SELBORNE SOCIETY NOTICES 
77 
feel sure that the authorities oui;ht to he cautioned against considering the number 
of visitors returned by the official at the door as being accurate, for all the 
Members of the Selborne Society weie counted twice, and some three fines 
over, during the afternoon. 
NEWS FROM THE BRANCHES. 
Birmingham and Midland. — Upwards of a hundred members and 
friends assembled at ‘‘ Westbourn,” Kdgbastonfby the kind permission of Mr. and 
Mrs. C. W. Dixon), on Thursday, March 2, to hear a lecture by Mr. Reginald 
Hudson. 
The lecturer, taking his subject from ‘‘.Some Warwickshire Birds,” dealt 
with the life and habits of many of the feathered tribe which are familiar to 
dwellers in the Midlands, and dlustrated his remarks by a large number of 
beautiful lantern photographs, chiefly of the nests and eggs with their natural 
surroundings. The lecturer wound up with an interesting account of the early 
days of a cuckoo, showing the peculiar methods which that bird adopts with 
a view to monopolising the home of his foster-parents. 
Mr. Priestley Smith presided, and at the close proposed a hearty vote of 
thanks to Mr. Hudson, which was seconded by iNlrs. C. K. Mathews, and 
carried by acclamation. 
Hampstead. — At the Town Hall, Haverstock Hill, on February 28, Mr. R. 
Garraway Rice, F.S.A., gave a lantern exhibition of places and buildings of 
arch*ological interest to a numerous company, which, it was gratifying to 
notice, included many new members of the Society. At the outset Mr. Rice 
disclaimed the notion of a lecture : his purpose was rather to indicate the dis- 
advantages of the camera as an aid to archxological research. The photographs 
were all taken by Mr. Rice himself, some of them under adverse conditions, and 
some even surreptitiously. Over a hundred slides were used, and of nearly 
all of them Mr. Rice had something to say, generally of a historic, though 
occasionally of a humorous, character. Karly in the series came White Horse 
Hill near Uffington, but from present outlines it would be difficult to recognise 
the horse, which was supposed to commemorate a victory gained by Alfred over 
the Danes. Then followed views of Sussex churches, of the old kitchen at 
Hampton Court Palace, with its curious utensils, and of the vaulted roof of 
Christ Church Hall, Oxford. Also projected on the screen was the so-called King 
.Arthur’s Round Table at Winchester. Going northwards, Mr. Rice laid 
Yorkshire under contribution, and from its richness in ancient monuments the 
county yielded a fine display. To the archaeologist and antiquary what place 
could offer greater attractions than York? Unlike Chester, it has preserved its 
gates, and as these, with the posterns, bits of old streets and odd nooks and corners 
passed across the sheet they evoked considerable applause. Tombs in York 
Minster were well brought out, as well as the cloisters at Fountains Abbey, 
while some splendid pictures of Ripon Cathedral were shown. 
The Chair was filled by Mr. W. Paley Baildon, F.S. A., whose able address to 
them at Lincoln’s Inn in March last year Selbornians will remember. Others 
taking part in the proceedings were Mr. Seymour Lucas, R.A., Mr. F. C. 
Channing, Mr. H. Plowman, F.S. A., and Mr. Bruce Bannerman, F.S. A. 
The Committee of the Hampstead Branch has pleasure in acknowledging 
subscriptions of greater value than 5s. from the following members : Miss Frances 
Martin, £l is. ; Mrs. M. L. Cooke-Yarborough, senr., los. 
North Middlesex (Junior).— On Friday, March 3, Master C. M. Grint, 
Associate of the Society, read a very intere.sting paper, the subject being “ Life in 
the Aquarium.” Mr. C. M. Hall, M.M.S., occupied the Chair. The essayist 
dealt with the natural history of the common inhabitants of our rivers, ponds, 
lakes and ditches, including amphibians, fishes, mollusca, insects and crustaceans. 
He demonstrated by means of living specimens, which in most cases he had 
watched through their-life history, his paper being drawn from his own observation 
of their habits. At the close Mr. Hall said it had given him great pleasure to hear 
the paper, and urged the Associates present to persevere in their studies with 
a view to becoming practical naturalists, and so prove useful in carrying out the 
objects of the Society when they became full members, which he hoped some 
