244 PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. 



After dinner, Mr. Tliomas Thompson, the Secretary who ac- 

 companied tlie party, read a short notice of Axwell Park and the 

 family of Ckivering, and afterwards moved a vote of thanks to 

 Sir H. A. Clavering, for his kind permission to visit the park 

 and grounds, a vote which was carried by acclamation. Five 

 new members were elected. The party then returned home 

 from Swalwcll by train, having had a most pleasant half-day's 

 excursion. 



During the walk fi'om Swalwell to Axwell a heron was seen 

 in the marshy ponds between the latter place and the Tyne. 

 In passing through the grounds of Axwell the familiar notes of 

 the ChifF-ChafF, Blackcap - Warbler, Redstart, Willow -Wren, 

 Corncrake, Sedge- Warbler, Starling, and other birds were most 

 pleasing to the ear. Mr. Battensby, whilst he sheltered the 

 members, exhibited a very interesting collection of insects and 

 of the eggs of Land- and Sea-birds. 



Mr. George Bulman, of Corbridge, a member of the Club, men- 

 tioned to me, during our ramble, that the past winter had, for some 

 reason not then ascertained, been very fatal to Bees on T\*neside, 

 and that one Bee-keeper in particular at Corbridge had lost seven- 

 teen hives, others had experienced a partial and some a total loss 

 of Bees, and the gardener at Axwell stated that they also had 

 lost some hives. It will be remembered that the preceding sum- 

 mer had, on the whole, been cold, uncongenial, and therefore 

 unfavourable to Howering. The Bees at Corbridge had been 

 carefully fed during the winter, and in the hives of the dead Bees 

 a fair supply of artificial saccharine food, that had been given to 

 them, was found. The previous winter had not been exception- 

 ally cold, but cliangeablc and stormy. !Mr. Bulman, by letter, 

 further stated afterwards that " it is generally considered that the 

 wet weather of last summer i)roduced some disease among the 

 Bees which rendered them unable to bear the cold weather of tlie 

 winter. Some Bee-keepers, however, assert that the Bees got 

 something off the Oak-trees last summer which j)roduced disease 

 and dcatli amongst them." 



On tlie banks and braes the spring beauties ot tlio liorn were 

 everj'where conspicuous, the Wliin, Ulex Europeus, and tlie 



