30 Field Meetings. 



The last Meeting was held on September 4th at Comlongan 

 Castle, and was well attended ; but there were no notes taken of 

 the day's proceedings. 



FIELD MEETINGS OF 1880. 



The First Field Meeting was held on May 4tli at the Thornhill 

 Museum, to which the Society had kindly been invited by Dr 

 Grierson. The party left Dumfries by the mid-day train, and 

 were joined at the museum by those Members residing in the 

 Thornhill district. They were first conducted through the grounds, 

 which are profusely stuilded at the present time with immense 

 numbers of Daffodils. Many varieties are grown here of these 

 beautiful spring flowers, which are seldom met with nowadays. 

 It was yet too early in the season for a proper examination of the 

 many rare and curious plants cultivated by Dr Grierson. The 

 fine series of ancient Querns and old Celtic Crosses was minutely 

 inspected, and much interesting information as to the history of 

 the various specimens was given. The party were next conducted 

 over the vast collection of Natural History and Art specimens, 

 and of Antiquities contained in the museum buildings. Prominent 

 in interest was a large assortment of articles recently obtained 

 from British Guiana, consisting of some very formidable Boa Con- 

 strictors and other serpents, many of them over twenty feet in 

 length; niimerous brilliantly coloured birds and insects; and strange 

 reptiles and rare quadrupeds. Some of the specimens in this 

 collection ai-e unique in European museums. A small box of the 

 deadly Wourali (or Wourai-i) poison was also sent amongst the 

 other things. The composition of this celebrated poison is now 

 well known as the product of various species of Strychnos ; but it 

 for a very long time baffled the most experienced travellers and 

 naturalists, the secret being so well kept by the "medicine men." 

 So deadly is it in operation that the slightest prick of an an-ow 

 previously dipped in it is sufficient to cause death in any animal 

 in two or three minutes; and a strange thing is that these animals 

 thus killed are used as food. A beautiful collection of birds, 

 reptiles, and mammals has also been recently added to the museum 

 from South Africa. Amongst these there is a very fine specimen 

 of the " Bushmaster," a ferocious serpent, which has the singular 



