70 REPORT OF FIELD MEETINGS. 



REPORT OF FIELD MEETINGS, 

 1903. 



In view of the amalgamation of the Tyneside Naturalists' 

 Field Club, the arranging of the field meetings was this year 

 taken over by the Natural History Society. Four meetings 

 were held in place of the usual six, the half-day meetings at 

 the beginning and end of the session being omitted^the first 

 because the necessary arrangements could not be made in 

 time, the last because no one attended it. Reports of the 

 other four meetings are given below. That of the day at 

 Howick and Dunstanborough is kindly furnished by Mr. C. 

 E. Stuart, B.Sc. ; and the Rev. W. J. Wingate has supplied 

 the account of the day at Stanhope. 



The First Meeting took place on June 12th, and had 

 been planned as a visit to the Fame Islands. A party of 

 ten travelled by an early train to Seahouses, and were dis- 

 appointed to find that it was impossible to carry out the 

 object of the expedition. A strong east wind had been 

 blowing on the previous day, and though the day of the visit 

 was beautifully fine and still, the sea had not had time to 

 settle sufficiently to allow of landing on the islands. Deter- 

 mining, however, to make the best of the circumstances and 

 of the delightful weather, the party devoted the day to a 

 walk up the coast to Bamborough and Holy Island. There 

 was a stream to be waded at the mouth of Budle Bay, and as 

 thenceforward most of the walking was over smooth, wet 

 sand, barefooted marching was largely resorted to. On this 

 part of the journey a striking mirage was visible. The heat 

 of the sun on the wet sand, combined with the absence of 

 wind, had given rise to a layer of warm air with a reflecting 

 surface at a height of about three or four feet. Owing to this, 

 Holy Island appeared as if cut up into several smaller islands 

 reflected in very still water ; and by stooping it was possible 



