YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS' UNION — ANNUAL REPORT FOR 1 896. 1 9 



found for concerted action in this department during the past season. 

 The earher excursions were barren of results, but some valuable 

 work was done at Roche Abbey by Messrs. J. N. Coombe and 

 J. Stubbins. The results obtained by the former observer are 

 embodied in an excellent paper which appears in the ' Naturalist ' 

 for November ; those by Mr.' Stubbins are not yet published. 

 Further investigations, which will result in an extension of the 

 Cusworth list of Diatoms, etc., have also been made by the 

 Secretary. A working Schedule for this Section is now being 

 framed, and will be published early in the new year. 



Marine Biology Committee. — The Secretaries, Mr. J. D. 

 Butterell and Mr. F. W. Fierke, report that operations have 

 been much restricted this year. Only one of the Union meetings 

 has been on the coast, namely, at Staithes, when observations were 

 made by Mr. Arnold T. Watson of Sheffield, but the tides were not 

 sufficiently low to admit of more than the usually occurring species 

 being met with. 



Wild Birds' and Eggs Protection Committee. — The 



Rev. E. P. Knubley, M.A., Chairman and Convener, reports that in 

 the West Riding the County Council has extended the close time 

 in that Riding by adding ten days to the period mentioned in the 

 Wild Birds' Protection Acts. The close time now ends on the 12th 

 of August. They have postponed for the present further application 

 of the Acts to specified areas. 



Mycological Committee. — Mr. Charles Crossland, its secretary, 

 reports that the summer being very dry, little or no work could be 

 done until the meeting at Staithes on August 3rd, when 67 Fungi 

 were noted. Since that time the season has been a very good one. 

 The Annual Foray, held this year at Selby, and at which Mr. Geo. 

 Massee, Dr. Plowright, Mr. Carleton Rea, and the whole of the 

 Yorkshire Mycological Committee w-ere present, was a great success 

 in every way ; many uncommon species and one new to Britain were 

 found. One or two minor rambles in the West Riding have been 

 held, but from the weather proving unpropitious, not very much 

 could be done. A full report of the Selby Foray will appear in the 

 ' Naturalist ' for December. 



British Association. — The Union has again been appointed 

 one of the Corresponding Societies of the Association, and was 

 represented at the Liverpool meeting this year by the Rev. E. P. 

 Knubley, M.A., who reports that at the conferences special attention 

 was devoted to the formation of District Unions of Natural History 

 Societies (similar to that which has now existed in Yorkshire for 

 36 years), on which subject a paper was read by Mr. George Abbott, 



