242 YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS AT GORMIRE AND THIRKLEBY. 



At the conclusion of the sectional reports, the Rev. W. Fowler 

 called attention to the publication of Dr. F. Arnold Lees' new 

 ' Flora of West Yorkshire,' and urged its claims for support from 

 the members of the Union. Mr. W. Denison Roebuck, F.L.S., 

 followed on the same subject, quoting the encomiums passed upon 

 the work by Mr. J. Gilbert Baker, F.R.S., the eminent botanist, 

 himself a native of Thirsk, and an ex-president of the Union, and 

 stating that the executive relied upon the public spirit of members 

 and of Yorkshiremen to make the issue of the ' Flora ' a complete 

 success. 



The ordinary meeting having broken up. Sir Ralph invited his 

 visitors to witness the flight of one of his trained falcons. After 

 a few elegant gyrations — neglecting for the moment the attraction 

 afforded by the lure — the Peregrine dashed into the centre of a party 

 of rooks some Httle distance off, scattering them in an amusing 

 manner, and having singled out her quarry, killed it in fine style, 

 much to the satisfaction of the members, who had a fine view of the 

 chase. 



The members now dispersed — some to inspect the house and 

 the collections of preserved specimens, of which Sir Ralph has a 

 fine series, containing many varieties of his own obtaining ; 

 others to see the lake and the wild-fowl enclosures. Regarding the 

 wild-fowl, it has never been our lot to examine such an interesting 

 living collection. There were Wigeon in full summer plumage — 

 a phase in which they can be but rarely seen in Britain ; Wigeon, 

 chicks and half-grown ; Gadwall, half-grown ; Tufted Ducks, a brood ; 

 Pochards, half-grown ; and a pair of Shell-ducks. These proved 

 extremely interesting to the ornithologists of the party, who devoted 

 not a little attention to their examination. 



The botanists found much to admire in the grounds, among 

 other objects being two very fine Cedar-trees, planted in the time of 

 Sir Thomas Frankland (Sir Ralph's grandfather) by the celebrated 

 naturalist, Sir Joseph Banks, who, along with Sir W. J. Hooker and 

 others, was a visitor in the days when the talented botanist. Sir 

 Thomas, was master of Thirkleby. A fine old oak close to the 

 house was also much appreciated for its symmetrical proportions, and 

 for its great size, its foliage diameter — if we may so term it — being 

 about thirty-six yards. 



Concerning the wild-fowl that breed at Thirkleby, Sir Ralph 

 kindly gave the following interesting information : — 



The Wigeon, of which there are now about forty, are the result 

 of two sittings of eight eggs each obtained from the north of Scotland 

 in 1885. From these eggs ten birds were hatched and brought up in 



Naturalist, 



