52 Report of Meetings for 181)0. By Dr J. Hardy. 



plenteous crops of long Bilberry, where the descent was made 

 down the precipitous empty water-course, Hob Thrush's Mill 

 Nick, holding on by the sides of the rocks, and the tough bilberry 

 and heather, and aided by the friendly hand and strong arm on 

 occasions of perplexity. The sides of the perpendicular rocks 

 were finely mossed, and draped with Dicrana and Jungermaunipe, 

 none of them rare, although they were the chief inducements to 

 make the somewhat perilous attempts to pluck them. 



The pot-hollows in the rocky water-course are Eobin Good- 

 fellow's or Hob Thrush's Mills, wherein he grinds his visionary 

 grain. The mills are set a-going by spates, which bring down 

 stones that rattle in the pot-holes, like the grinding gear of a 

 mill set in motion. Another haunt of this sprite, who was a sort 

 of Brownie, was at Holy Island, in Hob Thrush Island (see 

 Club's Hist, xii., p. 218) whence St. Cuthbert frightened him, 

 and got the whole ishuid to himself, name inclusive. Hob is 

 very susceptible of an affront, as we are informed by Mr 

 Henderson in his Folk-lore of the Northern Counties, see p. 264. 

 He was fond of sea-side caverns. The oldest mention of him is 

 contained in the following quotation from Halliwell's " Dictionary 

 of Archaic and Provincial Words," i., p. 453. Hob Thrush. — 

 A goblin or spirit, generally coupled with Robin Goodfellow. 

 See Cotgrave, in v. Loup-garou; Tarlton, p. 55. The millepes 

 is called the Hob-thrush louse. 



" If he be uo Hoh-thrush nor no Robin Goodfellow, I could find with all 

 my heart to sip up a sillybub with him." Ttuo Lancashire Lovers, 1640, 

 p. 222. 



There is a Hob's Flow near Oakenshaw Burn and Caplestone 

 Edge, Northumberland. 



Viewed from the base the rocks fissured and rent, " as by a 

 spirit turbulent " on this part of the range, either in mass or 

 individually, are very fine and well worth commemorating by the 

 pencil or brush. A piece of detached rock, like a snout, projects 

 over one of the steepest cliffs. The many scattered mountain 

 ashes "moored in the rifted rock," add to the charm, as well as 

 the patches of heather and the pervading undergrowth of green 

 bilberry. Bilberry thickets also pervade the sides of the Castle 

 Hill, and even flourish under the shade of the trees. 



It is not intended to dwell on the excavation of the old Camp, 

 so obligingly prosecuted by Major Browne, at much cost and 

 labour of men, preparatory for this Club Meeting, which, when 



