8 president's address. 



After dinner, a Memorandum by the Rev. J. F. Bigge was 

 read, on the " Occurrence of the Glowworm, in July, 1857, be- 

 tween Matfen and Stamfordham." The party walked back to 

 Hexham, visiting, on their way, the Roman Station at Chesters 

 (Cilurnum), by the courtesy of the proprietor, Mr. Clayton, an 

 able Roman antiquary. 



The Fifth Field Meeting was at Barnardcastle and Rokeby, 

 on the 26th and 27tli August. I was unable to be present, 

 and the party was a very small one, not more than four 

 or five mustered at Darlington, where they obtained return 

 tickets for Barnardcastle. As they had to wait two hours for 

 the train, they took a ramble into the country, and the weather 

 being very fine they enjoyed their walk; the only object worth 

 notice was the white Bryony (^Bryonia dioica), in fruit, covered 

 with beautiful red berries, often called wild grapes, and presenting 

 great temptation to stray children. Arriving at Barnardcastle, 

 they inspected the interesting remains of the once important 

 fortress of Castle Barnard, and then walked down the bed of the 

 Tees, towards Rokeby, and finding the Geological formation to be 

 mountain-limestone, their search for ripple marks was soon re- 

 warded. These marks were precisely such as would be found in a 

 retired bay, not much exposed to storms ; the marks where they 

 changed their direction always bore indications of a very light 

 breeze having prevailed at the time they were formed. Many 

 pieces of rock were split for the purpose of examining them ; the rip- 

 ple marks were found to be in the same direction, layer after layer. 

 Some fossil Fiici Avere observed, and indications of the existence 

 of Annelids, similar in organization to those which inhabit our 

 own shores — at least so far as could be inferred from their tracks 

 left here and there on what had been either a sandy or a muddy 

 sea beach. The party left the river to view the ruins of Eggle- 

 ston Abbey, of which a little of the church remains, with three 

 old tombs within the walls; the monastic buildings are in better 

 preservation, and are still inhabited. They proceeded by the 

 road to Rokeby, but finding that the grounds were closed, they 

 returned to the bed of the river near the Abbey Bridge; the 



