CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES. 33 



A temporary museum had been opened at St. Albans, and he felt sure, 

 from their success in obtaining objects of local interest for it, that if the 

 money required could be raised an interesting and valuable collection 

 would be got together. He feared that Dr. Ami's paper was too long to 

 be published in the Report of the Conference of Delegates, but as the 

 Conference stands upon the same footing as any Section of the Association, 

 it was empowered to suggest to the Committee of Recommendations that 

 this paper was considered of sufficient importance to be published in 

 extenso in the Report of the Association, and he moved that this request 

 be made. 



The vote of thanks and recommendation were carried unanimously. 



Section H. 



Professor Haddon, speaking on behalf of the Ethnographic Survey 

 Committee, said that it seemed to him that, while the Local Societies 

 properly spend a great deal of time on natural history, they neglect the 

 study of man, who is an animal, and deserves to be studied as thoroughly 

 as the lower animals. Local Societies might well undertake a survey of 

 the ethnography of their own districts. He would be sorry to draw 

 students away from the study of other branches of natural history, but he 

 thought that there must be many members of the Local Societies who did 

 not study the fauna, the flora, or the geology of their locality, but would 

 be interested in ethnographical work of some kind. There are several 

 anthropological investigations which could be attempted almost anywhere. 

 Besides observations on the colour of the hair and eyes, the stature, the 

 shape of the head, and other physical characters, the customs and beliefs 

 of the people and their folk-lore should be studied. As examples, mention 

 need only be made of local customs on particular days, or the numerous 

 and very interesting singing games of children, such as 'Jenny Jo,' 

 ' Dukes-a-riding,' ' Green Gravel,' and the like. These might seem to be 

 trifling matters, but many such customs and games are the only records 

 we have left to us of the religious rites and social customs of our 

 ancestors, and therefore they are by no means to be despised. It would 

 also be advisable for the local scientific and photographic Societies to 

 interest their members in depicting the geology, natural history, and 

 ethnology of their district, the latter especially. Many opportunities for 

 the study of British anthropology are vanishing or becoming modified, 

 just as surely as are corresponding details in the islands of the Pacific. 



189/ 



