188 [Pi"OC. B.N.F.C, 



with which I stood up to respond to the sentiment, " The 

 health of the bride," on my wedding day. I am sincerely 

 tnankful for your extreme kindness in presenting me with 

 such a beautiful and too flattering address, for its generous 

 accompaniment, and for the graceful manner of its presen- 

 tation at the hands of Mrs. Fennell. Mr. President, it is 

 a matter of just pride to think that after an official connection 

 with our Club for forty years, my colleagues and fellow- 

 members should for the third time testify their appreciation of 

 my services; services rendered as a labour of love, and as such 

 were their own reward. It is a niatter of just pride to look 

 back and remember the many earnest and distinguished 

 Naturalists with whom I have been associated; with such as 

 they and such as many of you I have explored the romantic 

 Glens and the unique Coast Scenery of the County Antrim, 

 ascended the slopes of the Mourne Mountains, investigated the 

 historical associations and antiquarian remains of Armagh, 

 traced the folk-lore of Derry and Donegal, roamed through 

 the beautiful scenery of Fermanagh Lakes, and the wild 

 grandeur of Connemara, Galway, and North Clare. Time 

 would fail me in the effort to faintly picture the memories 

 your kindness has evoked. I can only again thank you for 

 your beautiful, valuable, and most acceptable presentation, 

 which I do with the earnest hope that each of you may be 

 afforded opportunities, similar to those that I have had, to 

 study the attractive features of our native land — that you 

 may have the same pleasure that I have had in that study — 

 and that you may be spared in health and vigour to attain 

 the prolonged experience that I have been favoured with, 

 and that when you desire to withdraw from the more severe 

 physical exertions evoked in the prosecution of your nature 

 studies, you too, each one of you, may find yourself the centre 

 of an approving circle of your fellows manifesting towards 

 you that kindness, generosity and uplifting sympathy I am 

 now called to acknowledge, and which I do with sincere thank- 

 fulness and manly pride. 



(Signed), William Gray. 



