350 Notes and Comments. 
LANDOWNERS AND PLANTS. 
He also resented interfering in any way with the land- 
owners, either by making suggestions to them or by giving 
them additional powers. From many years’ experience with 
landowners in all parts of Yorkshire, he had found that they 
invariably were only too willing to give every facility to 
Natural History Societies to roam over their estates, and he 
believed he was correct in saying that for very many years 
for which this privilege has been given to Yorkshire naturalists, 
(and on seven or eight occasions each year), he did not think 
there had been a single instance in which the privilege had 
been abused. He saw, in the suggested powers that it was 
proposed through Parliament to give, (providing the resolu- 
tions were passed), grave danger to this present state of things 
being interfered with. In other respects he considered that 
the suggestion now being made had already been adopted by 
many Societies many years ago. 
He also, as representative of one of the largest societies 
in the country, resented the suggestion that all these various 
societies should come under the wing of the Selborne Society 
in this so-called protective scheme. He did not wish to 
deprecate in any way the excellent work the Selborne Society 
was doing, but he was sure that many societies whose delegates 
were present felt that they were able to continue the work 
they had been doing for many years without being connected 
with the Selborne or any other society of that kind. This 
opinion was supported by Mr. W. West and several other 
speakers, with the result that no steps whatever were taken 
in the matter by the Conference of Delegates, and Mr. Hor- 
wood’s resolution fell through. 
THE HANDBOOK. 
The Handbook this year is unusually substantial and well 
prepared ; being under the able editorship of Dr. G. A. Auden, 
F.S.A., in whose hands the Handbook for the York meeting was 
placed. Dr. Auden himself is responsible for the first chapter 
on the Pre-history of the neighbourhood. There are 150 
pages devoted to natural science, the contributors being Messrs. 
G. S. West, W. B. Grove, J. Humphreys, E. Cleminshaw, J. B: 
Duncan, P. E. Martineau, R. W. Chase, H. W. Ellis, H..E. 
Forrest, H:. W. H. Darlaston and A. Cresswell. Professor. :C. 
Lapworth contributes a magnificent account of “ The Birming- 
ham Country: Its Geology and Physiography.’ There is a 
good map and an admirable index. We do not like the danger- 
signal red cover, and we certainly think the editor might have 
prevented the publishers from spoiling the title page with their 
imprint, which is in unnecessarily large type. 
Naturalist, 
