EEV. ME BAIRD's ADDRESS. 17 



its grandeur and sublimity, is scarcely to be met with, in our island, 

 and sure I am that, round these shores, a plentiful harvest yet awaits 

 our exertions. The plant of perhaps the greatest interest which this 

 excursion afforded, was the Poterium Sanguisorla, a plant new to the 

 Berwick Flora, although in many situations by no means unconmion. 

 For this addition to the botany of Berwickshire we are indebted to Mr 

 Mitchell. The most important communications read at this meeting 

 were, 1 . A notice by Mr Euibleton of the plants collected and observed 

 in the last excursion. 2. A notice of the shells collected during the 

 same excursion in Dunglass Dean, by Dr Johnston ; and, 3. A valuable 

 and very ingenious paper by Dr Thomson, viz. ; a Eegister of the 

 Barometer kept at Eccles Manse, during the year 1832 ; from wbicli 

 the author deduced many curious facts and various conclusions of con- 

 siderable importance. From the interest with which this paper was 

 listened to, it is hoped that the example set by Dr Thomson, will have 

 led others to institute a similar series of observations, and that, from 

 different situations in the county, we shall have, from time to time, 

 rej)orts connected with this interesting department. At the same 

 meeting were also read a notice by Mr Brown of two plants new to the 

 Flora of Berwickshire ; and a notice by Dr Johnston of the Great 

 Northern Diver ( Colymhis gJacialis) being caught in a salmon-net on 

 Spittal shore, 11th May 1833. 



The 17th of July, when the Club met at Holy Island, was a day of 

 unusual beauty. With regard to the exciu'sion of the day, I unfortu- 

 nately, can say little, not having been present ; but we can all form 

 some idea of its pleasure, when we know that the scene of the excursion 

 was Holy Island, and the day one um^valled for its sj)lendour. 



On looking over the minutes of this meeting, it appears to have been 

 one of unxisual business. Among other papers, we observe a notice by 

 Mr Embleton, of the plants observed during last excursion ; — a very 

 interesting and valuable notice by Mr Selby, entitled, " Ornithological 

 observations made during the excursions of the Club in April and 

 June ; " — and the announcement to the Society by Mr Mitchell, of two 

 plants new to the Berwick Flora ; one, the magnificent Osmunda regalis, 

 observed at the Routin Linn, near Fenton in Northumberland ; the 

 other, a species of mint, which solicited particular attention, and which 

 has since been ascertained to be the Mentha crispa of Linnaeus. In the 

 minutes of the same meeting, we observe an excellent paper by Dr 

 Johnston, entitled, "A list of the Invertebrate Animals observed dur- 

 ing the walk from Coldingham to Coldingham Loch, St Abb's Head," 

 &e., June 19th, in which he notices, as new to Berwickshire, the Helix 

 ceUaria and H. pura, Planorhis fontanus, and Pisidmm pulcJiellum ; and, 

 as an addition to the marine botany of Berwickshire, the 8pliacelaria 

 cirrhosa of Grreville. At the same meeting was also read an interesting 

 and elaborate paper, by Mr AV. Baird, on that very curious animal the 

 Gordius aquaticus or hair-worm, an animal by no means uncommon, 



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