Show SCIENTIFIC DEPARTMENT The Work Before the Natural History Society The field of research proposed by the Natural History Society of Utah is so broad that no individual member is safe in undertaking to point out what should be undertaken in more than one or or two of the great departments of the work awaiting us In the few suggestions which I offer at this time I shall say nothing of the work wor awaiting the geologist mIneralogist mineralogist mineralogist gist and anthropologist as the w work rk in those lines may be much more properly discussed by actual workers in those fields but I shall confine myself to a few suggestions to those interested in biological biological biological biolo biolo- research Utah is naturally divided into two physical divisions the part included in inthe inthe inthe the Great Basin and and the part exterior to the Great Basin It is probable that each of these divi ions divisions ions may profitably be divided into several sub divisions and the wor work of the biologist thus be c simpli simpli- fied Much botanical work has already been done but the field Beld for original re research research research re- re search in botany is still a wide one It Itis Itis Itis is probable that close and careful study will bring to light some more new species species species cies of flowering plants and the flowerless flowerless flower- flower less plants with the exception of the ferns and hor tails horse tails se-tails have received very very little attention As yet the range of even our most common plants has not been thoroughly determined d and the time is rapidly I passing when it will be easy to decide positively which are our native plants and which have been introduced To sum up briefly the immediate work of the botan botanist is 1st Search every nook and corner of the state for new species of flowering plants plan ts 2nd Determine the range of each species of plant and whether r it is an introduced introduced in in- trod ced or orr native species 3rd Begin to study and to make a collection of our native and introduced cryptogams The work of the zoologist may be briefly tabulated as follows MAMMALS 1st What mammals are now living in Utah and what is is' their range 2nd What ones have recently become become become be be- come extinct and when did they become extinct 3rd What are their habits and are they beneficial or injurious BIRDS BIRDSAll All of the questions relating to mammals mammals mammals mam mam- mals are equally applicable to birds andin andin and andin in addition to these th the following points hould be noted 1 What birds are migratory and what ones are permanent residents 2 Do the migratory species come in rom rom the north or the south and when io lo o they arrive and leave 3 What constitutes the food of birds both oth summer and winter Accurate observations carefully recorded recorded recorded re re- corded should be made on our cur reptiles fishes mollusks cr crustaceans and insects If workers along these lines can be found in widely separated parts of Utah each year will bring a vast increase to our knowledge and eventually the biological biological biological biolo biolo- survey of Utah will be completed So far as possible collections illustrative illustrative illustrative tive of local natural history should be made in all parts of Utah and sent to the museum of the Natural History Society C. C A. A Whiting Whiling lg |