94
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
election as an ordinary member, as required by the rules, and
his term of office as President lasted for three years.
His contributions to our Journal were numerous. Among the
more important are the following :—
What is the Use of the Essex Field Club ? Essex Nat., I.,
pp. 180-81.
Some Essex Well Sections. Transactions E.F.C. IV.,
pp. 149-170.
Some Essex Well-Sections, Essex Nat., III., pp. 44-54.
VI., pp. 47-60.
,, IX., pp. 167-190.
[With W. H. Dalton] List of Works on the Geology of
Essex, Essex Nat., III., pp. 61-86.
On a Deep Channel of Drift in the Valley of the Cam,
Essex (Abstract), Essex Nat., III., pp. 140-2.
Notes on Essex Geology at the latter end of the Nine-
teenth Century and after, Essex Nat., XVII., pp.
265-284.
The Vange Mineral Wells, Essex Nat., XX., pp. 221-3.
Whitaker was a profound believer in the value of public
libraries as a means of education, and he had ever in mind the
welfare of the libraries of the numerous scientific societies with
which he was associated, and went out of his way to secure for
them volumes which he knew would be fitting accessions. Our
own Club Library benefited largely by his efforts ; not only
personal gifts of books, but also generous donations from scientific
libraries belonging to deceased friends and left to his judgment
to distribute aright, were frequently made. So recently as
December last he handed to the writer, for the Club's library,
his own presentation copy of Lucas's English translation of
Kalm's "Account of his Visit to England" (1892), remarking,
as he did so, that the book ought to be in the libraries of both
Essex and Hertfordshire societies : and he added, "As you
are here, you had better take it," which I accordingly did, at
the same time obtaining his dated signature on the flyleaf. On
that occasion I observed how easily he read small print without
the aid of glasses, and he assured me that he had never needed
them for reading.
His fondness for outdoor excursions was most marked ; they
were persisted in down to within two years before his death,