957 



TYNESIDE NATURALISTS FIELD CLUB, 



The Club held its second meeting of the year on Wednesday, the 

 1 6th June, at Castle Eden Dene, and notwithstanding the unsettled 

 state of the weather, the day of meeting was an exceedingly pleasant 

 one ; for although rain fell abundantly in many places not far distant, 

 the weather at Castle Eden was delightful. This Dene, celebrated 

 throughout England for producing that beautiful and singular flower, 

 the lady's-slipper {Cypripedium Calceolus), besides many other rare 

 plants, and other objects of natural history, is remarkable also for the 

 beauty of its scenery, and the luxuriance of its vegetation. The first 

 meeting of the year was held at Morpeth, and the scene of the ram- 

 bles of those members of the Club who were present, was on the 

 banks of the Wansbeck, from Morpeth to a little below Bothal ; and 

 at this meeting, as well as at the second, the party had a very beau- 

 tiful day to add to their enjoyment of scenery, which, for quiet 

 beauty, is seldom exceeded. The usual plan of the Club is to as- 

 semble to breakfast at some inn conveniently situated near the place 

 of meeting, then to have their excursion, and to dine afterwards at 

 such place and hour as may be agreed upon. When, however, the 

 distance from home is too great to allow time for this, each party 

 provides for himself, and dines in the open air. At the meetings at 

 breakfast and dinner, when there is time, announcements are made 

 of what parties have done in those branches of natural history which 

 each may pursue, papers are read, and the proceedings of the com- 

 mittee are reported. When the papers are too long, then they are 

 read at an evening meeting, held for that purpose, in the rooms of the 

 Natural History Society of this town. One leading object of the 

 Club is the formation and printing of correct lists of the various natu- 

 ral productions of the counties of Durham and Northumberland, with 

 localities, descriptions of new species, and such observations as may 

 be deemed necessary. It is also in contemplation to draw up and 

 publish a succinct account of the Geology of the district, with lists of 

 the fossils occurring in different formations. These various papers,, 

 although necessarily printed separately in the first instance, will, 

 when complete, form a continuous series in that order which may be 

 considered the best. The first part of the Club's publications will 

 comprise the proceedings for the last year, several interesting papers, 

 and a list of the Coleoptera and of the Molluscous animals. Other 

 portions of the Entomology and the Botany are in active preparation. 

 Vol. II. 6 D 



