56 REPORT—1905. 
they had completely ruined one of the most prolific floras near his native - 
town. Heeould also endorse what Mr. Watts had said with regard to the 
farmers not daring to exert their power for fear of reprisals. 
Professor Boulger, in reply to the various remarks, said that owing to 
the question of time he had purposely said little or nothing on what had 
been done in the matter in America, where they had set us a very good 
example ; but he ventured to make the suggestion that if in a compara- 
tively new and thinly populated country, such as the United States, actual 
measures of legislation besides other measures were necessary, they were 
obviously far more necessary in a densely crowded old country like our 
own. He did not quite understand what was the cause of the incendiary 
fires of which Mr. Bullen had spoken, although he could quite understand 
the damage that would be done. He learned that Eryrngiwm campestre 
had been exterminated by golf at New Romney, Kent, and from the other 
side of the Atlantic, at Staaten Island, a rare species of Clematis is in 
immediate danger of extermination from the same cause. The sundew 
at Reigate is an additional example. He saw that the meeting generally 
was fully in sympathy with the suggestion of a circular, possibly connected 
with the publication of a ‘reader.’ The latter would be a very simple 
matter, and he fully agreed that legislation was entirely inadequate. A 
public sentiment must be created. The only question was whether they 
were to wait for the sentiment to grow or whether they were to assist its 
growth by means of legislation? His idea was that the two things had 
better go on pari passw. 
With regard to what Mr. Coates had said on a special situation for 
the cultivation of Alpine flowers, many people managed to grow most 
Alpines in non-Alpine situations, and he believed that by taking proper 
precautions, such as by covering up the plants in winter, there need be 
no difficulty. He thought it would be a particularly good thing if the 
Perthshire Society made some arrangement for the cultivation of Ben 
Lawers plants, and if somebody in the West of England could be got to 
establish a garden for the plants of the Lizard. As to local culture there 
was another way in which it could be dealt with. He noticed when he was 
in Cheddar a little while ago that the cottagers root up and pick Zhalic- 
trum montanum, which might be a little difficult of cultivation, but that 
they did not do so with regard to the Cheddar pink. The pink is mostly 
cultivated in gardens. At present, however, the localities where these 
plants still linger are very difficult of access. 
The danger with regard to nature-study was a very great one, and 
there was no way of preventing rare flowers from being picked except by 
not taking people to the localities, or by keeping the knowledge to oneself. 
It was for this reason he cordially joined some years ago in protesting 
against the foolish action of the Essex County Council in suggesting an 
excursion of school teachers to the localities for rare plants in the New 
Forest. As to what Mr. Whitaker had said about women, it was not 
encouraging to think that what had been done to protect birds had not 
been assisted by women. They still wore egrettes, and it could not be 
due to ignorance, having regard to the vast amount of talking and the 
amount of literature which had been produced on the subject. He was 
sorry to hear what the Chairman had to say about the Moss Litter Com- 
pany, and was afraid that this, like the drainage of agricultural land, 
was something that could not be prevented. He could quite understand 
that a great many of our fen plants might be destroyed in this way, and 
