40TH ANNUAL REPORT, 19OI. I27 



Your Executive hopes that the Local Secretaries will keep 

 ever in mind that their main function is not merely to collect sub- 

 scri^ptions, but to act as local representatives in a much broader 

 sense, and to keep the Union and its objects constantly in view, 

 whether by way of enlisting- new members or by keeping" the 

 Executive constantly informed as to local scientific occurrences. 



The Publications of the Union have been as in former 

 years, the ' Transactions ' and the ' Naturalist.' 



' The Transactions ' have been brought down to date by the 

 publication during- the year of Parts 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27, all of 

 which have been, or will be soon, sent out to the members for 

 the years 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, and 1901. 



Of these, Parts 23, 25, and 27 are devoted to the "Alga- 

 Flora of Yorkshire," by Messrs. Wm. West, F. L.S., and G. S. 

 West, A. R.C. S., which is now complete, and will shortly be on 

 sale as a cloth- bound volume. 



Part 24 is devoted to the continuation of Mr. W. Eagle 

 Clarke's valuable work on " The Birds of Yorkshire," and the 

 Executive is pleased to welcome the services of JNIr. Thos. H. 

 Nelson, M. B.O.U., of Redcar. in continuing Mr. Clarke's 

 labours. 



The completion of the second edition of Mr. Baker's 'North 

 Yorkshire ' is now assured — the revision of the Mosses and the 

 new list of Hepatics having been finished by Mr. M. B. Slater, 

 F.L. S., and finally approved by Mr. John Gilbert Baker, F.R.S., 

 F.L.S. The final part will be — it is hoped — available shortly for 

 publication. 



"The Naturalist" has been published monthly during 

 the year, under the sole editorship of Mr. W. Denison Roebuck, 

 F.L. S., under whose direction it has fully sustained the reputa- 

 tion which it has for many years enjoyed as the recognised 

 medium for the publication of natural history observations for 

 the whole of the North of England. 



Your Executive and the Editor would again take this 

 opportunity of reminding members that the journal has always 

 been 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 Financial Position of the Union afl'ords the Execu- 

 tive much anxietv, and calls for serious and practical 

 consideration. 



The Hon. Treasurer's Statement of Receipts and Payments 

 during the year will be found on page 138 and 139. 



