ANNUAL MEETING GENERAL BUSINESS. 157 



" Any student of natural history who has attained the age of four- 

 teen, on the nomination of two members, to one of whom he or she is 

 personally known, or on the recommendation of the Head Master or 

 Mistress, Professor or Lecturer of any College, School, or other educa- 

 tional institution of the district, seconded by a member, and supported 

 by the recommendation of the Committee, may be elected an associate 

 at any general meeting, and shall then, subject to the laws of the Society, 

 but without payment of any subscription, enjoy all the privileges of 

 members except that of voting until he or she shall have attained the age 

 of nineteen, but no longer ; but if any associate do not use the privileges 

 aforesaid, the Committee shall have the power to declare him or her to 

 be no longer an associate. The number of associates shall not at anytime 

 exceed twenty. " 



Your Council desire to draw the attention of the members who are 

 interested in microscopy to the facilities now and for some time past 

 afforded by one of the members — Mr. Thos. Bolton, 17, Ann Street, 

 Birmingham — to all who are desirous of studying the rarer forms of 

 fresbwater microscopic life. This gentleman will, for a subscription of one 

 guinea, send a weekly supply of living microscopic objects for a period of 

 six months. During the past year he has in this way distributed among 

 many of the members and scientific students in all parts of the country 

 a large number of organisms, which otherwise they would, probably, not 

 have seen, or could not have obtained except with great difficulty. To 

 students of biology Mr. Bolton's " Natural History Studio " has proved 

 a real boon, and. Professor Bay Lankester and others have borne 

 testimony to the value it has been to them and to the students who have 

 attended their demonstrations. 



Your Council feel they cannot properly omit from their annual report 

 the record of a very valuable work which one of the Societies in the 

 Union — the Birmingham Philosophical Society — has earnestly engaged 

 in — the endowment of original scientific research. With a wise and 

 generous liberality, some of the members have started a fund for this 

 purpose, which already amounts to over £700 in donations, and to £70 in 

 annual subscriptions, out of which a sum of £150 per annum for three 

 years bas been voted to Dr. George Gore, F.B.S., author of that valuable 

 book " Tbe Art of Scientific Discovery," which amount is, in the terms 

 of tbe grant, placed at his disposal in order that he " may bave greater 

 facilities for continuing in Birmingham his oi'iginal researches." The 

 Council of the Philosophical Society propose to make other grants as 

 soon as the funds will permit. 



It now only remains for your Council to warmly acknowledge how 

 much they appreciate the excellent arrangements made for the present 

 gathering of the Union by the Northampton Natural History 

 Society, and to ask you to give suitable expression of your thanks for 

 all the trouble and expense which has been incurred by the Society 

 on your behalf, and in the interests of natural science. 



The reception of the report was moved by the Peesident and 

 seconded by Mr. W. B. Hughes. After a short discussion on the subject 

 matter of the report, which was approved of by the several speakers, 



Lord Lilfokd proposed, and the Bev. Dr. Deane seconded, the 

 following resolution, which was unanimously agreed to : — " That the 

 report of the Council be adopted, entered on the minutes, and printed 

 in the ' Midland Naturalist.' " 



Mr. Egbert D. Hamel (Hon. Treasurer) then read his report, from 



