20 FIFTH FIELD MEETING. 
THE PRESIDENTS NOTES ON THE FIFTH FIELD MEETING. 
On this, our last meeting, for an excursion in furtherance of 
the objects of the Club, we spent an agreeable and instructive 
day, notwithstanding the lateness of the season. The attractions 
in the cabinet and library at Whitley House, were really endless, 
and I left them with the feeling, that in spite of Mr. Fryer’s 
exertions that our curiosity should be fully gratified, we had only 
made a beginning before the shortness of an autumn day warned 
us to proceed. I had the pleasure of showing, after breakfast, a 
very good sample of Spanish chesnuts, ripened on the trees at 
Dunston Hill. They have this year been perfectly matured, per- 
haps, even more completely than in 1826. We have some fine 
young trees growing, which were raised from the seed of that 
season. But the river Tyne is, perhaps, not far from the north- 
ern limit where this southern tree will bring its fruit to maturity, 
even in the warmest summers. 
I will conclude by mentioning a circumstance of the habits of 
the Tawny Owl, Strix Stridula, which I mentioned to some of 
our ornithologists at the Ovingham meeting. That bird does not 
seem to be known as a bold and rapacious robber of the nests of 
some of our stronger birds at the time when it is feeding its own 
young. It has been protected now for a few years at Dunston 
Hill. In 1844 a pair of Tawny Owls reared and ushered into 
the world three hopeful young, after having fed them assiduously 
upon the trees for many weeks after they had left the nest. 
The food must often have consisted in great part of worms, 
snails, and slugs, for the old birds brought it every minute from 
the ground in the immediate vicinity of the trees where the 
young were perched. This, however, might only be considered 
as a whet to their appetites before dinner ; for the parents made 
repeated and persevering attacks upon three or four magpie nests, 
sometimes during half an hour at a time. As the defence was 
spirited and gallant, they were often repulsed ; but, finally, I 
found the remains of young magpies under the favourite perch 
of the young owls, and one morning the bloody head and fea- 
thers of an old magpie, conspicuous from its size and the want of 
