216 president's address. 



tlie coast, and I believe not more than a pair can be found on 

 Coquet. St. Cutlibert's duck is a bird peculiarly interesting in 

 this locality, not only from traditional association, but from those 

 rocks being the most southern limit of this arctic bird. And 

 yet persons calling themselves gentlemen can be found, who will 

 lie in a boat all day, just out of reach of the guards, and amuse 

 themselves by shooting the birds from their nests. Had it not 

 been for the public spirit of Archdeacon Thorp, we should, by 

 this time, probably have had to lament the eider, the guillemot, 

 the roseate, Sandwich, and Arctic terns, as no longer residents on 

 our coasts. 



It appears to me that much practical service to the cause of 

 Natural History might be performed by our members were they, 

 in accordance with our rules, zealously, in their several spheres, 

 to exert themselves for the preservation of rare birds and plants. 

 The trowel is often as wantonly wielded as the gun ; and I must 

 only request the plunderer of plants to consider every remon- 

 strance now addressed to the sporter as equally applicable to 

 himself. There is a balance in nature: each class of animated 

 life has its functions. There is a mighty struggle for existence 

 going on in all ; do not let us wantonly or needlessly aggravate 

 it. Destroy the raptorials, and the beasts of the field increase 

 upon you ; weasels pounce on your hares ; rats destroy your eggs ; 

 and rats and mice levy a tremendous income-tax on the farmer's 

 profits. Naturalists have no political weight, nor are they allies 

 of John Bright in his mischievous crusade on the game-laws ; 

 but, considering the unpopularity of those laws in many quarters, 

 it would, perhaps, be the part of prudence so to carry them out 

 as to show that man, as well as nature, can leave a place in our 

 landscape for a creature that is neither a hare nor a pheasant. 



The severe winter has not been so prolific as might have been 

 expected of rare northern stragglers, the small flock of wax- 

 wings {Boniby cilia garrula), and two or three of the little gull 

 (Larus minutus), being the most interesting recorded. The latter, 

 perhaps, may rather be noted as a lateral straggler than a northern 

 visitor. In other parts of England, two very singular instances 

 of this lateral deviation from accustomed habits have been noted. 



