YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS' UNION ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1 896. 1 7 



which it has of late years enjoyed, and it is now the recognised 

 medium for natural history publications for the whole of the North 

 of England. 



Your Executive and the Editor would take this opportunity of 

 reminding members that this Journal is sufficiently catholic in its 

 scope to welcome articles dealing with the life-history of animals 

 and plants as observed in the northern counties, as well as with 

 any biological and general considerations that the local observations 

 give rise to. 



The Library continues to increase by donations and ex- 

 changes, and has been to a certain extent made use of by members. 

 The negotiations spoken, of in last year's Report are still pending, 

 the time of our late Honorary Librarian having been fully occupied 

 with other important matters. 



The Sections of the Union have more or less steadily carried 

 on their work during the year, but the attendance of leading members 

 of some of the sections has not always been as satisfactory as might 

 be desired ; and when the fact is taken into consideration that the 

 success of the field excursions entirely depends upon the presence 

 of the Union's best workers in every department, it is to be hoped 

 that members will endeavour to support the arrangements made 

 by the General and Sectional Officers by their presence at as many 

 excursions as possible. 



The Committees of Research have continued their investi- 

 gations during the year with very satisfactory results. 



The Yorkshire Fossil Flora Committee have to deplore 

 the loss of their chairman, by the death of Mr. Thomas Hick, B.A., 

 B.Sc, A.L.S. This is a great blow to the Committee, as much had 

 been expected from his profound knowledge of fossil plants, especially 

 with regard to their structure. Several meetings of the Committee 

 have been held during the year, and many specimens of fossil plants 

 have been collected from various parts of the Yorkshire Coal-fields. 

 In the study of fossil plants showing structure from the Halifax 

 Hard Bed Coal, steady progress is being made, and though new 

 plants may- be but rarely met with, nevertheless interesting details 

 showing the structure of those already known, are not infrequently 

 brought to light. Many examples of 'casts' have been collected 

 and have been submitted for examination and determination to 

 Mr. Robert Kidston, who has already done much work for the 

 Committee, and from whose pen a further report is expected. 



Some encouragement has been given to the Committee by the 

 consent of the manager and his assistant at Park Hill Colliery near 

 Wakefield, to carefully collect and localize specimens of fossil plants 



