4 YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS UNION ANNUAL REPORT. 140 



The third excursion was held at Harrogate, on Saturday, the 

 13th of July, for the investigation of the Crimple Valley, Rudding and 

 Plumpton Parks, and the geological exploration of Hampsthwaite and 

 CHnt. At the general meeting the chair was successively occupied 

 by Mr. Thomas Bunker, President of the Vertebrate Section, and 

 Rev. R. A. Summerfield, B.A. 



A departure from the usual practice of the Union was made in 

 the case of the fourth excursion, when the meeting which was held 

 at the High Force Inn, on Bank Holiday Monday, the 5th of August, 

 was preceded by a three-days' excursion commencing on the Saturday 

 previous, for the investigation of the south or Yorkshire bank of the 

 Tees from Middleton up to the junction with Maize Beck. At 

 the meeting, which was attended by about forty members, the 

 chair was occupied by the President of the Union, Mr. H. E. 

 Dresser, F.L.S., who on this occasion made his first acquaintance 

 with the Union and its members. 



The excursion programme was brought to a successful termination 

 on Wednesday, the 4th of September, when a visit was paid to the 

 lovely valley of the Derwent at Kirkham Abbey and Howsham 

 Woods, the geologists examining the N.W. escarpment of the wolds 

 at Acklam Brow. The meeting was held at Malton, the chair being 

 occupied by the Rev. W. C. Hey, M.A., President of the Concho- 

 logical Section. 



On all these occasions the Union has been indebted to the kind- 

 ness which the land-owners of Yorkshire have always been so ready 

 to manifest in facilitating research on their estates ; and the facilities 

 which the various railway companies which run on Yorkshire soil 

 have granted, have contributed their share to promoting the success 

 of the Union's investigations. 



The Societies which constitute the Union are now forty in 

 number, as against thirty-eight last year, the loss of two — the 

 Ripponden Society, which has ceased to exist, and the Bradford 

 Microscopical Society, now amalgamated with the Bradford 

 Naturalists' Society — being more than counterbalanced by the 

 accession of four Societies, three of them (Pocklington Literary and 

 Philosophical Society, Purlwell Field Club, and Yeadon Geological 

 Society) being newl3^-founded organisations, and the fourth (Hud- 

 dersfield Naturalists' Society), the veteran society which took a 

 leading part in the original foundation of the Union twenty-eight 

 years ago, and which it is a pleasure again to enrol on the list. 



The statistics with which the secretaries of the different Societies 

 are good enough to furnish the Union from year to year show a con- 

 siderable increase in the number of Associates, the total membership 



Naturalist, 



