440 Report of Meetings for 1881. By Jas. Hardy. 



duties of the vice-cliair. On business being resumed Canon 

 Greenwell called attention to the state of Dunstanborough Castle, 

 and, referring to the recommendation made by the Club after the 

 Embleton meeting, said nothing had yet been done in the way of 

 repair. St. Margaret's Tower was tumbling to ruin and might 

 at any time disappear. He thought that if the Club were to call 

 the attention of those in whom the property was vested to it, 

 something would be done. He urged the Club to take action in 

 the matter. The Club also should take charge of all ancient 

 monuments and ruins in their district, and recommend to the 

 proprietors to take steps to preserve them. Canon Greenwell was 

 glad to see the remains of the ancient church at Stenton preserved 

 so carefully. It was an example which ought to be more gener- 

 ally followed. Mr Hardy read a paper by Mr Hepburn on •' The 

 Birds of Presmennan "; and also extracts from an elaborate paper, 

 which must have cost an amount of thought and research, from 

 Miss Eussell of Ashiesteel, entitled "Notes on some Historical 

 and Literary Matter bearing on the "Works called the Catrail, 

 and on the connection with them of the Harit's Dyke in Berwick- 

 shire." Miss Eussell also sent photographic illustrations of 

 portions of the Catrail, and a photograph from a cast in the 

 Museum of the Society of Antiquaries, Edinburgh, of the inscribed 

 stone found in the vale of Yarrow in 1807. The inscription on 

 this stone, part of which only can be read, appears to contain the 

 name of Nudd Hael or Liberalis, and the word Dumnogini which 

 follows it probably connect him with the Damnonii whom Ptolemy 

 places in that quarter, Dryan the son of this Nudd fought at 

 Ardderyd.^ The Pev. J. F. Bigge read some notes on the occur- 

 rence of some Birds in the South of Northumberland ; and Mr 

 Gray gave his " Notes on the effect of the recent Winter Storms 

 on Birds and other Animals — November, 1880, to March, 1881," 

 which were listened to with much acceptance. Mr Boyd exhib- 

 ited three very small eggs, which had been found last year in a 

 cup-shaped nest in Glen Lochy. In Mr Gray's opinion they were 

 grouse eggs. It is nothing unusual to have a single " dwarf " 

 eg^ in a nest, but it is certainly extraordinary to find three abor- 

 tions of this description, and also an abortive nest. Mr Watson 

 exhibited a specimen of the rare pied flycatcher {Muscicapa atri- 

 capilla) which had been got at Goswick in the last week of April- 



* Skene's Celtic Scotland, i. p. 158, note. Four Ancient Books of Wales, 

 i, chap. 10 ; Proc. Ant. Scot. iv. p. 639. 



