66 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE.—1918. 
books which they carried with them, all that could be known about it. Con- 
stantly, also, one heard them mention that they encouraged their scholars to 
bring them specimens of things that they themselves could not find. 
Several parts of Scotland had excellent museums; he would not mention 
names, because they were so numerous. In regard to illustrations of birds 
and bird life, Mr. Miller intimated that pupils brought specimens, but that 
they had been distinctly told that there must be no destruction or cruelty 
in providing them; that where this condition was fulfilled the museums were 
glad of the specimens. 
Mr. Miller went on to say that corporations and other local authorities did 
take an interest in local societies, and in Edinburgh their Geological Society 
was now housed in the Corporation buildings. Again, corporations could mark 
interesting features. They had several examples in Edinburgh; for instance, 
at a place where Agassiz had stayed. 
On the popular educational side, Mr. Miller mentioned the work of one 
scientific man who took an interest in the education of adults. They had in 
Edinburgh for many years, John George Goodchild, who was a member of 
most of the societies, and he used to gather round him as many of the people 
as he could get and demonstrate at the museum, or take them into the 
country and show them different things. He remembered many instances which 
pointed very strongly to the value of these excursions as enunciated by Mr. 
Whitaker. 
The Rev. J. O. Bevan (Woolhope Naturalists’ Field Club) maintained 
that it would be a most desirable thing if those associated with their local 
societies would pay more attention to the schools, and get the interest of 
the head and assistant teachers enlisted in their subjects. No doubt one great 
difficulty in securing systematic instruction would be the provision of suitable 
teachers, and local societies should take pains to ascertain the local conditions, 
and do what they could to further the provision of proper teaching and 
facilities. 
Mr. J. Horxrnson (Hertfordshire Natural History Society) agreed with 
the President in drawing a distinction between publishing and non-publishing 
societies, and that the authorities of the Association were quite right in giving 
a higher status to the former. In Hertfordshire they had far more good papers 
than they could afford to publish: they had to cut them down, and decline 
some. They had not for some years printed a single paper which had not 
been the result of local investigation, or did not instruct others how to make 
local investigations. 
It was only in our large towns that a society could afford a museum. 
Their museum at St. Albans had a grant from the County Council of 150/. a 
year; the rest of the funds being contributed by subscriptions. He knew 
the museum was doing good educational work, especially among children, and 
it was visited by people not only from distant parts of this country but also 
from abroad. 
Mr. J. Witson (Quekett Microscopical Club) said they published ‘ Trans- 
actions’ which were largely quoted. They had various collections of 
microscopical specimens, and the Club, with its discussions, was largely taken 
advantage of by local members. During the last four years members of 
the Club to the number of a hundred had gone from eight to ten in the 
evening almost every day of the week, to give lectures to soldiers and sailors 
at various headquarters, and these lectures had been appreciated. 
Mr. T. Suepparp (Hull Scientific Society) said he had developed from 
one of the most optimistic into the most pessimistic of men because he was 
afraid that the interest in scientific work was decreasing, and something 
would have to be done to increase it. In what they had done in his own 
county, or the eastern part of it, it looked as if they were going to natural- 
historyise the whole population. But the extraordinary result was, they. had 
less people taking an interest. In the old days when they had classes they 
had twice or three times the membership in their societies that they had 
now. Another thing he was a little pessimistic about was the way in which 
their British Association for the Advancement of Science—the one institution 
