THE PAST AND FUTURE OF THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 69
point to a larger number of acts of zeal and liberality on the part of
its members, both ordinary and honorary, than can ours. Nor can
any local scientific association show, in the same period, a greater
amount of energy successfully applied to the elucidation of the
natural history and prehistoric archaeology of its district. In addition
to our scientific labours we may also look back with satisfaction on
the part played by our Field Club in preventing the injury that
would have been wrought to Epping Forest by a certain railway of
which we now happily hear no more. Indeed, it seems to me that
in nothing can our society be more usefully employed, apart from its
scientific work, than in doing its utmost to check not only the execu-
tion of ill-advised railways, but of all projects for stopping footpaths
or enclosing commons in the county of Essex. I trust that our
members, wherever they may reside, will do their best to obtain
information about such schemes, and at once send it to our secre-
tary, so that the influence of this Field Club, together with those of
the Commons and Footpaths' Preservation Societies, may be brought
to bear before it is too late. On the other side of the question,
though little or nothing can be urged on behalf of the common-
grabbers, there is often some excuse, though not an adequate one,
for those who long to close up footpaths. I think that, as a very
general rule, farmers would seldom object to the presence of people
like ourselves in their fields for the purpose of collecting plants,
insects, etc., could they be sure that, though otherwise evidently
harmless, we would carefully abstain from damaging fences and
leaving gates open or insecurely fastened. During many years'
experience on the Geological Survey in Yorkshire and Cumberland,
I never once, when wandering freely over the fields, met with either
objection or incivility from a farmer, or even with excessive curiosity
as to what I was about. Nor have I any complaint to make of that
much more suspicious class of men, gamekeepers. Therefore I trust
that our members, while in pursuit of their prey, will be careful to
give no excuse to owners and occupiers of land to desire their
absence, and consequently to attempt to diminish their rights.
Turning to our purely scientific interests and work, I have, in the
first place, to congratulate all those interested in the geology, botany
and zoology of Essex, on the publication of the whole of the drift
maps of the county by the Geological Survey. Rather more than a
year ago I pointed out the special advantages of drift maps in Nor-
folk, Suffolk and Essex, and the comparative uselessness of maps of