504 president's address. 



destroyed by a fire, for the origin of which various accounts 

 have been given, but is now being gradually restored. No trace 

 of the old feudal castle was left save the chapel, dedicated to the 

 Virgin, a venerable pile of Norman masonry, which still forms 

 one of the most interesting features of Seaton Delaval. 



We then made our way through Seaton Sluice, inspecting on 

 our road the port constructed as mentioned in Captain Adam- 

 son's paper, to St. Mary's Island, where tea was provided, and 

 the meeting brought to a close by Mr. T. P. Barkas reading a 

 paper " On the Oral Armature of Coal Measure Fishes.'" And 

 so ended our year's work out of doors. 



I fully hope and believe that the very important objects of our 

 Club have been as fully advanced during the past year as in any 

 preceding one. It should be remembered that it is not so much 

 to add to the well-filled stores of our older and better informed 

 members that these Field Meetings are undertaken, but rather 

 to quicken and draw out that latent sympathy for aU natural 

 objects which is, more or less, to be found in almost every per- 

 son, be his station in life what it may. Mind, being brought 

 into contact with mind, as it is in our Field Meetings, may be 

 the means of awakening an interest in some particular Jbranch 

 of Nature's handiwork which may lead to great results hereafter. 



An Evening Meeting was held on Thursday, December 9th, 

 at which Thomas Sopwith, Esq., presided, as I was obliged, 

 unfortunately for myself, to be absent. There were between 

 thirty and forty members present. Mr. Albany Hancock and 

 Mr. T. Atthey contributed a "Note on Ayithracosaurus,'" also a 

 paper " On the generic Identity of Climaxoclus and Janassa, two 

 Fossil Fishes related to the Rays.'' Mr. Jos. Wright read a paper 

 " On the Teeth of the ' Ballan Wrasse;'" and Mr. G. S. Brady 

 contributed some notes on " Microzoa, chiefly Entomostraca col- 

 lected in the Northumberland and Durham District, 1869." 



There seems to be a growing taste for the study of Natural 

 History in all parts of the country; the rapid increase in the 

 number of Field Naturalists' Clubs, founded on principles similar 

 to those which our own Club was amongst the earliest I believe 



