REPORT OF THE COUNCIL 213 



Of the various meetings held by the Society little need be 

 said here. The field meetings are reported separately by the 

 chairman of the Field Meetings Committee, and lists of the 

 meetings held at the Museum will be fouud at the end of this 

 report. The average attendance at the ordinary evening 

 meetings was 84, at the two children's lectures 160. These 

 figures are practically identical with those of the previous 

 year. The average for the " museum talks " shows a rise 

 from 53 to 71, but this is exactly accounted for by a record 

 audience of 180 at the first "talk" of the session. The total 

 attendance of visitors to the Museum during the last two 

 years has shown a decided falling off. The figures for the 

 past five years are as follows : 1906-7, 17,947 ; 1907-8, 18,840; 

 1908-9, 19,552 (increase due to special forestry exhibition); 

 1909-10, 16,510; 1910-n, 15,854. This unwelcome decline 

 is undoubtedly to be accounted for in part by the unusual 

 proportion of fine weather at recent public holiday times ; but 

 that there is some more general cause behind it is suggested 

 by the fact that many kindred institutions in this country have 

 of late experienced a similar falling off in their attendances. 



The Hancock Prize was again keenly competed for last 

 winter, the examiners reporting that of the thirteen essays 

 submitted at least half reached so high a level of excellence 

 as to make it difficult to place them in order. Eventually the 

 prize was divided between Mr. Harold Jeffreys and Mr. John 

 Baxter, both of Birtley. 



The best thanks of the Society are due to the gentlemen 

 who kindly prepared and delivered lectures, as also to the 

 donors whose valuable gifts to the Museum and library are 

 acknowledged in an appendix to this report ; and the Council 

 again wish to express their appreciation of the continued 

 good work done in the Museum by the curator and his 

 assistants. A list of members is printed with the report 

 this year, and the honorary secretaries will be glad to be 

 informed of any corrections in addresses, or other alterations 

 that may be necessary in it. 



