95 



of his personal appearance ; and this has happily been affected by Mr. Butler, 

 with a fidelity which is highly satisfactory to his nearest and dearest friends and 

 connexions ; and I have much pleasure in hearing that a mould of the bast is or 

 will be prepared, which will enable such of his friends as are desirous to possess 

 a copy. 



With the members of the Cotteswold and Malvern Clubs, whose districts have 

 been illustrated by the botanical and geological researches of Mr. Hugh Strickland, 

 and where he had long been Icnown and valued, a subscription originated to place 

 a window to his memory in his parish church of Deerhurst. I heartily call your 

 attention to this laudable design, and shall be happy to communicate to Mr. 

 Symonds— whose absence on this occasion I much regret — any contributions from 

 our members towEirds this object. 



I now pass to the business of our present meeting, so far as your retiring 

 President is concerned. 



The financial statement I will but briefly refer to. A laxity in the payment of 

 the yearly subscriptions has already commenced, to which it is proper your attention 

 should be at once called, with the view of preventing its recurrence. Little or 

 no expense, beyond that of printing the yearly statement, has been incurred, so 

 that no inconvenience has yet arisen ; all that need be said, therefore, is, that it 

 is suggested that in future a statement of the year's receipts and expenditure be 

 printed with the annual papers, and to request members to bear in mind that 

 their subscriptions are due at the conamencement of each year. 



Though the last year has been productive of but few papers by our members, 

 I may venture to say, the object for which the Club was formed, namely, the 

 practical study of the Natural History of Herefordshire, has been strictly kept 



Four papers have been brought before our meetings : — 



1. An elaborate paper, by Mr. Hewett Wheatley, on the Fishes of the Here- 

 fordshire Waters, from the perusal of which no one at all acquainted with the 

 subject can arise, without feehng convinced of the superior scientific attainments 

 and practical knowledge of its author on a very curious and interesting enquiry. 



2. We were favoured by Mr. Sjononds with a notice of lias and oolite fossils, 

 found in the gravel near Cradley (west of the Malvern Hills) and his speculations 

 on these facts ; which, trifling as they may appear, are of great importance ; 

 affording real data in the discussion of questions, now of increasing interest, on 

 the distribution of land and water, in times comparatively recent in the physical 

 history of the earth.* 



* In the discussion which arose on this p:iper, I st.Tted that numy years ago a Gryphaea 

 incurva, very little worn, was brought to me by a person who assured me he had tnken ii from 

 the gravel at Aymestry (perhaps 400 feet above the level of the sea), and ihat I had another 

 specimen, much worn, which was taken from the gravel of the Wye. in the Oak Meadow, opposite 

 to Ross. I quite believe these specimens were found in the localities above stated, and am con- 

 firmed in this opinion by a statement niaiie by Mr. T.ingwond at our last meeting that he had 

 found the Gryphaea in the gravel near Much Dewchurch.— .Aug., 1854. 



