seen 
CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. a) 
been completely stripped of certain rare flowers, and other plants were in 
danger of extermination in the same way. He thought one of the most 
valuable suggestions which had been made was with regard to teaching 
teachers. In the locality he represented a special effort had been made 
to get teachers interested in the work of the Society, and a large number, 
both of the head masters and some of the more intelligent assistant 
teachers, were members of the Society. In this way he thought local 
Societies might do a very great deal in trying to encourage the teachers 
to take up this subject intelligently, and especially to point out the great 
danger of the extermination of rare plants. With regard to the sugges- 
tion of gardens for cultivation, the only difficulty he saw was that of 
finding a suitable situation where the conditions of soil would be pre- 
cisely similar to those in which the plants grow. 
Mr. W. Gray (Belfast) considered that the object of a Society like 
his was not so much to preserve rare plants as to prevent plants from 
becoming rare. As it was, the flowers and ferns which used to decorate 
the roads and hedges were being entirely obliterated. He thought nothing 
would prevent these depredations but law. They might talk about moral 
suasion and the influence of the clergy and of teachers, but they would 
never touch the main point unless a law was made to prevent the destruc- 
tion of other people’s property without their permission, and then, in 
doing this, care must be taken to give facilities for the scientific collector 
to carry out his function. 
Mr. W. Marsh (Leeds) said he thought they would agree that, if 
legislation could be obtained to protect these beautiful flowers and ferns, 
it was a very desirable thing ; but in the meantime the damage was being 
done and legislation was slow, and he would immensely like to see the 
idea of issuing a circular carried out. Nature-study was becoming. an 
important part of education. He thought they had 4,000 children in 
Leeds, who were beginning to take an interest in wild flowers, and as 
these went out in the country the depredations were likely to be serious. 
Mr. J. Hopkinson (Watford) gave an account of the depredations in 
the neighbourhood of St. Albans of dealers in ferns some thirty years 
ago, when several species which then adorned their lanes and woods were 
absolutely extirpated. He thought the idea of a circular a good one and 
that it should be carried out before any legal Act could be obtained, 
which would take time. 
Mr. Whitaker (Croydon) said he would like to say a word on the 
other side. He thought collectors had been somewhat unfairly treated. 
They were not the only offenders. The offenders are the people who buy 
the things, and those are the people who ought to be got at. It was no 
use getting at the servants: they must get at the masters. Who were 
they? In the first place, there were the artists. A great deal was also 
due to the craze people had for filling their rooms with cut flowers. 
Where did the fault lie? He would quote the words of a very old 
authority, ‘The woman did it.’ 
The Chairman said he judged that the general wish of the meeting was 
that the subject should not be allowed to drop, and that the matter should 
be brought before the different Corresponding Societies for them to do 
what they could in the next year by bringing the subject before the 
proper authorities. He would like to add one word to what had been 
said, and that was in reference to the action of a certain Moss Litter 
Company. He did not know many places where they were working, but 
