. 



Distribution of Vegetation, and the Relation of Plant-formations to 

 their Environment. 



The Distribution of Zoological Groups in Connection with Environ- 

 ment. 



The study of representative types of Insecta and Molhisca from this 

 point of view is specially recommended by biologists, but it may be made 

 equally interesting from the point of view of geography, 



American Handbook of Learned Societies. 



Mr. J. David Thompson, who had just arrived in England from 

 Washington, made the following remai'ks : I want briefly to say that the 

 Carnegie Institute founded in the city of Washington, D.C., U.S.A., has 

 recently allotted a sum of money to prepare a comprehensive ' Handbook 

 on the Learned Societies of the World.' I have been appointed editor, and 

 have sent out circulars and leaflets to the secretaries of the societies 

 included in the British Year-book. The histoi'ical, literary, and archfeo- 

 logical are included with the scientific, and as these circulars were sent 

 out only two weeks ago, they would arrive during the meetings of this 

 Association, so that the secretaries will find them when they return home. 

 I want to ask you to favour us with accurate replies to these circulars as 

 soon as you are able to do so. This will be a rather important and useful 

 handbook to all of you, particularly in relation to the foreign societies 

 with which you may wish to exchange publications ; and perhaps very 

 many have discovered already that it is rather diflicult to get into 

 communication with some of them ; and I suppose they find the same 

 difficulty. 



There is a British 'Year-book' which is a current handbook, but only 

 describes the publications of the current year, and we wish to give a 

 complete geograpiiical statement of our societies, and of those who are in 

 the position of secretaries, delegates, and other officials. I would esteem 

 it a favour if you would ask your secretaries when you return home to 

 kindly look into this matter carefully. 



The following is an outline of information desired for use in the 

 preparation of the ' Handbook to Learned Societies ' : — 



L Name. — Official name at the present time. 



2. Address. — Postal address of the society, and the name of the per- 

 manent official (if any) to whom communications should be 

 addressed. 



