372 Notices of Memoirs — British Association — 



For Section C, Geology, much good work has been done by the 

 Corresponding Societies, especially for the Committee on Geological 

 Photographs, which Avas formed by the joint action of the Section 

 and the Conference of Delegates at the Bath meeting in 1888. The 

 photographs (a very large number) are deposited in the Geological 

 Museum in Jermyn Street, where they may be seen ; also numerous 

 lantern slides which are lent for lectures. The Committee is still in 

 existence and photographs are acceptable. 



Other important geological subjects which have been brought before 

 our Conference are earth-tremors, underground water, and coast- 

 erosion, in the investigation of one or other of "which all our 

 Corresponding Societies may help. 



The subjects embraced in Section D, Zoology, are by far the most 

 attractive to members of our natural history societies, to whom 

 we owe nearly all our knowledge of the distribution of animal 

 life in the British Isles, far more perhaps of that of the Inverte- 

 brata than that of the Yertebrata, about which much was 

 known in very early days. It should be the aim of all such 

 societies to compile and publish lists of the animals inhabiting 

 their areas, recording their localities, carefully noting their habitats, 

 and studying their habits and life-histories. Increasing attention is 

 being paid to our Invertebrate fauna, but there is still very much to 

 be done, especially in the collection and study of the microscopic 

 forms of life in our rivers, lakes, ponds, and ditches, on our stately 

 trees and humble mosses, and even in our soils. Almost every tuft 

 of moist moss teems with animal life which will well repay microscopic 

 examination. 



There is another aspect of the subject which has frequently been 

 brought before us, that is the preservation of our native fauna. 

 In endeavouring to prevent the destruction of rare animals or of 

 those approaching extinction all may help. We cannot well make 

 sure of the presence of a rare moth or butterfly without capturing it, 

 but there is never need to take a large series, as is the practice 

 of some entomologists. "With birds and mammals it is different; they 

 can mostly be identified by the practised naturalist without shooting 

 them. There are birds, such as the rook and the wood-pigeon, which 

 should be reduced in number, as they are so destructive to our field 

 and garden crops, but such birds as hawks and owls, which are 

 persecuted by gamekeepers, are our farmers' best friends, and their 

 extei'mination ought not to be allowed. The same may be said of all 

 insectivorous birds. Hawks may occasionally kill a partridge or even 

 a pheasant, the beautiful kingfisher may take a few fish, but the food 

 of the owls, with the exception of a few rare species such as the eagle 

 owl and the snowy owl, consist almost entirely of small rodents. 1 

 With regard to the species which should be protected, the 

 ornithologists in a natural history society can render County Councils 

 valuable help. An order for the protection of certain birds was 



1 Taken out of a barn-owl's tree at Keswick in Norfolk in April, 1911, were 

 114 " pellets " containing the skulls of 19 very small rats, 126 long- and short- 

 tailed field-mice, 69 shrews, and 3 small birds (perhaps greenfinches), but 

 no game. 



