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recall a card in the study of the late Fred Chapman 
which stated “Label now, to-morrow you will have 
forgotten”. This statement is only too true. 
Our catalogue make our collections either worthwhile 
or worthless when we decide to disperse them, or when 
the dispersal is left to others, and j recall many a good 
specimen that would be of so much more scientific value 
if it had had a label or a reference to a properly kept 
catalogue. 
Again the field naturalist is a conserver of nature, 
not allowing wanton destruction by either himself or 
others, and endeavouring by example to further this idea. 
This does not mean that collections should not be made, 
but rather that we should collect with care and leave 
the places collected over as little disturbed as possible. 
For example, ou the sea shore a rock may be turned 
over in the search for shells; the undersurface of this 
rock will most likely have sponges, anemones, polyzoa 
and other animals living on it and these will soon die if 
they are exposed to the sun. It is a simple matter to 
replace the rock as it was after taking what we require. 
We should see now that in the gathering of knowl- 
edge, there is certainly a place for the field naturalist, 
so there must surely be a place in the community for 
him. What this place is and how lie accepts it, depends 
a lot on the person concerned. 
Organised research is, in the main, a function of the 
large institution, but the individual has been shown cap- 
able of, and indeed very able in, assisting these bodies 
by his special knowledge. Even without a special knowl- 
edge, the. field naturalist by his general knowledge can 
do a lot to help the community at large. Such help is 
often not appreciated, but we must continue to do our 
part in spite of this. 1 refer here to such problems as 
conservation and protection of wild life. Many an 
animal’s life can he saved by spreading the news of its 
place in the economy of the primary production of the 
State. The birds of prey are still mostly shot at on sight, 
the boy with the shanghi and pea rifle is still with us, 
and we have such so-called sports as bird shooting; the 
horrors of maimed birds being killed with sticks is a 
blot on our humanity. Egg collecting is not as preva- 
lent as in my young days, but there still seems to be 
much unnecessary destruction of native fauna and flora. 
It seems to me then, that the proper place of the 
field naturalist in the community, is as an education 
officer, with the experience of some study behind him, 
