2 PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



the other days, no great success attended the researches of those 

 ambitious of new discoveries. Altogether then, our Field Meet- 

 ings, for the past year, make a sorry figure ; yet I trust evidence 

 enough is adducible to substantiate the assertion that, in the 

 intervals of the meetings, both at Newcastle, and elsewhere, the 

 Club has not unsuccessfully wooed both the Flora and the Fauna 

 of the district. 



Our Second Evening Meeting was held in one of the rooms of the 

 Literary and Philosophical Society, on Thursday, the 4th of April, 

 and was attended by many of our most influential and industrious 

 members. The Rev. K. C. Coxe, Vicar of Newcastle, being called to 

 the chair, a continuation of the papers by Ralph Carr, Esq., "On the 

 Composite Names of Places, chiefly of Anglo-Saxon derivation,'* 

 was read, in the absence of the author, by Mr. Storey. Mr. 

 James Hardy presented to the Club a printed copy of his "Essay 

 on Insects, injurious to the Turnip Crop," for which a vote of 

 thanks was awarded to him. Two small papers were contributed 

 by myself, " On the short Sun Fish," and " On the Old English 

 or Black Rat." These were illustrated by prepared skins, skeletons, 

 &c., and by drawings of the digestive and other organs, from the 

 accurate pencil of Mr. Albany Hancock. Conversations on the 

 subjects of the papers, and on other interesting topics ensued; 

 afterwards Messrs. J. Taylor, jun., Gainsford Bruce, and W. 

 Daggett, of Newcastle, were elected members. 



On the 4th of May, at a Committee meeting, for making arrange- 

 ments for the Field Meetings, and other business, the names of 

 Messrs. W. Trueman, Durham; E. I. J. Browell, East Boldon; and 

 M. W. Lambert, Newcastle, were added to the list of members. 



The First Field Meeting of the year, was held at Stanley 

 Burn, on Friday, the 17th of May; but the attendance of members 

 on this excursion was thin. The weather proved sufficiently fine 

 to allow of a pleasant ramble along the wooded, picturesque banks 

 of the burn ; towards evening, however, rain compelled the party 

 to seek shelter at the small inn, near the Wylam station, where 

 they frugally dined. The plants gathered on this occasion, were 

 chiefly of the common species. 



The Second Field Meeting took place at Staward Peel, on 



