MIDLAND UNION OF NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETIES. 
195 
Ircliester, Castle Ashby, and Earl’s Barton, the latter being a 
fine example of an Anglo-Saxon church. 
The weather, fortunately, interfered with the Excursions 
less than might have been feared, and the visitors brought 
away very pleasant memories of the kindness and forethought 
which had made the Eleventh Meeting of the Union so 
successful and enjoyable. 
THE REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. 
Societies composing the Union. 
During the past year the Oxfordshire Natural History Society and 
Field Club has entered the Union. 
The Council, however, regrets that the Evesham Field Naturalists’ 
Club is reported to be abandoned, and that no communications have 
been received as to the Nottingham Working Men’s Naturalists’ Society 
either last year or this, so that we must remove that from our list which 
will now stand as follows, the Peterborough Natural History and 
Scientific Society having also left the Union in accordance with the 
notice received last year:— 
Birmingham Microscopists' and Naturalists’ Union. 
Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society. 
Birmingham Philosophical Society. 
Birmingham and Midland Institute Scientific Society. 
Birmingham School Natural History Society. 
Caradoc Field Club. 
Dudley and Midland Geological and Scientific Society and Field 
Club. 
Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society. 
Malvern Field Club. 
Northamptonshire Natural History Society and Field Club. 
Oswestry and Welshpool Naturalists’ Field Club. 
Oxfordshire Natural History Society and Field Club. 
Rugby School Natural History Society. 
Severn Valley Naturalists’ Field Club. 
Tam worth Natural History, Geological, and Antiquarian Society. 
Darwin Medal. 
The subject for which the Darwin Medal is awarded this year is 
Botany, and the papers which have appeared in the “ Midland 
Naturalist,” and were eligible for the competition, were submitted to 
the following gentlemen who kindly acted as adjudicators, viz.: — 
Professor I. Bayley Balfour, F.R.S.; Maxwell T. Masters, M.D., F.R.S.; 
Spencer Le Marchant Moore, Esq.; William Mathews, M.A. ; and 
Professor W. Hillhouse, M.A., F.L.S. ; the services of the last named 
being made possible by the fact that, in deference to his strongly 
expressed desire, the Committtee reluctantly consented to withdraw 
a paper, contributed by him, from the list to be submitted to the 
adjudicators. 
The Reports received from the Adjudicators were unanimous in 
speaking very highly of Mr. J. E. Bagnall’s paper on the “ Flora of 
Warwickshire,” such expressions being used as “ a solid contribution 
to scientific knowledge,” “ preeminently the kind of investigation 
which the Darwin Medal was instituted for the purpose of encouraging, 
and they alone are sufficient justification for the existence of the 
