Eeports of Societies. 



3 59 



Section elected as president Mr. Joseph Wainwright, F.L.S., of Wakefield, 

 and as secretary Dr. H. Franklin Parsons, of Goole. No officers were 

 chosen by the Geological Section. — The combined general meeting was 

 held at five p.m. , the Rev. William Fowler, M.A. , of Liversedge, president, 

 in the chair. The minutes of the annual meeting having been confirmed, 

 the secretary read the minutes of the Council, the president pointing out 

 that the adoption of these minutes involved the change of the Society's 

 name. A long debate ensued upon this point, but ultimately the Council 

 minutes were confirmed by a large majority, and the name consequently 

 changed to ''Yorkshire Naturalists' Union." Three Societies — the 

 Huddersfield Scientific Club, the Leeds Conchological Club, and the 

 Sheffield Naturalists' Club — were then admitted into the Union. It was 

 then resolved that the Whit-Monday excursion be held at Wetherby 

 instead of Sherburn. — The president then delivered his inaugural address, 

 in which he pointed out the benefits to be derived from the study of 

 natural history, and urged upon the members the desirability of some one 

 taking up the study of certain hitherto-neglected groups of animals and 

 plants, and also suggested to the Societies the desirability of providing 

 elementary instruction in science for the benefit of younger and less 

 experienced members. — Dr. Parsons reiterated the president's advice with 

 respect to the working of the " neglected orders," and pointed out the 

 necessity of obtaining |?er/ec^ specimens and of making accurate memoranda 

 of localities and specimens brought to the meetings. — Mr. Talbot pointed 

 out that the chief obstacle to the working out of neglected orders was the 

 scarcity or expense of the necessary text-books, and the immense extent 

 and discursive character of the literature of such subjects. — The president 

 was thanked for his address, and it was also resolved that it be, with his 

 consent, printed and distributed among the members. — The officers of 

 sections were then called upon to report the proceedings of the day. Mr, 

 Lister, secretary of the Vertebrate Section, reported that the missel- 

 thrush (nest and eggs), song thrush (do.), blackbird (do.), redbreast (do., 

 dtting), great tit, blue tit (building), cole tit, marsh tit, pied wagtail, 

 meadow pipit, tree sparrow, linnet, lesser redpole, jackdaw, magpie^ 

 wren, ringdove (abundant), peewit, a pair of golden plovers, moorhen, 

 kestrel, and all the more common species, such as chaffinch, greenfinch, 

 yellow bunting, &c., &c., had been observed amongst the resident birds, 

 while of winter visitants still here were noticed fieldfares (hundreds in 

 one flock), redwings (not so numerous as the fieldfares) and several 

 mountain finches. One spring migrant, the chifichaff", was noted, several 

 individuals having been seen and heard during the day by H. Lunn and 

 Wm. Talbot. Amongst the other notes given to the section were : the 

 arrival of the wheatear, near Wakefield, by W, Talbot, and at Greetland 

 Moor, Halifax, March 24, by C. C. Hanson ; and the occurrence of the 

 stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) on Adel Moor, near Leeds, March 18, noted 

 by Mr. John Grassham. Mr. William Nelson, president of the Concho- 

 logical Section, reported that in spite of the unfavourable weather and 



