354 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 
the development of facilities. Possibly some of the Societies would be 
willing to give practical assistance in this, and from time to time a one-day 
*‘ School in Science ’’ might be arranged through the hospitality of one or 
more such Societies. ‘There has been a considerable revival of interest in 
Local History under the stimulus of the Rural Community Councils .. . 
perhaps in co-operation with these bodies a good deal might be done for 
geology, botany, and zoology studied locally. The Conferences arranged 
in Derbyshire and elsewhere have further stimulated interest and increased 
the knowledge of local history. ‘The same thing might prove true if con- 
ferences of groups engaged in the study of natural history under local 
conditions were arranged in county or district areas.’ 
From the City Literary Institute, Mr. G. T. Williams sends similar 
suggestions. (1) Scientific societies might place their material occasionally 
at the disposal of classes, by means of travelling exhibits bearing on the work 
of particular groups which are conducting their studies in the Institutes. 
(2) Societies interested in promoting the study of some particular science, 
or aspect of science not usually comprised in the curriculum of Institutes, 
should formulate and circulate specimen syllabuses with reading lists, 
suggestions for equipment, and some indication as to method of approach. 
Institutes might be encouraged to offer in their programme classes which, 
without such suggestions, would ordinarily not have occurred to them as 
within the bounds of possibility. (3) Scientific societies that possess special 
equipment would allow groups from Institutes to meet for special demon- 
strations in their laboratories. 
It is generally reported that Local Field Clubs and Scientific Societies 
are sympathetic and helpful. In Belfast ‘ classes are linked in an unorga- 
nised way with the local Naturalist Societies, i.e. many members of the classes 
pass to membership of these societies, and lectures attended thereat are often 
discussed in class,’ 
Many Committees for Adult Classes publish handbooks in which the 
programmes of the various scientific societies are included . . . as they 
realise that ‘ the help of local scientific societies in stimulating the demand 
for scientific study would be extremely valuable.’ 
The only district, according to the information supplied to the Com- 
mittee, in which interchange of observations and the results of field work 
has been carried out, is in the Western (or Glasgow) District of Scotland. 
Here the Joint Secretary of the Extra-mural Education Committee reports 
that ‘ Contact has been maintained as far as possible between adult classes 
and local societies dealing with Astronomy and Natural History, to mutual 
advantage. ‘The societies afford a field in which the adult students are able 
to carry further and to apply the knowledge gained by them in classes, 
while the classes afford to some of the members of the societies an oppor- 
tunity of making their knowledge more systematic. . . . Nothing has 
been done yet in the way of interregional meetings of adult classes for com- 
parison of local observations, but a beginning has been made with regional 
survey by adult classes, more particularly at Kilmarnock and at Dumbarton 
as part of the West of Scotland survey of plant and animal life, stimulated 
by the visits of the British Association. . . . It is hoped that from the 
nature study class at Dumbarton a local Natural History Society may 
develop. The astronomy section of the Paisley Philosophical Institution 
resumed meetings and activity after a long interval as a result of the contact 
of interested persons provided by an adult class.’ 
