MR selby's address. 87 



brink of the river, viz., Salix alba, S. viminalis, S. aquatica, and 

 S. Lambertiana. Ribes nigrum was observed in a small den about 

 two miles below Etal, but doubts were expressed as to its claim to 

 indigenous origin in that locality. The warble of the willow-wren> 

 Phyllopneuste trochilus, whose aiTival had been observed by Mr Selby 

 at Twizell about a week before, was heard in all the wooded parts of 

 our walk ; and that of the Whitethroat, for the first time this season, 

 in one of the thickest thorny brakes. A large specimen of the Slow 

 or Hag- worm, Anguis fragilist first discovered lurking beneath a 

 stone, after some attempts to elude his pursuers, was captured and 

 carried home for further observation by Mr Embleton. Pursuing 

 our course by the sidis of the rivor, our enjoyment heightened by the 

 continued beauty of the day, and occupied in our various pursuits, 

 the hours flew almost unheeded by, and it was not till the watch 

 had been consulted, and our growing appetites told us that our time 

 was nearly up, that we thought of retracing our steps towards the 

 village ; where, on our arrival, we found a more substantial and better 

 cooked repast prepared than we had reason to expect, considering 

 the sample we had experienced in the morning of the internal economy 

 of the house. After dinner, the usual routine of business commenced, 

 and the minutes of the preceding meeting having been read over, 

 the Rev. J. C. Atkinson of Meadow House, Hutton, was elected a 

 Member of the Club. A number of papers and notices on different 

 subjects connected with natural history were read — ^the \st, a paper 

 by Mr Carr of Hedgely, on the flight of the Peregrine Falcon in pur- 

 suit of its prey ; the 2c?, A contribution from Mr Henderson, being 

 some additions to the popular Rhymes of Berwickshire, and a sequel 

 to those which have already appeared in a former number of our 

 Transactions ; the 3o?, A paper by Mr Hardy on the vegetation of 

 "Willows, which must have been inhumed for some centuries. These 

 interesting observations were made by Mr Hardy upon the trunks of 

 a number of Willows, which had been exhumed during the formation 

 of the Newcastle and Carlisle railway, near the village of Dunston ; 

 the 4<A, A paper by the same gentleman on the Solar Halo ; and a 

 list of Insects collected, in July 1843, in the neighbourhood of tho 

 Pease Bridge, amounting to the number of 333. Dr Johnston read 

 a notice of the occurrence of the Quail at Scramerston ; and a short 

 account of James Stuart, better known throughout the district under 

 the sobriquet of Jamie Strength^ an old man, who died at Tweed- 

 mouth at the advanced age of 115 years. 



