158 MIDLAND UNION — GENERAL BUSINESS. 



counties, it cannot be doubted that the organisation would result in 

 much good. A Yearly Conference of the officers of these four divisions 

 might be held, with a general Congress of the members (say) every 

 five (or ten) years. 



The following list of Scientific Societies in the Midlands which do 

 not as yet belong to the Midland Union, is taken from the work referred 

 to above. It is greatly to be desired that all the Societies whose mem- 

 bers do real work in science, as distinguished from those which are 

 " Popular Lecture " Societies only, should be welded into one homo- 

 geneous whole, so as to " keep touch " with one another, and mutually 

 aid and encourage one another. 



List of Societies in the Midlands ivhich do not belon;/ to the Union. 



Derbyshire. — Chesterfield and Derby Institute of Engineers. 

 Leicestershire. — Scientific Association of Leicester. 



Loughborough Literary and Philosophical Society. 

 Hertfordshire. — Watford Natural History Society, and Herts Field 



Club. 

 Herefordshire. — The Woolhope Field Club. 



Cambridgeshire. — Cambridge Field Naturalists' Club and Entomological 

 Society. 



Cambridge Natural Science Club. 

 Bucks. — High Wycombe Natural History Society. 

 Berkshire. — Wellington College Natural Science Society. 



Newbury District Field Club. 



Reading Microscopical Society. 

 Warwickshire. — Smallheath Literary and Scientific Society. 



Warwickshire Natural History and Archseological Society. 



Warwickshire Natural History and Archseological Field Club. 



Rugby School Natural History Society. 



Leamington Philosophical Society. 

 Worcestershire. — Worcestershire Natural History Society. 



Worcestershire Natural History Field Club. 



Malvern Field Club. 



In accordance with a suggestion made last year, application has 

 been made to certain of the railway companies to extend to naturalists 

 the privileges afforded to members of fishing clubs, of travelling to 

 certain localities, and on half-holidays, at cheap rates. This applica- 

 tion has hitherto not been successful, the difficulty being that the 

 botanist or geologist does not usually carry about with him so much 

 cumbrous apparatus as the angler, so that, while the errand of the 

 latter is pretty plain to the booking clerk, there is no similar surety for 

 the nature of the trip of the man of science ; but, besides this, several 

 other difficulties presented themselves. 



The time of the Annual Meeting has hitherto been necessarily 

 taken up with business relating to the establishment and organization 

 of the Union. At future meetings it may be possible to arrange for the 

 reading of short papers desciibing any important work done by 

 members of the Union during the past year. 



An invitation to the Union to meet at Tamworth, in 1883, has been 

 received from the Tamworth Natural History, Geological, and Anti- 

 quarian Society, and the Council recommend its acceptance, feeling 

 sure that the central position of the town, the attractive nature of the 



* lu the " Geology of the Counties of England and of North aud South 

 Wales," by W. Jerome Harrison. F.G.S. (London, Kelly and Co.) 



