FIELD MEETINGS FOR 1909 1 83 



her eggs. Perhaps the best result of the day's work was the 

 taking of one of the spiders, Thyreosthenius biovatus, in the 

 home of the red ant. Some of the guests are carefully 

 attended by the ants and afford an interesting chapter in the 

 study of commensalism. Half-way through the woods we 

 came upon a large clearing, where sawmills have been erected 

 and work was in full swing. Where the timber has been cut, 

 a considerable area has been planted with larches, spruces, 

 etc., under the supervision of Mr. A. T. Gillanders, F.E.S. 

 Pushing along the footpath, the southern part of the woods 

 was reached, and from its steep slope a magnificent view was 

 extended before us : the district of Whitley Chapel through 

 which the Devil's Water winds its devious course ; in 

 panoramic succession the hills of Allendale, Alston, Blanch- 

 land and Consett. 



Turning our steps homeward, the sun at our backs glinting 

 on the lofty perpendicular boles of the Scotch pines, the 

 recesses thrown into shade by the roof of greenery, the red 

 mosaic floor of fallen needles underfoot, one caught the spirit 

 of the cathedral outline. And the silence, too, was there, 

 except for the occasional sad note of the woodwren, the shrill 

 pipe of the titmouse, or the full-throated roulade of the 

 chaffinch, which harmonized with the feeling of the moment. 



Pushing along downhill, the village of Corbridge was 

 reached, and after a cheering cup of tea, the long summer 

 evening was still before us. Our party divided, some follow- 

 ing the river downwards, and others taking the woodland path 

 to the point where the Devil's Water flows placidly into the 

 Tyne. A magnificent view of the broad winding river, 

 touched by the colour and glory of the setting sun, was before 

 us. On the banks beneath our feet, the tracery of the thrift 

 and the tufty cushions of the cathartic flax enriched the 

 beauty of the short, velvety herbage. The golden gorse was 

 still glowing under the sunshine, and the heavy May blossom 

 was like snowdritts on the hawthorns. 



