EEPORT OF THE COUN-CIL 545 



opened; and yet witliin a few months from that time over a 

 hundred fresh subscribers had been secured, and the member- 

 ship has been maintained approximately at the new level 

 ever since. This striking result was brought about by 

 individual effort. It was the outcome of personal applications 

 made to friends and acquaintances ; and the history of the 

 Society has shown this to be the only way in which such a 

 result is to be accomplished. 



Among the members lost by death are three of the oldest 

 of the vice-presidents — Mr. R. R. Dees, Mr. Norman C. 

 Cookson, and Mr. George E. Crawhall. At the time of his 

 death the late Mr. Dees was by ten years the earliest surviving 

 member of the Natural History Society; he joined it in 1850, 

 and formerly took an active part in its affairs. The late Mr. 

 Norman Cookson will be chiefly remembered in connexion 

 with the Society by the gift of the magnificent collection of 

 minerals left to him by his father, and added to subsequently 

 by himself. This collection now forms the most valuable part 

 of the series exhibited in the mineral galleries of the museum. 

 Mr. Cookson too was among the few surviving members (less 

 than a score) who joined the Society in the 'seventies or 

 earlier. 



The generous legacy, spoken of later, which was bequeathed 

 to the Society by the late Mr. George E. Crawhall, was only 

 the last mark of a warm interest which has been shown in 

 numberless ways for many years past. Many of the choicest 

 specimens among the birds and mammals exhibited in the 

 museum were gifts from Mr. Crawhall, and by his will he left 

 to the museum all the objects of natural history he possessed 

 at the time of his death. He was continually on the look-out 

 for birds that were wanted to complete the sets in the Hancock 

 collection, and being one of the best sportsmen and out-of- 

 door naturalists the district has produced, he was able to give 

 most valuable help in this direction. The series of ducks in 

 particular, in which the numerous species in their puzzling 

 phases of plumage are now well represented, is largely made 

 up of specimens procured for the museum by Mr. Crawhall. 



