132 Canadian Record of Science. 



attended than on any previous year, the lecture hall 

 having been crowded repeatedly. 



Our Museum also has done excellent work for us. The 

 number of visitors to it this year has about doubled in 

 number, as many as 300 persons having visited it on a 

 single Saturday. 



The attendance at the regular monthly meetings has, 

 however, remained about the same, and might be improved. 



In summer, however, our work is practically at a stand- 

 still, one single excursion and our Museum being our only 

 educating influence at work. 



In other societies there are field classes in which, under 

 the leadership of competent and enthusiastic instructors, 

 the actual living face of nature is studied, and members of 

 the society work and learn for themselves. 



This is the best means of awakening a real interest in 

 Natural History. 



Such classes would not only instruct our young people 

 and awaken in them a real interest in our sciences, but 

 the discussion of the various things seen and specimens 

 collected would be a source of life to our meetings all 

 winter. This is, I believe, what our Society chiefly wants. 

 There are many among our members who take a passive 

 interest in the subject ; we want more who are active and 

 who will be workers. Why cannot', for instance, all our 

 teachers in Natural Science in our schools be brought in 

 touch with our Society, in this and other ways, and our 

 Society be thus really strengthened in this its weakest part? 



Something along this line, I might humbly suggest to 

 the incoming Council, miglit be attempted by the Society 

 during the coming year. The work might well be under- 

 taken by the local association of our naturalists, and the 

 result would be the bringing out of new workers, as it is" 

 for this that the Society exists. Why cannot arrangements 

 be made during the summer months for field class work 

 in the several departments. 



