MEETING OF NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETIES. 
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Nottingham Literary and Philosophical Society. 
Nottingham Naturalists’ Society. 
Nottingham Working Men’s Naturalists’ Society. 
Oswestry and Welshpool Naturalists’ Field Club. 
Oxfordshire Natural History Society. 
Peterborough Natural History and Scientific Society. 
Severn Valley Naturalists’ Field Club. 
Shropshire Archaeological and Natural History Society. 
Stroud Natural History Society. 
Tamworth Natural History, Geological, and Antiquarian Society. 
Prizes for Scientific Photography .—As an aid to science Photography 
has come very rapidly to the front during the last few years. In at 
least two of the Societies in the Union, Photography may be said to 
attract the greater portion of the energy of the members. By the 
dry-plate process the art of Photography is rendered so clean and 
simple that the last few years have witnessed a development of the 
“ art-science ” in every direction and a wonderful increase in the 
number of amateur photographers. The good work which might be 
done by Photography for science in the truthful rendering of geological 
sections and scenery, habitats of plants, famous trees, and especially 
to Biology by micro-photographs, &c., leads the Council to recommend 
that either one or two Prizes be awarded at each annual meeting of 
the Union to the best series of photographs of natural history objects 
exhibited. Such an exhibition would form a great addition to the 
attractions of the meeting, would be a solid benefit to science, and 
another incentive to belong to the Union. Copies of the pictures ex¬ 
hibited might be placed in an album which should circulate from one 
Society to another. 
School Museums. —The great improvement in our elementary schools, 
and the introduction of true “ object-teaching,” has created, in good 
schools, a demand for “ specimens” and a place to keep them in, which 
ought to lead to the establishment of school museums—meaning by 
the term nothing more ambitious than a large cupboard with glass 
doors above and drawers below filled with a typical collection 
illustrating local natural history, manufactures, &c. In this work the 
members of Natural History Societies might render most efficient aid, 
and the work would be well repaid. In Birmingham such “ Museums” 
are being supplied by-the School Board, and Mr. W. J. Harrison will 
be glad to receive, arrange, and mount any specimens which readers 
of this report have to spare. Almost any number can be absorbed, as 
in Birmingham alone there are now thirty Board Schools, attended 
by forty thousand children. 
Young Persons as Associate Members. —In Birmingham, Tamworth, 
Burton, and elsewhere the plan has been adopted of electing young 
persons of either sex as “associate” members of the local Society, 
either free or on payment of a nominal subscription. In this way a 
kind of “ cadet corps” has been formed, from which useful recruits 
ought to be obtained. 
Work of the Societies.— No special features can be recorded during 
the past year. The Council would strongly recommend that the 
publications — Annual Report, Transactions, &c. —of each Society 
should be sent to all the other Societies in the Union. Working in 
one district and with common aims, it is most important that inter¬ 
communication should be as complete as possible. The Flora of 
Leicestershire , on which Mr. F. T. Mott has so long been engaged, is 
now complete and will, we trust, be speedily published. Mr. Bagnall’s 
