38 MEETING OF CORRESPONDING SOCIETIES.
usually not in favour with the paid official. He mentioned
delegates present, who were secretaries, whose work was well
known and was honorary.
" The subjects for discussion were 'Local Natural History
Societies and their Publications' and 'The Question of the
Compilation of an Index to the Latter.' The first was dealt
with by Mr. John Hopkinson, on behalf of the Hertfordshire
Natural History Society; but the contribution from Mr. William
Cole, of the Essex Field Club, upon the second did not reach the
meeting in time to be read, though it appears in the report.
Nevertheless, when discussing Mr. Hopkinson's paper, the
question of a general index was considered, and most speakers
were not in favour of such an undertaking.
" Your delegate also attended a joint meeting of the Educa-
tional Section of the French Association and the Conference
of Delegates of the British Association, the object of which was
to determine what could be done in France. Mr. Hopkinson
and Dr. Garson gave further information with regard to the
work of local societies; and Dr. Loir, the local Secretary for
Havre, and Professor Julian Ray, President of the Educational
Section, expressed their views, and promised that a report
of what had been said should be sent to the various French so-
cieties. The question of the changes which are to be made in
French units was also discussed; and it was understood that
the intention was to arrange a Conference at the meeting of the
French Association in 1915 of the same character as the British
Conference of Delegates of the Corresponding Societies."
A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE PUBLICATIONS OF
LOCAL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
We venture to place before the Conference some suggestions for a
piece of work which might be undertaken by the Committee of the Con-
ference, on behalf of the British Association, to the great benefit and
encouragement of the numerous amateur naturalists in the country, and
a work which would even be useful to students and practical workers in
science of higher pretensions. It is that a full bibliography of all papers
contained in the Transactions and Journals of local Scientific Societies of
Great Britain and Ireland should be compiled and published. The
value of such a work has forcibly suggested itself during the collation
and binding up of the extensive series of these publications contained in
the library of the Essex Field Club. It was abundantly evident how
much information, the result of painstaking research, lies practically