Reports of Societies. 



153 



annual meeting was held at 5 p.m., the chair being occupied by the 

 president, Prof. W. C. Williamson, F.R.S. There was a very good 

 attendance, no less than 26 out of the 31 societies being represented by 

 nearly 200 members. The minutes of the previous annual meeting 

 having been taken as read, three new societies were admitted into union, 

 viz. : — Beverley Field ^Naturalists' and Scientific Society (25 members), 

 the Scarborough Scientific Society and Field Naturalists' Club (60), and 

 the York St. Thomas' Field Naturahsts' Society (27). Thanks were then 

 voted to Dr. Blair and Mr. H. T- Gardiner of Goole, Mr. J. Coupland 

 ofj Harrogate, INIr. Joseph Faulding of New Barnet (Herts), Mr. T. L* 

 Lester of Malton, Messrs. Chas. Lund and C. W. Shepherd of Ilkley, 

 m. F. S. PoweU, J.P., D.L., of Horton Old Hall, and Messrs. H. L. 

 Oxley, C.Pocklington,F.P.Hist.S., and R EUiot Steel, M.A., of Brad- 

 ford, for becoming subscribers to the funds of the Union. A similar 

 vote was passed to the donors of books to the library. The list of 

 donations included some very acceptable works, as a complete set of 

 seven volumes of the Natural History Transactions of Northumberland 

 and Durham, a large geological map of Sutherland, the Mineralogical 

 Magazme, the Handbook of Yorkshire Yertebrata, and (from INIr. 

 Porritt) the Linnean Society's Journal and Entomological Transactions 

 for 1881, besides numerous small pamphlets. The annual report was 

 then read by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, as follows : — 



" The Council, in presenting their twentieth annual report, have to express 

 their gratification that there has been no abatement in the interest which the 

 members have shown in the proceedings of the Union during the past year. 



" In addition to the Fungus Foray, of which special mention will presently be 

 made, there have been five excursion meetings, the places and dates of which 

 were as follows : — 



LOCAL SEC. 



Skipton April 18th Eev. E. Jones. 



Sheffield May 14th J. C. BurreU. 



Hornsea June 6th N. F. Dobree. 



Thome July 9th Thos. Bunker and Jno. Harrison. 



Eichmond ... Aug. 1st E. B. Walton. 



For each of these meetings the usual circular was issued. The council believe 

 that the selection of places for the excursions has been fairly representative of 

 the interests, and suitable to the convenience, of the bulk of the members ; and 

 would point out that the large area of the county, and the necessity for visiting 

 different districts in turn, place it out of the power of the Union to arrange 

 matters so that more than two or three excursions shall be within easy reach of 

 any particular town or locaHty. The council beheve, moreover, that the 

 stimulus which the visits of the Union to distant paits of the county administers 

 to the scientific activity of the remoter districts, more than counterbalances the 

 loss which the older and well-established societies feel in not being able to 

 attend so many meetings as in former years when the societies were more closely 

 aggregated together. That such a stimulus has been given is fully cN-idenced by 



