PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
263 
and that members should have access to them at the monthly meetings. 
Another suggestion is, that we should pay a yearly subscription to a 
scientific library ; but this, of course, must depend greatly upon our 
funds, which at present, I fear, will hardly meet such a strain. I 
would now, gentlemen, direct your attention to the objects of the 
Society, viz. the study of natural history. Some of the means by 
which this is to be accomplished have received very little attention 
beyond the notice in our report, viz. “ The formation of cabinets 
illustrating geology, entomology, and mineralogy (and, I presume, we 
might add conchology), also a cabinet and herbarium for the use 
of botanical members.” Now, this desirable end might, I venture to 
think, be easily attained by making more use of our field excursions 
than we do. Let every gentleman attending these excursions collect 
for the Society as well as for himself, and we should by this means 
engender a little honest rivalry, which would act as an incentive, and, 
I am quite sure, we should be possessed of a nucleus of a museum. It 
would be well if our excursions were better attended, and if we can 
make them more attractive possibly they will be. From a health 
point of view alone they are important, especially to those of us 
who 
“ Long in the noisy town have been immur’d, 
Respir’d its smoke, and all its cares endured,” 
for there is scarcely a greater pleasure than a ramble in the country, 
especially if one has an object in view. Collecting specimens is, 
however, of very little value merely as specimens. They must be 
properly named and properly kept. Here is a difficulty, and, I fear, 
rather a great one. The room here is, I am afraid, too damp to keep 
such tender things as botanical and entomological specimens, either in 
cabinets or in cases. But supposing some gentleman in the neigh- 
bourhood would undertake the office of curator, the cases of specimens 
collected could be kept under his charge. They might be exhibited at 
annual meetings in order that we might really see what work we are 
doing ; and they would besides add an interesting feature to those 
meetings by an exhibition of the fauna and flora of the neighbourhood 
of New Cross. The object of the Society, I take it, gentlemen, may 
be summed up in an endeavour to mutually improve ourselves, and 
perhaps our conversational evenings carry out this object as well 
as anything else we do, for at these meetings we can compare notes, 
learn each other’s difficulties, and pick up “ wrinkles” not mentioned 
in papers, or asked for in discussions. While we number among our 
members some of acknowledged scientific attainment, practical students, 
and lovers of nature, still many of us are but beginners in nature’s 
primer. I would say to these — Be not cast down at difficulties, but 
be sure at the turn of every page in Nature’s Library so much the 
more happiness will be gained, so many apparent incongruities cleared 
up, that this of itself should be an incentive to future action. And if 
we cannot all reach fame, still we have the knowledge that much 
valuable work has been done by the plodding student, which has often 
