307 



THE YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS' UNION" 

 AT POCKLINGTON. 



The third meeting for 1S85 was held at Pocklington, on Wednesday the 24th 

 of June, the object being to investigate the natural history of the neighbourhood of 

 Warter, Kildwick Percy, and the western escarpment of the Wolds. Unfortu- 

 nately the weather — contrary to what the Union almost invariably enjoys — was 

 very wet, rain falling more or less steadily throughout the day. The attendance 

 was consequently reduced to less than a score of members, but these, as might well 

 be expected, included several of the ablest investigators the Union possesses ; 

 and the rain was to them merely a matter of inconvenience, and it was not allowed 

 either to quench the spirits of the party or to mar the success of their investigations. 

 The results of the day's work were quite worthy of being compared with those of 

 previous meetings ; and what shortcomings there might be were attributable not so 

 much to the weather as to the reduction of the number of the party and the 

 consequent restriction of the area searched over. When the excursionists muster 

 by scores or hundreds, they separate more and cover a gi'eater extent of ground ; 

 while smaller parties keep together for company's sake, and are therefore not able 

 to investigate more than a limited area. 



Among the members present on Wednesday there were representatives of all 

 the sections into which the Union is divided, except the Entomological Section. The 

 Vertebrate Section was represented, in the absence of its officers, by Mr. Leonard 

 Gaunt, of Farsley (who took the secretary's place for the time being) ; Mr. W. 

 Booth of Leeds; and Mr. John Watson, jun., of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Beverley; 

 and they were reinforced for the day by some local gentlemen, including Mr. Geo. 

 Steels, the local taxidermist, and Mr. W. Wox, of Barmby Moor, a keen and energetic 

 collector, v>'ho only requires encouragement and a little book-knowledge to make 

 a good naturalist. The Conchological Section was strongly represented, including 

 Mr. J. Darker Butterell, of Beverley, secretary of the section ; Mr. L. B. Ross. 

 F.C.S., of Driffield; Mr. W. Denison Roebuck, F.L.S., of Leeds, one of the 

 general secretaries of the Union ; and Mr. H. T. Soppitt, of Bradford. The 

 Entomological Section, as we said above, was the only one unrepresented ; but the 

 Botanical Section had, in the persons of the Rev. Wm. Fowler, ALA., Vicar of 

 Liversedge, an ex-president of the Union : Mr. P. F. Lee, of Dewsbur}', secretary 

 of the section, and Mr. Soppitt, of Bradford, a trio of the best of Yorkshire botanical 

 investigators, the two first-named working at the flowering plants, and the last- 

 named at the fungi, while yet a fourth, Mr. John Eastwood, the secretary of the 

 Bradford Naturalists' Society, was engaged in gathering mosses. The Geological 

 section was most ably represented by its President, the Rev. E. Maule Cole, ALA., 

 Vicar of Wetwang, and one of its secretaries, Mr. S. A. Adamson, F.G.S., of 

 Leeds. 



All the members reached Pocklington or Nunburnholme about eleven o'clock 

 in the forenoon, and two lines of route were formed, one starting from Nunburn- 

 holme for Mr. C. H. Wilson's estates at Warter, under the guidance of Rev. E. M. 

 Cole — and the other, starting from Pocklington for Admiral Duncombe's estates at 

 Kildwick Percy, was in charge of the local gentlemen, Mr. Geo. Steels and Mr. 

 W. Wox. The whole day was spent in the woods and fields. Mr. Steels' party 

 first inspected what he had to show in his place of business, this giving an idea of 

 what had been obtained in the neighbourhood, so far as birds were concerned, and 

 afterwards investigated the Kildwick Percy demesnes. 



Most of the members of both parties reached Pocklington about half-past four, 

 and at once proceeded to a meat tea — a meal which was most excellently provided 

 by Mr. A. W. House at the Feathers Hotel, and was duly appreciated. One of 

 the chief regrets of the day was that there was not a full attendance of members to 

 do justice to Mr. and Mrs. House's catering. The usual meetings were held before 

 rising from the tea table, the Rev. W. Fowler, in his capacity of vice-president, 

 presiding. The minutes of the preceding meeting were taken as read, and three 

 new members were elected — viz., Mr. Edward Bidwell, ALB.O.U., of London; 

 Mr. Edgar Pickard, of Mansfield, Notts ; and the Rev. G. A. W. Huddart, M.A., 

 LL.D., of Kirklington, near Ripon. A vote of thanks to the leaders of parties, 

 and to Mr. C. H. Wilson, M.P., and Admiral Duncombe, for permission to visit 



Aug. 1885. 



