284
NOTES ON THE CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES
OF THE CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES OF
THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION, TORONTO,
1897.
[Compiled by the Editor.]
MR. T. V. Holmes, the Secretary to the Conference, who
has for the last few years acted as the Delegate of the
Essex Field Club, was unable to go to Canada with the
Association, and Prof. Meldola, F.R.S., acted in that
capacity. Prof. Meldola gave a brief verbal report of the
proceedings of the Conference at our meeting on December nth
last (ante p. 232), but in continuation of the series of notices of
the proceedings which have appeared regularly in the publica-
tions of the Club since the establishment of these Conferences
in August, 1882, it may be well to print here a few notes of the
Toronto Conference.
The first meeting was held in the University on August
19th, Prof. Meldola being Chairman, with Mr. J. Hopkinson,
F.L.S., as Secretary.
The first subject brought up for discussion was the Report
on the scheme for Federation of Local Societies suggested by
Mr. Abbott at the Liverpool Meeting the previous year. This
matter has been somewhat fully explained by Mr. Holmes and
Prof. Boulger in papers printed in the Essex Naturalist, 1 and
consequently a few words only are needed here to show the
present position of the question. In answer to the circular
requesting opinions on the scheme, which was sent to 66 Corres-
ponding Societies and to 58 others, only 34 replies were received.
These may be classified thus :—
The Report comments on this list as follows :—
"The two Societies prevented by circumstances from joining Unions
are the Cambridge Philosophical Society and the Marlborough College
Natural History Society. In the replies from the four Societies classed as
1 Mr. Holmes' Report as Delegate, E.N., vol. XI., pp. 236-241; Prof. Boulger's paper,
"The Federation Ideal for Natural History Societies, with special reference to the Eastern
Counties." E.N., vol. X., pp. 51-55.