president's address. 123 



On one occasion, near Buxton, I saw a titlark pursue a 

 white butterfly for about one hundred yards, but it failed to 

 capture it. 



A circumstance of a different character may here be noted. 

 Many years ago, whilst staying at Whitley, my brother and I 

 were searching rock pools near the cave at CuUercoats, when 

 my brother called me to look at what he had discovered. I 

 ran to the spot, and on kneeling down I found half-a-dozen 

 specimens of the Hippocampus were distinctly visible, as they 

 were quietly floating in a perpendicular position. I had never 

 seen any living Hippocampi before, nor did I then know this 

 strange creature, but to my brother they were perfectly familiar. 

 The pool in which we found them was about five feet in length, 

 eighteen inches across, and about twelve inches in depth. 

 The bodies of these Httle Hippocampi seemed almost trans- 

 parent. The saltwater aquarium I had never had an oppor- 

 tunity of forming, but at an early period we had formed a 

 fresh water one, the observation of which afforded a great 

 pleasure. In this the common Stickleback bred on one 

 occasion, and the young ones grew till they were about an 

 inch in length and then disappeared. Their nest was about 

 two inches in length, and most carefully watched and pro- 

 tected by the male fish. 



Perhaps one of the sights which impressed me most forcibly 

 was when I saw a large snake being fed in a travelling 

 caravan in Newcastle. The reptile was placed on a rough 

 sort of platform stretched out to its full length of about five 

 feet; a rabbit, after being stunned, was then set about 18 

 inches from its head. In this position they remained motion- 

 less for a few minutes, then, like a flash of lightning, not a 

 particle of the rabbit could be seen, it being instantly wrapped 

 in the folds of the snake. The snake, after keeping the rabbit 

 in its mouth some minutes, gradually unfolded and swallowed 

 it, and repeated the same process with two others in quick 

 succession. 



I have occasionally come across common vipers when in 

 the woods near Winlaton, most frequently as they lay basking 



