166 NOTES ON THE CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES OF THE
It was announced by Mr. A. S. Reid, on behalf of the Committee
of Section C (Geology), that the Underground Waters Committee
would present their final Report next year, and would be glad to
receive further information up to the date of publication. Also that
the Coast Erosion Committee had not sent in a Report, though they
had plenty of material in hand.
Mr. Symons, chairman of the "Earth Tremors Committee,"
announced that its work was going on under the care of Mr.
Davison (Secretary). He added that he should like to hold its
Report in suspense for a while, in the hope of future co-operation
with some of the Corresponding Societies.
The Chairman announced that the "Committee to Consider
Proposals for the Legislative Protection of Wild Birds' Eggs," had
been reappointed, and that the delegates would in due time receive
a final communication on the question. The usual discussion on
this subject took place ; some delegates being more inclined to
blame boys, others to think that collectors were the most destructive
influences. There was, however, a general agreement that moral
pressure brought to bear upon boys and collectors was likely to prove
more efficacious than legislation ; and that rare birds might
become extinct before legislation could protect their eggs. Mr. C.
H. Torr, one of the Nottingham delegates, said that he could under-
take that the matter should be brought before the local School
Board ; an example that might well be followed by the naturalists of
other counties.
The Chairman in his introductory remarks, and in others which
he made as representative of Section H (Anthropology), spoke of
the Ethnographical Survey of the United Kingdom, which is being
organised by a Committee of the British Association, as a matter in
which the assistance of the Corresponding Societies was especially
needed. And Mr. Brabrook, the Chairman of the Committee,
distributed copies of its first Report among the delegates. The
Committee had, he said, obtained, by communication with the
Corresponding Societies, a list of nearly 300 villages, with some
account of their leading features and peculiarities, all of which were
worthy of special examination by the Committee. For this result,
which was much beyond their anticipations, the Ethnographical
Committee gave its most hearty thanks to the members of the
Corresponding Societies who had helped them so efficiently. The
next step taken by the Committee had been to draw up a brief code