28 Anniversary Address. 



Rea, Esq., Doddington, officiating as vice-chairman. The 

 Rev. J. F. Bigge informed the meeting that this season his 

 pear tree leaves had suffered greatly, and one of the trees 

 had been killed, by the filthy pear leaf leech-like pest. This 

 is the larva of a black saw fly, and is akin to the caterpillar, 

 so destructive to the foliage of the gooseberry. The pear one 

 protects itself from the heat by a coating of its o to excre- 

 ment. Mr Bigge also laid before the meeting a paper illus- 

 trated with cuts and drawings, entitled " A Description of 

 Implements, domestic and agricultural, that have gone, or 

 are fast going, out of use in the county of Northumberland." 

 A letter was read from Mr Thomas Tate, of Alnwick, record- 

 ing a visit of the Woodlark there during the summer, when 

 it had been heard singing both by day and at night ; also a 

 communication from. Br Colvdlle Brown, enclosing a letter 

 from the Rev. Dr Kirke, Hutton, regarding a Spanish fowl, 

 which, at the moulting season, changes its dress from white 

 to black, or contrariwise. A small slate celt from Lauder 

 Moor, furnished by Mr Kelly, was exhibited ; and the Rev. 

 G. P. Wilkinson allowed the company to inspect an ancient 

 pectoral cross of hammered gold. It had been originally a 

 plain Calvary cross, and afterwards a representation of our 

 Saviour and the Virgin Mary had been amalgamated with it ; 

 the date of the e&igy of the Virgin was 1424. It had been 

 picked up by a ploughman near Mr Wilkinson's residence. He 

 also showed a massive gold finger ring, with a representation 

 of the Saviour on the Cross, attended by two angels. This 

 was a facsimile of an ancient ring that had also been found 

 within the county of Durham. Mr Arkle brought tracings 

 of some bronze weapons that had, in 1868, been discovered 

 near Tosson. Mr Greenwell ca]led attention to the condition 

 of one of the towers of Dunstanburgh Castle, which is likely, 

 for want of repair, to crumble to pieces ; and the President 

 was empowered to make a representation to the Eyre trus- 

 tees to induce them to provide a remedy. The non-comple- 

 tion of the wall to protect Edin's Hold on Cockburn Law was 

 also adverted to. Sir Walter Elliot spoke of the propriety 



