An Address to the Members of the Berwickshire Naturalist^ Club, de- 

 livered at the Anniversary Meeting held at Yetholm, September 21. 

 1836. By Sir WILLIAM JARDINE, Bart. President. 



GENTLEMEN, 



WE have met after the lapse of another year, and it becomes me to 

 follow the example which has been already four times so excellently set 

 before me, to give a brief sketch of the progress we have made, and of 

 the things done and specimens captured, since we last commemorated the 

 institution of the Club. 



The last anniversary was held at the Bite-about Inn, Doddington, 

 Northumberland, on the 16th of the present month, with an ample mus- 

 ter of members, and the company of Dr Douglas of Kelso and Mr Ather- 

 ton, as visitors. The walk was at first directed towards the Routin- 

 Linn, about two miles distance, a romantic dell and waterfall, the former 

 richly clothed with a thick and tangled copse of birch and hazel, inter- 

 mixed with a few stragglers of the monarch of the wood. The princi- 

 pal attraction here was to re-discover the Osmunda regalis, which was 

 said to grow in this habitat. The locality appeared favourable, but the 

 royal fern escaped the search of our botanists. Still, though the object 

 of the excursion was not obtained, the party were compensated by the 

 beauty of the scenery and the capture of some good insects. The walk 

 was now continued eastward to an extensive marsh called the Horse- 

 bog, and some interesting Coleoptera and Diptera were taken. In the 

 course of the walk the Myrica gale was observed in profusion, a circum- 

 stance noticed here, because it is mentioned by Mr Winch to be rather 

 a rare plant in Northumberland, and in general is accounted local in its 

 distribution. In the whole of the northern part of this county, however, 

 it abounds, running over, in almost more profusion upon the extensive 

 moorlands on the border, where in the hollows, intermixed with stunted 

 willow (S. aurita et aquatica), it becomes a favourite retreat for the black- 

 cock, when his devotions to the female are past, and his plumage has to 

 be renovated for the ensuing season. Calamaarostis lanceolate/, a plant 

 hitherto unnoticed in our district, was seen growing abundantly in the 

 moss, intermixed with Aim ctespitosa, Salix pentandra, &c. On our 

 return to the inn, and the usual duties being paid to the table, Mr Emble- 

 ton's address, and tho sketch of the labours of the bygone year, were 

 attentively listened to, and the following papers were read : " No- 

 tice of the Capture of a Honey Buzzard near Twizel, and of the Wry- 

 neck near Lucker, by Mr Selby." This was a communication of consi- 

 derable interest, being a contribution to our knowledge of the habits of 

 this comparatively rare bird. The district around Twizel appears to 

 have something attractive to this species, for, within these few years, se- 



B. N. c. NO. iv. 



