142 



PRESIDENTS ADDRESS. 



I cannot pass to the Sixth Meeting without repeating mj sense 

 of the kindness of mj brethren who returned home with me, and 

 bj their friendly disregard of no little crowding and acceptance 

 of what thej met with, gave me one of the most enjoyable evenings 

 I ever had at Westoe ; nor ought I to omit that Captain Collinson, 

 R.E., who was unfortunately prevented by indisposition from 

 joining us, sent us for inspection some interesting specimens from 

 Australia and the Indian Archipelago, including skins of the 

 Ornithorhynchus paradoxus ; the vegetable caterpillar, and other 

 curious objects. 



The Sixth and last Meeting was at Corbridge, on the 3rd of 

 October, and was attended by twelve of our members. I have no 

 minute supplied of the scientific proceedings of the day; but, as 

 I find that the party visited Aydon Castle, of M'hich Mr. John 

 Storey, jun., took a sketch, I have some hope that we may hereafter 

 meet with some notices of the day's work, illustrative of the anti- 

 quarian objects, if not in an express paper. 



It now only remains for me to read the notices of what has 

 been respectively done as to Botany, Entomology, and the investi- 

 gation as to Mollusks, on other occasions than those of our Field 

 Meetings ; and to state, that at every meeting there was a large 

 addition to our Society, by the admission of new members, and 

 that, now, we number 206, being an increase of 56 members above 

 our strength in the last year. 



Botanical Notices. By Mr. John Storey. — "In the intervals of 

 the Field Meetings, a few important additions have been made 

 to our local Flora. In the Autumn of 1851, I met with Zostera 

 nana, Both., on the shores of the Blyth. This plant has hitherto 

 been confined to one or two of the southern counties of England. 

 It was noticed, in 1847, in Poole Harbour, Dorsetshire, by Mr. 

 Borrer, by whom it is well described in the Supi^lement to English 

 Botany, where it is beautifully figured. Mr. Borrer observes that 

 "few of those who have written on this plant have seen it alive;" 

 perhaps fewer still have seen the mature fruit. Fructus perfectos 

 Z. nanoe nondum vidi. Koch, Syn. ed. 2. p. 783. 



In September last, Mr. John Thompson, in company with Mr. 

 T. Belt, collected specimens of Ulex Gallii, Planch., near Baron 



