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1 .Address to the Members of the Berwichshire Naturalists'' Club. By 

 George Johnston, M.D. (Eead at its first Anniversary Meeting, 

 lield at Coldstream., September 19, 1832). 



Gentlemen, 



Befoke I leave tlie distinguislied station wliicli, by your favour, I 

 hold in this Club, you will permit me to take a cursory view of what 

 has been done, during this the fii'st year of its existence, towards 

 forwarding the objects for which we principally associated ourselves ; 

 a more accurate knowledge, to-wit, of the natural history and antiqui- 

 ties of Berwickshire and the adjacent parts of the neighbouring counties : 

 and I am induced to do this, not because our labours have elicited much 

 of interest or importance ; not because I can hope to give any additional 

 impulse to your zeal, or direction to your future pursuits ; but that I 

 may, as far as in me lies, set an example to my successors in this chair, 

 to give you, at each succeeding anniversary, a summary of the 

 communications and researches of the members during the year ; so 

 that the results of these may not be lost, and that their bearings and 

 connections may be pointed out. The review, also, may serve to remind 

 us of those departments of the natural history of the county which 

 have received the least notice and illustration, and where, of course, 

 our inquiries may be most usefully directed in future. 



Birds. — At our meeting in July, it was mentioned that a male bird 

 of the rose-coloured ouzel ( Pastor roseus) had been shot at West Ord, 

 in the vicinity of Berwick, on the 13th of that month, by the Eev. Mr 

 Campbell. No previous instance of the occurrence of this beautiful 

 bird in North Diu'ham is known ; and very few instances of its occur- 

 rence in the north of England are on record ^ It is a summer visitant, 

 coming to us at uncertain intervals ; compelled, perhaps, to make these 

 parts by the force of some contrary storms : and, in this respect, it 

 resembles another bird, the Egyptian goose {Anas agyptiaca), a small 

 flock of which is recorded to have visited the Tweed, at Carham, in 

 the beginning of February last^. This flock, as is conjectured by Mr 

 Selby, may probably have made its escape fi'om Gosford, the seat of 

 the Earl of Wemyss, upon the Eirth of Eorth, where numbers of these 

 birds are kept in the artificial pieces of water ^. 



^ Mr Selby has a specimen, shot near Bamborough. ; and two others have beeu 

 taken not far from Newcastle. {Trans. Netvc. Soc, i. 263.) It is singular that 

 these were all males. 



2 Kelso Mail for Feb. 6. 1832 ; Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. v. p. 565. 



^ Trans. Newc. Soc. i. 290. Five were seen on the Fame islands in April 1830 

 ftnd, in March. 1831, a female waa kiUe(l near Berwick. (Ibid.) 



