president's address. 89 



2. " Entomological Notes for 1858." By Mr, Tkomas J. Bold. 



S. "On the Occurrence of certain Freshwater Polyps in 

 Northumberland." By Mr. Albany Hancock. 



Mr, H. B. Brady exhibited a very ingenious cell, recently 

 invented, by means of which he showed the circulation of the 

 blood in a small fish in a very beautiful manner, and so as to 

 maintain its vitality under the microscope. 



Mr. T. Atthey, of Cramlington, exhibited a cup made from 

 the bog oak of Prestwick Car, whose ebon hue approjoriately 

 harmonised with the mournful feelings with which the local 

 naturalist bewails the drainage of his favourite haunt; and also 

 a number of fir cones from the same locality. 



For the excellent microscopes used on the occasion, the members 

 were indebted to Dr. Embleton and Mr. H. B. Brady. 



The Third Evening Meeting of the session was held on 

 Thursday, the 6th January, when about forty ladies and gentle- 

 men were present; and the members were congratulated on the 

 prosperous condition of the Club, and the large attendance at the 

 meeting. 



After tea and coffee, as usual, the following papers were read : — 



1. " On a peculiar reticulated appearance on the surface of a 

 Clay-bed, on the beach, near Whitburn." By Mr. 

 Albany Hancock. 



The object of the paper, which appears in our " Transactions," 

 was to show that, in all probability, the present position of the 

 submerged forests on the coast is owing to a gradual sliding 

 down, towards the sea, of the clay-beds on which they have 

 grown, from the pressure of their own weight, or of water 

 behind them, and the gradual washing away, by the sea, of the 

 surface of the clay exposed to its action, rather than, as has 

 been"*'generally supposed, by the actual subsidence of the coast, 

 from volcanic or other action in progress in the interior of the 

 earth. In the discussion which followed, Mr. Abbes, Mr. Carr, 

 and Mr. A. Hancock took part, and Mr. Abbes stated that the re- 

 sult of his observations on the spot was that he had arrived at a 

 somewhat different conclusion. 



In a paper read before the Institute of Civil Engineers^ on 



VOL. IV. PT. II. M 



