8 DR Johnston's address. 



too beautiful, too gencrall}' distributed, and too obtrusive, not to bave 

 attracted our attention : I mean tbe butterfly tribe. Of tbis, 85 species 

 (including 11 tbat porbajis may properly be considered as varieties) 

 bave been ascertained to be natives of Britain ; and, of tbese, we bave 

 in Berwickshire, only 16 distinct species, or somewhat more than one- 

 fiftb of the whole. Four belong to the family Papibonidte ; nine to 

 the Nyniphalidre ; and three to the Lycfenidfo ^ None of the species 

 are esteemed rare by experienced entomologists ; but, in Berwickshire, 

 I never observed the Hipparchia Semele, until on our visit to St Abb's 

 Head in July last, where we found this fine active insect in great profu- 

 sion. The more common Uipparcliia j^geria^ also, I have seen in one 

 locality only in this country, viz. on the wooded banks of tbe Eye, 

 below Ayton House, where it may be captured in the months of June 

 and July. Tbe Pontia cardamines is likewise a local species with us ; 

 it very rarely occurs in the neighbourhood of Berwick, but appears 

 very soon after passing the village of Paxton, on the road to Swinton, 

 and abounds all along that low tract. It is also common on the road 

 between Swinton-Mill and Coldstream ; but I bave not noticed it else- 

 where in Berwickshire. 



Exannulosa. — Communications relating to the exannulose invertebrate 

 tribes have been made as yet only by myself, but I have now a zealous 

 co-operator in our Secretary, whose situation is peculiarly favourable 

 for the investigation of these intricate and vastly curious creatures, 

 among whose multitudes, it may be truly said, "we meet with foirms 

 and structures as varied and unexpected as if they had been tbe tenants 

 of another planet." A collection of the zoophytes of the coast was ex- 

 hibited at an early meeting, which I have since described at length in 

 the Transaidions of the Natural History Society of Newcastle ; and I 

 flatter myself that no department of the natural history of Berwickshire 

 is now so well known as this, in reference to species : their habits and 

 economy require for illustration a person of more uninterrupted leisure. 

 Our Actinise, or animal flowers, on which I read a separate paper, are 

 remarkably interesting. I know no marine worm that for beauty and 

 elegance can be compared with the Actinia plumosa ; and such of you 

 as had the opportunity of seeing the specimen that I preserved for some 

 time alive, will recall with pleasure the splendid spectacle. Actinia 

 Tuedioi was still more interesting, to me at least, for the species was 

 new to naturalists, and, fortunately, possessed characters that distin- 

 guished it decidedly from every other. The Actinia coccinea and viduata 

 of Miiller are also denizens of our shores ; but the first was considered 

 as a smooth variety of the senilis^ and the other a small streaked variety 

 of tbe equina. 



^ a. PapilionidsB : Pontia brassicao, P. rap^, P. napi, P. cardamines. h 

 Nymphalidso : Vanessa urticae ; V. Atalanta, Cynthia cardni, Hipparchia ^geria, 

 H. Semele, H. Megaera, H. Janira, H. hiperanthus, H. Pamphilus. c. Lycsenid^ : 

 Lycasna Phlagas, Polyommatus Alexis, P. Argus. 



