86 
The South Australian Naturalist. 
emotion too deep for words. It is true, as the physiologists tell us 
that the olfactory nerve is closely connected with the grey matter' 
At any rate, no other sense so vividly recalls past scenes.' 
To all these exquisite delights is added the charm of con- 
genial and intimate social intercourse; the joyous resilience of 
youth is tempered by the wisdom and experience of the veteran 
The formal conventions of city life give place to the freedom 
and kindly amenities of life in the country. In the loneliness and 
calm of the bush the mind expands and readily opens to the 
claims of the higher nature. Heart-to-heart talks on the deeper 
things of the spirit are in perfect harmony with the surroundings, 
and lifelong friendships often sprung from these mutual under- 
standings. The little mite of three gazes open-eyed at the strange 
creatures of the bush, and listens entranced to the cries and songs 
of the birds; the tireless small boy scampers through the scrub 
intent on rare specimens for the leaders of his own collection. 
The able director of the Botanic Gardens, Mr, Bailey, in his cap- 
acity of president, seasons his botanic subtleties with ready jest, 
merry quip and apt anecdote. The leaders, too, are equally keen 
and ever ready to place at the service of members their varied 
stores of bush lore, the fruit of years of observation of native 
plant and animal. There is the genial doctor, quiet, and retiring, 
a skilled botanist ,and a leading authority on Australian fungi, 
The professor of botany at the University has an intimate acquain- 
tance with the rare forms of plants to be found in most diverse 
r'^gions of our State, and is ever ready with courteous explanations 
for humble enquirers. On the dredging excursions the mystery 
and remarkable adaptations of marine life illustrated from living 
specimens are explained by the professor of biology, and the 
museum assistants and form the theme of instructive talks by 
Messrs. Hale, Kimber, Ham, and Trigg. Mr. Ham, indeed, is the 
most versatile of the leaders and seems equally at home on all 
natural history subjects. Mr. B. Beck runs a good second and 
their general conversation is full of interesting detail. Then 
there is the extremely popular doctor of science, who on occasions 
far too rare, gives us the benefits of his profound knowledge of 
Australian geology, and translates for the uninitiated the great 
epic carved on scarp and quarry face. Nor must the genial sec- 
retary be forgotten, an expert botanist and indefatigable in his 
researches, highly esteemed for his knowledge, his ready help and 
kindly demeanour, a secretary in a thousand. But the w 
time is not taken up with scientific disqusition. Playful talk or 
serious on many other subjects, light bandinage, and quick ex- 
changes add the salt of humour and heighten the pleasures of these 
outings. Mr. Kimber is equally ready to describe a mollusc or 
