IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING ONE'S OWN LOCALITY. 53 



in that district ; or a.colleetion of mosses, lichens and fungi, just plucked, 

 will form a subject for conversation, and lead to further inquiries in a 

 way that no paper-reading can do. Do not let the essays take the place 

 of living specimens any more than can be helped. 



Another suggestion is to attend, first of all, to the natural history of 

 one's own locality, and next after that to what belongs within the United 

 States. Do not go wandering off to Alaska for an account of the fur- 

 seals cribbed from Elliott, or down to Ceylon to tell about something 

 which you may read of in Wallace. It is, however, a good plan to ex- 

 hibit and call attention to new books and serial publications which may 

 not be known or accessible to all the members; and it will be found that 

 no little rivalry will grow up as to who shall be the first to bring for- 

 ward this sort of information. 



Thus a naturalist may employ his winter without losing ground. 

 Most of these suggestions have stood the test of experience and are found 

 to work well. If half a dozen or a dozen really earnest people meet to- 

 gether occasionally between November and April to discuss the natural 

 productions of their neighborhood, resolutely excluding everything else 

 from their attention for the time being, they will surely become so inter- 

 ested that the advent of spring will find them eager to get out into the 

 woods and fields, where they will see and keep enough material and in- 

 formation to last them through the next winter thrice over. 



In the very simplicity of the plan proposed lies the secret of its suc- 

 cess; introduce much red-tape and machinery, along with many very wise 

 professors, and ten chances to one the club will die of old age in its first 

 season. " Difficulties may surround our path," to quote Dr. Jowett, " but 

 if the difficulties be not in ourselves, they may generally be overcome." 



