W. DENISON ROEBUCK, F.L.S. : PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 6 
quarterly, and there was a printed card of the arrangements for 
the year. 
During the first year, and again in a succeeding year, the 
meetings were held on Sundays, but this was found to be highly 
detrimental to the Society's success, and the practice was 
discontinued. 
During the first four years the meetings were in-door meet- 
ings, but with the year 1866 and afterwards, out-door field 
excursions were substituted. 
This was found to revive the old enthusiasm of the early 
years, and henceforward the meetings were well attended and 
exceedingly useful in bringing naturalists together to their 
mutual benefit. 
It will be of interest to recall the general method of proce- 
dure at these meetings, which were held during the years 1862 
to 1876. I had myself attended some of these meetings, the first 
at Horbury Bridge, in 1870, and others at intervals up to 1875. 
In April, 1876, I was appointed Joint-Secretary to the Society 
along with Mr. J. M. Barber. 
It must be remembered that in the early years the Societies 
were not merely West Riding Societies, but all in or near the 
south west corner of the Riding, as Huddersfield, Holmfirth, 
Halifax, Heckmondwike, Wakefield, Ovenden, Clayton West, 
Norland, Ripponden, Stainland, EUand, etc., and Leeds was the 
furthest place represented. 
As a matter of fact, all the Societies were within walking 
distance of each other, and the amount of walking was limited 
by all the excursions being arranged within the area covered "by 
the Societies. 
Well, the meeting having been fixed for a convenient place, 
usually on a Saturday, the members walked from their respective 
homes to the place appointed, collecting and observing as they 
went. On arriving the whole of the plants and other objects 
collected were turned out on to the tables. The Chairman then 
called on some good botanist to play the part of Adam, and **name 
the plants." The *'namer" then picked up the various specimens 
and gave their names more or less rapidly for the benefit of the 
others, and in the case of plants of special interest he gave such 
information as he thought advisable. Other members were in 
like manner asked to name the insects, the ** shells," the fossils, 
etc., and the ornithologists to report on what they had observed. 
The disadvantages of these methods were various. The 
waste of time involved in going through all the specimens 
collected, whether common or not, and the want of scientific 
accuracy inherent in the system of mixing specimens collected 
on several distinct lines of route converging on one common 
centre, were obvious. 
These considerations, and the accession to the Union of 
Societies so far away from the old centre as Bradford, York, and 
