Naturalists' Field Clubs. 205 



It may be noted that the Manchester and Liverpool clubs 

 include amongst their members a large proportion of ladies. 

 There is considerable variety in the modes of procedure adopted 

 by the different societies, but an essential feature of all of them 

 is the holding of " field meetings " in their respective districts 

 during the summer and autumn. In most cases the excursions are 

 made to occupy the entire day; in others, chiefly those where there 

 is a profusion of the fair sex, the afternoon only is usually devoted 

 to the excursion. In these cases, too, the general arrange- 

 ments seem to be devised very gallantly with reference to the 

 lady constituents, even to the measurement of the stiles on the 

 line of march ; for in one of the Liverpool club's circulars for 

 last season I find " the minimum stile guage " stated at one 

 foot — a discouraging announcement, one would think. In some 

 cases the practice exists of offering prizes for the best collec- 

 tions of plants obtained during the day's ramble. .For my own 

 part, I can see nothing to commend in this system. Indeed, 

 in the case of rare plants existing only on a very limited area, 

 one can scarcely imagine a better device to ensure their speedy 

 destruction. During a recent visit to Manchester, I learnt 

 that such a result bad actually been brought about, to some 

 extent, in that neighbourhood.* Moreover, this prize system 

 is not very likely to promote the good of science in any way. 

 The study of nature ought to be, and is, to every real student, 

 its own reward ; and such a one will scarcely be found condes- 

 cending to a competition of this kind. 



Very few of the field clubs — indeed, so far as I know, none 

 except the Berwickshire and the Tyneside — attempt the publi- 

 cation of ' ' Transactions " on a more ambitious plan than the 

 simple reporting of their meetings. It is, however, very much 

 to be desired that they should generally make an effort to pub- 

 lish carefully prepared catalogues of the different natural pro- 

 ductions of their respective districts. This has, to a limited 

 extent, been accomplished by some clubs, and is one of the 

 most useful directions in which surplus funds can be employed. 

 Local floras, at any rate, might mostly be compiled ; but it 

 should be remembered that the value and interest of these 



* Since writing the above I find it stated, in the Annual Report of the Man- 

 chester Society, that " it is gratifying to the committee to be assured that no rare 

 plant has suffered through the society ;" so that there appears to be a diversity of 

 opinion amongst the members of the society on this question. The committee, 

 however, propose to enrich the natural flora and fauna of the district, and so to 

 "add to the beauty and interest of the country round Manchester, by taking with 

 them on their excursions any surplus roots and seeds they may possess, especially 

 of native plants brought from a distance, and also living fresh-water mollusca, and 

 depositing them in places where they would be likely to become permanently 

 established. , . . Also to enrich tho neighbourhood by a judicious sowing of 

 the seeds of exotic plants." 



