256 president's address. 



horror of artificial game-preserving, though a keen preserver of 

 native game, and he always protected owls, kestrels, and other 

 rarities. His private collection of birds of the county of Durham 

 contains various unique specimens, ex. gr. White's Thrush. "A 

 finished scholar, an accomplished man, a deeply-read theologian, 

 an acute lawyer, and a keen lover of the fine arts as of nature, — 

 alas ! that his memory must die with his contemporaries. But 

 he lived for duty and not for fame." Such is the high and 

 noble encomium of a friend who knew Mr. Burdon better than 

 almost any one. The fruitful seed from which grows up the 

 harvest of a nation's greatness was here indeed in one of whom 

 the aphorism might be said truly — 



" The world knows nothing of its greatest men." 



After thus noticing that which has specially concerned the 

 Club in the past season, we may now pass on to one or two sub- 

 jects of more general interest. 



The Holy Island Field Meeting reminds me of a desirable 

 subject for our consideration. During some excursions from the 

 Tyne to the Farne Islands last summer, a deplorable destruction 

 of the sea-birds took place ; and I have thought that our Club 

 might help, as on former occasions, to prevent in future this 

 heartless and wanton massacre of young birds especially; at all 

 events, by influencing public opinion. The cruel thoughtless- 

 ness of these excursionists, which showed itself, it seems, as 

 soon as they set foot on the rocky islets, surely calls for the 

 reprobation of every humane person, and humanity towards the 

 lower creatures has always been, and always will be, the mark 

 of the true naturalist. But for the late Archdeacon Thorpe, 

 our President in 1852, who made noble and successful efforts for 

 their preservation, many species of these sea-birds, which are 

 one of the great attractions of the lonely Fames, would pro- 

 bably have been entirely exterminated in their chief breeding 

 grounds. In the original rules of our Club, as you are aware, 

 this subject is by no means overlooked. It is declared (Rule 

 XI.) "That the Club shall endeavour to discourage the prac- 

 tice of risking the extermination of rare or interesting 



