202 
MEETING OF NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETIES. 
suitable kind. The recent appointment by some of the societies of 
local sub-editors—charged with the duties of reporting the proceedings 
of their societies and securing papers for publication—may, it is hoped, 
remedy this want to some extent. 
As to the second object of the promoters of the Union—the bringing 
together of Midland scientists—it cannot be denied that the Annual 
Meetings have offered admirable opportunities for those who desired to 
make the acquaintance of other workers, and that they have done 
much good in this respect. The meetings have been held at 
Birmingham, 1878. 
Leicester, 1879. 
Northampton, 1880. 
Cheltenham, 1881. 
Nottingham, 1882. 
Tamworth, 1883. 
Peterborough, 1884. 
Thus the greater part of the Midland district has been covered, 
and not only have those of similar aims been made acquainted with 
one another, but such excellent arrangements have invariably been 
made by the local society or societies of the town in which the meeting 
was held that in the short space over which the meeting extends—two 
days—a stranger has been able to see more, and to get a better general 
acquaintance with the town and district, than would have otherwise 
been possible. The local programmes, guides, and maps issued to 
those who attended these meetings are of great interest and value. 
It may be said, then, that as far as it was in the power of the 
Managing Body of the Union the objects of it3 promoters have been 
completley fulfilled. 
Yet the Council own to considerable disappointment with respect 
to each of the two main objects of the Union. At its present sub¬ 
scription (to members of the Union) the “ Midland Naturalist ” is 
the cheapest scientific periodical issued in England. Yet if it had not 
been for the action of the Birmingham Natural History and Micro¬ 
scopical Society, which now subscribes for the whole of its members 
(taking 450 copies), it is to be feared that ere this the magazine would 
have ceased to exist, so few would have been the number of subscribers. 
Then with respect to the annual meetings—how meagre has been 
the attendance of members other than those belonging to the societies 
of the immediate neighbourhood of the place in which the meeting 
was held ! It might have been thought that so pleasant and valuable 
an opportunity of combining science with pleasure would have been 
looked forward to, and that each meeting-place would have been the 
rendezvous of at all events a large percentage of those who are really 
interested in scientific pursuits. 
If anything has been brought out clearly by the operations of the 
Union it is that the number of workers at science in our district who 
are willing to sacrifice something (if it can be called a sacrifice) for 
the sake of the general extension and advancement of local science, for 
which this Union offers such valuable facilities, is extremely small. 
Very few will even take the trouble to find fault! And of the fault¬ 
finders it may be truly said that not one has offered anything in the 
way of a practical remedy for such faults (imaginary or otherwise) 
as he may have detected. 
It must never be forgotten that “the character of the whole is 
determined by the character of the parts.” When each Society sets 
vigorously about the task of promoting local scientific research; 
subscribes on behalf of all, or at least a fair proportion of its members 
to the “ Midland Naturalist,” and showers upon the editors pithy notes 
of its meetings, records of interesting local phenomena, and such 
papers read before its members as may contain at least a germ of 
