208 Anniversary Address. 



unpropitious state of the weather previously —cold and raw 

 with cutting E. and N.E. winds, making the season an un- 

 usually late one, vegetation being quite three weeks behind 

 its ordinary time. 



Those who did attend were rewarded by having a bright 

 and lovely day for their walk, with genial soft W. wind, all 

 the more to be enjoyed in the retrospect, from the succeed- 

 ing day proving as wet and disagreeable as the preceding 

 one had been delightful. Before breakfast, there being some 

 little time to spare, those of the party who had arrived, 

 strayed out on the links, extending from the Golf Hotel, out- 

 place of rendezvous, to the sea. The plants, like those gener- 

 ally found in like habitats, were small and stunted in their 

 growth, including amongst others in flower Myosotis collina, 

 Draba verna, Viola hirta and canina, and Saxifraga tri- 

 dactylitis. The Cuckoo, male and female, were not only 

 heard but seen on the higher part of the links overhanging 

 the sea, where were also seen a Pied Wagtail and a few 

 Wheatears, which breed in the rabbit-warrens ; Curlews and 

 Lapwings abound on the shores and links ; Redshanks also 

 were heard ; and no where does the Lark sing more cheer- 

 fully than over this waste ; from here the line of coast is 

 traceable from Aberlady to Leith, and beyond lie the dusky 

 islets on the Frith and the opposite shores of Fife, with the 

 Ochils in the background. 



After breakfast, the Club, under the guidance of Mr 

 Stevens, our landlord, a good local antiquary, proceeded to- 

 wards Dirleton Castle, about 2£ miles N.E. of Gullane. 

 Passing modern Muirfield the road skirts a hill on which 

 there is a quarry in constant use for building stones and 

 road metal ; it produces a pale-coloured beautiful Porphyry, 

 variegated with oval and angular grey and white patches ; 

 from it also were drawn those stones ornamented with deep 

 red bands, streaks, and dots of compact felspar, so abundant 

 on the wall tops. On the south side of the road near this 

 stood College Stead, otherwise Quarrel-edge-head (i.e. 

 Quarry-edge). This belonged to the Provostry of Dirleton, 



