president’s address. 3 
a “ Scientific Parliament,” and in the Corresponding Societies, 
which might be regarded as local machinery. 
Accepting in general Sir Norman Lockyer’s proposals and 
the national urgency of the object aimed at, Mr. Griffiths 
justly considered that the present bonds between the affiliated 
societies and the Association were too loose for the purpose. 
“ If we could supply the links,” he said, “ which would bind 
together all the Scientific Societies of this kingdom, so that in 
matters of national importance they would move as a united 
body, it would be difficult to overestimate the influence which 
could be thus exerted, for it is certain that amongst the 
members of these local Societies are included many of the 
most intelligent and influential men in their respective 
districts. At present, however, apart from their interest in 
natural science, these local Societies have little in common.” 
Proposals were made for revising the conditions under 
which local Societies were affiliated to the Association ; but 
at the second Conference of Delegates it was unanimously 
decided to support the Chairman in applying for the appoint- 
ment of a special Committee, consisting of members of the 
Council of the Association, together with representatives of 
the Corresponding Societies, to consider the present relation 
between the British Association and local Scientific Societies, 
and to make recommendations to the Council accordingly. 
In view of the remarks on this subject made by my pre- 
decessor, Mr. Long, at our last annual meeting. I have thought 
it desirable to inform the Society of the tendency of more 
recent developments. There can be little doubt that, 
apart from the primary and important object of the present 
movement, a closer federation of local Societies would tend to 
promote the studies in which they are all concerned, especially 
by encouraging co-operation in the investigation of particular 
problems and the adoption of more complete and uniform 
methods in the registration of natural history phenomena. 
On September 27th, Mr. F. Balfour Browne, M.A., F.Z.S., 
b 2 
