34 Yorkshire Naturalists' Union : Annual Report, 1917. 



Mr. Fred Rhodes, 113 Park Row, Heaton Road, Bradford. 



Mr. J. R. Simpson, Banks, Honley, near Huddersfield. 



Dr. H. Douglas Smart, Clifton House, Shelley. 



Mr. S. S. Stanley, 8 Kingston Place, Woodhouse Lane, 

 Leeds. 



Mr. B. J. Whitaker, M.B.O.U., Hesley Hall, near Bawtry. 



The Affiliated Societies now number thirty-three, having 

 a total membership of 2391, the reduction being, of course, 

 due to the difficulties incidental to the times. 



Obituary. — The Union has to mourn the loss by death of 

 several of its prominent members, viz : Charles Crossland, 

 Halifax (an ex-President of the Union) ; George Massee, 

 F.L.S., V.M.H., Seven Oaks (a valued member of the Mycolog- 

 ical Committee) ; T. H. Nelson, M.Sc, J.P., M.B.O.U., 

 Redcar (a valued member of the Vertebrate Zoologj^ Section, 

 and the author of ' The Birds of Yorkshire ') ; Charles 

 Bradshaw, F.G.S., F.C.S., Sheffteld (one of the joint secretaries 

 of the Geological Section) ; Wm. Foggitt, J. P., F.L.S., 

 Thirsk ; Samuel Margerison, Leeds ; U. Green, F.G.S., 

 London ; Mr. C. T. Trechmann, Ph.D., F.G.S., Castle Eden ; 

 and Dr. R. Braithwaite (an ex-President of the Union, and 

 author of ' The British Moss Flora.') ' In Memoriam ' notices 

 of these gentlemen have appeared in The Naturalist. 



Local Treasurers. — For the services rendered by these 

 gentlemen the thanks of the L^nion are tendered. 



General Committee. — The following have been added 

 to the permanent General Committee, viz. : — 

 W. J. Clarke, F.Z.S., Scarborough. 

 Walter Greaves, Hebden Bridge. 

 G. Howard. Rotherham. 

 J. T. Sewell, J.P., Whitby. 



VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY. 



West Riding.- — Mr. H. B. Booth writes : — Undoubtedly 

 the exceptionally long and cold winter of 1916-7 had a most 

 disturbing and disastrous effect on the species of birds that 

 usually winter in the West Riding, though to what extent each 

 species was affected is a matter of doubt, and in some cases, 

 of conflicting opinions. But there is general agreement as to 

 how the Thrush family were almost decimated, with the 

 exception of the Blackbird. Curiously, around Ben Rhydding 

 and district there were considerably more hen Blackbirds than 

 cocks, which has been exactly the reverse in other winters). 

 The nesting Song Thrushes have been much scarcer than I have 

 ever known them to be, though this is probably due to the 

 severity of the winter in the south-western counties, and also 

 in the south of Ireland (see C. B. Moffatt, in The Irish Natura- 

 list), where such continuous arctic conditions occurred as have 



Naturalist, 



