Conference of the South-Western Naturalists' Union

Abstract

THE twenty-second annual conference of the Southwestern Naturalists' Union was held at the Pump Room, Bath during June 3–6, by invitation of the Bath Natural History Society. The conference was opened With a reception given by the Mayor of Bath, Councilor L. N. Punter, at which Mr. W. G. Rawlings gave a talk on "The Nightingale". Much of the conference was devoted to excursions, including cherhill Down, Avebury and Lacock, and botanists were gratified at the number of different species of orchids and other chalk-loving plants that were found. At the general meeting on June 6, the president of the Union, Sir Lewis Fermor, gave his presidential address, the subject being "Water". In this address attention was given to the natural-history aspects of water, under such headings as beauties, benefits, damage due to water, conservation, underground water, solution with production of caves, and hot springs. Special stress was laid on the necessity for controlling the destructive action of water that causes soil erosion and flooding, and on the necessity for engineering measures of conservation by which countries that are now deficit countries for food production may become self-supporting. Mr. Peter Scott was elected president for 1950, and Marlborough was selected as the venue for the annual conference for Whitsuntide, 1950, at the invitation of the Marlborough College Natural History Society.