292 pbesident's addkess. 



glowing reports of discoveries made or work done actually at 

 our Field Meetings. Our endeavours should be directed to make 

 these gatherings as interesting as possible, by each imparting as 

 freely as he may such information as he possesses respecting 

 surrounding objects either of nature or art, and two things espe- 

 cially we should resolutely and distinctly discountenance, first, 

 the wanton destruction or injury of any interesting thing, se- 

 condly, any efforts at display by mere tyros or sciolists. Not 

 that we have had much to complain of on either of these heads, 

 but the last-named might, in a large and socially constituted or- 

 ganization, become an intolerable nuisance, while the first has 

 in some cases gained a bad reputation (probably through the 

 default of only a few individuals) for Clubs otherwise useful and 

 flourishing. We cannot expect that all our members should be 

 thoughtful and cultured, and one great object of our existence 

 should be to promote thought and culture in those who lack. 

 To assist in carrying out these objects I have said that I think 

 some improvements are possible, and these I will as briefly as 

 possible indicate. 



We have no law excluding ladies from our Club, but yet we 

 have no lady-members. Ladies, however, sometimes attend our 

 meetings, and it would I think be an advantage to the Club 

 (may I hint also that it might be an advantage to the ladies) if 

 more of them came and oftener. It is of infinite importance that 

 mothers should be able to impart to their children an intelligent 

 interest in Nature. They cannot do this unless they first pos- 

 sess that interest themselves, and in what way can it be more 

 pleasantly developed and refreshed than by meetings such as 

 ours ? It may perhaps be objected that the length and occa- 

 sionally the rugged character of our walks prove an obstacle to 

 the presence of the weaker sex, but my impression is that this 

 is not the case to any very serious extent, and in many of our 

 excursions the ladies have proved themselves quite equal to 

 walks as long and as arduous as are at all desirable for our pur- 

 poses. I would therefore recommend (not any new rule, which 

 is needless, but) simply that we should persuade our lady-friends 

 to join the Club as members and not as only casual visitors. A 



