34 



scientifically accurate, and will be found useful, alike to the 

 beginner and the advanced student. 



So much for the year that has passed. 



The recognition accorded by the British Association 

 within the last quarter of a century to local societies has 

 given them a standing that they did not formerly possess. 

 It was, I believe, in or about 1879 that the question was first 

 mooted, but it was not until some three or four years later 

 that corresponding societies were admitted to the Association,, 

 and the first meeting of the Corresponding Societies Com- 

 mittee, that was soon after formed, was, I believe, held at 

 Aberdeen in 1885. So recently as 1905 some alterations in 

 the regulations were made, and at the present time any 

 society which undertakes local scientific investigation and 

 publishes the results may become affiliated, and may appoint 

 a delegate who must be a member of the Association, and 

 attend the meetings of the conference of delegates, and he 

 is ex officio a member of the general committee. Also, any 

 society formed for the purpose of encouraging the study of 

 science, which has existed for three years and numbers not 

 less than fifty members, may become associated, and may 

 appoint a delegate who may be either a member or an 

 associate of the Association, and he has similar rights to the 

 delegate of an affiliated society, except that he is not a 

 member of the general committee. Thus any local scientific 

 society that is worthy of the name has the opportunity of 

 being brought into touch with the British Association ; and 

 as the Corresponding Societies' Committee is entrusted with 

 the supervision of the preparation of a list of the papers 

 published by the Societies, the result of their work becomes 

 available for reference by a much larger body of workers 

 than could otherwise be the case. This in itself must be a 

 great advantage to all concerned, and the opportunity given 

 for the accredited representatives of the various societies to 

 meet in conference should be a distinct advantage to the 

 societies themselves. It is satisfactory to note that the 

 opportunity thus offered has been embraced by many local 

 societies ; the number of those who were recorded as affiliated 

 at the meeting of the Association held at Leicester in 

 August last was seventy-eight, and of those associated thirty- 

 seven, while of the two classes some sixty were represented 

 by delegates. Our own Society appears to have been among 

 the first to accept the advantages offered, being in the list of 

 corresponding societies of 1883, but for some reason the 

 matter was not followed up. It is, however, to be hoped. 



