The Scottish Naturalist. 



Hall, Alford, on Tuesday, 16th July, at 14 o'clock, (2 p.m.) The 

 President, Mr. Farquharson of Haughton, in the chair. 



Letters of apology were read from various members unable to 

 be present. 



The Minutes of the Fifth Annual Meeting and of the Council 

 Meetings held since, were read and approved, and Mr. Farquhar- 

 son gave his Presidential Address. 



The following papers were submitted to the Meeting : — 



Report on the Fungi of the East of Scotland, by the 

 Secretary, for Prof. Trail. The Ferns and Mosses of the 

 Alford District, by Mrs. Farquharson of Haughton. The 

 Flora, Birds, and Antiquities of the Alford District, 

 by the Rev. Thomas Bell, Keig. The Antiquities of Davan 

 and Kinnord, by Mr. Alexander Hogg, Alford. Sand, by 

 Mr. Forrester, Kirkcaldy. Paper on Observations Oil 

 Phaiaris Arundinacea, by Mr. William Wilson, jun., Terpersie. 

 On the Discovery of Sciadium Arbuscula in Alford 

 by Mrs. Farquharson, and on Desmids of the Alford 

 District by Dr. Roy, Aberdeen. 



Votes of thanks were, on the motion of the Secretary, accorded 

 to the authors of the several papers, and to the Alford Society for 

 its cordial reception of the visitors. 



Dinner in the Alford Public Hall, a ramble through the grounds 

 of Haughton, and an hour spent in the microscopic examination 

 of mosses, diatoms and desmids concluded the day's proceedings. 



EXCURSIONS. 



On the second day of the meeting, a party of sixty visited the 

 district of Towie and Kildrummy. Amongst objects of interest 

 too numerous to mention, the excursionists examined the cup- 

 marked stones at Ley of Towie, the " Erd House " at Kilchindy, 

 and Kildrummy Castle. The " Erd House," which is supposed 

 to be a Pictish dwelling, stands on a farm occupied by Mr. Cran, 

 an old gentleman, eighty years of age, whose father was tenant of 

 the same farm. It has two rooms, the innermost one measuring 

 15 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 6 feet high. The outer is con- 

 siderably larger. The house or hiding-place was discovered by 

 Mr. Cran's father 72 years ago. Whilst cultivating his farm he 

 came upon a number of boulders. This led to an inspection of 

 the ground, with the result that the "Erd House" was discovered. 

 At Kildrummy the company were received by the Rev. Mr 



