CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES. 44,9 



approximately four thousand. In addition to the annual meeting of the Union, which 



is attended by representatives of the societies affiliated thereto, the Union organises 

 through its committees visits to each of the five vice-counties for the special purpose 

 of botanical, zoological, geological and other scientific investigations, the results of 

 which are published in The Naturalist, the official organ of the Union. Several 

 monographs on local and regional distributions have also been published as a result 

 of these researches. Mr. Sheppard regretted the declining interest taken in these 

 field investigations, and urged their importance and the desirability of co-operation 

 as the only means of obtaining co-ordinated results. Mr. Sheppard's remarks are 

 published in extenso in The Naturalist for December 1930. 



Mr. J. V. Peahman, representing the Soutli- Western Naturalists' Union, 

 summarised the constitution and activities of that body, urging those societies in the 

 south-western counties of England not already affiliated thereto to become members 

 of the Union and thus strengthen the organisation. 



Mr. J. H. Danvees, representing the Southport Society of Natural Science, gave 

 a brief summary of the newly-formed North-Western Natiu-alists' Union and of its 

 contemplated work, while Dr. B. Millard Griffith, representing the Northern 

 Naturalists' Union, similarly summarised the aims and objects of that body. 



Dr. C. TiERNEY, representing the South-Eastern Union of Scientific Societies, 

 called the attention of the delegates to a map of England he had prepared showing 

 that the whole country was already divided into effective federations or unions of 

 scientific societies, viz. the Northern Naturalists' Union, which embraced the northern 

 counties, the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, embracing the whole of Yorkshire, the 

 North-Western Naturalists' Union, embracing the north-western counties, including 

 the Isle of Man, the South- Western Union, embracing the south-western counties, 

 and the South-Eastern Union, which included the south-east of England. Dr. Tierney 

 drew attention to a remarkable gap across the middle of England, with Birmingham 

 as the centre, including the counties of Hereford, Worcester, Warwick, Nortliampton, 

 Leicester and Nottingham, where no organisation exists, so far as can be 

 ascertained, for the co-ordination of scientific effort in that area, and he urged 

 delegates present from those counties to bring the matter to the notice of their 

 respective societies with a view to considering the desirability of co-operation and the 

 establishment of a imion in that area, to their own mutual advantage. 



Dr. Tierney then described the constitution and working of the South-Eastern 

 Union of Scientific Societies, an organisation comprising some seventy affiliated 

 societies throughout the south-eastern counties, having an aggregate membership of 

 approximately ten thousand. He dealt especially with the merits and advantages 

 to be derived by the participating bodies as a result of co-operative and co-ordinated 

 effort in scientific work, especially in matters pertaining to local records and regional 

 distributions, as has been exhibited by the valuable regional survey work conducted 

 by the South-Eastern Union. As an instance of the mutual value and importance 

 of such organisations. Dr. Tierney referred to a request received some little while ago 

 from the Ministry of Health for information as to the prevalence and distribution of 

 a little-known species of mosquito. Anopheles plumbeus, throughout the south-eastern 

 counties of England, which was thought to be a potential vector of introduced malaria. 

 For this reason a knowledge of its prevalence and distribution was of obvious 

 importance to the Ministry and to the community. The South-Eastern Union 

 undertook the task of obtaining the information required, and through the loyal 

 co-operation of its affiliated societies was able in due course not only to issue a very 

 adequate report thereon, which was officially acknowledged as very valuable, but 

 also to describe hitherto unknown details as to the development and life-history of 

 the organism. 



Dr. Tierney further directed the attention of delegates to the responsibilities of 

 local societies as custodians of local records of scientific importance, such as geological 

 exposures, botanical, archaeological and other surveys, as well as the natural amenities 

 of their own areas. He emphasised the desirability of securing the advantages and 

 support to be derived from affiliation to such an organisation as a union of scientific 

 societies, especially in matters where local amenities are threatened. He drew 

 attention to the benefits accruing to local societies from such affiliation, not only in 

 matters of co-operative investigation of regional problems and the publication of 

 scientific results, but also in affording personal contact with competent workers and 

 lecturers in districts other than their own. 



1930 G G 



