18 Sheppard / Yorkshire’s Contribution to Science, 
way, trying to emulate the old-fashioned but delightful ‘ all- 
round’ type of naturalist, of whom many of you will recollect 
excellent examples on the earlier excursions of the Yorkshire 
Naturalists’ Union. But even with this ideal I have found it 
necessary to take such unnatural history pastimes as golf, etc., 
lest I develop into an ‘all-round’ naturalist in a more literal 
sense. 
Probably by now it will have dawned upon you that this 
somewhat elaborate preamble is merely an apology for the short- 
comings of my address, and for the glorious traditions of the 
Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union I deeply grieve that upon this, the 
first occasion that a University has honoured us by allowing us 
to hold a general meeting within its walls, you have so poor a 
figure-head. (I trust I am not misunderstood in this term, I 
collect ‘figure-heads,’ so know something about them. A 
figure-head is usually a wooden effigy, more or less grotesque, 
placed on the front of a ship. It has absolutely no say or control 
over the ship’s course, but should anything go wrong with the 
steering gear, it is the first to get bruised or damaged). 
But from some slight acquaintance with the rules of the 
Union, I can assure you that the President is not self-elected— 
the figure head is chosen by the builders or by the crew. If it 
fails to add dignity to the craft the fault is not his, and doubtless 
the Union feels something like Touchstone when introducing 
Audrey to the Duke, ‘A poor .. . ill-favoured thing, sir, but mine 
own. 
Once upon a time I used to write various notes and criticisms 
for a paper called The Naturalist, and the then editor, Mr. Denison 
Roebuck, prevailed upon me to prepare the annual bibliographies 
of geology and paleontology for the north of England, which have 
appeared fairly regularly ever since, with, I can only hope, some 
little benefit to the geologists, whatever the botanists, zoologists 
and the good old ‘ general body’ of readers may have thought. 
I was recently horrified to find that I have prepared these 
since 1893, over twenty years ago. 
Though these lists may not appear to be very imposing, only 
the true bibliomaniac knows what their compilation means. I 
will candidly admit that at the time I did not know, or the prob- 
ability is that they would never have appeared. But for their 
preparation it is necessary, not only to record every and any 
independent volume, but an examination must be made of the 
various and numerous publications, reports, transactions, 
proceedings and monographs of the enormous number of geological, 
archeological, philosophical, microscopical, zoological, entomo- 
logical, conchological, ornithological, botanical and other scientific, 
natural history, antiquarian or literary societies occurring in the 
area dealt with by the bibliography. And, on account of the 
failure of several societies to restrict themselves to the districts 
_ Naturalist, 
