NOTES ON THE CONFERENCE OF DELEGATES. 237
Local Societies" ; the second, "What shall we do with our Local
Societies ? "
Mr. Abbott advocated the division of the United Kingdom into
fifteen or twenty districts, in each of which all Natural History
Societies should be affiliated for mutual aid, counsel, and work. The
size of these districts might vary according to circumstances. Each
union would have its annual congress, attended by delegates and
members from its affiliated societies. The congress should be held
in a fresh town, and be presided over by a fresh president, every year.
These unions would bring about desirable improvements in pub-
lication ; usually one joint publication would take the place of many
smaller ones. Then, Mr Abbott thought that each local society
should appoint a "corresponding member" in every village in its
district, who should note, and call attention to, everything of scientific
interest therein, such as new geological sections, antiquarian dis-
coveries, etc., etc. He considered that at the present time the
British Association did not sufficiently foster unions of this kind,
and that they were not likely to come into existence over the country
generally unless the British Association appointed and paid an
organising secretary to urge forward and direct the work. He did
not know what the cost of the secretary might be, but thought
it would soon be repaid by the much greater efficiency of the local
societies, and their consequently greater usefulness to the British
Association.
The Rev. E. P. Knubley then gave some account of the York-
shire Naturalists' Union. It was, he believed, the largest in England,
having thirty-six affiliated societies. The president of the Union
was elected annually, and was the most distinguished Yorkshireman
obtainable. They had general secretaries, an executive of twelve,
and a general committee. The work of the Union was under the
sections of geology, botany, zoology, Conchology, and entomology.
In addition, much was done by research committees, of which there
were then eight : A Boulder Committee, a Sea Coast Erosion Com-
mittee, a Fossil Flora Committee, a Geological Photographs Com-
mittee, a Marine Biology Committee, a Micro-zoological and Micro-
botanical Committee, a Wild Birds and Eggs Protection Acts
Committee, and a Mycological Committee. All these committees
report annually. For excursion purposes all Yorkshire was divided
into five parts, and one meeting was held in each of these parts. It
was always arranged that one meeting should be on the sea-coast.