FIELD AND FOREST. 1 63 



and to publish their own "Transactions" or u Proceedings." This 

 is well enough when there is anything really worth publishing, but 

 even then there are plenty of magazines willing to publish such papers, 

 and able to give them a wider publicity than they could obtain locally. 

 Young socities soon find printing and publishing very expensive, and 

 it is frequently a source of vexation to the members. This matter, 

 therefore, should be left out of consideration when it is intended to 

 start a new society. If there be any surplus money, let it be spent in 

 purchasing such high-priced standard books or magazines as would be 

 beyond the pockets of many members, and these could be circulated 

 in the usual manner. We have known successful instances of members 

 specially combining to circulate such books among themselves, in ad- 

 dition to any which might be obtainable from the society's library, 

 The summer excursions should not be numerous — not more than two 

 or three during the season. Half a day will be often found long 

 enough to do a great deal of real work in. If the society limits its 

 members to the male sex, there is no reason why they should not en- 

 joy the pleasure of ladies during the summer excursions. To conclude, 

 the chief things to be considered are, (i) earnest study (no matter by 

 how few, for the numbers will increase if the original members can 

 only "learn to labour and to wait;") (2) an absence of any pretention 

 to intellectual superiority ; (3) an endeavour to make the membership 

 as cheap and inexclusive as possible, so as to throw the society open 

 to all classes — the only specification being a love for scientific subjects, 

 even if there be not always the means or the opportunity to cherish it. 



The Science News is a very attractive, neatly gotten up, sixteen 

 page journal, published by S. E. Casino, Salem, Massachusetts. It is 

 edited by Ernest Ingersoll and William C. Wyckoff, of New York. It 

 is intended that the peculiar feature of the journal shall be the prompt 

 publication of scientific news, information as to the current literature 

 of science, &c. Considerable space will be given to notes and queries 

 from correspondents, and communications are solicited. It is pub- 

 lished fortnightly at two dollars per annum. 



