OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 269 



is uniformly orderly, and the interest manifested in the collec- 

 tions continues to be a gratifying feature. 



The "Winter Evening Meetings, two series of which have 

 been held since the last report, have now an established footing, 

 and though the attendance of non-members has never been quite 

 as numerous as the Committee anticipated on their commence- 

 ment, three winters ago, nor indeed quite sufficient to cover the 

 expenses they entail, they fulfil an important office in the dis- 

 semination of Natural History information, and have done per- 

 haps more than anything else to raise the estimation in which 

 the Society is held by the public ; in addition to this, the oppor- 

 tunities they afford for the social gathering of the members and 

 associates is an advantage not to be lost sight of. 



The arrangement for cooperation with the Tyneside Natural- 

 ists' Field Club in respect to scientific meetings, and the publi- 

 cation of Transactions, have been found to answer admirably. 

 The number of members of the Field Club who have entered 

 your Society as associates, under the new regulations, has been 

 somewhat over a hundred last year. The first part of the joint 

 Transactions of the two bodies has been issued, and will, it is 

 believed, fairly maintain the credit of north-country naturalists. 



The number of members continues slowly to increase rather 

 than diminish, though far short of what it ought to be. If the 

 members of the Society would only use their influence more 

 generally amongst their friends, to induce them to support its 

 funds, a sphere of usefulness would be open to it to which it 

 cannot aspire with its present limited income. 



The Treasurer's statements are appended to this report. The 

 first is for the old financial year ending in August last, the 

 second carries the accounts up to December 31st, to which date 

 in future it is proposed to make up the accounts. The expen- 

 diture of the Society has been carefully kept within its income, 

 and the small floating debt is now being annually diminished. 



The necessity for alteration in some of the rules of the Society 

 has been prominently brought under the notice of your Com- 

 mittee, and a schedule of amended rules, drawn up by a Sub- 

 committee, to whom the matter was entrusted, and approved by 



