66 Notes and Comments. 



these Transactions or Journals. The matter is occasionally 

 further complicated by changes in the title of the publication^ 

 circumstances which are bound to lead to confusion in the 

 future. A bad case has recently been brought to our notice, 

 from no other place than Hull, and, as it has resulted in two 

 different publications appearing and disappearing within an 

 incredibly short period, we refer to the matter now as a warn- 

 ing to other societies which may be contemplating printing. 



NEW SOCIETIES. 



Stars of the fifth or sixth magnitude are quite insignificant 

 in an ordinary firmament, but in a firmanent of stars of the 

 tenth and eleventh magnitude only, they appear quite brilliant. 

 In this way a small and enthusiastic band of young men at 

 Hull formed a society of their own, which started well, and 

 was encouraged by the older people, and was helped in every 

 way. We ourselves fell in with their many requests. Some 

 other men, older in years, joined this ' Junior Naturalists' 

 Society,' but, as far as we can make out, everything was carried 

 on on the lines of the older scientific society in the city — 

 saving that in the new society the various presidents, vice- 

 presidents, committees and other positions enabled almost 

 every member to hold an ' important ' office of some kind. A 

 library was formed, ' rooms ' obtained, including a ' research 

 laboratory,' etc., and great things were naturally expected. 

 The local M.P.'s became patrons, and the Mayor and other 

 important local people were invited to open ' Exhibitions,' 

 etc., and. on paper, all seemed well. Meanwhile the older 

 society worked on in its quiet way, and supplied most of the 

 lectures to the junior society. 



A PUBLICATION. 



The Junior Society then published ' Vol. I., part i, of the 

 Proceedings of the Hull Junior Field Naturalists' Society.'' 

 which was noticed in our journal at the time.* This contained 

 reprints of papers, already published elsewhere, by fairly well- 

 known writers, and a few short notes by the junior naturalists 

 themselves. As the Editor of the Selborne Magazine said at the 

 time, the publication reminded him of a magazine issued from 

 one of the Universities, which was written by the professors,, 

 and ' edited ' by the students. 



A CHANGE OF NAME. 



Then the society, feeling, possibly, that the word ' Junior ' 

 might limit its scope, became more ambitious, and altered 

 its name to the ' Hull Society of Natural Science,' with the 

 arms of the city as its crest, and ' Science is nothing but trained 

 and organised common sense ' for its motto. Another M.P.. 



* 191 o, p. 161. 



Naturalist,. 



