14 ur.v. MR BAIRD'S ADDRESS. 



sanguine of its original promoters could hardly have anticipated that its 

 establishment should have been so cordially welcomed, and that it should 

 have excited an interest so general and so great. It is, therefore, with 

 no ordinary satisfaction that I either contemplate the present list of our 

 members, or that I turn to the review of their labours since the celebra- 

 tion of our last anniversary. 



These labours during the past year, though hardly perhaps so inter- 

 esting, in some respects, as those of the preceding one, have, neverthe- 

 less, been far from unimportant. In some departments, indeed, they have 

 been even more satisfactory. The most numerous contributions have 

 been those of Dr Johnston : To our Secretary we are also indebted for 

 various interesting communications ; while to Messrs Selby, Mitchell, 

 Brown, W. Baird, and Dr Thomson, we are under additional obligations. 

 But these contributions will be best enumerated by taking a brief review 

 of the transactions of our several meetings during the past year. 



And of these the first we have to notice is the Anniversary Meeting 

 held at Coldstream in September last, a very pleasant meeting, and at 

 which many interesting communications were read. The day was spent 

 in examining the Hirsel Woods, Birgham Muir, and Leithtillum, and 

 Hirsel Lochs ; and to those who were present at this meeting, I need not 

 recall either the very agreeable nature of the excursion, or the beauty of 

 the scenery we were so often called upon to admire. Nor need I recall 

 the pleasure with which we listened to our President's address on leav- 

 ing the chair which he had filled so ably a pleasure, however, which 

 prevented us not from duly appreciating the value and importance of 

 various other papers which were laid before us. These were, 1 . A notice 

 of a Merlin (Falco JEsalon) shot near Blanerne, on the Whittadder, by 

 Mr Dunlop. 2. Notice of the occurrence of Grantia nivea, Fleming, 

 on the coast near Embelton, Northumberland, by Mr Embleton. 3. 

 Notices of Plants hitherto unnoticed in the district, by Messrs Dunlop 

 and Brown, and Dr Johnston. 4. An account of the Birds observed 

 during the excursion at St Abb's Head in July, by P. J. Selby, Esq. 5. 

 Cases of children poisoned by the seeds of Laburnum, by Dr Johnston. 

 (See Mag. of Nat. Hist. v. 6. p. 74.) 6. A paper on the Geology and 

 Botany of the coast of Northumberland, between Bamborough and Dun- 

 stanborough Castles, by Mr Embleton. 7. A list of the Zoophytes of 

 the same coast ; and a Meteorological Table from April to August, by 

 Mr Embleton. 



The next meeting of the Club which we have to notice was held in 

 the month of December last, at Berwick-upon-Tweed, a season of the 

 year which suits not distant members, and when, consequently, our meet- 

 ings must generally be expected to be thinly attended. Yet, was the 

 meeting far from being destitute of scientific interest. In particular, we 

 notice a very pleasing paper by Dr Johnston, giving a list of the more 

 rare and valuable plants observed at the previous meeting at Coldstream, 



