19 
II. 
ON THE DIVISION OF THE COUNTY FOR BOTANICAL 
PURPOSES. 
By Herbert D. Geldart. 
Road April 27th, I860. 
Our secretary has asked me to address a few words to you to-night 
and I do so very wilHngly, as by so doing I gain the opportunity 
ot bringing before you a point of order and method in studying 
the natural history of our county, wliich I think of considerable 
importance ; and, if I may be allowed to say so, I am quite certain 
that on the amount of method that we infuse into our proceeding's 
Avill depend our usefulness and success as a society, or, at any rate 
the amount of influence Avhich we shall bring to bear upon the 
progress of systematic science, and I need hardly say that I do not 
regard desultory unsystematic scientific observations as of any use 
whatever. In fact, method is to the man of science Avhat discipline 
IS to the soldier-without method a man of science is a mere 
dabbler, who gets in both his own and other people’s way and 
hinders what he hopes to forward— just as armed men, who know 
neither tlieir duty nor their places, become but a mob, more 
dangerous to each other than to anyone else. I take it for granted 
that the formation of full and correct lists of the species of every 
branch of natural history indigenous to or occurring in the county 
will form no inconsiderable part of the objects of our society, and 
I am anxious that the lists so formed should be not only records of 
the mere occurrence of an individual species Avithin the limits of 
the county, but also a fair index of the comparative raiity and 
extent ot distribution of that species throughout its area. 
In order to do this it is necessary to divide the county into 
districts, and to bring the full weight of the society to bear upon 
the subject, it Avill be necessary tliat all the members should adopt 
the same divisions, as otherwise a list made by one member will 
require translation, or, at all events transcription, before it can be 
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