196 KEPOET OF THE COMMITTEE 



EEPORT OF THE COMMITTEE 



OF THE 



NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY 



OF 



NOETHUMBERLAND, DURHAM, AND NEWCASTLE- 

 UPON-TYNE, 



PRESENTED AT THE ANNIVERSARY MEETING, HELD JULY 9th, 1868, 



JOSEPH BLACKLOCK, ESQ., IN THE CHAIR. 



To chronicle the events of a year, in a Society whose chief func- 

 tions consist in a routine of unobtrusive duties, needs under 

 ordinary circumstances but few lines, and this is particularly 

 the case in the season of calm which succeeds one of unusual 

 exertion. A few years ago your Committee, in its periodical 

 reports, could command the interest of the members by re- 

 counting the progress of those alterations in the property and 

 internal economy of the Society, the liberal and efficient scale of 

 which has caused subsequent changes to be confined to matters 

 of detail. Your Committee have therefore but little to record of 

 the past year save the continuance of steady efficiency, due in a 

 measure to the improvements alluded to. 



The most important incident since the last Anniversary Meet- 

 ing is the addition to the Museum and Library of the various 

 zoological collections and the scientific library which belonged 

 to our late Vice-President, Joshua Alder. It had been the de- 

 sire of Mr. Alder, who was one of the founders of the Society, 

 that these companions of his life's labour should enrich a Mu- 

 seum already indebted in no common degree to his active and 

 watchful care ; but his wish might have been entu'ely frustrated 

 had it not been for the liberality of Sir W. Gr. Armstrong. At 

 Mr. Alder's decease his cabinet came into the hands of Sir W. 



