248 



The Scottish Naturalist. 



Sept., Mr. William Topley, of the Geological Survey, in the chair. 

 Only sixteen Delegates attended. 



Dr. R. Mill of the Scottish Geographical Society called attention 

 to the Report of the Committee on the Surface Tem- 

 perature of the Water in Rivers and Estuaries ; and 

 said that he would be glad if all the Delegates present represent- 

 ing Societies which had not yet seen their way to take up the work 

 of making observations on the waters in their own neighbourhood 

 would endeavour to find out members able and willing to make 

 such observations ; if they would communicate with him, full in- 

 structions would be sent for setting the observations agoing. 

 Underground Waters, Erratic Blocks and Boulders, 

 Flora of Fresh- water Rivers, Mining Institutes, and 

 Geological Photographs were in turn more or less discussed 

 at this Conference; and in respect to the last, as the result of the 

 attention they had received at the previous meeting, Prof. Lebour 

 stated that the matter had been taken up by the President of 

 Section C. (Prof. Geikie), and the Committee of Recommend- 

 ations had advised a grant of ^10, or double what had been ap- 

 plied for, thus showing the cordial manner in which the Com- 

 mittee had met the request. 



Some discussion then arose as to the position of Delegates in 

 relation to the Committees of Sections. As is well known, when 

 the name of a Delegate is sent to the General Secretary of the 

 British Association, the question is asked, to the Committee of 

 which Section the Delegate washes his name to be attached. This 

 has been done at any rate for the last two years, and I know not 

 how much longer. Well, when the Delegates arrive they naturally 

 expect to find their names included in the Committees of Sections 

 named ; but such is not the case. Last year at Bath the names 

 of the Delegates were certainly published in the daily journal ; 

 but were placed in a separate paragraph at the end of the names 

 of the regular Committee ; and they were not allowed to take part 

 in the meeting of the Committee. This year, with the solitary 

 exception of Section B. (Biology), which inserted in like manner the 

 names of five Delegates, none of the Sections gave the names of the 

 Delegates at all; and a motion was accordingly made, which, after 

 considerable discussion and modification, was passed to this effect: 

 " That the relations of Delegates to the Sectional Committees as at 

 present constituted is unsatisfactory, and should be reconsidered 



