404 Meetings of Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, by J. Hardy. 



Palmer's opinion is that " the shot belonged to a gun called a 

 'saker' of brass; length 7 feet 11 inches; calibre 3.75; pro- 

 bably cast about 1538." A sword and dagger, reputed relics of 

 the same fatal fight, but as to which there was sufficient reason 

 for scepticism, were also handed round. A number of silver 

 coins, which had been found in an old fishing shield at Lamber- 

 ton Shi els, were brought by Mr Muirhead, from Major Eenton. 

 The ages of the coins were from Elizabeth to Charles I. ; and 

 there was one of Henry VI. of France. The Eev. J. S. Green 

 exhibited a mammoth tooth from Huntingdonshire. 



At this meeting the following gentlemen were nominated for 

 membership : — Mr Thomas Darling, Governor's House, Berwick; 

 Eev. John Walker, Wharton ; Eev. A. G. Taylor, Eglingham ; 

 and Mr Arthur Thew, Alnmouth. 



The third meeting was held at Oockburnspath for Oldham- 

 stocks. There were present — the two Secretaries (Dr F. Douglas 

 and Mr Hardy) ; Eevs. J. F. Bigge, Stamfordham ; S. A. Fyler, 

 Cornhill ; J. S. Green, Wooler ; Thos. Eoberton, Dunipace, 

 Stirling ; G. W. Sprott, North Berwick ; J. Walker, Whalton, 

 Newcastle ; Geo. P. Wilkinson, Harperley Park, Darlington ; E. 

 A. Wilkinson, Tudhoe, Durham ; E. H. Williamson, Whick- 

 ham, Gateshead ; Messrs Thomas Chartres, Ayton ; Ealph 

 Forster, Castlehills, Berwick ; J. E. Friar, Grindon Eidge ; 

 John Hood, Oldcambus Townhead ; William A. Hunter, Dunse ; 

 J. B. Kerr, Kelso ; Eobert Eenton, Fans, Earlstoun ; A. E. 

 Scougal, Melrose ; J. and George E. Smail, Galashiels ; William 

 Stevenson, Dunse ; David Watson, Hawick ; William Weather- 

 head, Berwick ; William Wilson, Berwick ; James Wood, Gala- 

 shiels. 



The day was sultry, but the programme having been purposely 

 contracted, every one present enjoyed the walk comfortably. 

 After breakfast the company set out in the direction of Oldham- 

 stocks, passing through the village of Oockburnspath. A halt 

 was made at the cross, of which the pillar and capital are part 

 of the original structure. There is no inscription, but the royal 

 thistle of Scotland is sculptured on two sides of the capital. One 

 of the first appearances of the thistle as a public Scottish badge 

 was in the reign of James IV., and it figured in the writings of 

 William Dunbar, the poet, in the " Thistle and the Eose," 

 written in 1503, to commemorate emblematically the nuptials of 



