FIELD MEETINGS FOR I916 207 



KEPORT OF THE FIELD MEETINGS OF THE NATURAL 



HISTORY SOCIETY FOR 1916. 



Read by Mr. Richard Adamson, Chairman of the Field 



Meetings Committee for 1916. 



Ladies and Gentlemen. — I very reluctantly accepted your 

 kind offer of the Presidency of the Field Section for the second 

 time. In spite, however, of ill-health and of the greater 

 (iemands on my leisure time made by my professional duties, 

 several considerations assisted me in giving a favourable 

 reply : the meetings of the ensuing season were all to be 

 Saturday appointments and were all to take place more or less 

 locally, whilst pleasant recollections of bygone outings and the 

 opportunity of revisiting some of my lifelong haunts in your 

 company, were further inducements. 



The following were the Meetings appointed for the 19 16 

 Session : — 



20th May — Sheepwash and Bothal. 



3rd June — Riding Mill. 



24th June — Warkworth. 



8th July — Lockhaugh (for young people). 



22nd July — Gibside. 



I attended the whole of the series, and at each of the 

 meetings the weather, which was delightfully fine, added 

 greatly to the enjoyment of the outing. On each occasion 

 there was a good attendance of enthusiastic naturalists. 



Meeting at Sheepwash and Bothal on May 2oth. A 

 large party detrained at North Seaton, where a commencement 

 was made in proceeding towards Sheepwash. Immediately 

 after starting, the day's pursuits began at a pond by the way- 

 side, rank in vegetable growth, of which the water crowfoot 

 {Ranunculus aquafilis) was greatly in evidence with its masses 

 of floating white blooms. Its two-fold form of leaves was 

 noticed, the submerged, finely dissected ones, and the oval or 

 kidney-shaped kind floating on the surface. Some of the 

 members who were anxious to obtain aquatic forms of animal 



