^4 



Nature Study : Ideal and JReaL 



With a fair knowledg-e of the work of natural history 

 sociedes we can safely say that probably all the thirty-three 

 societies affiliated with the Yorkshire Naturalists" Union, and 

 the Union irsel:, would come to an abrupt and untimely end 

 were the Professor's advice acted upon. But we must remember 

 that the real natural history society is not composed of college 

 students taking a course in biology principally for the purpose 

 of obtaining^ a degree. It is composed of men — largely artizans, 

 who love Nature for Nature's sake, men who are as pleased 

 to see the birds and flowers and insects in their native haunts, 

 to observe their habits, and to leave them unmolested, as is the 

 author of ' House. Garden, and Field," or anyone else. Of 

 course there are black sheep in every flock, and it cannot be 

 denied that there are some individuals (but we are convinced 

 that they are few in number) who do more harm than good in 

 tlieir zeal for adding^ rare specimens to their cabinets. But such 

 indi\dduals would exist in spite of either natural histor\- societies 

 or colleges, and would probably do more harm than they do if 

 they were entirely independent of their brother naturalists. We 

 have recently been scrutinising ver\- c.cse'} :he work of our 

 field clubs, and are satisfied that they are doing good in 

 presefving^ the fauna and flora of their respective districts, and 

 in almost every instance discouragfe anything- that would lead to 

 the extermination of an}- rare animal or plant. 



The advice that ' no local lists be prepared, read, or printed." 

 can surely not have been given seriously, and the statement that 

 ' they are hardly ever worth the paper they are printed on ' is 

 simph^ absurd. Neither do we agree that * it is nearly always 

 a mistake for an amateur club to print anything, even an annual 

 report ! ' If there is any probability of the publications being 

 continuous, print by all means — and in any case no harm can 

 possibly accrue from printing a short annual report. Some of 

 our local field clubs publish material of unquestionable scientific 

 value — recog-nised as such even by our leading professors* — 

 and the annual reports frequently contain particulars of local 

 occurrences and records whicii would otherwise be irretrievably 

 lost. If no publication is issued — if no record is made — much 

 useful material is in a few years entirely forgotten. What will 

 the ideal society at the Leeds University have to show in a few 

 years' time as a result of its existence ? Beyond possibly a few 



*See • Iiueirraiion in Science' (presidential address lo the Yorkshire 

 Naturalists" Union), by Sir Michael Foster. K.C.B., etc. • The Naturalist," 

 July iSoQ. pp. 20Q-:;j3. 



Naturalist. 



