MR. C. E. ROBSON'S RETORT OF FIELD MEETINGS J 77 



REPORT ON THE FIELD MEETINGS OF THE NATURAL 

 HISTORY SOCIETY FOR 1909. 



Read March 23RD, 1910, by Mr. C. E. Robson, Chairman 

 of the Field Meetings Committee for 1909. 



When the winds are blustering outside and the snow is 

 clothing the earth with its white mantle, it is good to muse 

 by the evening fire and allow one's thoughts to dwell on the 

 sunny days of summer — a time when one seemed to be in 

 closer touch with Nature. Pleasant are the memories of field 

 days spent with congenial companions, drawn together by 

 kindred tastes and intent on a better understanding of the 

 handiwork of the great Creator. It is my privilege to-night 

 to recall these days of last summer and to sum up briefly the 

 work accomplished during the season. 



The first meeting was arranged to be held at Mitford on 

 May 15th. After a long cold spring the outlook was not 

 hopeful; indeed the party, numbering 16, had barely reached 

 Morpeth before rain fell, and this changed into a sharp shower 

 of hail and snow as we went down the Buller's Bank. Here 

 we left the red-tiled houses behind and followed the broad 

 road, bordered by well-grown sycamores and beeches spread- 

 ing their wide branches : only the former showed leaf and 

 flower. Crossing the Low Ford Bridge, a large bed of 

 butterbur, extending along the right bank of the Wansbeck 

 for some 50 or 60 yards, was a noticeable feature. A weed truly, 

 rank in growth, yet its roots serve the useful purpose of 

 binding the clay bank and preventing its denudation. 



Soon the Abbey Mills, where woollen cloth is still woven, 

 were reached. At the tail of the mill race, a solitary fisherman 

 was whipping the water with but little result, the cold being 

 too pronounced for trout to be " on the feed " ; lower down 

 the stream two swans (of which Morpeth boasts a number) 



L 



