Repokts of Societies. 



63 



joined during the past year. Twelve meetings had been held. The 

 library consisted of 33 volumes, and the books had been well circulated. 

 The favourite study was botany, and considerable interest had been shown 

 in that subject. Ornithology, lepidoptera, and geology had not been quite 

 forgotten, and there were hopes of these branches being better represented 

 in future. Members of the Society had attended all the rambles of the 

 West Riding Consolidated Naturalists' Society, and, no doubt, a better 

 knowledge of the surrounding country had been obtained. The income 

 and expenditure showed a balance of £2 10s. 5d. in the hands of the 

 treasurer. Yotes of thanks were given to the officers, and to Mr. Luke 

 Holt for auditing the books. — E. Stoks, Hon. Sec. 



OvENDEN Naturalists' Society. — Monthly meeting, lUingworth, on 

 Saturday evening. In the absence of the vice-presidents, Mr. James 

 Spencer, of Halifax, presided, and made some excellent introductory 

 remarks, after which the following geological specimens were exhibited, 

 from the new railway cutting, Queensbury, by Messrs. Cockroft and 

 Crowther, including Pecten, Sigillaria organum, Dadoxlylon, Lepido- 

 dendron. Mr. James Binns presented to the society a beautiful 

 microscopic section of Sigillaria vascularia ; Mr. Hirst exhibited and 

 named a number of birds — a group of ruffs, male and female, in a case ; 

 Chinese golden pheasant, two short-eared owls, pair of terns, and also a 

 good number of foreign birds. — J. Ogden, Sec. 



Wakefield Naturalists' Society. — Monthly meeting Oct. 8th, Mr. 

 A. Dickson, vice-president, in the chair. Mr. Campbell described what 

 great differences sometimes occurred in the structures of rock masses 

 when intercepted by throws, &c. ErrahwYi. — It was stated that at the 

 September meeting Mr. Lumb exhibited the grey bunting's egg ; it ought 

 to have been the common bunting. — J. Spurling, Hon. Sec. 



West Riding Consolidated Naturalists' Society. — On October 7th, 

 this Society closed the 15th annual season with a meeting, which was 

 held in the Church School-room, Battyef ord, near Mirfield . Of the twenty- 

 one Societies which form the union, only two, Ripponden and Paddock, 

 were entirely unrepresented. The chair was occupied, in the absence of 

 the president, by the Rev. Wm. Fowler, M.A., vicar of Liversedge, V.P. 

 The minutes were read and passed. The secretary, Mr. J. M. Barber, 

 of Heckmondwike, presented the annual balance sheet, which was 

 audited and approved. A resolution of much importance, inasmuch as it 

 altered the mode of government of the Society, was proposed by the 

 chairman, seconded by Mr. C. P. Hobkirk, of Huddersfield, and carried 

 by a large majority. The resolution provided that in future the union 

 shall be governed by a council, to consist of a president, four vice- 

 presidents, and two secretaries, in addition to delegates appointed by the 

 local societies in proportion to their numbers, at the rate of one delegate 

 for every fifty members. The officers were then chosen for 1877, the 



