Abstract
IN all branches of knowledge which deal with the nature or configuration of the earth, or with its animal or plant population, or with human ecology, past and present, teaching cannot be adequate unless the student can learn in the field as well as in the lecture-room, library and laboratory; this is equally important whether he is to become a teacher, an administrator or a research worker. It is difficult, often impossible, to carry out adequate field excursions from school or university. The time taken in travelling to and from any but the nearest localities leaves little opportunity for serious work; the carriage of apparatus and equipment is also a major problem. Moreover, in research it is often necessary that continuous observations in the field should be carried out over long periods; this is essential where the subject-matter of a problem is so great that its adequate investigation will take many years; for example, the detailed geological or geographical study of selected areas, or the study of fauna and flora. It is equally essential where seasonal changes are all-important, such as the effect of weather on coastal configuration, or the observation of seasonal changes in the fauna and flora of the sea, lakes and rivers, or on the land. A great deal of the biological field-work done at present loses much of its value because of the impossibility of making regular observations in the same area throughout the year.
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BUTLER, F. The Council for the Promotion of Field Studies. Nature 155, 744–746 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/155744a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/155744a0