366 ANNUAL CONGRESS OR CONFERENCE.
federation, certainly so far as publication was concerned at least.
Any movement to keep together the records of the three counties
of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex must be a move in the right
direction. He concluded by remarking that Ipswich would be a
capital centre for the first annual congress.
Dr. Vincent (President, Ipswich Society) considered that the
papers read before the Joint Congress, and the discussion arising
thereon, would be a very valuable result of the proposed
federation; as much so, possibly, as joint publication. He
supported the motion.
Mr. H. Miller (Ipswich) agreed with the resolution, and
thought that the congress should be movable. The difficulties
of transit would be largely overcome if it was a two days'
meeting.
Mr. W. Whitaker, F.R.S. (Essex), said that he had lived
and worked in the three counties, and was himself an example
of federation. He would not discourage small organizations
such as microscopical societies; in his opinion the special uses
of federation indeed would be to foster the small societies, and
that would help the larger ones also.
Professor Boulger, F.L.S. (Vice-President, E.F.C), strongly
supported the resolution. As also did Mr. J. C. Shenstone, Mr.
E. A. Fitch, F.L.S. (Vice-President, E.F.C.)
The Chairman summed up the discussion, and made some
interesting observations on the importance of individual work,
and the encouragement which co-operation would afford to such
students. He cordially supported the idea set forth in the
resolution.
The Resolution was carried unanimously, and it was left to
the committees of the three societies to formulate some plan of
work on the lines laid down for the first Conference in 1899.
The subject attracted considerable notice by the press.
Amongst others,.the London Standard had an admirable "leader"
in its issue on the morning of the meeting. The writer in the
Standard strongly supported the movement, and especially the
establishment of a Zoological Station. In the course of his
remarks he commented on the work done by local societies as—
"neither small in amount nor unimportant in character. This has been
ungrudgingly recognized again and again by many eminent scientific men—
notably by Huxley, who in his Presidential Address to the Quekett Micro-