COERESPONDING SOCIETIES. 41 



the Committee in aid of Anthropological Exploration, 3 Hanover Square, 

 London. General Pitt- Rivers was the cliairman of this committee, and 

 no one could be better qualified to give advice as to the conduct of an 

 exploration. Local societies might also do useful work by the description 

 of specimens in local museums, accounts of which might be published in 

 their ' Proceedings ' for the information of workers dwelling elsewhere. 



The Secretary, at the request of the Chairman, read an extract from 

 a letter of Mr. Kenward, of Birmingham, giving particulars of an anthro- 

 pometric laboratory established at Birmingham, like that of Mr. Francis 

 ■Galton at South Kensington. 



SECOND CONFERENCE, AUGUST 9. 



The Corresponding Societies Committee were represented by Professor 

 R. Meldola (Chairman) and Messrs. Symons, Whitaker, Cuthbert Peek, 

 Garson, Poulton, Rev. Canon Tristram, Sir Rawson Rawson, and 

 T. V. Holmes (Secretary). 



The Chairman suggested that in future some subject in which the 

 delegates generally were interested, such as the management of local 

 museums, the relations of County Councils to technical instruction, or the 

 working of the Technical Education Acts, should be brought before the 

 Conference in the form of a short j^aper to serve as a basis of discussion. 

 This proposition met with general approval. 



Mr. Symons mentioned that he had arranged with Mr. GrifiBth that 

 delegates on the first day of the meeting of the British Association 

 should be supplied with copies of the reports on subjects in which they 

 were interested. This would give them longer time than they had at 

 present to make themselves acquainted with the w'ork which was being 

 done. 



Section A. 



Underground Waters. — Mr. Symons said that some remarks had been 

 made on the circulation of underground waters, and he wished that when 

 wells were sunk the temperature, as well as the depth, of the water 

 should be taken. It was very easily done, as they had only to send down 

 a thermometer in the bucket, and taring up the bucket full of water. If 

 such observations were made at the same hour of the day throughout the 

 year they would be of very considerable use. The depth of water in a 

 well should always be measured from the surface of the ground. 



Mr. Whitaker said that it was also important that the variation in the 

 depth of water in a well should be recorded. 



Section D. 



Disappearance of Native Plants. — Mr. Mark Stirrup read a letter 

 written by Mr. Leo Grindon dealing with the disappearance of native 

 plants during the last fifty years in the district within a radius of fifteen 

 miles round Manchester. The wide, uncultivated moorlands (remarked 

 Mr. Grindon) remained unchanged. Harsh and wiry grasses, a few ferns, 

 heather, whortleberry, and ci^owberry still renewed themselves perennially 

 there ; and in the flat country which had been and remained agricul- 



