SIR WILLIAM JAUDINE'S ADDRESS. li>"> 



been a remarkable deficiency of the Geonivtridcc, and of the greater por- 

 tion of tlioso Noctuadcr, which feed more particularly on the foliage of 

 trees, circumstances that were perh?ps occasioned by the remarkably 

 cold and parched weather which occurred in May and June, and which 

 was equally unfavourable to the development of the flowers and foliage 

 of many of our native and generally hardy plants. But DOftritbstaqdtttg 

 this unpropitious season, from the sketch that I have just now read, you 

 will have seen that some subjects have been added to our Fauna, and 

 some new plants to our Flora, besides considerable additions to our 

 local knowledge of the district, within the boundaries of our range. 



But I have another subject on which the Club has my wannest con- 

 gratulations. Our little proceedings tell more decidedly how much the 

 value of such an institution is esteemed. Humble as they seemed at 

 tirxt, and printed and circulated without display, it must be gratifying 

 to us all, that they have been already quoted in works which bear a high 

 rank in zoology and botany, and that they may be now said to hold a 

 place in the literature of the naturalist. Let me then entreat you to 

 continue your perseverance ; you have now to retain the eminence you 

 have gained ; much yet lies before you, particularly in the lo'^er forms 

 of our various departments ; there is abundance which will bear to be 

 re-examined, while one path, which was formerly recommended in an 

 admirable address from this chair, still stands nearly clear, that of the 

 physiology and internal structure of the beings and plants which we have 

 already been attempting externally to characterize. I would also hint 

 at another object which the Club might now endeavour to attain : You 

 are all well aware how much Berwickshire is indebted to one of our num- 

 ber for the illustration of its Flora, and it app2ars to me that if a sketch 

 of a Fauna was made out, including all the vertebrata and invertebrata, 

 so fyr as the notes in our possession would admit, that it would much 

 facilitate the addition of species as they were discovered, and would be 

 a guide by which members might direct their researches to the vacant 

 parts, and finally fill the gap in the natural history of the county. 



Leaving these hints for your consideration, it only now remains for 

 me formally to resign my seat to one whom I trust will prove a more 

 worthy successor, and I must express my regret that circumstances 

 should have compelled me to be so frequently absent from our meetings, 

 and to take so little share in the duties of the situation in which your 

 partiality placed me, and at tho same time I would offer my acknow- 

 ledgments for your indulgence. From the time of my admission into 

 the Club, I have felt a lively interest in its prosperity, convinced that if 

 similar institutions were formed, we should soon learn, how much we had 

 to learn of the natural history of our county. Neither is there any as- 

 sociation more likely to lead to the discovery of objects of commercial 

 or individual importance, while th^y may attain a still higher end ; for 

 by bringing individuals to a peaceable and rational converse, they point 



