Reports of Societies. 



29 



plain below and of the distant hills. The excursionists next ascended 

 Marple Ridge. By a deep descent the Strines valley was reached, and 

 the party, following a pleasant field-path, reached the residence of Mr. 

 Joel Wainwright, who had with kindly hospitality invited them to tea, 

 after which the chair was taken by Mr. Armstrong. A lecture was given 

 by Mr. Rooke Pennington, L.L.B., F.G.S., upon some of the larger 

 mammalia now existing in this country in a feral or wild state. Mr. Pen- 

 nington described at length several animals now in existence whose proto- 

 types existed in the far oS periods of the Pleistocene age, Vv^hen so many 

 of these large and wonderful animals existed that are now extinct, and 

 alluded to their having also existed in the Paleolithic age, and were then 

 contemporaneous with man, and again also contemporaneous with man in 

 the Neolithic age and the Bronze and Iron age. He specially alluded to 

 the Irish elk, the urus, the elk, the horse, brown bear, fox, reindeer, wild 

 ox, badger, wild cat, and several others, remarking that in these days of 

 controversy respecting the origin of species it was specially interesting to 

 know that in all that vast period of time there had been no change in 

 these particular animals — that is in the wild animals — the only change 

 being in the tame or domesticated ones. The lecturer instanced the 

 difierent localities in which these various animals now existed, and 

 showed in how many ways such facts as he adduced were important in 

 giving us a knowledge of the fauna of the different past ages which so 

 many are now intent upon investigating. 



OvENDEN Naturalists' Society. — Monthly meeting, held at 

 IlHngworth, July 22nd, Dennis Wilson, vice-president, in the chair, 

 who named the botanical specimens, which were few considering the 

 very fine weather. They included Samhucus nigra, Melampyrum 

 sylvaticum, Anagallis tenella, Anthemis cotula, Pyrola minor, and 

 Ruhus chamcemorus, &c. Mr. T. Hirst exhibited and named a number 

 of foreign birds, amongst which were Moravian grebe, ring-tailed 

 harrier, ash-backed cockatoo, green leek paroquet ; also a goatsucker, 

 shot at Castle Carr, by Mr. Eastwood. The entomological specimens 

 were named by Mr. J. Ogden, and included a foreign bee, Vespa 

 synagris, &c. — J. Ogden, Sec. 



Tees Valley Fi ELD Club. — This Naturalists' Field Club was 

 established at the beginning of the present year. The district most 

 intimately associated with the operations of the Club is sufficiently 

 indicated by its title. The Society has formed a practical work. Its 

 rules provide that the number of members shall be restricted to forty, 

 and no one is to be admitted that does not take an interest in the objects 

 of the Club. These Societies, in too many cases, have degenerated into 

 mere pic-nic clubs, which do a very small amount of really scientific 

 work, and the promoters of the Tees Valley Club determined to avoid 

 this difficulty from the outset. Moreover each member will be required 



