president's address. 285 



Exulting, rich beyond the wealth of kings, 

 I felt a sense of pain when I beheld 

 The silent trees, and saw the intruding sky. 

 Then, dearest maiden, move along these shades 

 In gentleness of heart ; with gentle hand 

 Touch — for there is a spirit in the woods. 



The fern loses much of its charm when parted from its rift of 

 rock, the bird dead and bleeding on heather or wave, its wild 

 cry and circling flight for ever stilled, must surely bring a shock 

 of remorse to any but a callous mind. Better, as I think, that 

 that remorse should remain and bring forth fruit in future absti- 

 nence from unnecessary destruction of life. For my own part 

 I do not doubt, that in the course of perhaps not very many 

 years we shall come to view even those "field sports," now 

 commonly considered manly and admirable, as being essentially 

 barbarous, that even the fisher's pastime (for some mysterious 

 reason known as the "gentle craft) will as such be laid aside, 

 and that we shall learn to practice as well as to preach the much 

 needed lesson, 



Never to blend our pleasure or our pride 

 With sorrow of the meanest thing that feels. 



I do not overlook the fact, that in the prosecution of scientific 

 enquiry, the pain and death of animals are often necessary ; but 

 it is certainly incumbent on all thus engaged to inflict death, 

 where unavoidable, as speedily and painlessly as possible, and 

 to mitigate or altogether annul pain by one or other of the many 

 agents now so easily attainable. 



The September Meeting was held on the 15th and 16th of the 

 month at Rothbury. It was hoped that the Northumberland 

 Central Railway would have been opened in time to allow of our 

 reaching Rothbury by that route, but though the meeting was 

 postponed for a month on that account, the inertia of engineers, 

 contractors, or directors prevailed, and the older but not less 

 pleasant methods of transit between Morpeth and Coquetdale 

 were brought into requisition. About twenty members met at 

 Rothbury on the 15th, some having walked over from Morpeth 



