MEETING OF NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETIES. 
195 
whom, as in the past, our most hearty thanks are due for his 
exertions in the work; but Mr. W. J. Harrison, to whom we have from 
the very beginning been so much indebted for the success which has 
been attained by the “ Naturalist,” who has given to the editing of it 
so much of his time, in writing, collecting materials, and the various 
duties of the office, has frequently during the last few years, as will 
be remembered by the Union, expressed his desire to be relieved of 
the post. Early in this year the opportunity occurred of securing the 
services of Professor W. Hillhouse, M.A., E.L.S., of the Mason 
College, the President for this year of the Birmingham Natural History 
and Microscopical Society, and Mr. Harrison again tendered his 
resignation, which the Committee accepted, passing at the same time 
the following resolution:—“That this Committee desires to express 
its most hearty thanks and those of the Midland Union for Mr. W. J. 
Harrison’s services as co-editor of the ‘Midland Naturalist’ since its 
beginning in 1877, and to record its feeling of the value of those 
services in connection with it.” 
Professor Hillhouse entered upon his duties with the number for 
March, and the Council is confident that the high character of the 
journal will be perfectly safe in his hands. 
The papers which have been published since the last meeting have 
been fully equal in interest and importance to any which have 
appeared of late years. The following are the titles of some of the 
principal :— 
The Monumental Brasses of Warwickshire, by E. W. Badger, 
M.A.; A Three-eyed Reptile, by A. B. Badger; A Proposed Midland 
University, by Professor W. Hillhouse, M.A., F.L.S. ; The Relations 
between Evergreen and Deciduous Trees, by F. T. Mott; Micro¬ 
organisms in a Swampy Ditch in Sutton Park, by T. Bolton ; Fungus 
Hunting in Spring, Leafing of Oak and Ash, The Boleti of the 
Birmingham District, by W. B. Grove, B.A.; An Excursion to Tenby, 
Notes on an American Tour, The Causes of Glacial Motion, and Tresca’s 
Investigations into the Flow of Solids under Great Pressure, by W. P. 
Marshall, M.I.C.E.; History of the County Botany of Worcester, by 
Wm. Mathews, M.A. ; Ragnarok, by G. Deane, D.Sc.; various exposi¬ 
tions and discussions of Herbert Spencer’s Works, by Miss C. Naden, 
C. H. Allison, F. J. Cullis, F.G.S., W. B. Grove, B.A., Professor W. 
Hillhouse, and W. R. Hughes, F.L.S. B. Thompson, F.G.S., has con¬ 
tinued his paper on the Middle Lias of Northamptonshire, with special 
reference in the more lately published parts to the water supply of 
Northampton. The address delivered to the Birmingham Natural 
History and Microscopical Society by the retiring President, R. W. 
Chase, of the British Ornithological Union, well deserves a careful 
study from all our members, dealing as it does with subjects so 
suitable for the consideration both of the Union as a whole and 
of the separate Societies as the proper principles and limits of 
Local Museums and their relation to Local Natural History Societies, 
and the preservation of our English birds by some properly considered 
scheme of egg protection. 
The list of papers given above, however, by no means adequately 
represents the work done by the component Societies during the past 
year. Some of them publish Transactions separately, and to this 
number the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society has recently 
been added. The three quarterly numbers already published contain 
many very interesting and valuable papers on Biology, Geology, 
Archeeology, Ac., and the Society has published by a sub-committee a 
