Natural History. 113 



PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO THE 

 LINCOLNSHIRE NATURALISTS' 

 UNION, 1896.* 



By Rev. CANON W. W. FOWLER, M.A., F.L.S., F.E.S. 



IT is usual to estimate the success of any society or union 

 of members, and it must be allowed that, although often 



misleading, the growth or decrease of the number of 

 members affords a rough method, at all events, for judging of 

 its prosperity and popularity. On December 3ist, 1895, the 

 Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union consisted of 76 members. 

 During the present year 31 new members have joined, one has 

 died, one has left the county, one has resigned, and the 

 membership of three has lapsed, owing to non-payment of 

 subscriptions ; this leaves the present number at 107 

 (including twelve life members), so that we show a net 

 increase of nineteen. This, though of course satisfactory, 

 cannot as yet be said to be an adequate representation of the 

 people in this large county who are interested in natural 

 history, and there is no doubt but that the membership might 

 be very largely increased if each of the present members would 

 endeavour to induce his friends to join the Union. 



Our obituary is limited to one notice, but by the death of 

 Lord Lilford we have lost an ornithologist of world-wide 

 reputation, whose literary work is of the utmost value to 

 science, and whose ability was only equalled by his kindness 

 and generosity. 



It is usually the custom in the addresses of the scientific 

 societies to allude to any important works published during the 

 year which relate to their especial subject, and it seems only 

 right that in our Union we should make allusion to scientific 

 works of any kind in which our members have taken part. 

 We ought, therefore to congratulate Miss Florence Woolward, 

 of Belton, on the conclusion of her great work on the orchids 



Re-published by special permission from The Naturalist, 1897, pp. 149-156. 



Vol. 5, No. 40, Lines. N. & 9. H 



Not. Hist. Sect, 



