RD & W 1994

iAhAu

HISTORY

OF THE

BERWICKSHIRE
NATURALISTS' QLUB

INSTITUTED SEPTEMBER 22. 1831.

MARE ET TELLU8, ET, ttUOD TEOIT OMNIA, CCELUM.

EDINBURGH :

PRINTED FOR THE CLUB BY NEILL & COMPANY.
MDCCCXXXIV.

MEMBERS'

Dat^ of

Admission.

1. George Johnston, M. D. Berwick-upon-Tweed - - - - Sept. 22. 1831.

2. Rev. A. Baird, of Cockburnspath

3. Rev. John Baird, of Yetholm

4. Mr William Baird, Surgeon, H. E. I. C. S. ....

5. R.D.Thomson, M.D., HE. I.e. S. - - - - -

6. Mr Robert Embleton, Surgeon, Embleton . - .

7. Mr G. Henderson, Surgeon, Chirnside . . - -

8. Mr John Manners, Surgeon, Berwick-upon-Tweed •

9. Mr Alexander A. Carr, Surgeon, Ayton . - - -

10. James Mitchell, Esq. Surgeon, R. N. Wooler

11. Mr Thomas Brown, Langton - - - -

12. P. J. Selby, Esq. of T^vizel-House .....

1 3. Mr W. Leithead, Solicitor, Alnwick _ - - .

14. Mr Joseph Barnes, Fel. Trin. Col. Cambridge

15. Rev. J. Campbell, Tweedmouth - - _ _ _

16. Mr T. S. Good, Berwick-upon-Tweed - - . -

17. Mr Robert Dunlop, Berwick-upon-Tweed

18. Sir William Jardine, Bart. Holmes ....

19. Captain Carpenter, Ford Cottage

20. Rev. Mr Knight, Vicar of Ford

21. Henry Clarke, M. D., Berwick-upon-Tweed

22. Mr John Whitelaw, Berwick-upon-Tweed - - _

23. Major Thomas Watson, H. E. I. C. S

24. Rev. Henry Armstrong, Curate, Wooler . . .

25. Rev. Mr Knight, of Mordington

26. Rev. Mr Cunyngham, of Dunse

27. W. F. Bow, M. D. Alnwick

EXTRAORDINARY MEMBERS.

1. Miss Bell, Coldstream Sept. 22. 1831.

2. Miss Elizabeth Bell, Coldstream

3. Miss Hunter, Antonshill ----- - ' .

4. Mrs Dr Johnston, Berwick . - . . Dec. 21. ...

Dec. 21.

...

April 20.

1832,

June 18.

July 18.

Sept. 19.

...

April 16.

1833.

May 19.

...

July 17.

Sept. 18.

PROCEEDINGS

OP THE

BERWICKSHIRE NATURALISTS' CLUB.

The Berwickshire Naturalists* Club was instituted for the pur-
poses of examining the Natural History and Antiquities of the county
and its adjacent districts, and of affording to such as were interested in
these objects, the opportunity of benefiting by mutual aid and co-opera-
tion. The first meeting was held on the 22d of September 1831, at
Bank-House, in the parish of Coldingham, when the following resolu-
tions were agreed upon : —

1. That the Gentlemen present form themselves into a Club, to be

named The Berwickshire Naturalists' Club.

2. That the object of the Club shall be to investigate the natural his-

tory and antiquities of Berwickshire and its vicinage.

3. That all Gentlemen interested in these objects shall be eligible as

members, provided three-fom-ths of the members present when
their admission is proposed are agreeable.

4. That the Club shall hold no property, and exact no fees of admis-

sion.

5. That the Club meet five times within the year; viz. Ist, on the

third Wednesday of September ; 2d, the third Wednesday of
December ; 3d, the third Wednesday of April ; 4th, the third
Wednesday of June ; and, 5th, on the last Wednesday of July.

6. That the Secretary send a written notice of the place and hour of

meeting, eight days previously, to each member.

( 4 )

1. Address to the Members of tJie Berwickshire Naturalisls' Club. By
George JoHssTONi M,D. (Read at its first Anniversary Meet-
ing, held at Coldstream, September 19. 1832.)

Gentlemen,

Before I leave the distinguished station which, by your favour, I
hold in this Club, you will permit me to take a cursory view of what has
been done, during this the first year of its existence, towards forwarding
the objects for which we principally associated ourselves ; a more accurate
knowledge, to-wit, of the natural history and antiquities of Berwickshire
and the adjacent parts of the neighbouring counties : and I am induced
to do this, not because our labours have elicited much of interest or im-
portance ; not because I can hope to give any additional impulse to your
zeal, or direction to your future pursuits ; but that I may, as far as in me
lies, set an example to my successors in this chair, to give yoii, at each
succeeding anniversary, a gummary of the communications and researches
of the members during the year ; so that the results of these may not be
lost, and that their bearings and connections may be pointed out. The
review, also, may serve to remind us of those departments of the natural
history of the county which have received the least notice and illustra-
tion, and where, of course, our inquiries may be most usefully directed
in future.

Birds. — At our meeting in July, it was mentioned that a male bird
of the rose-coloured ouzel {Pastor roseus) had been shot at West Ord,
in the vicinity of Berwick, on the 1 3th of that month, by the Rev. Mr
Campbell. No previous instance of the occurrence of this beautiftil bird
in North Durham is known ; and very few instances of its occurrence
in the north of England are on record ^. It is a summer visitant, com-
ing to us at uncertain intervals ; compelled, perhaps, to make these parts
by the force of some contrary storms : and, in this respect, it resembles
another bird, the Egyptian goose (^Ancis (Bgyptiaca\ a small flock of
which is recorded to have visited the Tweed, at Carham, in the begin-
ning of February last ^. This flock, as is conjectured by Mr Selby, may
probably have made its escape from Gosford, the seat of the Earl of
Wemyss, upon the Firth of Forth, where numbers of these birds are
kept in the artificial pieces of water ^.

^ Mr Selby has a specimen, shot near Bamborough ; and two others have been taken
not far from Newcastle. ( Trans. Newc. Soc, I 263.) It is singular that these were all
males.

* Kelso MaU for Feb. 6. 1832 ; Mag. Nat. Hist. voL v. p. 665.

' Trans. Newc. Soc, i. 290. Five were seen on the Fern Islands in April 1830 ; and,
in March 1831, a female was killed near Berwick. (Ibid.)

DR Johnston's adorkss. 5

These are the only birds remarkable for their rarity, which have oc*
curred during the year; for I do not remember that any such was met with
in our excursions. In that of June, made to Langleyford, at the foot of
Cheviot, our distinguished colleague, Mr Selby, entertained some slight
hopes of meeting with the ring-thrush ( Turdus torquattu), which, it was
supposed, might breed near this sequestered hamlet : but the information
of the respectable tenant proved the contrary ; for the bird is seen there .
only in the later autumnal months, on its return from still more inland
and more remote moors. During our ascent of Hedgehope on that day,
the curlew {Numenius arquata) first, and, somewhat higher up, the
golden plover (^Charadrius pluvialis)^ uttering as it flew from us its shrill
plaintive cry, were seen in their breeding-grounds ; and the blackcock
{Tetrao tetrix) was heard harshly calling to his mates. On this occasion,
as on several previous ones, I was struck with the cries of the birds we
noticed : there was no sprightliness in them, nor melody ; but all were
plaintive, or rapid and harsh, and tended to increase that still sobriety
— that almost solemn mood — which irresistibly steals over the mind of
him who traverses these noiseless, wide, dark -brown moors. The melo-
dy of the groves is not in harmony with the -scene ; and the warblers
leave it willingly for haunts nearer the cheerful buzz of man and ci-
vilization. But our excursion in July presented us with a most remark*
able contrast to the scenery of the Cheviots : a wide and rough rolling
sea, a coast fronted with lofty, dark, and precipitous rocks, caverned with
gloomy recesses, so bold, so rugged, and naked, that Scotland scarce
boasts one of superior grandeur. And how diverse were its feathered
tenants in appearance and habits ! The slender-legged tribes of the
moor, clothed in a mottled plumage, were here replaced with birds dis-
tinguished by short legs, strength of body, and by colours disposed in
large and unmixed patches, often strongly contrasted : and while the for-
mer wheeled round and about us in circles, muttering their cries on wing,
the latter flew out in a straight undeviating line, and silently. Nor were
they less distinguished by their voices ; for the cries of seafowl are never
plaintive, but most harsh, and most consonant with the pictorial character
of their haunts. Pennant has given a description of these, so excellent,
that I must be allowed to quote it here, with only a very few alterations,
to make it more exact to St Abb's Head, the place of our visit. This
magnificent promontory is a huge insulated mass of trap rocks, whose
seaward sides form precipices of vast height, hollowed in many places
into caverns, in which the wild pigeons ( Co/uw»6a livia) build their uests,
and nurture their young in safety, amid the spray of waves that never
sleep in rest. In some parts the caverns penetrate far and end in dark-
ness ; in others, are pervious, and give a romantic passage by another
opening equally superb. Many of the rocks are insuUited, of a pyrami-
dal form, and soar to a great height. The bases of most are solid ; but
in some pierced through and arched. They are covered with the dung

6 DR JOHNSTON S ADDRESS.

of the innumerable flocks of birds which resort here annually to breed,
and fill every little projection, every hole, which will give them leave to
rest. Multitudes were swimming about ; others swarmed in the air, and
stunned us with the variety of their croaks and screams. Kittiwakes,
sea-mews, and black-headed gulls, guillemots, auks, and corvorants, are
among the species which resort hither. " The notes of all seafowl are
, most harsh and inharmonious. I have often rested under rocks like
these, attentive to the various sounds over my head ; which, mixed with
the deep roar of the waves slowly swelling, and retiring from the vast
caverns beneath, have produced a fine effect. The sharp voice of the
gulls, the frequent chatter of the guillemots, the loud notes of the auks,
the screams of the herons, together with the deep periodical croak of the
corvorants, (and the boding voice of the raven), which serves as a bass
to the rest, have often furnished me with a concert, which, joined to the
wild scenery surrounding me, afforded, in a high degree, that species of
pleasure which results from the novelty and the gloomy majesty 'of the
entertainment ^"

I must not leave this majestic coast, without mention of another of
its feathered tenants, the Cornish chough {Fregilus graculus)^ which,
indeed, was not seen by us on this occasion, but is certainly ascertained
to breed in the rocks between St Abb's and Fast Castle. This fact, dis-
tinctly mentioned by Bishop Leslie in his history De Origins Scotorum^
published about 300 years ago 2, has been overlooked or disregarded by
naturalists, who have considered the bird peculiar to the western shores
of Britain ^ ; and it is to the Rev. A. Baird that we are indebted for the
confirmation of the accuracy of the Bishop's information ; and, of course,
for showing that the limits usually assigned to the distribution of the
chough in this country are erroneous.

Reptiles. — Of the reptiles of Berwickshire, the frog {liana tempo-
rarid) and the toad {Bufo vulgaris), have met us every where ; and, in
our excursions to Penmanshiel Wood, and to St Bathan's, a viper ( Viper a
communis) was taken ; but no communication relative to any of this ne-
glected tribe of animals has been laid before you.

Fishes, — Mr Embleton gave us, at our meeting in December last, a
description of a singular individual of the salmon (Salmo salar), which
had been caught near Coldstream. It was distinguished by being spot-
ted over, in a leopard-like fashion, with pale marks, by having its gill-
covers beautifully streaked with red lines, and by leather-like fins ; and
these peculiarities were not the effects of disease, for the fish was in good
condition, and perfectly sound. At the same meeting I presented to the
Club a list of the less common fishes found on the coast of Berwickshire,
of which list the most remarkable, for their rarity at least, were the com-

' Arctic Zoology, i. Introd. p. xii.

* P. 17. Published in 1578.

' " Inhabits the western side of the island." Fletn. Br, Anim. 83.

OR JOHNSTON 8 ADDRKKS. 7

men tope^ the starry ray''^, of which I have had several specimeiui
brought me, the top-knot 3, the toothed gilt-head *, the sea perch ^ the
basse % the horse mackerel 7, the fifteen-spined stickleback ^ which is
by no means uncommon on this coast, and is occasionally taken at the
mouth of our river during the summer months. Besides these, there have
occurred four species, which, in our latest system of British animals, are
said to be confined to the ^* English coast ;" and which may therefore be
considered as additions to the fishes of the Scottish shores. These are,
the greater weaver ", the lesser spotted dog-fish ^", the hag-worm ^*, and
the tadpole fish '=^. The hag-worm, so remarkable for tlie peculiarities of
its structure, is, according to the testimony of our fishermen, rather com-
mon on the coast of Berwickshire ; and the size of the specimens I have seen,
and I am assured they are not larger than the average, is much superior
to what is stated in our systematic works ; for, instead of 8 inches, they
were 14 and 15 inches in length. Of the tadpole fish, which is one of
the rarest British species, and previously known only as an inhabitant
of the shores of Cornwall, I had the pleasure of exhibiting to you a living
specimen, which had been captured in Berwick Bay. When alive, and
when recently dead, the body appeared every where smooth and even ;
but, after having lain three days on a plate, and become a little shrivelled,
there appeared an obscure row of tubercles, running backwards from the
pectoral fins, and these pea-like tubercles could be more readily distin-
guished by drawing the finger over the skin. I would call attention to
this fact, because the only good distinction between the Raniceps tri-
furcatus, and R. Jago of Dr Fleming, is derived from the presence of
these tubercles ; in the former the lateral line is said to be tuberculated
above the pectoral fins, in the latter it is said to be smooth : but here we
have a specimen which, when alive, exhibits the character of the Jago ;
when dead, that of the trifurcatus ; and hence, I am induced to think that
both are the same animal, having the tubercles more or less prominent
and obvious according to the leanness or other conditions of the body.

Insects. — Since no communication has been laid before us relative
to the entomology of Berwickshire, it is beyond my province to make
any remarks on the subject ; but you may permit me to notice one fa-
mily, too beautiful, too generally distributed, and too obtrusive, not to

* Squalus Galeu» Lin., Galeus vulgaris Fhm.

' Raia radiata Donov. ^ Pleurottecte* punctatus Pern,

4 Sparus dentatus Stew.^ Brama marina Flem.

A Perca marina Lin.^ Serranus norvegicus Flem.

6 Perca Labrax Lin.

7 Scomber Trachurus Lw., Trachurus vulgaris Finn.

8 Gasterosteus Spinachia Lin., Spinachia vulgaris Flem.

9 Trachinus major Fletiu

'° Squalus Catulus Lin., Scyllium Catulus Fiem,

' ' Myxine glutinosa Lin.

'"^ Iktrachoides trifurcatus Davie$, Raniceps trifurcatus Flem.

8 DR JOHNSTON S ADDRESS.

have attracted our attention : I mean the butterfly tribe. Of this, 85
species (including 1 1 that perhaps may properly be considered as varie-
ties) have been ascertained to be natives of Britain ; and, of these, we
have, in Berwickshire, only 16 distinct species, or somewhat more than
one-fifth of the whole. Four belong to the family Papilionidae ; nine to
the Nymphalidae ; and three to the Lycaenidae ^ None of the species
are esteemed rare by experienced entomologists ; but, in Berwickshire,
I never observed the Hipparchia Semele, until on our visit to St Abb's
Head in July last, where we found this fine active insect in great profu-
sion. The more common Hipparchia .^^Egeria, also, I have seen in one
locality only in this county, viz. on the wooded banks of the Eye, below
Ayton House, where it may be captured in the months of June and July.
The Pontia cardamines is likewise a local species with us ; it very rarely
occurs in the neighbourhood of Berwick, but appears very soon after
passing the village of Paxton, on the road to Swinton, and abounds all
along that low tract. It is also common on the road between Swinton-
Mill and Coldstream ; but I have not noticed it elsewhere in Berwickshire.

Exannulosa. — Communications relating to the exannulose inverte-
brate tribes have been made as yet only by myself, but I have now a
zealous co-operator in our Secretary, whose situation is peculiarly favour-
able for the investigation of these intricate and vastly curious creatures,
among whose multitudes, it may be truly said, " we meet with forms
and structures as varied and unexpected as if they had been the tenants
of another planet." A collection of the zoophytes of the coast was ex-
hibited at an early meeting, which I have since described at length in
the Transactions of the Natural History Society of Newcastle ; and I
flatter myself that no department of the natural history of Berwickshire
is now so well known as this, in reference to species : their habits and
economy require for illustration a person of more uninterrupted leisure.
Our Actiniae, or animal flowers, on which I read a separate paper, are
remarkably interesting. I know no marine worm that for beauty and
elegance can be compared with the Actinia plumosa ; and such of you
as had the opportunity of seeing the specimen that I preserved for some
time alive, will recall with pleasure the splendid spectacle. Actinia
Tuedice was still more interesting, to me at least, for the species was new
to naturalists, and, fortunately, possessed characters that distinguished it
decidedly from every other. The Actinia coccinea and viduata of Miil-
ler are also denizens of our shores ; but the first was considered as a
smooth variety of the senilis^ and the other a small streaked variety of
the equina,

A passing notice of some invertebrates which I have described and

1 a. Papilionidse : Pontia brassicae, P. rapae, P. napi, P. cardamines. h. Nymphalidae :
Vanessa urticae ; V. Atalanta, Cynthia cardui, Hipparchia iEgeria, H. Semele, H. Megaera,
H. Janira, H. hiperanthus, H. Pamphilus. c. Lycaenidae : Lycaena Phlaeas, Polyommatus
Alexiijt, P. Argus.

DR Johnston's address. 9

figured in the Magazine of Natural History iov the present year [1832]
may perhaps be excused, since the subjects of them were procured in
Berwick Bay. The Praniza fuscata is a minute crustaceous insect, and
the Eolis rufihranchialis a molluscum new to naturalists ; and the Pla-
naria comuta appears to be lilcewise an acquisition to the list of British
worms. They afford a small sample of the many remarkable inverte-
brates that inhabit our shores, and which have found, to this day, no one
willing to make known their singular forms and structure, that, through
the medium of his intelligent creature, they may praise their Creator^
and evidence still farther the endless variety in his works and wisdom-
^ Let the heaven and earth praise Him,** says the Psalmist, *^ the seas,
and every thing that moveth therein.'*

Plants. — I turn now with pleasure to the vegetable kingdom ; for
here I have to speak of others* discoveries, and not of my own. It
might, perhaps, be presumed that, because a flora of the district had been
so recently published, there was little here to reward the student ; but
the fact is greatly otherwise : and I esteem the numerous discoveries
which have been made of species, and of new stations for the rarer ones,
as a proof of the utility of our Club ; for the zeal which led you on was
surely kept alive by the knowledge that there were around you'some who
interested themselves in your researches, and were ready to give you
their meed of approbation and applause. The sternest stoic of us all,
it has been observed, wishes at least for some one to enter into his views
and feelings, and confirm him in the opinion which he entertains of his
favourite pursuits.

Since the publication of my Flora of Berwick^ there has been added,
exclusive of some naturalized or recently imported species, to the wild
plants of Berwickshire, 20 dicotyledonous, 8 monocotyledonous, and 1 8
cryptogamic species, the names, stations, and discoverers of which are
inserted in your minutes. By much the most interesting of these, whe-
ther we consider it in reference to its beauty or rarity, is the Saxifraga
Hirculus ^ discovered in the parish of Langton, by our ingenious col-
league, Mr Thomas Brown. Only two stations for this saxifrage have
been recorded in our British floras, and both are in the south of Eng-
land ; so that Mr Brown has had the good fortune — and good fortune
never waits but on the industrious and intelligent — to make one of the
most interesting additions to the Flora Scotica that has been made of late
years. Another addition to that flora is due to Misses Bell and Miss
Hunter, who have found, for the first time in Scotland, the Sisom Amo-
mum growing at the Hirsel Lough, near Coldstream ; and these ladies
deserve our best thanks for their contributions, and still more for their
devotion to botany ; as their example and success caimot fail to recom-

* •* Hirculus, a diminutive from hircusy a goat. Now look at the hair which hearda
our plant, and you will see why LinuKus calls it a * little goat.' It it juat like that happy
playful fancy which he possessed so remarkably." — Mr Brotm, in litt.

10 Du Johnston's address.

mend it powerftiUy to popular attention. The Hieracium aurantiacum,
the discovery of Miss Hunter ; the Hieracium moiled and Carex fulva,
both detected, in the first instance, in Berwickshire, by Mr Brown ; the
Hypnum stramineum (in fruit), another of his interesting additions to
our list ; and the Lathyrus sylvestris^ and the Carex distans, lately dis-
c6vered near Berwick by Mr Dunlop, deserve to be particularised on
account of their rarity : the Pulmonaria maritima restored to our shores
by the researches of the Rev, J. Baird and Mr Carr, and the Myosotis
sylvatica of Langton woods, are preeminent for their beauty ; and the
Chenopodium urbicum is interesting as the subject of a strange story,
which purports that this weed could by cultivation be turned into a real
strawberry, and relative to which there is a curious letter from the hap-
less Josephine to her gardener, in her lately published Memoirs^ for a
knowledge of which, as of the plant itself, we are indebted to Mr Em-
bleton.

While, on the one hand, the Scottish flora owes two good additions to
this Club ; on the other, it has contributed two also to the floral cata-
logue of Northumberland ; and both of these are the discoveries of our
Secretary. It was long believed that the vernal squill was peculiar to
the western coasts of England ; but the discovery of it by the Rev. A.
Baird on the coast of Berwickshire removed this their peculiar ornament
and boast ; and Mr Embleton has extended its eastern range, for he finds
it in abundance at Dunstanborough Castle. Aspidium Thelypteris is
the other new Northumbrian plant ; and it is not a little curious that this
fern, which is stated by Dr Hooker to be abundant in Scotland, should
not be found at all in Berwickshire, and is so rare in the north of Eng-
land that it has escaped the notice of the many acute botanists who have
botanised there, until this late date, when Mr Embleton drew it from its
lurking-place in Learmouth bogs, on the very verge of the kingdom.

May I urge those members of the club who devote themselves more
exclusively to botany, to continue the researches which have been so
productive during the past year ? for the field is not exhausted so long
as there remains a corner of the county unexplored ; and there are, I
ween, not a few

•* spots that seem to lie

Sacred to flowerets of the hills,"

where no one has yet wandered, and where no one will wander, " save
he who follows nature." There is too much to learn of the habits and
properties of our common plants ; and I may mention, as an illustration
of the remark, the observation which was made on the butterwort {Pin-
guicula vulgaris) during our excursion to Cheviot. It was then acci-
dentally observed, that, when specimens of this plant were somewhat
rudely pulled up, the flower-stalk, previously erect, almost immediately
began to bend itself backwards, and formed a more or less perfect seg-
«iont of a circle ; and so, also, if a specimen is placed in the botanic box,

DR JOHNSTON'8 ADDRESS. 1 1

you win in a short time find that the leaves have curled themselves I
wards, and now conceal the root by their revolution. Now, the butter-
wort 18 41 very common plant ; yet I am not aware that this fact of its ir-
ritability has been ever mentioned.

Geology. — In illustration of the geology of the county, a very ehi-
borate paper was read to us, at an early meeting, by our zealous col-
league, Dr Thomson. He has described, in a clear and interesting man-
ner, the geological structure of the parishes of Eccles, Greenlaw, Pol-
warth, and I^ongformacus ; and thus has made a valuable addition to
the sketch of the geology of Berwickshire which Mr Baird has given in
the introduction to my Floray and which had more peculiar reference to
the eastern parts. I feel myself unqualified to estimate the merits of
this paper ; nor is it necessary to enter into any analysis of it here, since
it has been printed in the last Number [September 1 832] of the Maga-
zine of Natural History.

Such, Gentlemen, is a rapid indication of the results of our first year's
exertions ; and, in my opinion, they do not discredit, but rather justify,
the expectations of those who moved the institution of this Club, which,
I doubt not, will work still more efficiently in future years. But, when
I estimate the advantages of our association by the acquisitions it has
made to the natural history of the county, I do it great wrong ; for I
hold it to be more useful, as affording a point of rendezvous for the na-
turalists of the district, where they may cultivate a mutual acquaintance ;
where they may talk over their common pursuit and all its incidents ;
where they may mutually give and receive oral information ; where each
may nourish his neighbour's zeal ; where we may have our " careless
season," and enjoy " perfect gladsomeness f and, assuredly the good feel-
ing and humour which have hitherto characterised, and will continue to
characterise, our every meeting, vindicate me in assigning, as the distinc-
tive character of this Club, its social character.

I cannot, I must not, conclude this address, without an expression of,
I trust, our united gratitude to the Preserver of all and the Giver of all
good. That fatal disease which has walked over the length and breadth
of the land, with fear in its front and mourning in its rear, has not left
this county altogether unvisited ; and we cannot yet think of its ravages
in the place where we are now assembled, without deep feelings of pity
for the loss sustained by the survivors, and without gratitude tliat here
its desolating course was stayed. * No member of the Club has been
removed by death ; neither has misfortune visited any of us, save only
one, who has been afflicted with a severe and lingering sickness, and has,
in consequence, been hindered giving us that attendance and assistance
which none was more willing and none more able to give.

Gentlemen, it is unnecessary to add any plea to induce you to con-
tinue your efforts in favour of this Club. The pleasure attendant on our

* A very few cases of Cholera subsequently occurred in different parts of Berwickshire ;
and the diseaae visited Berwick, Twccdmouth, and Sptttal with considerable wv«ri^.

12 REV. MR BAIRD's ADDRESS.

pursuits is so pure and genuine, and so various, that I cannot fear that
any one who has fairly entered into their spirit will turn him away. The
best argument, indeed, I know in favour of our studies is derived from
this fact ; for the Deity has never affixed pleasure (I mean, a pleasure
which the conscience approves, and which the memory delights ever and
anon to recall) to any sublunary pursuit that is unsuitable to the dignity
and condition of man. When the conscience utters her still voice to re-
prove or condemn, it is time to desist, and leave the path we are follow-
ing, however gaily it may be strewed ; but where she approves, there let
lis follow, certain of reward. And who among naturalists ever found the
fruit of his study turn ashes in the enjoyment ? Nor can it be : for what
our internal monitor approves, the Scriptures also commend, and send us
for instruction to the meanest things, to the ant and to the lilies of the
field ; and bid us seek out His wonderful works, and to tell of them ; and
thence borrow their moral lessons ; and call upon us to praise the Crea-
tor, in " his contriving skill, profuse imagination, conceiving genius, and
exquisite taste ; in his most gracious benignity and most benevolent
munificence," through his creatures, from the creeping things of the sea
even to his behemoth and leviathan.

Address read at the Second Anniversary Meeting of tJie Berwickshire
Naturalists Club, held at Dunse^ September 18, 1833. By the Rev.
A. Baird, President.

Of all earthly pursuits and acquisitions, that of knowledge has ever
been considered, by rational and civilized beings, as the most important,
dignified, and honourable. According, indeed, as men are destitute or
possessed of this, we are generally disposed to rank them in the scale of
humanity : For, as it is this which, more than any thing else, distin-
guishes one man from another, so it is also this which gives to one an
influence and an authority which another, who is destitute of it, let his
external advantages be what they may, can never possibly command.

But, if knowledge in general be thus excellent and desirable, there is
one particular species of it which must surely, in an especial manner, re-
commend itself to every man of sentiment, of feeling, or of observation.
The knowledge we allude to is the knowledge of nature, — the know-
ledge of the earth we tread on, with all its varied tribes of animated ex-
istence, and all the interesting phenomena presented by its inanimate
objects,— the knowledge, in short, of that fair world which is destined
to be the present habitation of our species, and of those wondrous works
whereby the great Creator so conspicuously manifests himself to his
creatures ; and whereby, likewise, is so clearly shewn his great and glo-
rious character. Such a knowledge, we say, must surely appear of all
others (religious knowledge expected), not only as the most interesting.

KKV. MR BAIRD's ADDRESS. 13

but also as tlie most reasonable and the most adapted to our present
situation ; and well, therefore, lias it obtained the name of Natural
Knowledge.

But it is not my present purpose either formally to enumerate the
advantages of natural history, or to give an answer to the question which
has so often been asked. Of what importance, or of what avail, are the
pursuits of the naturalist ? That question has often been already most
satisfactorily answered, and, however interesting or important might be
its discussion in some quarters, it fortunately is not necessary in our
present circumstances. We are already sufRciently convinced both of
the utility and importance of such pursuits as those for which this Club
was instituted ; and even though this utility were less capable of being
proved than we conceive it is, we are sufficiently satisfied with the sim-
ple pleasure which the following of such pursuits affords, and with the
simple information and the rational amusement which we thence derive.

The advantages to natural science in general of such an institution
as the Berwickshire Naturalist's Club, must be equally obvious without
attempting a formal statement or investigation. Our labours are limited
to a certain district, — we have a distinct and a specific field for exer-
tion,— and we are thus led more minutely to examine into Nature's
works and Nature's wonders, as well as more regularly to record our ob-
servations, than if our field of examination were more extensive, and our
object were more general and undefined. There is, besides, the very
useful spirit of honourable competition to stimulate our exertions, and,
as the reward of these exertions, there is the pleasure and the satisfaction
which, we know, await even our most trifling contribution to the general
stock of knowledge.

When these, and many other advantages, which will readily suggest
themselves, are considered, it is not unreasonable to expect from the ex-
ertions of such a body, many interesting discoveries and important addi-
tions to the natural history of our country, and many curious facts af-
fecting the state of natural science in general, which, but for the estab-
lishment of such an institution, had remained in darkness and obscurity.
Nor, as far as regards the Naturalist's Club of Berwickshire, are we dis-
appointed in these expectations ; an institution, the second anniversary
of which we are now assembled to celebrate, — an institution which, from
its first formation, has been daily increasing both in numbers and re-
spectability, and the labours of which, we are proud to say, have been
neither insignificant nor unsuccessful. It belongs not to me, as a mem-
ber of this society, to celebrate its praises ; but it certainly belongs to me,
in the honourable situation I now hold in it, to congratulate you, as I
do most cordially, on its increasing prosperity. When such an institu.
tion was first proposed, it certainly was hoped, and fondly hoped, that it
might prosper, and that we might do something towards the elucidation
of the natural history of this interesting county ; but even the most

14 REV. MR BAIRD's ADDRESS.

sanguine of its original promoters could hardly have anticipated that its
establishment should have been so cordially welcomed, and that it should
have excited an interest so general and so great. It is, therefore, with
no ordinary satisfaction that I either contemplate the present list of our
members, or that I turn to the review of their labours since the celebra-
tion of our last anniversary.

These labours during the past year, though hardly perhaps so inter-
esting, in some respects, as those of the preceding one, have, neverthe-
less, been far from unimportant. In some departments, indeed, they have
been even more satisfactory. The most numerous contributions have
been those of Dr Johnston : To our Secretary we are also indebted for
various interesting communications ; while to Messrs Selby, Mitchell,
Brown, W. Baird, and Dr Thomson, we are under additional obligations.
But these contributions will be best enumerated by taking a brief review
of the transactions of our several meetings during the past year.

And of these the first we have to notice is the Anniversary Meeting
held at Coldstream in September last, — a very pleasant meeting, and at
which many interesting communications were read. The day was spent
in examining the Hirsel Woods, Birgham Muir, and Leithtillura, and
Hirsel Lochs ; and to those who were present at this meeting, I need not
recall either the very agreeable nature of the excursion, or the beauty of
the scenery we were so often called upon to admire. Nor need I recall
the pleasure with which we listened to our President's address on leav-
ing the chair which he had filled so ably — a pleasure, however, which
prevented us not fi:om duly appreciating the value and importance of
various other papers which were laid before us. These were, 1 . A notice
of a Merlin {Falco JEsalon) shot near Blanerne, on the Whittadder, by
Mr Dunlop. 2. Notice of the occurrence of Grantia nivea^ Fleming,
on the coast near Embelton, Northumberland, by Mr Embleton. 3.
Notices of Plants hitherto unnoticed in the district, by Messrs Dunlop
and Brown, and Dr Johnston. 4. An account of the Birds observed
during the excursion at St Abb's Head in July, by P. J. Selby, Esq. 5.
Cases of children poisoned by the seeds of Laburnum, by Dr Johnston.
(See Mag. of Nat. Hist. v. 6. p. 74.) 6. A paper on the Geology and
Botany of the coast of Northumberland, between Bamborough and Dun-
stanborough Castles, by Mr Embleton. 7. A list of the Zoophytes of
the same coast ; and a Meteorological Table from April to August, by
Mr Embleton.

The next meeting of the Club which we have to notice was held in
the month of December last, at Berwick-upon-Tweed, — a season of the
year which suits not distant members, and when, consequently, our meet-
ings must generally be expected to be thinly attended. Yet, was the
meeting far from being destitute of scientific interest. In particular, we
notice a very pleasing paper by Dr Johnston, giving a list of the more
rare and valuable plants observed at the previous meeting at Coldstream,

HBV. MR BAIIID*K ADDREftK. 15

in which, among many otliers enumerated, we notice, um perhap* the
mo8t interesting, the Agaricus applicatus of Withering ; a pUint not
mentioned by Dr Greville in his Flora Edinensis, and which, therefore,
may be considered as a fresh addition to the Scottish Cryptogamic Flora.
In the minutes of the same meeting, we find recorded the discovery of
the Mentha sylvestris, by Mr Dunlop, at Blanerne, on the Whittadder ;
while our zealous botanical contributor, Mr Brown, among other good
plants, gives us the Calicium Sphcproceplmlum, Parmelia caperatitSf
Vaccinium Oxj/coccus or Cranberry, and Emiocarpon Weberi, forming
altogether a valuable contribution to the botany of Berwickshire. At
the same meeting, Dr Johnston communicated a list of the Echinoder-
mata of Berwickshire, a very curious and interesting class of Marine
Animals, the species of which now existing on the British coast appear
to be few in number, though, in former times, they seem to have been
more abundant and prolific. Belonging to the third family of this or-
der of animals, Dr Johnston notices in particular one animal, of which
he has made a new genus under the name of Fleminia muricaUi, in
honour of the Rev. Dr Fleming, who has done so much to remove the
obscurity under which the species lay previously to the publication of
his History of British Animals. The individual thus added to our
marine animals has been presented, by its discoverer, to the British
Museum, where it is now deposited. A notice of an Albino family by
Mr Embleton, and a continuation of his Meteorological Table for the pre-
ceding three months, concluded the business of this meeting.

The third meeting of the Club was held at Cockbumspath, on the 3d
Wednesday of April 1833, — a season when the naturalist begins once
more to look around him with new hope and interest, and when nature,
after the gloom and the repose of winter, begins once more to array
herself in her robes of cheerfulness and beauty. The peculiarly back-
ward state of the season, however, prevented the Club from nudging any
very remarkable additions to the natural history of the county, and tended
not a little to damp the expectations and the hopes which, both the return
of spring and the natural beauty of the scenery of the neighbourhood had
excited. Still, however, notwithstanding the heavy showers, and the un-
usual coldness of the wind, the meeting was neither without enjoyment nor
interest. Dunglass Dean at all events, was visited, and miserable indeed
must be the day which will render it unworthy of unbounded and un-
mingled admiration. Occurring in this beautiful station, two new plants,
new I mean to the Flora of Berwickshire, were gathered by the Rev.
John Baird. The one was the Chrysosplenium altemifolium, occurring
mixed with the more frequent species, — Ckr. oppositifoli%tm; the otber
was the Marchantia conica, growing on moist banks in considerable
abundance, and in fine fruit. Various species of land shells were also
gathered in the sheltered recesses of the dean. Among the communica-
tions read at this meeting, we have to notice, with much pleMure, aeve-

16 REV. MR BAIRD's address.

ral interesting discoveries by our indefatigable member, Dr Johnston.
The first of these is the addition of a rare fish to those previously de-
scribed by him, as occurring in Berwick Bay, the Syngnathus cequoreus
of Montagu. The second is a new Zoophyte, a species of the genus
Plumularia, which its discoverer, with a propriety that M'ill be felt by
every member of the Club, has named the Plumularia Catharina. The
third is the Conferva coccinea of Dillwyn, many specimens of which had
been procured in Berwick Bay during the past winter, and which, in the
words of its discoverer, " forms a beautiful addition to the list of our
marine algse." These communications were succeeded by a list of the
Cirrhipedes of Berwickshire, also hy Dr Johnston ; and an interesting
account by Mr Embleton of the Trigla IcBvis^ or smooth gurnard-fish,
which was cast ashore at Newton, after a severe storm, from the south-
east. The account of this fish was principally interesting, from the cir-
cumstance that, hitherto, it has been chiefly observed on the coasts of
Devonshire and Cornwall, and that, in all probability, a further exami-
nation will prove this species and the Hirundo to be the same. At the
same meeting, Dr Johnston mentioned that he had lately received from
the Rev. Mr Campbell a specimen of the pochard duck {Anas ferina
Lin^ shot near Coldingham Loch ; — while the pleasure of the meeting
was still farther increased by the presence of Captain Alexander, 42d
Royal Highlanders, a traveller of some celebrity.

The first summer meeting of the Club, which took place at Colding-
ham on the 19th of May, was distinguished by a heavy rain, which,
with occasional intermissions, lasted the whole day, and lessened very
much the comfort, as well as hindered very materially the success, of
the expedition. Yet some plants of considerable rarity, several birds,
and many insects and worms, were observed and collected ; — while by
those who then for the first time beheld the splendid scenery of " the
Head," the excursion, I am sure, with all its drawbacks, will be long re-
membered with delight. The loch, so pleasing in its general character,
and so remarkable for its situation ; — the wide spread moors so finely
undulating, and so elegantly carpeted with their thousand different wild-
flowers ; — the magnificent precipices which form the mountain promon-
tory of St Abb's, with their thousand times ten thousand feathered visi-
tants ; and far beneath, and wide around as eye can stretch, the dread ex-
panse of ocean, — these, altogether, form a scene than which a richer in
natural phenomena, or one more striking for its grandeur and sublimity,
is scarcely to be met with in our island, and sure I am that, round these
shores, a plentiful harvest yet awaits our exertions. The plant of per-
haps the greatest interest which this excursion afforded, was the Pote-
Hum Sanguisorba, a plant new to the Berwick Flora, although in many
situations by no means uncommon. For this addition to the botany of
Berwickshire we are indebted to Mr Mitchell. The most important
communications read at this meeting were, 1. A notice by Mr Embleton

REV. Mn oaird's address. '17

of the plants collected and observed in the last excursion. % A notice
of the shells collected during the same excursion in Dunglass Dean, by
Dr Johnston ; and, 3. A valuable and very ingenious paper by Dr
Thomson, viz. ; a Register of the Barometer kept at Eccles Manse, du-
ring the year 1832 ; from which the author deduced many curious facts
and various conclusions of considerable importance. From the interest
with which this paper was listened to, it is hoped that the example set
by Dr Thomson, will have led othe;rs to institute a similar series of
observations, and that, from different situations in the county, we shall
have, from time to time, reports connected with this interesting depart-
ment. At the same meeting were also read a notice by Mr Brown of
two plants new to the Flora of Berwickshire ; and a notice by Dr John-
ston of the Great Northern Diver ( Colymbus glacialis) being caught in
a salmon-net on Spittal shore, 1 1th May 1833.

The 17th of July, when the Club met at Holy Island, was a day of
unusual beauty. With regard to the excursion of the day, I, unfortu-
nately, can say little, not having been present ; but we can all form some
idea of its pleasure, when we know that the scene of the excursion was
Holy Island, and the day one unrivalled for its splendour.

On looking over the minutes of this meeting, it appears to have been
one of unusual business. Among other papers, we observe a notice by
Mr Embleton, of the plants observed during last excursion ; — a very in-
teresting and valuable notice by Mr Selby, entitled, " Onithological ob-
servations made during the excursions of the Club in April and June ; "
— and the announcement to the Society by Mr Mitchell, of two plants
new to the Berwick Flora ; one, the magnificent Osmunda regalis, ob-
served at the Boutin Linn, near Fenton in Northumberland ; the other,
a species of mint, which solicited particular attention, and which has since
been ascertained to be the Mentha crispa of Linnaeus. In the minutes
of the same meeting, we observe an excellent paper by Dr Johnston, en-
titled, " A list of the Invertebrate Animals observed during the walk
from Coldingham to Coldingham Loch, St Abb's Head," &c. June 19th,
in which he notices, as new to Berwickshire, the Helix ceUaria and H,
purcL, Planorbis fontanus, and Pesidium ptdchellum ; and, as an addition
to the marine botany of Berwickshire, the Sphacelaria cirrhosa of Gre-
ville. At the same meeting was also read an interesting and elaborate
paper, by Mr W. Baird, on that very curious animal the Gordius aqua-
ticus or hair-worm, an animal by no means uncommon, but the struc-
ture, the habits, and the general history of which have hitherto been
very little attended to. The public business of the day was concluded
by a paper by Dr Johnston on the failure of the Potato crop during the
present year, — in which some probable reasons are assigned for the fact,
but which, we suspect, is still in a great measure unexplained, and still,
therefore, open to inquiry.

Such, then, is a very hurried and, I fear also, a most imperfect, recapt-

^8 REV. MR BAIRD's ADDRESS.

tulation of the labours of our Club during the second year of its exist-
ence,— a recapitulation indeed so imperfect, that, had I not to plead, as
an apology, a considerable absence from home, and continued profes-
sional engagements since my return, I should feel almost ashamed to
present it.

I conclude with only one observation. The preceding review shews
that we have done something, and that the Club has not been instituted
in vain. It also shews that the field of our labours is an interesting one,
and that, though a little has been accomplished, a great deal yet remains
to be done. Let us then continue our researches with vigour : let us
stroll along our splendid shores : let us penetrate into the recesses of our
woods and deans : let us ascend our mountain sides, and, with unwearied
feet, let us follow the meanderings of our rivers and our babbling
brooks ! There at least health and peace and rational enjoyment attend
our footsteps ; and, while thus occupied, however the vulgar or the ig-
norant may marvel at our joy, we can tell them that, with whatever eyes
they may contemplate Nature, yet there are others who can

" Find tongues In trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing !"

Notice of the Birds observed in the Neighbourhood of St Abb's Head, on
July IS. 1832. By P. J. Selby, Esq.F.R, S. E.,F.L. S.SfC,
(Read on the 1 9th September 1832.)

Passing without further observation the various flocks of sparrows
and other Fringillidae that enliven the shades of our highways, or are to
be seen within the precincts of all the farm-steads and villages, I com-
mence with the rock or shore pipit (Anthus aquaticus). This species,
which is strictly confined to our rocky coasts, I observed to be plentiful
near the village of Northfield, and indeed, along the whole of the coast
we examined. In size it exceeds both the common and the tree pipet,
(-4. pratensis and arboreu^). The claw of the aquaticus, though shorter
and more curved than that of the pratensis, is longer and less incurv-
ed than that of the arboreus. It feeds upon marine insects and worms,
and is a permanent resident. The marten or martlet {Hirundo urbica)
jaext attracted my attention fi-om the unexpected numbers in which it
was seen hawking about the face of the cliff's, a habitat in point of situa-
tion very dissimilar to those in which we are accustomed to observe
them, such as the eaves of houses or the upper angles of windows. The
nature and structure of the rock (porphyritic amygdaloid), which pre-
sents a broken face, and a succession of projecting ledges, affords it
however, peculiar facilities for the site and security of its curiously con-
structed nest of clay ; and the offal, dung, &c. of the numerous sea birds,
eann^ fail to generate an abundance and constant succession of insect

MR SELBY's notice OP BIRDS OBSERVED IN JULY 1832. 19

food. As we walked along the heights I observed the kestrel (Faleo
tinnunculus) hovering in his characteristic manner in search of prey,
and I liave little doubt, but that he finds a secure site for his eyrie in
some of the adjoining cliffk. Tiiree or four carrion crows ( Corvus cO'
rone) were also observed upon the rocks, but too wary to admit of our
approach within gun-shot ; the eggs, and young of the sea-fowl, had, in
all probability, attracted these depredators to such an unwonted locality.
Three ravens ( Corvus corax) the largest and noblest species of the ge-
nus, were also disturbed by our approach, and after soaring around, and
attaining a considerable elevation, moved inland, uttering at intervals
their loud and raucous croak. Before I enumerate the sea-fowl or a-
quatics, I must not omit the rock-pigeon ( Columba livid), which inha-
bits and breeds in the numerous caves which perforate the rocks in dif-
ferent directions. This species is the original stock from which the
various varieties of our common dovecot pigeon are derived ; it is found
in similar situations upon the British coast, but never inland — the bird
with which it was confounded ( Columba (Enas) being perfectly distinct,
and possessing habits approaching more closely those of the cushat or
ring-dove {Columba palumbus). Upon the ledges of the rocks the
guillemots ( Uria troile) and razor-bills (Alca torda) were seen in great
numbers, ranged in order, tier above tier, and looking at a distance like
armies of pigmies : these upon the least alarm utter their peculiar curring
kind of note, which, when mixed with the screams of the sea-gull and
kittiwake, and heard from a distance, or softened by the murmur of the
waves, produces a wild, though not disagreeable, species of concert, well
according with the nature of the scenery which surrounds them. These
birds each lay a single egg, of a large size and peculiar shape, being
broad and round at one end, and tapering rapidly at the other, a form
that prevents it from rolling or moving to any distance, even when
placed on an inclined plane. The puffin or coulterneb {Fratercula arc-
tica) perhaps as well or better known to us by the name of Tommy-Nody,
also finds appropriate holes wherein to deposite its eggs. It does not ap-
pear, however, to be numerous, as only two or three individuals were
seen during the excursion. This bold headland is also the great breed-
ing station of the Larus canus or common sea-maw ; it affects the up-
per ledges, and recesses of the precipices, and was observed in great
numbers, but so shy as not to be approached within gun-shot. The
Larus rissa, or kittiwake, is also numerous, but does not breed in
company with the other ; selecting in preference the small projecting
angles, which barely admit of room for the reception of their egg*
and young. As we returned seaward in the boat, several green cor-
morants (Phalacrocorax cristatus) were seen perched uiwn the pin-
nacles of the smaller isolated rocks, surveying with keen and watchful
eyes our progress ; and always too much upon the alert, to permit us to
approach within gnn-shot. The common cormorant {Phalacroeamx

20 MR selby's notice of birds

carbo) was also seen occasionally flying past, but at a considerable dis-
tance from the shore. On our return, and to the south of Nortlifield, a
small flock of the young of the Larus ridibundus^ black-headed or
pewit gull, were observed : these in all probability had come recently
down from Dunse or Pallinsburn, both great breeding stations in this
district.

Observations on tlie Birds observed in the neiglibourhood of Coldbrandspath
in April, and those at St Abb's Head in June, 1833. Bi/ P. J» Selby,
Esq. (Read July 17. 1833.)

T^E cold ungenial weather which prevailed till the end of April, re-
tarded the arrival of our summer visitants, at least ten days or a fortnight
beyond the usual average period of their appearance ; and, from this cause,
on the day of our excursion to Coldbrandspath and Dunglass, which, it
will be recollected, took place on the l6th of April, not a single warbler
or migratory bird came under our notice of any species. This, indeed,
I anticipated from the backward state of vegetation, as I have for many
years remarked, that the arrival of our songsters is regulated by, or ra-
ther accords with, the first appearance of particular flowers, or the burst-
ing of the buds of certain trees. Thus, the willow-wren (^Sylvia Tro-
chilus) and black-cap ( Curruca atracapillcL) are never seen till the larch
becomes visibly green. The greater pettichaps {^Curruca hortensis)
and wood-wren {Sylvia sibilatrix) are considerably later, making their
appearance with the bursting of the elm and oak. The spotted fly-
catcher (Muscicapa grisola) is seldom seen before the oak is partly ex-
panded ; and so with respect to the sedge- war bier {Salicaria Phragmites),
grasshopper- warbler {Salicaria Locustella), and others.

The only bird which attracted notice was the dipper ( Cinclus aquati-
cus), which we observed skimming along, and following the various wind-
ings of the rivulet which flows at the bottom of Dunglass Dean. This
neat and compact bird is the peculiar inhabitant of clear and rapid run-
ning streams in hilly or mountainous districts ; being of very rare oc-
currence upon the slow and sluggish rivers of the flat or champagne parts
of the country. It is one of our earliest and, I may add, sweetest song-
sters, commencing its lay as early as the latter end of January, or be-
ginning of the following month, and its first brood is generally fledged
or able to quit the nest by the middle of May. It dives with great fa-
cility in pursuit of its prey, but certainly does not walk at the bottom
of the water, as asserted by some writers ; the same exertion of the wings
being necessary as well to keep it beneath the surface as give it pro-
gressive motion, that we see used by all the natatores and true diving
birds. The fry and spawn of fishes, insects, and caddis bait, which is

OBSERVED IN JL'NE 1838. 21

the larva of different species of phryganea, constitute its principal food.
To obtain the latter in winter, when the rivers are mostly frozen over, it
resorts to such places as remain partially open, as the heads of quick run-
ning streams : In such situations on the Annan, Tweed, and other riven,
I have repeatedly seen it dive into the stream from the margin of the ice,
remain some time submerged, and again reappear near the same spot, and
almost invariably with a prey in its bill, which it leisurely devoured on
the ice.

During our excursion to Coldingham and the romantic scenery of St
Abb's Head on the 19th of June, besides the birds communicated to the
Club last autumn, the coot (Fulica atra) was observed upon Coldingham
Lough, wher J it no doubt breeds in the rushes and other aquatic herbage
at the nr>rchern extremity of this prettily formed piece of water. A large
flock of herring-gulls {Larus argentatus) was also seen bathing and
sporting in it ; and these, I afterwards found, had their breeding stations
on particular parts of the Head, and the rocky cliffs to the north of it.
This species had not been observed during our excursion in July 1832,
having taken its departure from those haunts previous to our visit ; the
common gull (Larus canus)^ which breeds in great numbers on the rock
to the south of the Head, being the only species then visible.

Upon reaching the cliffs immediately north of the Head, and where
they rise from the sea in fine broken and perpendicular faces to the height
of 300 or 400 feet, our attention was attracted by the powerful and hoarse
cry of a large species of Falco, two of which were seen soaring and
wheeling in the air at a considerable heighty immediately in front of us.
These I immediately recognised to be a male and female of the Falco
peregrinus or common falcon. A nearer inspection of the precipice
soon discovered to us the cause of their alarm and vociferous outcries,
as we perceived two young birds (which the difference of size shewed to
be male and female) perched upon a projecting angle of the rock. From
their comparative tameness, and the short flights they took, when dis-
turbed, along the face of the rock, it was evident they had but very lately
quitted the nest. A shot was obtained at the young female within rea-
sonable distance, and supposed to have taken fatal effect, as it was never
seen afterwards, though the smaller bird remained visible as long as we
continued on the heights. This eyrie of the peregrine has long been
established, and it was from it that the late Mr Baird of Newbyth usu*
ally obtained his caste of hawks, for each of which he gave the persons
who undertook the perilous task of scaling the precipice one guinea. The
castings of these birds were scattered in great profusion upon the tops of
the cliffs; some which I examined were almost wholly composed of the
bones and feathers of gulls and ether aquatic fowl, others were mixed
with the featheri of partridges, and the bones of rabbits, and young
hares.

Upon a low flat and isolated rock, about 1 50 to 200 yards from the

22 MR EMBLET0N*8 N6TICE OP THE SMOOTH GURNARD.

bottom of the cliff, we observed a flock of green cormorants {Phalacro-
corax cristatus) busily engaged in prinning and drying their feathers.
These individuals seemed conscious of the safe and unapproachable station
they had selected for repose after the exertion of fishing, as they listened
with apparent unconcern, and without shewing any alarm, to the report
of our fowling-piece, which was fired off upon the cliff immediately above
them. Upon the ledges of the precipices north of the Head, and upon
the Head itself, the guillemots were perched in great numbers, the fe-
males closely pressed together and incubating. Numerous pairs of razor-
bills were also conspicuous : these generally select stations a little higher
than the guillemots, and keep in distinct pairs, and are easily recognised,
even at a considerable distance, by the form of their head and bill, and
the superior blackness of their upper plumage. Several rock-pigeons
{^Columba livid) were also seen upon wing, but, unfortunately, none £ame
within range of shot.

Upon the stony hills round Coldingham Lough and the Head, the
smart and prettily marked wheatear {^Saxicola CEnathe) were seen flit-
ting from knoll to knoll, and, like its congeners, always alighting on the
highest elevation. The whin and stone chats (Saxicola Rubetray S.
Rubicola) were also observed where whin or furze prevailed ; and, in
similar situations, the mellow call-note of the grey linnet {Linnaria
cannabina) was repeatedly heard. I may also notice the common occur-
rence of the rock-pipit {Anthus aquaticus) upon the rocks of the coast ;
and the escape of a large brood of the diminutive wren ( Troglodytes eu-
ropceus) fi-om their nest, from the face of one of the highest precipices of
the cliff.

Notice of the Trigla Icevis or Smooth Gurnard, By Mr JR, EMBLETONy
Surgeon. (Read 10th April 1833).

On the 5th of April inst., a very fine specimen of this fish ( Trigla
IcBvis, Flem. Br. An. p. 215), was cast ashore at Newton by the sea,
after a severe storm from the south-east. It is found in great abundance
on the coast of Devonshire and Cornwall, but is a very rare visitant so
far to the north-east ; and this specimen is the only one which has been
seen by the fishermen in this neighbourhood, so far as I can learn. It
differed, however, in some points, from the description given by Dr Fle-
ming, and seemed to me to hold an intermediate place between the Tri-
gla hevis and T, hirundo of that author. Its extreme length was 23 J
inches. From the origin of the pectorals to the anal-aperture 4J inches,
whilst the pectorals extended rather more than half an inch beyond it.
Breadth of the pectorals 3 J inches : circumference of the body imme-
diately at their base, 10 inches. The first dorsal fin had only 8 spines

MR W. BAIRO ON THE HAIR-WORM, 39

differing in this point from both the lavis and hirundo of Fleming, and
the second and third spines were nearly of a length, and about a half inch
longer than the first. The second dorsal consisted of 16, anal 15, veii«
tral 6, and pectorals 9, agreeing in these points with the first of Fleming,
caudal 1 8, and lunated. On each side of the second dorsal fin there ex-
isted a row of large spines, increasing in size from its commencement
to its termination, agreeing here with T, hirundo, Flem. At the base
of the first dorsal, these spines had completely disappeared, and a rough
ridge occupied their place, agreeing here with the 71 kevis. The lateral
Jine was partly smooth, and partly rough; thus uniting another distinguish-
ing mark of the two species : The colour on the back was of a greenish
brown intermixed with red, whilst the sides were of a rich vermilion ;
studded with spots of pure white. Belly pure white. The pectorals of
a deep blue, green and red, blended together, and which, when fresh, ex-
hibited a very beautiful appearance. The head and caudal fin were red.
Pupil dark green. The membrane of the first dorsal fin was marked
with large patches of the same bright vermilion as the sides.

Dr Fleming says that the fishermen on the coasts of Devonshire and
Cornwall regard the two species as the same fish. The specimen that
presented itself to our notice, seems to have united in it several of the
charactei's which are looked upon as distinguishing the species ; and
perhaps it may be found, upon a more extended examination, that the
one is a mere variety of the other.

Remarks upon the Gordius aquaticus or Hair- Worm. By William
BairDj Esq. Surgeon, H. E, L C, S, (Read July 17. 1833.)

This slender animal, though common enough in our ponds, seems to
be one which naturalists have very cursorily or imperfectly described.
Even its place in the general arrangement of animals is not properly
fixed ; and with regard to its economy, little or nothing seems to be de-
cidedly known, though a sufficient number of fables are related of it.

24 MR \V. BAIRD ON THE HAIR-WORM.

LinniBUS, in his Systema Natune, places it in his class Vermes, order
Intestina ; and Muller, in his Vermium Historia, also places it in the
class Vermes, and order Helminthica, corresponding to Linnaeus' Intes-
tina. Cuvier, however, in his last edition of his llegne Animal, places
it among the Annelides, animals, it must be observed, possessing red
blood, and a double circulation of arteries and veins. If its situation in
the general system be thus indistinct, it is no less unfortunate in its ge-
neric relations, having apparently been frequently, perhaps generally,
confounded with the genus Filaria. Linnaeus, in his Fauna Suecica,
amongst several old authors, which I have not been able to lay my hands
upon, quotes the curious work, Historia Naturalis Johnstoni, for a figure
of the Gordius, which by Johnston is called the meer wurm. Upon
examining this curious work, however, the figure there given is not a
correct resemblance of our Gordius, but evidently a Filaria ; and from
this figure being cited by Linnaeus as a figure of the Gordius, it appears
probable, that that great naturalist had himself confounded the two ge-
nera. Muller, again, in his description of this worm, which he calls
GordiiLS Seta, mentions " that a variety is found with one extremity
bifid, or divided into a fork with obtuse legs." In his description of the
species in general, he says, the extremities are of the same colour as the
rest of the body, and that one extremity is somewhat sharpened. Now
it is evident from this, that his description of the species is of that of a
Filaria ; and that his variety, with a bifid extremity, is in reality the
true Gordius ; for in all the specimens which I have examined yet, and
from different parts of Berwickshire, the tail is universally bifid, the ex-
tremities are of a darker colour than the rest of the body, and neither
extremity is sharpened more than the other. Smellie, in his Philosophy
of Natural History, in speaking of the Gordius or Hair-worm, says, that
in this country it is harmless ; but that in India and Afi'ica it is found to
be exceedingly troublesome, insinuating itself under the skin, and pro-
ducing dangerous consequences. This is the animal commonly known
by the name of the Guinea-worm, which is a species of Filaria, and
Smellie evidently confounds the two genera together. In a paper by a
Mr Bird, in the first volume of the Transactions of the Medical and
Physical Society of Calcutta, the Guinea-worm is attempted by him to
be proved a species of Gordius, most probably, he says, the Gordius
argillaceus. This is one of MuUer's species, I believe, and I have al-
ready shewn my reasons for believing his description of the Gordius to
be mixed or confounded with that of a Filaria, which may account for
Mr Bird falling into this mistake. The fabulous account of tins animal
is perhaps the most interesting part of its history. It is almost univer-
sally believed in this country, by the lower orders especially, as produced
by horse hairs being dropped into the water ; and it is not unusual to
meet with people, who, with all the confidence of honest Gerard, in his
account of the Barnacle Goose, declare that they themselves have proved

MR W. BAfRO ON THE HAIR-WORM. 25

the truth of this belief, by actual experiment : that they have thrown
horse hairs into the water, and actually seen them come forth Itving-
Gordii. No later than last week, an intelligent farmer assured me with
much gravity and sincerity, that he had actually seen horse-hairs placed
in the water and become living worms ; but when pressed upon the
subject, his belief arose from his having seen those hairs when taken out
of the water, and placed upon the palm of his hand, curl up like worms.
When the learned herbalisfi? Gerard, can confidently state, that he has
seen the Barnacle Goose spring forth full fledged, and in all his plumy
glory, out of the diminutive barnacle shell, we need not so much wonder
at the confident simplicity of our less learned rustics, with regard to an
animal which possesses certainly very much the appearance of a horse
hair. LinnaBus, in his Systema Naturae, mentions this opinion also,
so that it appears it is not confined to this country alone. It is reported
also of the Gordius, that if handled without sufficient caution, it will in-
flict a wound at the end of the fingers, and produce whitlow. Linnaeus,
in his Fauna Suecica, says, that the rustics of Smolandia believe that
the bite of this worm causes the whitlow, and that they call the whitlow
in their language Onda Betet, and that they give the same name to the
worm itself. But though they believe thus much, he says, they are ig-
norant whether it enters the body like the Guinea-worm. He farther
states that these rustics have a method of curing the whitlow, produced
by the bite of this worm, by making an incision with a knife, with
which they had previously divided the animal into minute segments.

The serpent-like appearance of the worm, with the natural credulity
and love of magnifying the dangers of an animal, the nature of which
they are not acquainted with, will sufficiently explain these fables.

Linnseus further mentions, as the opinion of these rustics of Smolandia,
that if this worm be cut into pieces, each separate portion will, polype-
like, become a perfect animal. On Saturday the 29th of June, I cut
one of these animals into six pieces, and left them in the saucer, in which
the worm had previously been lying, for twenty days. On Wednesday,
July 3, the intermediate portions between the tail and the head were
found to be dead, having lived up to that day, but no appearance of the
slightest reproduction was observable. The two extremities on the 4th
were still alive, and shewed considerable powers of life, but not the
slightest symptom of reproduction was observable in either of them.

When full grown, the Gordius appears to be about 10 inches in length :
it is round and filiform, considerably resembling a horse hair or hog's
bristle in diameter and general appearance ; the body is of equal
size and diameter throughout its whole length, and has its two extremi-
ties darker than the rest of the body, which is generally of a brown co-
lour. In all the specimens which I have examined the tail is bifid,
being divided into a fork, with very short obtuse legs. The skin is
marked with numerous fine transverse rings, which require the aid of

26 DR Thomson's analysis of a mineral from the tweed.

the micioscope to be made visible ; and when placed under a high mag-
nifier is seen to be beautifully and finely reticulated, producing in the
sun's rays a play of colours. This ringed and reticulated appearance is
well seen in parts which have become dry. The skin is very thin, and,
when cut transversely, shews that internally the body is composed of a
white medullary substance, in the centre of which may be seen the intes-
tinal canal. The whole organization appears, as far as can be made out
or seen, to be very simple ; so simple, indeed, says honest Muller, that
" even by the aid of the microscope, nothing more fully can be made out
of it." The same author says farther, no appearance of a mouth can be
made out, though the very celebrated Plancus represents the mouth fim-
briated. Plancus' work I have not been able to see to compare his re-
presentation with what I have seen myself, and no author that I have
seen describes it as being visible ; but though all appearance of a mouth
escaped certainly for a time my utmost efforts, at length, by means of
the powerful microscope belonging to Sir John Hall, Bart, of Dunglass,
and after repeated examinations, I discovered at the very extremity in
several specimens, a round aperture, having somewhat of a fimbriated
margin round it. In other specimens in which the round aperture was
not visible, I could distinctly see the white medullary part of which the
internal part of the animal is composed, filling up the aperture, and in
many a puckering was distinctly seen, as if the mouth were closed.
Once, and once only, I distinctly, as I thought, saw the puckered ap-
pearance give way while under the microscope, and the round aperture
open to its full extent. This opening, therefore, I have no doubt is the
mouth of the animal ; and as upon repeated examinations no other open-
ing could be seen in any other part of the body, I conclude that this, as
in some other animals, may serve the purposes both of mouth and anus,
or that this latter aperture remains to be discovered.

Analysis of a Mineral from the Tweed. By Dr Thomson. (Read
December 21. 1831.)

The mineral of which the analysis is subjoined, occurs on the banks
of the Tweed, near St Boswell's, in connexion probably with the sand-
stone of that district. It is extensively used as a slate pencil in the
neighbourhood where it is found, and resembles indurated claystone.

Colour milk white : opaque : lustre dull : sectile : hardness 2.5 : spe-
cific gravity 2.558. Before the blowpipe per se becomes blue and
brittle. Fuses with carbonate of soda into an opaque bead ; with borax
and salt of phosphorus into a transparent glass.

Its constituents are —

BAROMETRICAL REGISTER KBPT AT ECCLE8 MAN8E.

27

Silica, .

44.300 » 2.3 Atoms.

Alumina,

40.400 - 1.7 ...

Lime, .

0.755

Magnesia, .

0.600

Water, .

13.500 = 1.2 ...

K455

ConBideriDg the lime and magnesia as accidental, the formula will be
A/'i S^ + Aq, or bi-subsesqui silicate of alumina. ,1

From the locality where the specimen analyzed was. procured, the
mineral may be termed Tuesite,

Barometrical Register ftept at Eccles Manse during the years 1832-33.
By Alexander S. Thomson ; ivith Observations by Robert D, Thom-
son, M. Z).

The Barometrical diurnal heights were registered at 10 a.m. regu-
larly. The mean altitudes for the several months of the year 1832-33
are collected in the following table : —

January,

February,

March,

April,

May,

June,

July,

August,

September,

October,

November,

December,

Mean,

Corrected for Temperature,

Mean,

1832.

1833.

29.509

29.649

.486

28.969

.091

29.344

.808

.120

.829

.414

.734

.388

.83G

.824

.486

.490

.848

.234

.494

.142

.458

.130

.274

28.960

29.571

29.305

29.523

29.257

29.390

The subjoined observations are deduced from au inspection of this
register : —

1. The lowest station of the mercury during 1832 was 28.6 on the
5th of October, to which point it fell the same day from 29 inches ; and
this rapid subsidence was followed by a heavy rain, which continued for
several days.

The greatest elevation of the barometer was 30.1 inches, which it at-

28 BAROMETRICAL REGISTER KEPT AT ECCLES MANSE.

tained several times, but more especially on the 10th February and
21st and 22d September.

The range of the barometer for 1 832 is thus found to be one inch and
a half. The lowest boiling point of water was therefore 209°.32 Fah-
renheit, and the highest 212°.17 ; the mean for the whole year 211°.08,
the range of boiling point being 2°.85.

2. A fall of y^^ was frequently attended with a shower, or even
heavy rain. A subsidence of ^§^ was very speedily followed by the
same consequences, as on the 14th and 15th August 1832. This result
forms a striking contrast with observations made between the tropics,
where we find, in similar circumstances, a more decided fall of the mer-
cury, seldom less than j\ previous to the occurrence of rain, which is
about double the subsidence as obtained by this register.

3. When frost occurred, the barometer generally rose from ^^^y to
half an inch. Snow most commonly depressed the mercurial column,
while a thaw elevated it.

4. The mean height of the barometer for the two years 1832 and
1833 is, after correction for temperature, (29-523 f 29.257) -f- 2 =
29.390 ; from which we may calculate the elevation of Eccles above the
level of the sea.

I
By the formula 45 (^ — t), applied to the diminution of temperature

by the rarefraction of air, reckoning the density of the air in the same
latitude at the sea 1, and assuming 29.82 as the standard barometer
pressure for Britain, we have 29.82 : 29.39 : : 1 : .985 r= density of air
at Eccles, Then 1 -f- 985 z=: 1.015. By substitution the formula be-
comes 45 (1.015 — 985) = 45 X 030 = 1.35 = difference of tempera-
ture between the two stations.

Assume the law of equable progression, 1 : 270 : : 135: 364 J = feet
above the level of the sea, shewing a gentle ascent of 315|^ feet to
Stitchell, which is about five miles distant, and 680 feet above the sea,
according to Mr Blackadder, and 533| to Hume Castle, which, by the
same authority, has an elevation of 898 feet.

We arrive at the mean temperature, by comparing the mean tempera-
tures of stations well established. The mean temperature of Glasgow,
which is situated in 55° 31' 32" north latitude, is 47^ 75', and that of
London 50°, St Pauls being situated in 51° 30' 49' north latitude ; from
which it appears that the temperature of the atmosphere diminishes
0.53 Fahrenheit, for every additional degree of latitude. Eccles is
situated in about 75° 40' north latitude, or 11^ miles south of Glasgow,
with a difference of + jj^ temperature. Hence we have for Eccles a
mean temperature of 47° 85'. By deducting the difference of tempera-
ture of the two stations, as obtained by the formula, from the standard
temperatiu-e 48° 66' . — 1°.35 = 47° 31' = the mean temperature, which
is, however, probably less than the true number by a considerable sum.

( 29 )

List of Plants discovered within the District^ since the publication of
Dh Johnstos's Flora of Berwick-upon-Tweed.

a. DICOTYLEDONES.

Chrysosplenium alternifolium — Alternate-leaved Golden Saxi-
frage. Langton woods : at Longformacus : near Cockburn mill,
Mr Thomas Brown. Dunglass Dean, intermixed with the C. oppo-
sitifolium^ from which it differs in growing in a more scattered
manner, seldom above ten or twelve specimens together ; in pre-
ferring a more shady and less damp spot, seldom growing where the
water stands ; and in having both leaves and flowers of a larger size
and bright colour ; Mr 11. Embleton.

Saxifraga hypnoides — Mossy Saxifrage. Dunsdale and Henhole
Hopes, part of the Cheviots ; Miss Hunter, and Miss E. Bell.

Saxifraga hirculus — Near Langton wood, Berwickshire ; Mr
Thomas Brown.

Peplis portula — Water Purslane. In a ditch on the tower farm
near Cockbumspath, plentiful ; Rev. A. Baird. Near the head of
Lemington Dean ; Mr Can*.

Lotus decumbens — Spreading Bird's-foot Trefoil. Cultivated fields
between Coldingham Lough and the sea; Dr Johnston and Mr
Embleton.

Lathyrus sylvestris — Narrow-leaved Everlasting Pea. Banks of
the Whiteadder, opposite Hutton mill, in great abundance ; Mr K.
Dunlop.

SpiRiBA filipendula — CoTHmon Dropicort. Belches Braes near the
Lees ; Miss E. Bell and Mr Embleton. Perhaps not indigenous
there.

Si SON AMOMUM — Bostard Stone-Parsley. Sides of the Hirsell
Lough, plentiful ; Misses Bell and Miss Hunter.

Bidens tripartita — Three-lobed Bur Marigold. By the side of a
ditch near the brewery in the village of Chatton, Northumberland ;
Mr Mitchell.

HiERACiUM molle — Soft-leaved Ilawkweed. Langton woods; Mr
Brown.

HiERACiuM prenanthoides — Rough-bordered Hawkweed. Wooded
bank opposite Bank-house, Berwickshire ; Mr W. Baird.

Lithospermum maritimum — Sea Gromwell. On the shore at the
mouth of the Pease-burn ; Rev. J. Baird. Lumsden shore, plentiful ;
Mr Carr.

Myosotis sylvatica — Wood Scorpion-grass. Langton woods. " M.
sylvatica is now (May 25.) adorning with its large lovely bios-

30 ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OF BEIIWICK-UPON-TWEED.

soms the banks of Langton woods. It is, I am persuaded, a good
species, though it may be difficult to give technical marks. No one
who has seen it, will deny its claims, or unite it with M. arvensis.^*
Mr Brown.

ScROPHULARiA AQUATiCA — Water Figwort. On the sides of the
Whiteadder below Claribad mill, plentiful ; Mr R. Dunlop.

Mentha sylvestris — Horse Mint. In the neighbourhood of Blan-
erne, abundant ; Mr Dunlop.

Mentha crispa, Linn, — Side of Wooler Water near Coldgate mill ;
and about one mile and a half above Langleford, on the borders of
a rivulet flowing down from the Cheviot, and near its junction
with the Wooler Water ; Mr Mitchell. A specimen of this addition
to the British Flora being sent to Mr Winch, he pronounced it to
be the M, crispa of Linnaeus, an opinion which has been since con-
firmed, and it is understood that a figure of it will soon appear in
the Supplement to English Botany. The following extract is from
a letter of Mr Mitchell : " I took the mint to Mr Bennet, who has
the chai'ge of the Linnean herbarium. On comparing it with Lin-
naeus* specimens it is M. crispa^ as you mentioned : there seems to
be no natural habitat for it except in Northumberland, for though
Linnaeus gives Siberia, Switzerland, and Hartz in Germany, the
first of these, by a pencil note of Sir J. E. Smith, appears to have
been founded on a very different plant. The Swiss habitat adopted
from Haller is taken from specimens stated by the author himself
to be exotic : and the plant of the Hartz, first noticed by Weber
in 1774, appears, from the reference by Hoffman of Ehrharts* plant
to the same locality, to have been the M. crispata."

Stachys ambigua — Ambiguous Woundwort. In Edmonstone Dean,
Berwickshire, among whins, sparingly ; Dr Johnston.

Chenopodium urbicum — Upright Goose-foot. Hirsell Woods ; Mr
Embleton.

Salix argentea — Silvery Willow. In the bog on Birgham Muir ;
Dr Johnston. In a bog to the north of Sweet-hope farm house ;

Mr Brown.

h. MONOCOTYLEDONES.

Sparganium natans — Floating Bur-reed. In the foss at the top of
Coldingham Lough, abundant ; Dr Johnston. Northfield Mill-
pond ; Mr Dunlop.

Sera PI AS latifolia — Broad-leaved Helleborine. Woods at the Hirsell
and Castle-law ; Misses Bell.

Carex distans — Loose Car ex. Mouth of the Whiteadder ; Mr R.
Dunlop.

Carex fulva — Tavmy Carex. Near Ledgerwood, Mr T. Brown. Bogs

ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OP BERWICK- UPON-T WEED. Si

about Buncle : and plentiful in the bog below Lintlaw ; Mr R.

Dunlop.
Carex vesicaria — Bladder Carex, In boggy ground above Wpoler

Water, opposite the Shepherd's house near Middleton Hall; Mr

Mitchell.
Carex (Ederi — CEderian Carex, In a bog near Mayfield, abundantly;

Mr Dunlop.
Bromus racemosus — Smooth Brome-grass, In fields near Coldstream

and Anton's Hill ; Miss Bell.

c. CRYPTOGAMOUS.

AsPiDiuM thelypteris — Marsh Shield-fern, Learmouth bogs, North-
umberland ; Mr 11. Embleton.

OsMUNDA regalis — Commou Osmund-royal, Routing Linn near Fen-
ton, Northumberland ; Mr Mitchell.

Phascum axillare. Wettish Dean a little to the south-east of Rae-
cleugh Head ; Mr Brown.

Gymnostomum fasciculare. Langton Lee's Cleugh; Mr Brown.

Orthotrichum diaphanum. On the wall of Langton Wood; Mr
Brown.

Bryum MARGINATUM. Langton Lee's Cleugh ; Mr Brown.

Hypnum stramineum. Choose Lee, in the parish of Langton, in fine
fruit; Mr Brown.

Hypnum piliferum. Langton Lee's Cleugh ; Mr Brown.

Hypnum murale. Langton Wood ; Mr Brown.

Hypnum cordifolium. Langton Woods ; Mr Brown. In the bog on
Birgham Muir ; Dr Johnston.

Marchantia conica. Dunglass Dean, plentiful ; Rev. J. Baird. Lang-
ton Lees ; Mr Brown.

Jungermannia ciliaris. Buncle Wood; Muir near Langton Lees,
plentiful about Stitchel 'House ; Mr Brown.

Jungermannia crenulata. Langton Lee's Cleugh, and at Ledger-
wood ; Mr Brown. Dunglass Dean, Mr Embleton.

Jungermannia reptans. Langton Lee's Qeugh ; Mr Brown.

Jungermannia resupinata. Lammermuirs near Westruther ; Road-
side near Nesbit ; Mr Brown.

Jungermannia tomentilla. Langton Lee's Qeugh ; Mr Brown.

Jungermannia serpyllifolia. Sides of a little stream that falls into
the WTiiteadder above half a mile west of Abbey St Bathan's ; Mr
Brown.

CoLLEMA NiGRESCENS. Langton Woods ; Mr Brown.

Gyrophora polyphylla. Abbey St Bathan's ; Mr Brown.

Parmelia caperatus. Hairy-heugh Crags, Berwickshire ; Mr Brown.

32 ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OF BERWICK-UPON-TWEED.

Caliciubi sPHiEROCEPHALUM. On the barks of trees about Stitchel
House ; Mr Brown.

Sticta fuliginosa. Langton Lee's Cleugh ; Mr Brown.

Chroolepus ebenea. On shelving rocks in Edmonstone Dean, Ber-
wickshire ; Dr Johnston.

Sphacelaria cirrhosa. On the shore a little north of St Abb's Head ;
Dr Johnston.

Dasya cocciNEA. Berwick Bay, occasionally cast on shore in abun-
dance ; Dr Johnston. Near Embleton ; Mr Embleton.

Ulva defracta, Withering. Coldingham shore, after a storm ; Rev. Mr
Campbell. It is in some respects an interesting sea-weed, — mostly
so in this ; that no one seems yet to have detected a specimen with
the slightest appearance of a root. Mr C.'s specimens were equally
imperfect. The plant was first discovered on the beach at Wey-
mouth, by Major Velley, and described by him in Withering's Ar-
rangement of British Plants. It was afterwards found by Mr Brodie
of Brodie, on the coast of Fife, who supplied the specimens figured
in English Botany ; and subsequently Messrs Borrer and Hooker
gathered it on the shores of the Orkney Islands ; — so that, if a rare
fipecies, it has at least an extensive geographical range. Dr Hooker
says it is very unlike any other ulva, " and has rather the appearance
of animal matter ;" but the opinion here hazarded has no foundation.
It is a true vegetable, as I am perfectly satisfied by a careful ex-
amination of it, possessing in fact the character of the genus Du-
montia of Greville, who, however, takes no notice of this species in
his Algae Britannicae : Dr Johnston.

Palmella riYAiiiNA. In the Hirsell Lough, plentiful, swimming on
the surface in green gelatinous, globular, more or less lobulated
masses, from the size of a pea to that of a walnut ; Dr Johnston.

Nostoc verrucosum. In a small rivulet running into the Whiteadder
near Ord- wheel ; Mr Brown.

Hydnum membranaceum, Bot. Gall. On a decaying trunk of some
tree in New-water-haugh wood ; Dr Johnston. About Eccles,
common ; Dr Thomson.

Peziza macropus. Langton Lee's Cleugh ; Mr Brown. This fungus,
when recently dried, exhales the peculiar disagreeable smell of
mice in a remarkable degree.

Peziza coccinea, Bot. Gall. ii. 740. On the ground in damp places
in the woods about the Hirsell.

Peziza umbrina, Grev. Fl. Edin. 419- On the ground in the Hirsell
fir plantations.

Peziza punctiformis, Grev. On decayed trees in Hirsell plantations.

( 33 )

Address to the Bertvickshire Naturalist^ Cluby read at its Third Anni'
versary Meeting, September 17. 1834. By P. J. Selby, Esq.
President.

Gentlemen,
Having now to resign this chair, and the honourable station in which
I was placed at the last anniversary meeting of the Club, by your kind
but unmerited partiality, I shall proceed, in imitation of the example
recommended by the first promoter of the Society, and so ably illustra-
trated by himself and his successor in their respective addresses, to give
a rapid, though I fear it m ill prove a very imperfect sketch of the pro-
ceedings at our different meetings, and the result of the labours and
researches of the various members of the Club during the past year.
Before I enter more immediately into this detail, I may be permitted to
congratulate the Qub upon its present prosperity, and the probability —
I had almost said certainty — of its increasing usefulness in furthering
and accomplishing those objects which first led to its institution. It has
been increased, since the last anniversary, by the acquisition of several
members,* all of whom, I hope, have entered the Society prepared and
fully determined to contribute each his mite to the general stock of in-
formation. This progressive increase of members augurs well for the
stability and future success of the Club ; — and shews, that the motives
which first led to its formation, begin to have their proper weight, and
to be duly appreciated, and that the advancement of science, and conse-
quent increase of knowledge, is considered likely to be benefited by the
existence of such societies as our own. The first meeting to which I
call your attention, is that of the anniversary, held at Dunse in Septem-
ber 1 833. Of the excursion of the day, I can give but an imjierfect
account, having been unable to attend it in person ; but from the minutes
of the meeting, I can gather, that it was not devoid of interest : for
although the season of the year precluded the hope of meeting with any
great variety of Flora's gifts, several samples of that rare plant, the
Saxifraga HircvIuSy were procured ; and as the woods and plantations,
which embellish the vicinity of the town, and the castellated mansion of
Mr Hay, were selected for the walk of the day, many interesting mosses ,

• Rev. Mr Wallace, of Abbey St Bathan's .... April 16. 1834.

George Darling, Esq. Weetwood June 18. ..

Mr William Carr, Ford -

Rev. Mr TurnbuU of Eyemouth July 30. ..

Mr Francis Douglas, Kelso -

Captain Mitford, R.N. • - *'pt- '7. ...

Rev. J. Parker, Curate of Chatton .....

B. N. c. — NO. II. c

34 MR selby's address.

lichens, and other cryptogamic plants, were observed in their secluded
and umbrageous recesses. To the excellent address of the President,
delivered upon that occasion, I need scarcely recall the attention of those
who had the satisfaction of hearing it in person ; and I am sure, those
who did not enjoy that pleasure, will rejoice with me, that the subsequent
publication of our Transactions has now placed it within their reach.
Among the communications read at the meeting, the first related to a
bird belonging to the genus Cataractes (Skua), killed upon the adjoin-
ing coast, and which, at that time, I could not precisely refer to any of
the described species, although I pointed out its near affinity to the
Cataractes (Lestris Richardsonii) of the Fauna Bor. Amer. I have since
ascertained, that it is identical with that kind, the under plumage being
subject to vary, and not always possessing the uniform brown tint, as
described in that work ; and further, that it is this species which annu-
ally resorts to the northern islands of Scotland, for the purpose of incu-
bation, and not the true Cat. parasiticus (Arctic Skua), as ornithologists
have hitherto generally supposed. Dr Johnston afterwards read an inter-
esting paper, on the Insects, Mollusca, &c., observed at the previous meet-
ing held at Holy Island, enriched with valuable and curious remarks on
their structure and functions. Among the insects I may particularise
the Phyllopertha Frischii^ a beetle of rare occurrence in the north, and
very locally distributed, and which has only once been met with beyond
the northern boundary of the Tweed. Next followed a paper by our
worthy secretary, Mr Embleton, on the plants observed at the former
meeting, and a continuation of his interesting meteorological observations.
Mr Mitchell also read an account of the brown amethyst found in a
ravine near Cheviot, amongst the debris of the porphyritic trap-rock, ex-
hibiting a specimen of the gem, and a list of new habitats for rare
plants. This was succeeded by an ingenious paper of Dr Thomson's
on the Tormentilla reptans, and the genus Potamogeton ; and the
business of the meeting was concluded by a curious account of the
game of Ball, as played at Dunse on Pastern's Eve, by Mr Thomas
Brown.

As usual, the next meeting was held in December at Berwick-upon-
Tweed, where, in defiance of the short days and wintry blasts, a nume-
rous party assembled. The wetness of the morning prevented any
extended excursion ; but towards noon, when the mists and rain cleared
off, a ramble along the steep and rocky coast, to the north of the town,
as far as the lofty pinnacle-shaped rock, called the Needle Eye, from the
perforation at its base, delighted those who had not before visited the
environs of Berwick ; and the interest of the walk was increased by a
search along the shore for algae and other marine productions. At this
meeting I may mention, that the Club resolved to print the communica-
tions already read before it, a resolution I hold to be of great import-
ance, and which, I hope, will be repeated at regular intervals, not only

MR selby's audrbm* 35

on account of the intrinsic value the papers may individually poMCM,
and which are thus made available to others ; but, as an evidence that
the Club is really earnest in its intentions and pursuits, and that the ad-
vancement of science and knowledge, however limited in degree, is the
principal object, and the ultimate aim, of our association. At this meet-
ing we were favoured with communications, connected with zoology,
botany, and meteorology. In the first department, Dr Johnston gave
excellent descriptions of two species of the genus Delphinus, viz., the
Delpkintts phoccena (common Porpesse), and the Delphintu melcu or
deductar (Casing whale). His account, which embraced the anatomy
and peculiarities of structure observable in these marine aniraab, was
further illustrated by beautiful figures and drawings from the pencil of
his amiable lady. The occurrence of the Phalaropus lobatus, a rare
British bird, was also mentioned as having been killed within the precints
of our district ; and a rare moth,* from the wooded glen of the Pease
Burn. A list of localities of rare plants was furnished by our accomplished
coadjutrix Miss Bell ; and a second list of the same nature was also read
by Dr Thomson, who added three species of fungi to the cryptogamic
catalogue of the district. The same gentleman favoured the Club with
an analysis of a ball of iron-pyrites found near Eyemouth. The business
of this meeting was concluded by a paper from the pen of Mr William
Baird, who delighted the assembled members by his admirable and
poetic description of the Aurora Borealis, as it had appeared on various
evenings during the late autumnal and winter months. Upon one occa-
sion he adverts to a noise he heard during the brightest corruscations of
the meteor, resembling, as he describes it, the gushing of a sudden
breeze among trees, or the noise produced by the quick flight of a bird
overhead. This peculiar sound, he adds, was heard tlie same evening
by other observers in the neighbourhood ; but whether it actually origi-
nated with, and was caused by the aurora, or proceeded from some other
extraneous source (though nothing occurred at the time to account
otherwise for its production), he ventures not to decide, knowing tliat a
discrepancy of opinion exists upon this point, which can only be set at
rest by repeated and long- continued observation of the phenomena. I
need scarcely recall to the recollection of those who attended the Spring
Meeting, the pleasant and instructive day we passed at Abbey St Ba-
than's, so sweetly situated upon the secluded and quiet banks of the
silvery Whitadder, where, while some amused themselves, with dexterous
art and well- trimmed flies, in deceiving the finny tenants of that limpid
stream, others resorted to the woods and fields in search of Flora's
treasures, or those insect tribes which, recalled to life and activity by
the revivifying influence of the season, had ah-eady quitted their hyber-
nacular retreats. Several specimens of a trout were taken, in form and

• IUpparchus rapilionarius, taken by Mr WUliam Dunlop.

c 2

36 MR SELBV'S ADDRESS.

character analogous to the Orange fin of the Tweed, which there i«
every reason to believe is the fry of the Salmo Trutta of authors, the
common sea-trout of most of our northern rivers. I may also mention
that, in passing through the woods of the " Retreat," several ring-ouzels
(Merula torquata) were observed. These had apparently just arrived
from more southern climes, and were then wending their way to those
npland rocks and craggy dells, their appropriate siniimer retreats, there
to be engaged in those momentous offices connected with the reproduc-
tion of their species. The wheat-ear (Saxicola (Enanthe), another of
our summer visitants, and one of the first harbingers of spring, was also
seen flitting across the moory waste, catching the attention of the orni-
thologist, as it flew from stone to stone, by the conspicuous display of its
snow-white rump. The communications made to this meeting were,
1st, A paper by Sir William Jardine, on the hirling of the Solway, with
some observations on its habits and distribution ; and further shewing
that this fish appears to be identical with the silver-white of the river
Tweed. By most ichthyologists it has been considered a good specie* ;
in which opinion I am still inclined to concur, although, upon a late
occasion, it was deemed by Monsieur Agassiz, an authority of great and
acknowledged weight, to be a variety only of the Salmo Trutta of Linn.
Further observations, therefore, upon its structure and habits, must be
carefully instituted, in order either to establish its claim, by characters of
sufficient importance, to a specific distinction, or, if found wanting in
them, to erase at once its name from the station it has hitherto held in
our systematic arrangements. The same gentleman mentioned the fact
of the alpine swift ( Cypselus alpinus) having again been killed in Ire-
land, and the occurrence of the Larus Sahini in the same country. He
also adverted to the curious variety of the hare found in that country,
possessing a fur of a different quality and colour from that of the com-
mon kind, and more analogous to that of the alpine hare {Lepus varia-
bilis^ Flem.) When first noticed, it was supposed to be a distinct and
undescribed species ; but farther observation leads to the conclusion,
that it is only a marked variety of the Lepus timidus, — intermediate
stages, as it were, having been found, which connect the extreme variety
with the common type. Mr Henderson afterwards gave a portion of a
meteorological register, which he was requested to continue ; and after
the exhibition of a rare species of star-fish, the Ophiura granulata,
new to the Berwickshire district, by Dr Johnston, the meeting was con-
cluded by an interesting notice from the same gentleman, of some Ro-
man funereal urns, recently dug up at Murton, near Berwick.

The first Summer Meeting in June, was held at Millfield, in the richly
cultivated vale of Till, but being at that time absent upon an excursion
to the wilds of Sutherland, I can only speak of the occurrences of the
day, from the minutes of the Club. From these it appears, that the anti-
cipation of a delightful and productive walk, to the hill of Yeaveri ng-

MU sblby's address. T)7

Cell, was, unfortunately, in a great measure disappointed, towards noon,
hy a heavy and continued rain, which compelled the party, however re-
luctant, to seek the shelter of the village inn, but not before that rare
and lovely plant, the Pyrola secunda, had been culled by Dr Johnston
and Rev. Mr J. Baird. Communications from both these gentlemen
were afterwards read ; that of Mr Baird referred to a plant found near to
Kirk-Yetholm, and which he endeavoured to prove was the Anemone
ranunculoidesy and not the Ranunculus auriconius, as had been suggest-
ed by Professor Graham. It, however, appears, that doubts still remain
upon this point, which we may hope to have resolved, by the reappear-
ance of the flower in the same locality where it was first discovered by
Mr Baird last springs who has undertaken to watch narrowly its pro-
gress the ensuing season. Dr Johnston's paper contained a notice of
the plants and insects observed at Abbey St Bathan's in April last.
Among the former, he particularizes the Populus tremula, which grew,
evidently in a wild state, upon a bank of natural brushwood, nearly oppo-
site the little inn, and the Morchella esculenta (Morel), a rare fungus in this
district, but which was that day gathered in considerable abundance in the
woods around the " Retreat." He also added to his former list of Ber-
wickshire fishes four new species, among which we notice the Blenniiu
tentacularts,* a fish new to the Scottish Fauna, and of rare occurrence upon
the English coast. Mr Armstrong mentioned to the Club the fact of the
ring-ouzel breeding upon the hills in the neighbourhood of Wooler, from
whence he had procured the nest ; and that a hooded crow ( Corvus cor-
nix), had this last spring paired with a carrion crow ( Corvus corone) at
Fowberry, M'here it was killed from the nest, containing eggs. Examples
of a similar nature have also been known to occur in Dumfriesshire, by
our colleague Sir W. Jardine ; and Temminck remarks, that in the
northern countries of Europe, where the C. corone is rare, a mixed breed
is sometimes produced between it and the C. comix, I cannot, how-
ever, entertain a doubt as to the specific difference of the two birds, al-
though Dx Fleming, I believe, hesitates in considering them distinct ; the
marked and constant difference of plumage, the form and size of their
bills, their different cries, easily distinguished by the accurate observer,
and the dissimilarity of habits and manners, evidently separate them too
far, to warrant us in considering them as mere varieties of the same spe-
cies. This is indeed further strengthened by the rarity of such associa-
tions, and the circumstances under which they always take place, viz.
when one of the species is rare and thinly disseminated, as in those parts
quoted by Temminck, or in our own country, where some accident has
detained the C. cornixy and prevented it re-migrating at the usual period
with its congeners. Circumstances again uufortunately prevented my

• Of Brunnich. Cuv. Reg. Anim. ii. 237. The CrcMteH Blenny of Pennant — Hr
Varreily to whom the specimen wns presented.

3S MR selby's address.

presence at the July meeting of the Club at Smailholm, where a lovely
day and an interesting excursion, in a district rendered classical by the
magic pen of Sir Walter Scott, appears to have given unalloyed satisfac-
tion to the assembled members of the Club, and to their visitors from the
Tweedside Physical and Antiquarian Society. The principal object of the
excursion was the examination of Whiterig Bog, remarkable for its extensive
deposit of shell-marl, used by the agriculturists of the district as a manure,
or alkaline corrective. The Peel or Tower of Smailholm, one of the Bor- '
der defences in earlier times, was afterwards visited, and the botanical
treasures of the morass, at the foot of the rocky steep upon which it is
perched, where several interesting plants, such as the cranberry ( Vacci-
nium OocycocciLs), sundew {Drosera rotundifolid), &c. were gathered.
Several additions to the Berwickshire Flora were announced, as the dis-
coveries of our colleagues, Miss Hunter and Miss Bell, whose exertions and
success in enriching the jF/or«ofthe district, have before been adverted
to. A pleasing and graphic account of the excursion of the Club in
June was afterwards read by Dr Johnston, and the business of this meet-
ing was concluded by some remarks upon a deposit of marl by Mr
Mitchell, which he further illustrated by specimens of the shells compo-
sing it.

Such, gentlemen, is a rapid, but inadequate recapitulation of the la-
bours and proceedings of the Club during the third year of its exist-
ence, but from which, however imperfect it may be, we can gather, that
much important information, upon various subjects connected with
the objects we have in view, has been brought before it, and that many
interesting additions, in the various departments of natural history, have
j-ewarded the zeal of our colleagues, and enriched the catalogue of our
local Fauna. It may perhaps be objected, that the excursions of the last
year have not been so productive as those of the two former ; but, even
allowing it were so, can we feel disappointed or even surprised that such
should be the case, when we consider the limited district to which we are
confined, and that the greater part of the ground has already been trod-
den by the Club ? Besides, it is by a closer and more minute investiga-
tion than we can afford to bestow, during our appointed walks, that
the zeal of the entomologist, the botanist, or the cultivator of any other
department of natural history, can expect to be fully rewai'ded. But
even should our walks afford nothing new, or that we had not previously
met with, still I hold that one great object of our meeting remains in
full force, and its utility is but slightly, if at all restricted, for it is the
associating together in friendly communion of individuals engaged in si-
milar scientific pursuits, who otherwise have but few opportunities of in-
tercourse ; it is in the interchange of opinion and sentiment thus person-
ally enjoyed, and to those friendly discussions tending to elucidate
truth, or correct erroneous views, that, in my humble opinion, the expe-

MR 8BLBY 8 AODRB88. 90

diency, as well as the chief utility, of such associations as our own are
to be estimated. Let it not, however, be supposed, that I imagine the
field of discovery in the district we embrace, or even in the very limited
portion of it to which our walk this day has been restricted, is either ex-
hausted or destitute of objects to rewai'd the patient and zealous disciple
of nature. On the contrary, I feel confident that the mine is still rich
and productive, and that our provincial fauna may yet, through our ex-
ertions, be greatly extended. Witness, I may almost say, the daily dis-
covery of species, many of them new, others which have not hitherto
been observed within the limit of our district, by our highly-gifted and
respected associate, whose labours are at present especially directed to
those curious and interesting beings belonging to the invertebrate class,
and whose acute and microscopic eye, aided by the pencil of his amiable
consort, has made us familiar with the wonderful structure of many of
those extraordinary creatures. Witness, I may add, the specimens of
the rare and elegant insect, exhibited this very day, and captured within
view of the apartment in which we are now assembled.

But should our research unexpectedly, and contrary to what I really
think can possibly happen, prove unrewarded by the discovery of any
thing new, or even rare, let not our ardour be depressed, or a feeling of
disappointment turn us aside from the contemplation of Nature's lovely
works ; for, though I admit the acquisition of a new or unexpected ob-
ject is accompanied with a feeling of a pleasant and gratifying descrip-
tion, and is calculated to foster and increase our zeal, still another, and
in many cases an unexplored field, lies open to all interested in these
pursuits, sufficient of itself to occupy our attention, and reward the ut-
most labour we can bestow upon it,^ — I mean the physiology and structure
of what we already possess, or can at all times easily acquire ; a study
the most delightful, and at the same time the most instructive; a study
which, in well-regulated minds, cannot fail, by the wonders it discloses
of consummate wisdom, admirable contrivance, and beautiful adaptation,
to improve and raise the mind to that omnipotent and beneficent Being,
the author of the universe and all that it contains, and to call forth those
feelings of adoration, and gratitude, and love, the legitimate and only
proper objects of all our learning and scientific acquirements ; and which
may teach us to exclaim with the sacred poet of old, " He spake the word,
and they were made ; lie commanded, and they stood fast.**

P. J. S.

( 40 )

Notice of the Capture q/* Deilephila Galii {Scarce Spot Elephant Moth)
a rare Lepidopterotis Insect^ belonging to the Family of the Sphingi-
dae, Leach. By P. J. Selby, Esq. of Twizell House.

On the evening of the 1 2th of August 1 834, soon after sunset, when
looking after Phalaenae in the garden at Twizell House, my attention
was attracted by a large moth hovering, in the manner of the Humming-
bird Sphinx (Macroglossa stellatarum), in front of the flowers of a Mo-
narchal and probing their tubes with its long extensile proboscis ; wait-
ing an opportunity, I succeeded in securing it, when it proved to be a
beautiful and newly excluded specimen of the Deilephila Galii Steph.
one of our rarest British insects. A second was taken in the same gar-
den the evening of the 14th August; and I have since learnt that an-
other, now in the possession of Dr Johnston, was secured about the same
time in the neighbourhood of Berwick. This is the first authenticated
instance of the occurrence of this beautiful sphinx in the north of Eng-
land, and in the south four or five examples only of its capture are re-
corded.

Notice of the Brown Amethyst. By James Mitchell, Esq. R.N.

I HAVE found that rare and beautiful gem the brown amethyst, in a
ravine near Cheviot, Northumberland, called by the people around the
Diamond Quarrj^, from the numerous specimens of rock-crystal, and
other specimens of crystallized quartz, found there. A specimen of the
brown amethyst, cut and set, I now submit to the inspection of the So-
ciety. Previously to my finding this mineral, it was not known to exist
in Northumberland, for the locality is not mentioned by Professor Jame-
son in his splendid and hitherto unrivalled work on mineralogy. This
ravine, which is formed by the washing away and consequent decay of
the porphyry rocks by a small river, exhibits blocks of various sizes of
quartz-rocks amongst the clay of its banks. Many of them on being bro-
ken discover drusy cavities, the walls of which are filled with most beau-
tiful crystals of quartz of various colourg, tinged by iron, some yellow,
others blue, and some jet black, while others are the fine rock-crystal,
having no colouring matter. Some of the crystals I have found covered
with a red ochry crust of iron-ore, which could not be scraped off by the
knife. The brown amethyst I discovered in single perfect crystals
amongst the yellow detritus of the decayed porphyry ; and I have no
doubt that they had come from some drusy cavity in the quartz-rocks.

( 41 )

Remarks on a Deposit of Shell-Marl. By Mr James Mitchell, Sur-
geon, Royal Navy.

About a mile and a half from Wooler, Northumberland, on the estate of
Colonel Hughes, called Middleton Hall, there is a very extensive deposit
of shell-marl, about three or four acres in length, and one in breadth. The
Colonel remembers it as a lake, with its margin and banks adorned with
trees and shrubs ; it seems to have been fed by numerous springs, some
of which exist even in the present day ; but it has been so well drained
that now it may be crossed anywhere in safety, and is indeed so dry as
annually to yield a fine crop of natural hay. Only a very small part of
this agricultural treasure has been dug into, no more being taken out
than suffices for the use of the estate, and it has produced very luxuriant
crops. Yet, small as is the part which has been opened, there is suffi-
cient to interest the observer of nature. Previous to its being drained,
the peat was so spongy "as to measure about four feet deep ; it is now re-
duced to between two and three. In this peat, which covers the marl, were
found oak and willow trees, with acorns, hazel-nuts, &c. ; but do re-
mains of animals have yet occurred in it. The marl, so far as they have
yet dug, is, in the best places, about ten feet, but it varies in thickness,
and it is very likely that it will be thicker in the centre. It is white,
with rather a yellow tint. In its upper strata the shells are very perfect,
but below, from the greater pressure, they are broken or comminuted,
and in general obliterated. They are the same species which are found
in fresh-water ponds at the present day ; and, through the kindness of
Mr Nichol of Edinburgh, I am enabled to give their names, viz. Cyclas
cornea, C. pusilla, Succinea amphibia, Planorbis contortus, PI. fontanus,
Limneus pereger, Valvata obtusa, and V. spirorbis. There was found
also in the marl two complete skeletons of the red deer(Cervus elephas),
with very large branching antlers. They were standing in an upright
position, which seems to corroborate the statement of Mr Lyell, who
says — " Deer, and such species as take readily to the water, may often
have been mired in trying to land where the bottom was soft and quaggy,
and, in their efforts to escape, may have plunged deeper into the marly-
bottom. Some individuals, we suspect, of different species, have follen
in when crossing the frozen surface in winter, for nothing can be more
treacherous than the ice when covered with snow, in consequence of the
springs which are numerous, and which, always retaining an equal tem-
perature, cause the ice, in certain spots, to be extremely thin, while, in
every other part of the lake, it is strong enough to bear the heaviest
weights.** — Prin. of Geol. vol. ii. p. 251.

( 42 )

Facts relating to the Tormentilla officinalis. By Dr R. D. Thomson.

The following tables have been drawn up from observations on the
Tormentilla officinalis,^ which were made with the view of contributing
to the determination of a question which has interested most botanists —
whether the genus Tornientilla should be considered as distinct from
Potentilla, or whether the species of the former genus should be ranked
under the latter. I have seen observations somewhat similar, but upon
a less pai'ticular plan, than those I have detailed, for nothing has hither-
to been related regarding the soils upon which the different specimens
examined had vegetated, which must be considered of very considerable
importance in determining the effect of soil in increasing or diminishing
the number of petals. The plants subjected to examination were col-
lected on four distinct formations, viz. 1. Mica-slate, 2. Old Red Sand-
stone, 3. New Red Sandstone ; and, 4. Diluvium. By the latter term
is to be understood the grav^lleft by the retiring of Loch Lomond, on
the west side of that lake, on the road from Helensburgh to Luss, which
passes through numerous artificial-looking tumuli, presenting a rounded
outline. A careful search satisfied me that these were formerly islands
in the lake, similar to those which now vary so beautifully its surface, and
which have been left as isolated hillocks by the gradual draining of the
lake. The gravel consists of clay -slate. The new red sandstone at Helens-
burgh is formed of fragments of clay-slate, imbedded in clay, obviously
a product of the disintegration of the clay-slate rocks, and is overlaid in
general by a stiff reddish soil. The new red sandstone of Berwick-
shire appears to be closely connected with the carboniferous series.
These observations seem necessary in order that the subsequent facts
may be better appreciated.

PACTS RELATING TO THE TORMENTILLA OFFICINALIS.

43

Nummary

100

200

300

600

700

900

1000

5th Petal
imperfect.

4th Petal
deeply cleft.

6th Petal
imperfect.

1000

en ft >
B50 5

200

300

400

500

Summary,

l||L

1000

1000-

100

200

6th imperfect.

98

12

10

10

10

10

Summary.

f 2 Petals
X divided.

300

400

500

600

700

900

1000

1000

s

s
s
Q

Summary,

100

200
300
400
500
600
700

700

91

5

2

1
_1_

93
5

1

"97~
2

1
98

1
1

98

2

99
1

94
2
2

_1

98

_2_

964
22
4
4
2
1
1
1
1

99

98
2

]pyke

in a cul-
.tivated field,
f 5th Petal very
I minute.

98
\

6

1

10

44 MR BROWN ON THE GAME OF BALL

It appears, therefore, that of 3700 specimens of flowers, 3628 have
all the characters of Tormentilla ; 43 possess those of Potentilla, while
the remaining 29 vary in the number and proportion of the divisions
of the calyx and corolla. The conclusion to which these facts in-
clines is, that the genus Tormentilla does exist, and that the occasional
multiplicity of petals and sepals is to be referred to luxuriance of growth.

Auffiut 1834.

The Game of Ball as placed in Dwise o?i Fasterr^s Eve, By Mr
Thomas Brown.

As one object of this Club is to examine the antiquities of Berwick-
shire, a brief notice of the above game may not be unacceptable. Though
still kept up, the interest taken in it has greatly decreased, and it may
not, improbably, disappear ere long. It is not so much, therefore, from
its present state that a complete description is to be drawn, as from the
recollections of the oldest inhabitants. I have only to regret that the
details here presented are not more complete.

Fastern's Eve, or, as it is here called, Eastern's E'en, was once almost,
if not altogether, a holiday to the inhabitants of Dunse. As in many
other parishes, cock-fighting was the principal amusement during the
forenoon, and, at one period, it seems, to have been in high estimation.
The parish school, which was set apart for it, is described as having been
sometimes crowded to the door, and the fees collected on the occasion
formed a perquisite of some value. It is certainly to the honour of the
present generation that this practice has disappeared.

The amusements of the afternoon are both more peculiar and inviting.
The game is ball, played in a manner which, if not peculiar to Dunse,
is at least not common. Preparations for it used to begin nearly a week
before. Three young men were chosen to conduct them, and were
called " ba'-men." They met on the Wednesday of the preceding week,
to hold, along with their friends, the shaping of the ball, when they pa-
raded the town, accompanied by a drum and fiddle, playing the tune, —

*' Never let the grce gang doon
For the gude o' our toon."

In this style they called at the houses of the more respectable inhabi-
tants, danced with the servants, and received contributions.

Till the day itself arrived, their only duties were to collect these con-
tributions and prepare the balls. Three are required for the game, but
four are always prepared. The family at Dunse Castle have so liberally
supported the practice, that it has been customary to leave there one of
the balls, which it is said are preserved. Of those played with, the first

AS FLAYED IN DUN8E ON FA8TERN 8 EVE. 4«)

h gilt, and called the ** golden ha\\" the second, from its colour, is called
the " silver ball ;" the third is spotted.

About eleven o'clock in the forenoon the honour of throwing off the
ball was at one time exposed to auction, in the churchyard, over one of
the tombstones. The arrangement of the working classes in Dunse,
under the different trades, was at that time much more complete than
at present; and it was a subject of considerable competition among
them who should have the honour of throwing up the ball. My inform-
ant states it as a very early recollection, that the whip-men (carters)
bought it for fifteen shillings, — a sum which, making allowance for the
difference of the value in money, shews the estimation in which it was
held. The children of the Drummelzier family, or of the more respect-
able families in Dunse itself, have of late enjoyed the honour, but it has
not unfrequently been left to the ball-men themselves.

It was from the top of a small building that stood close to the old
Town-house, that the ball was usually thrown. Since that was taken
down, it is simply from the street. About one o'clock the shops are
shut, — the golden ball is thrown off, and the game begins.

The opposing parties are the married and unmarried men. Their ob-
ject is not to kick the ball, but to snatch it up and carry it off. This,
however, is exceedingly difficult. It is thrown into the middle of the
crowd, and whoever happens to gain it, is sure that hundreds will rush
on him from every point. The scenes to which this leads, are, as may
be supposed, exceedingly varied and amusing. At one time the crowd
is rolled together in a mass, every individual in which is making the
greatest exertions to gain or retain the ball. And should the possessor
of it be able to escape, or to throw it to any distance, the rush which is
made, and the eager pursuit, exhibit a very animated siglit. The game
of the married men is to carry the ball into the church, the doors of
which are set open on the occasion. The unmarried men endeavour to
reach any mill in the parish, and put the ball into the hopper.

The contests, though conducted in good humour, are usually very de-
termined, and when the game was in higher estimation than at present,
it is said that accidents sometimes happened from the pressure of the
crowd.

Though the unmarried men might carry the ball to any mill in the
parish, they generally endeavour to reach Clock-mill, about half a mile
to the west of Dunse. It was once customary, therefore, for a party of
their opponents to be stationed before it, and many a hard contest took
place there. The parties, however, scarcely met on equal terms. Tlie
young men, spent with previous exertion, were no match for these fre«h
opponents ; and it not unfrequently ended in their being plunged in the
mill-lead. If, however, in spite of all opposition, the mill-hopper was
fairly reached, the game was won. And then came their honours. The
miller entertained them with pork and dumplins ; and, what was of far

^

MR BAIRD ON THE AURORA BOREALIS.

more importance, dusted them, especially their hats, with flour. Like
the laurel wreaths of other regions, this marked them out for the gaze of
their fellow-townsmen.

In this way the three balls are played for successively. The person
who succeeds in kirking or in milling — such are the phrases — the first
or golden ball, receives from the ball-men a reward of Is. 6d., for the se-
cond Is., and for the third 6d.

I have no means of ascertaining the antiquity of this practice. The
oldest inhabitants tell us that, ever since they recollect, it has been fall-
ing off. It seems indeed at one time to have been engaged in with
much greater spirit. Whoever did not play was marked, and the inha-
bitants not unusually assembled next day to inflict punishment. They
dragged him forth — carried him down to the cross, and, as is said,
knocked him against it. When one thinks of the population, leaving for
one day their laborious ocicupations, and entering with spirit into the
excitements of this game, he would be a stern moralist who would for-
bid them the enjoyment. But every picture has its darker shades. The
evening was generally spent in dancing and drinking. It was remarked
too, that if any private quarrels had arisen, they were one way or other
settled and set at rest on Pastern's E'en.

On the Aurora JBorealis. By Mr William Baird.

In the winter season of the year, when botany can no longer afford its
usual animating enjoyments to the lovers of flowers ; when the birds,
which made our summer groves vocal with their music, are silent, and
seldom to be met with by the ornithologist ; when the greater part of
animated nature, in short, is either dead, torpid, retired to their holes
and caves for shelter from the severity of the weather, or seeking by a
rapid flight new summers in a warmer clime ; when even the few pur-
suits which the botanist or zoologist have still within their reach, are
further interrupted by the inclemency of the season, " vapours, and
clouds, and storms," or by the shortness of the days, " which driving
sleets deform," the meteorologist can still find full employment for his
powers of observation. The storms and blasts of winter all contribute
materials for his peculiar studies. Pleased; he

" Hears the winds roar, and the big torrent burst.
Or sees the deep fermenting tempest brew'd
In the grim evening sky."

The ever varying state of the clouds afford him constant amusement,
whilst he derives great delight and satisfaction in watching, by means of
the barometer or sympiesometer, the frequent changes in the pressure
and density of the atmosphere. Many meteorological phenomena of a

MR BAIRD ON THE AURORA BOREALIS. 47

more interesting nature still are of frequent occurrence at this dead sea-
son of the year, and well-deserving the notice of the observer of nature.
As few phenomena of this character have hitherto been taken much no-
tice of in this Club, I shall make no apology for introducing to you some
observations made upon a very beautiful phenomenon, which has been

exhibited in great brilliancy several times since our last meeting I

mean " those dancing meteors," that ceaseless shake " a waving blaze,
refracted o*er the heavens" — the Aurora Borealis. I do not intend mak-
ing any detailed remarks upon the theories connected with this interest-
ing phenomenon, but merely to describe the appearances as I witnessed
them upon two occasions since our last meeting, within this district, and
then make a few observations upon the state of weather following their
appearance. The first occasion alluded to was the 18th of September
last, the evening of our last anniversary meeting, upon which evening I
observed the phenomenon in great splendoul*, whilst travelling from Dunse
to Cockburnspath. As soon as daylight had disappeared, the phenomenon
commenced being visible, and as the evening advanced, it waxed more and
more brilliant ; and though, for some part of the time, a clear moon of five
or six days old shone with considerable brightness, it did not at all impair
the brilliancy of the " waving blaze" of the aurora. At first there
was observed a white arch, resembling a light cloud of the " Cirrus" for-
mation, extending over the northern horizon nearly from east to west
about 20° or 30° above the horizon. This at first was faint, while some
remains of daylight lingered on the hills, but gradually, as the evening
became darker, the arch waxed brighter, and then we were made sen-
sible of its unsteady blaze, now fading away, till only a dim arch could
be seen, and anon suddenly starting forth to its original brilliancy, but
never altogether disappearing. Soon aflerwards, perhaps half an hour
afler the arch became visible, jets of white light shot forth from the edge
of the arch in one or two places, and streamed over to the zenith. As
these disappeared, fresh portions of the arch shot forth fresh streams of
liquid light, which blazed over half the heavens, disappearing in their
turn as rapidly as they formed, and anon being replaced by fresh and
more brilliant streams, till at times the whole northern half of the sky
blazed bright with the flickering meteors. From the west side of the
arch, long tapering streams shot forth in a slanting direction towards the
zenith, in the centre beautiful straight jets tapered up towards the same
point of the heavens, while, from the eastern portion of it, long splendid
streams slanted their fine points upwards, and all three parts converged
their points towards the zenith, like the radii of a circle. While this bril-
liant display lasted, occasionally a smaller arch of white light would form
a few degrees above the larger one, and from its edges smaller and much
shorter jets would be frequently sent forth, which, beginning towards one
extremity, would sometimes dance and leap, and run in tiie most extra-
ordinary manner along its upper edge, and now and then assuming pris-

4S MR BAIRD ON THE AURORA HOREALIS.

matic colours, recalled to our minds an exhibition of the figures of a ma^
gic-lantern upon a most magnificent scale. Well may they be named
the " merry dancers," and well might the more savage nations of the
north, in former ages fancy, in such exhibitions as these, they saw the
powers of the air holding their high revels in the clear sky.* This
splendid display of these beautiful meteors continued for nearly two
hours, w^hen they gradually decreased, became dim, and finally disap-
peai'cd. On the other occasion alluded to, a different, but more magnifi-
cent display still, took place, which I observed whilst at Yetholm about the
middle of October. The night was still and calm, not a breath of wind
was to be felt ; the moon was within a few hours of its change, and con-
sequently was not visible. About eight p. m. upon going out, I was sur-
prised at the brightness of the night, and, distrusting my know ledge of
the moon's age, I looked aloft to see if that luminary was visible. The
first glance of the sky explained the brightness of the night, and at the
same time filled me with astonishment. The whole welkin, from east to
west, was in a blaze of light ; and I remarked that, though there was a
bright space stretching for some degrees above the horizon in the north,
the grand display of the streaming meteors was from east to west, while
at the same time the few that came from the north stretched to the ze-
nith, and some from the west shot up in that direction also, and from all
the three points converged towards the centre of the sky. Words can-
not do justice to the magnificent scene, — the streams of light were
in constant motion, moving with vast velocity, and often sheets of liquid
light stretched over a great space of the sky, suddenly disappearing, and
being replaced by magnificent long sharp-pointed pencils of light, which
darted up to the zenith in one continued blaze. Once or twice, when a
more than usually brilliant display took place, and was accompanied with
these sheets of light, I thought I distinctly heard a noise, resembling ex-
actly the sound of a sudden but gentle breeze of wdnd amongst the
trees, — a low, soft, but momentary gush of sound, as it were, not unlike
the noise of the quick flight of a bird overhead. I looked to the shrubs
and some short trees near me, but not a twig nor a withered leaf was
in motion : it could not have come from them. A mill-lead was within
a few hundred yards of me ; and, from the stillness of the night, its noise
could be distinctly heard from where I stood ; but the sound I have men-
tioned was not, to my ears, the sound of falling water, — neither was
there any bird to be seen. As I never before heard a similar sound
during a display of the aurora, and as the noise, generally said to have
been heard, is described as a crackling noise, I satisfied myself at the
time, that it must have been the noise of the water only partially con-
veyed to my ears, or that it was the effect of imagination ; but I was

• On the appearance of this meteor, the dogs of the hunters on the shores of the
White Sea lie down in terror; and the name given to the meteor by these hunters is
(transhitcd) the raging host is passing !

MR BAIRO ON THE AURORA BOREALI8. 40

aflerwards informed that tlie same sound was heard on the same evening,
in the neighbourhood of Cockburnspath, and the hearer describes it as
somewhat resembling the low but quick flap of a bird's wing. I stat«
tliis with mbch diffidence, however, well knowing the discrepancy of
opinion upon this point. A few nights after this, there was another al-
most equally brilliant display, and since that they have been of no un*
frequent occurrence, though not to any extent.

It is a general opinion that a bright or frequent display of these beaur
tiful meteors f^etokens bad weather ; and though I am not acquainted
with the results which learned men have come to upon this sulject, I am
aware that this inquiry has called forth the observations of several me*
teorologistg, and that the scientific M. Arago of Pari», in particular, has
bestowed much attention on the subject, and I believe has had frequent
communications from naturalists in this country concerning it. I am
sorry that I cannot bring forward here, a detailed account of the weather
as it immediately succeeded the appearances I have attempted to de-
scribe ; and owing to the delay attending the forwarding of his meteo*
rological instruments from Edinburgh, I have not been able to avail my-
self of the meteorological diary or journal which the Rev. Mr Wallace
of Abbey St Bathan's some time ago kindly promised to furnish the Club
with, and with which I had hoped to have been able to supply the want
of my own observations. A general recollection, however, remains of
the weather following these appearances, which will, perhaps, be suffi-
cient, in the mean time, to shew the probability of the opinion, that they
are precursors of stormy weather. The day following the first exhibi-
tion, the sky in the forenoon presented the appearance of an immense
number of finely pointed and waved linear " cirri,** not very unlike the
long streams of light seen on the preceding evening. These soon be-
came mixed with the " comoid'* variety of " cirrus,** or mare*8 tails, ac*
companied with some specimens of the " plumose** variety, which latter
varieties are generally acknowledged by meteorologists to be precursors
of wind and rain. The latter part of September, it will perhaps be re-
membered by many, was characterized by blustering changeable weather,
storms of wind arising at frequent intervals, shattering the trees, and
stripping them of their leafy glory. Owing to their being chiefly from
the west, however, little or no damage was done on this coast. About
twenty-four hours after the appearance of the second display I have men-
tioned, a fierce storm of wind arose, accompanied with heavy showers of
rain: the weather became cold and dismal, and on the 14th October the
Cheviot Hills, a little to the south of Yetholm, were covered with snow.
About the same time the Tweed and Teviot were swollen to their banks,
and a series of broken and severe weather continued for some time.
Frost and snow since then have been but little felt, but it cannot have
escaped the notice of all the members of the Qub, what fierce and great
storms have raged for some time back, and what lamentable disasters at

B. N. c. — NO. II. n

50 SIR WILLIAM JARDINE's NOTICE OP THE

sea have filled the columns of our journals. Being chiefly from the west-
ward that these fierce storms have blown, this coast has suffered but lit-
tle, but the coasts of the west of Scotland, England, and Ireland, have
teemed with shipwrecks, deaths and desolation ; hundreds of lives have
been lost, and property to an immense amount irrecoverably lost and de-
stroyed. Ninety thousand tons of shipping have been calculated to
have been lost this year, and a large part of this immense loss has hap-
pened within the last three months. The observations of one individual,
and the inferences to be deduced therefrom, are of little value by them-
selves, and I only offer these few remarks as a contribution towards a
subject of great interest, and well entitled to further inquiry, and as they
may be useful by way of comparing with the observations of other indi-
viduals upon the same subject.

Notice of the Herling of the Solway being found in the Tweedy with
some Observations on its Habits and Distribution. By Sir Wil-
liam Jardine, Bart.

Among the many species of fish which inhabit or occasionally resort
to the rivers of this country, the family of the Salmonidae contain by far
the most important part, and the rents arising from their capture form a
considerable amount in the value of the fisheries of Great Britain. The
species whose habits I shall now attempt in part to describe, is not of
itself sufficiently important to form a large article of commerce, or to
rank for much value in the accounts of the taxmen of the fisheries, though
I believe that in many districts, and particularly in the western coast of
Scotland, much more might be made from it ; but at the first appear-
ance of decrease in the salmon fisheries, it was conjectured by many of
the proprietors that this fish was the fry or young of the salmon ; while it
was advanced by others, as an argument against this, that it was not
found in either the Tay or the Tweed, two of the most important salmon
streams in Scotland. In some rivers nets of less than a certain width of
mesh were not allowed ; but on the part of the taxmen it was of conse-
quence to make it out distinct, and to supply the markets as far as they
could. In this way a point of much importance was involved, for had
the herling been proved to be the young salmon, some additional means
must have been necessary to preserve them fi'om a destruction which in
some rivers is immense. It is now generally known to be a species en-
tirely distinct, though proper characters have not been affixed to it, and
I regret that I cannot now give them with satisfaction to myself, less
from the want of materials, as from being unable to compare and contrast
them with some of their congeners.* I propose, therefore, to confine

• Gill covers, .

. 11

FinsV, . .

. 11

FinsD, . .

. 14

_ A, . .

. 12

^. P, . .

. 14

Vertebrae, .

. 60

HERLINO OF THE SOL WAY BEING FOUND IN THE TWEED. 51

ray present observations to those habits whicli have come under my own
notice.

This fish I consider to be the aS'. alhu of Fleming, the Heriutg or
Hir ling of the Scotch side of the Solway Frith, the Whiting of i\\e Eng-
lish side, and by which name it is also known in the Eden and Esk,
the Phinnock of the north and west of Scotland, the White or Phirmock
of Pennant, and the Silver White of the Tweed tacksmen.

In the Solway Frith (where I have had the most frequent opportuni-
ties of observing them), they commence their approach to the mouths
of the rivers about the middle and towards the end of June, if the
season has been remarkably dry, and perhaps a few days earlier if there
has been much rain. From this time they continue running till about
the end of August, when the greatest body of the shoal is either past or
taken. The height of the run, however, may be said to be about the
last weeks of July, and their numbers at this time are almost incredible.
In the rivers they are caught with the common sweep-nets, in the Frith
by the stake-nets of small mesh, or, as they are called, herling-houses.
Many hundreds are taken at once in each enclosure at every tide ; — the
whole neighbourhood are for a short time supplied with them ;— cart-
loads are sent for sale to Ecclefechan and Lockerbie and the surround-
ing villages, and I have once or twice known them reach Moffat, a dis-
tance of above thirty miles from the nets. This abundance, with little
exception, seems general wherever they are found.

They enter the fresh waters for the great business of spawning, and I
have observed that in the larger rivers, the great body of the shoal leave
the main stream and seek the smaller tributaries, and very few remain
where the water continues strong and heavy. The spawning commences
earlier than that of the salmon, is of course sooner finished, and by the
end of February almost the whole of the old fish have returned to the
sea. The young I have never been able to see ; it is probable, how-
ever, that they are hatched earlier, and make their way to the salt water
when of a small size, and three or four months is a sufficient interval for
them to have obtained the siie and weight of their first appearance in
tlie following June.

It may be noticed as remarkable in the history of this fish, and at va-
riance with the habits of the other British salmon, that from tlie time of
the return of the old fish or kelts to the sea, not an individual is aeeo
till the appearance of the great shoal : a few days before ftBiigglan •!>-
pear, and they are the signals for preparations being commenced for
their destruction ; but in the intervening four months between March
and the end of June, they are never to be met with. In this respect
they more resemble the Coregoni, which are completely gregarious, and
also the herring, to which I believe the above mentioned genus letds.

The fish in the Solway very seldom reach 2 lb. in weight Upon
their first arrival i lb. and J lb. is a common size, afterwards the greater

d2

52 HERLINO OP THE SOLWAY FOUND IN THE TWEED.

proportion average from 1 lb. to 1^ lb. One of the most marked appear-
ances of this fish, is the great proportional breadth of the back, and the
peculiar greyish-green colour of the upper parts. This colour appears
very conspicuous when seen before the water has completely ebbed from
the stake-nets, when the fish swim near the surface ; and when small sea-
trout are mixed with them, the contrast is at once perceived. The dis-
tribution of this fish in Scotland, as far as it can be with certainty traced,
is pretty extensive ; the south and west coasts, however, seem to possess
the greatest abundance. Commencing at the Solway, we meet it in
great abundance as far as the Dee at Kirkcudbright, from thence we lose
it till the mouth of Loch Awe at Loch Etian in Argyllshire, from this it is
common along the whole of the west coast. On the east it is plentifully
found at Inverness, and I have traced it at Peterhead, but from this point
to the Tweed, I have been unable to hear of it. Wales is the only dis-
trict in the south where it will probably be found thus following the west
coast, and the sewin will most likely prove our Scottish hirling or whit-
ing. It has not yet been noticed in any part of Ireland.

Regarding this fish being occasionally found in the Tweed, it seems
to vary in the gregarious habit, comparatively few being met with. Among
the tacksmen the Solway name was not known, but upon describing the
fish to them, they at once referred it to their silver white- The matter
was, however, soon proved, by having the good fortune to catch one
when fishing salmon with Stevenson, the tacksman of the CroMm fishing.
We had made frequent inquiries at the different tacksmen regarding it,
and when the fish rose, Stevenson at once called out that it was a silver
white, shewing that he was perfectly acquainted with it. It correspond-
ed with all the characters of the Solway fish, having the same number of
vertebrae, rays in the fins, and gill-covers, &c.

As far as I can learn, they are not abundant in the Tweed. They
are perfectly well known at Coldstream, and are taken with whitling flies ;
and Stevenson mentioned having once taken about fifty opposite Birg-
ham in one draft of a sweep-net. I have been unable, however, to trace
them farther up than Kelso, and though fishing much with suitable flies,
I have never seen them in the higher waters of Dryburgh or Morton.
The stream of the Tweed and larger rivers may probably be too heavy
and powerful for them, and it is probable that the great proportion of
those which do enter the Tweed will diverge at the spawning season to
the smaller tributaries.

( 53 )

K

Notice of some Roman Urns recently discovered near Berwick-upon-
Tweed. By Dr Johnston.

The urns, of which figures are annexed, were lately discovered at
Murton, in the northern part of the county of Durham, and about four
miles from Berwick-upon-Tweed. They were buried, at no great depth,
in a light sandy soil raised into a sort of low mound, and were covered
or intermixed with stones disposed without order. The small one was
perfect, the two larger were broken into many pieces, but, by fitting these
together, a perfectly correct idea of their shape and sculpture was ob-
tained. The small one exactly resembled an old-fashioned salt-cellar :
the diameter of its mouth was nearly 2J inches, the greatest circumfer-
ence 10, and the height 2 inches. The height of the second was 6, the
diameter of its mouth 5 J, and the greatest circumference 20 inches. The
third was a size larger ; and fragments, evidently belonging to still larger
urns, and of different patterns, were also procured from the same place.
All of them were made of the coarsest clay, such as is still found near
the spot where they were buried, and were so brittle, although half an
inch thick, that it was found impossible to remove them uninjured from
the soil. They had not been burned, but merely dried in the sun or in
an oven, and from the blackness of their interior, even this does not seem
to have been done perfectly. The sculpture on the exterior was of the
rudest and simplest kind, and executed probably with the trowel or a
knife. They were filled with a fine black dust or ash, and in some of
them fragments of bone were detected, which mouldered away on expo-
sure to the air. The small urn might be destined to hold the ashes of
the heart. To none of them was there a lid or cover.

54 DR Johnston's notice of some roman urns.

These are evidently sepulchral urns of Roman manufacture, and the
coarseness of the material, and the rude fashion in which they are orna-
mented, prove the ashes they contained to be those of some ignoble per-
sons,—

" to fortune and to fame unknown."

Similar urns have been dug up occasionally in other places in this neigh-
bourhood. Two were procured from a gravel bank at Billymire, in the
parish of Chirnside, about 1790 (Stat. Ace. v. xiv. p. 30); and "in
1 792, on clearing the ground of a heap of stones which had been collect-
ed upon the top of the Crimson, or Cramestone Hill, on the north side
of the village of Garington, several earthen urns, of different sizes, were
dug up. The urns contained human bones, but had no inscription upon
them." (Ibid. p. 584.) I have seen the fragments of two very large ones
in the possession of the Rev. A. Baird of Cockburnspath, which had been
procured near that village ; and Mr Selby has met with several near
Twizel-house. For the possession of those under notice, the Club is in-
debted to the attention of the Rev. Mr Campbell of Tweedmouth.

Since sepulchral urns were never placed by the Romans in temples,
but in fields and by high- ways, the situation of the present may possibly
serve to indicate the precise line of the great northern road of that peo-
ple, called the Devil's Causeway ; and from the name of a hamlet —
Camp-houses — in the immediate vicinity of Murton, we may conjecture
that they had also a military station here, which is the more probable, as
the remains of a Roman camp are still visible on the banks of the Tweed,
near West Ord, which is not more than between two and three miles dis-
tance from Murton.

To ascertain the precise antiquity of these remains I can make no es-
say, but a conjectural approximation to it may be allowed. Notwith-
standing the stories to the contrary in the Scottish Chronicles, it may
safely be taken for granted that the Romans had not penetrated, or at
least made any settlement in our district, until Agricola led his armies
northwards, about the year 80. They withdrew finally from Britain
in the year 426 ; and although they did not occupy our district during
the whole of the intervening 346 years, having been repeatedly driven
beyond Adrian's Wall by the Picts and Scots, yet they generally repos-
sessed Ihemselves of it in a short time, and certainly had encampments
in it until within a very short period of their removal. But assuming
the latest date for their burial, the urns before us possess all the interest
attached to antiquities upwards of 1400 years existence, — a larger one
than any monument of the border warrior can claim. " In vain we hope
to be known by open and visible conservatories, when to be unknown
was the means of their continuation, and obscurity their protection." —
Sir T. Browne.

Note. — Since the above notice was read, I have received from Mr

DR JOHNSTON ON THE (ENANTHB CBOCATA. 56

Brodie of Ayton-mill, a very perfect urn, rather more than four inches
in height, and six in diameter, which was found by him, about fourteen
years ago, under a heap of stones on BeU's-hill, opposite St Abb's Head,
in the parish of Coldiughaui. In shape, sculpture, and material, it agrees
nearly with those figured, and was full of a fine black ^h.

A Note relative to (Enanthe crocata. By Dr Johnston.

In the appendix to my Flora, it is stated that no yellotv juice could
be found in any part of our Berwickshire CEnanthe, and I was hence led
to conclude that it was more probably CE. apiifolia of the British Flora.
Mr Winch informs us that the same remark had been made in regard to
the plant near Newcastle ; and I have been well informed that the Edin-
burgh botanists were equally unsuccessful in finding any yellow juice in
their plant. Such being the fact, I was not a little surprised and pleased
to receive from Mr Dunlop, roots of CE. crocata, from the banks of the
Eye ; and from which, when broken, drops of a deep orange-yellow juice
immediately exuded. There was no doubt, then, that these belonged to
the true CE. crocata ; and as the leaves, &c. diflfered in no respect from
those I had previously examined, I was led to re-examime roots from
other stations, and the result has been a conviction that the species is
every where the same with us, although the juice is oflen very scanty,
and sometimes scarcely visible. Thus, roots dug on the Castlehills,
when broken, continued white for some time, but the fracture ultimately
assumed a yellowish hue, and when narrowly looked at, minute yellow
dots were seen scattered over the surface. The quantity of juice, and
its intensity of colour, probably depend on the nature of the station the
plant has selected, being deep-coloured when growing in drier, and pale,
or almost colourless, when in very wet places.

Additions to the Flora of Bervnck-upon-Tweed,
{Omtinuedfrom pagt 32.)

DICOTYLEDONES.

Centunculus minimus — Small Chaffweed, Near Lithtillum Loch,
Birgham Muir, Miss Hunter.

Galium Mollugo, var. G. scabrum. With. Bot, Arang, ii. 190. In
a field at Anton's Hill, Miss E. Bell. On the nortli side of the Hirsel
Lough, and on the Hirsel grounds, Miss Hunter and Mis9 £. BelL

56 ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OF BKRWICK-UPON-TWEED.

Pyrola secunda — Serrated Winter-greefi. On Yevering Bell, Nor-
thumberland, sparingly, Dr Johnston and Rev. J. Baird. This pretty
plant is not uncommon in fir woods in the Highlands of Scotland, but it
has always been considered one of the rarest of English plants, and this
is its first and only habitat in Northumberland. Wallis, indeed, says,
that the "small winter-green, with roundish serrate leaves,** grows plen-
tifully on the borders of Ramshaw Wood ; but Mr Winch tells us that
he had sought for it there in vain ; and after examining Wallis's descrip-
tion, we eptertain no doubt whatever that his~species is really Pyrola
minor, a plant that had not been accurately characterised when the his-
tory of Northumberland was published.

Rhamnus catharticus — Common Buckhwm, Sea banks at the mouth
of Dunglass Burn, Rev. A. Baird.

Rosa inodora. Hook. Brit. Flor. i. p. 233. At the base of Yevering
Bell, intermixed with other species, Dr Johnston.

Rosa villosa, Hook. Brit. Flor. i. p. 230. On Yevering Bell ; and
frequent in the deans and ravines of Berwickshire, Dr Johnston.

Stellaria nemorum, Wood Stitchwort. On an island in the Tweed,
between Cornhill and Lees, on the Scotch side of the river. Miss E. Bell.
To the west of Warke, under some willows on the side of the Tweed,
Miss Bell.

Trifolium FRAGiFERVM^^Strawberrt/'headed Trefoil, North side of
the Whiteadder, from the Blue-stone ford to near Edington Mill, and
by the hedges on the farm of Nethermains, in the parish of Chirnside,
Mr Henderson. Side of the Whiteadder, at Gainslaw Bridge, Mr P.
W. Maclagan.

CRYPTOGAMOUS.

Hypodcyla.

Sph^ria polymorpha. On stumps of trees in the Hirsel woods ; not
common.

HisTERiuM RuBi. On decayed branches of Rubus fructicosus, in the
plantations at the Retreat, Dr Johnston.

Fungu

Helvei^la mitra. Bankhead wood, near Eccles, October 1883, Dr
R. D. Thomson.

Boletus edulis, Greville. Hirsel woods, Dr Johnston.

Agaricus applicatus. Withering* On rotten wood in the Hirsel
plantations, Dr Johnston.

Ly coper doA^ecB.

LicEA FRAOiFORMis. On rottcu willow trees at Horsykend, in No-
vember, Dr R. D. Thomson.

ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OK BBRWICK-UPON-TWKBD. oj

Uredinecp,

Uredo Euphorbia Bot. Gall, ii. 896. On the under surface of the
leaves of Euphorbia Helioscopia ; frequent in gardens at Eccles, Dr R.
D. Thomson.

iEciDiuM ASPERiFOLii, Bot, Gall, ii. 906. On the leaves of Lycopsb
arvensis, near Coldstream, Mr R. Embleton. On the same plant in
Holy Island, Dr Johnston.

Uredo Valeriana, Bot, Gall, ii. 898. On the leaves of Valeriana
officinalis, in autumn, near Berwick, Dr Johnston.

Puccini A Adoxje. On the leaves of Adoxa moBcbetillina, in Lang-
ton Wood, Mr T. Brown.

MucedinecB,

EuROTiUM RosARUM, Grev. Crypt, Fl, tab. 164, fig. 2. On the un-
ripe fruit of various roses in several parts of Berwickshire, Dr Johnston.

Hblmisporium velutinum. On a branch of decaying sycamore in
the Hirsel woods. Sir W. Jardine.

Helmisporium chjelospermum, Bot, Gall, ii. 929* On the dead
«traw of the oat, Mr T. Brown.

Plants fyr which no Berwickshire Habitats are mentioned in Dr
Johnston's Flora,

Arundo arenaria. Links about half a mile south from Coldingham
sands, not plentiful, Mr A. Carr.

Carduus nutans. In fields about Edrom, and at Mayfield, Mr R.
Dunlop. Probably introduced with clover-seeds.

Clinopodium vulgare. Birgham haugh, Dr R. D. Thomson.

Cynoglossum officinale. On Coldingham shore, plentiful; and
about Halidown farm, sparingly, Dr Johnston.

Endocarpon Weberi. Stitchell Linn, Mr T. Brown.

HiERACiUM umbellatum. On the Edinburgh road near Hatchetnize,
Miss Bell.

Mentha gentilis. Sides of the Whiteadder, from its mouth to Ed-
ington, occasionally, and intermixed with M. hirsuta, Mr C. C. Ba-
bington.

Lepidium campestre. Banks of the Dean, Dunglass, Rev. A. Baird.

PoTERiUM SANGUisoRBA. On the bauks of Coldingham Lough, very
sparingly, Mr Mitchell.

Ranunculus lingua. Ferneyrig and Lithtillum Lochs, plentiful, Dr
R. D. Thomson. In a bog at Craig's Walls, parish of Edrom, Mr Hen-
derson.

Vaccinium oxycoccus. In a bog to the north of Sweethope Farm-
house, plentifully, Mr T. Brown.

58 ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OF BERWICK-UPON-TWEED.

Sedum villosum. On the Lammermuirs in the parishes of Longfor-
macus and Westruther, plentiful, Mr T. Brown. Ecklaw Edge, parish
of Cockburnspath, Rev. A. Baird.

PLANTS IMPERFECTLY NATURALISED.

AcoNiTUM NAPELLUs. Banks of Wooler Water above Haughhead,
Northumberland, Mr Mitchell.

Anchusa sempeuvirens. In a small dean near Ninewell's House ;
road side between Reston and Reston-mains ; and by the road side at
Mordiugton Church, Mr Henderson.

Apium petroselinum. Banks of the Tweed near Fireburn Mill,
Berwickshire, plentiful, Miss Bell.

Aster salicifolius. Banks of the Leet behind the Hirsel Woods,
but planted there, Mr R. Embleton.

Bromus secalinus. In a wheat-field at Spittal, North Durham, with
Lolium arvense, abundant (the wheat-seed came originally from the
Isle of Wight) ; occurs also in corn-fields occasionally throughout Ber-
wickshire, Dr Johnston.

Hieracium aurantiacum. Pease Bridge Woods, Rev. A. Baird.
In Hirsel Woods, Miss Hunter, but evidently an outcast of the garden.
Miss Bell finds Aquilegia vulgaris and Narcissus pseudo-narcissus in the
same woods, and of their garden origin no doubt can be entertained.

Iberis amara. Tweed side near Lennel Church, Miss E. Bell. Bed
of the Tweed above Coldstream, Mr Embleton. Bed of Ale Water, Dr
Johnston.

LoNiCERA CAPRiFOLiUM. Commou near Coldstream in woods and
hedges. Miss Bell.

Lysimachia nummularia. Dunglass Dean, Rev. A. Baird.

Medicago sativa. Has naturalized itself on the banks of the White-
adder near White-hall, Mr Henderson.

Reseda fruticulosa. On the ballast behind Berwick Pier, 1832,
Mr R. Dunlop. Has disappeared, 1834, Dr Johnston.

Rumex maritimus. On the shore behind Berwick Pier, introduced
with ballast, 1832, Mr R. Dunlop. Has disappeared, 1834, Dr John-
ston.

SoLANUM NIGRUM. On the ballast behind Berwick Pier, plentiful in
1832, Mr R. Dunlop. Mr Manners could find only a single specimen
in 1834.

Acer campestre. Common in hedges about the Hirsel, where there
are several trees of it that have attained considerable size, Dr Johnston.
Handsome specimens of this tree occur on the south side of Dunglass
Dean, Rev. A. Baird.

ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA 0¥ BSBWICK-UPON-TWEED. 59

Habitats for some of the rarer Plants of the District y additional to
those given in Dr Johnston's Flora*

DICOTYLEDONES.

Astragalus glycyphyllus. Banks of the Whiteadder, a little be-
yond Claribad Mill, plentiful, Mr 11. Dunlop. Banks of Wooler Water
above Coldgate Mill, Northumberland, Dr Johnston. By the quarry at
Whitehall, Mr Henderson.

Adoxa moschatellina. Banks of the TiH opposite Twizel Castle,
North Durham, Miss E. Bell and Miss Hunter.

Arenaria verna. Banks a little north of Eyemouth Fort ; banks
above Earnsheugh, Mr A. Carr.

Arabis thaliana. Mouth of Lurasden Dean ; remains of the old
bridge over the Eye at Ayton Park, Mr A. Carr.

Betonica officinalis. Banks of the Whiteadder at WTiitehall,
sparingly, Mr Henderson. About Houndwood, plentiful, Dr Johnston.

Cardamine amara. Wood opposite Carham Hall, Dr R. D. Thom-
son.

CicHORiUM Intybus. Twizel Castle, Dr R. D. Thomson. On the
Cove Farm near Cockburnspath, Rev. A. Baird.

Chrysosplenium alternifolium. Near the mineral well at Corn-
hill, Miss E. Bell.

Cerastium arvense. Road side leading from Coldingham to the
Lough, Rev. A. Baird.

Campanula latifolia. Wooded banks of the Whiteadder below
Chirnside Bridge, Mr R. Dunlop.

Convolvulus arvensis. Gravel pit on the Ayton road near the
seven mile stone from Berwick, Mr A. Carr. Fields to the north of Eye-
mouth, Mr Henderson.

Centaurea cyanus. Corn-fields about Lintlaw, plentiful, Mr R.
Dunlop.

Daphne laureola. Bank below Whitehall, seemingly wild, Mr
Henderson.

Epilobium ANOusTiFOLiUM. On a wild and rugged bank above Qa-
ribad Mill in great profusion ; banks of the Whiteadder below Chirnside
Bridge, Mr R. Dunlop. On the steep rocky bank, south side of the
Whiteadder, about a quarter of a mile below Edington Mill, abundant,
Mr Henderson. In the ravine above Ross, Dr Johnston.

EuoNYMUS EUROPiEUs. Banks of the Whiteadder above Garibad
Mill, Mr R. Dunlop. In Humbletondean, near Wooler, Mr Mitchell.
Cockburnspath Towerdean, Rev. A. Baird.

EcHiUM vuLOARE. Very abundant by the side of the Whiteadder
from Ninewalls to Huttonhall Mill, Mr Henderson.

00 ADDITIONAL HABITATS FOR SOMR OF THB

EuPHOUDiA ExiGUA. I'irghani-liaugh, Dr U. 1). 'riioiiisoii.

Fedia olitouia. Ravine above Ross ; banks of the Eye below Ay-
ton Bridge, Mr A. Carr*

FuMARiA cLAVicuLATA. Stony placcs on the banks of the Dye near
Longformacus, Mr T. Brown. In Edmondstone Dean, and in Penman-
shiel Wood, most abundant, Dr Johnston.

Galium boreale. Not uncommon in the neighbourhood of Cold-
stream and Anton's Hill, Miss Bell. Roadside near Edrom, Mr T.
Brown.

Genista tinctoria. Boggy ground on Birgham-muir, Dr Johnston.

Geranium lucidum. Birgham-wood, Dr R. D. Thomson.

Glaucium luteum. Lumsden shore, very plentiful, Mr A. Carr.
Sea-shore below Cockburnspath, Rev. A. Baird.

Gentiana campestris. Coldingham Muir, near the Lough ; Birg-
ham Muir, in profusion ; and on the banks of the Dye above Longfor-
macus ; Dr Johnston.

Hyoscyamus NIGER. Near Eyemonth and Burnmouth, Mr Henderson.

Hypericum humifusum. St Foin; Bankhead Wood, Dr R. D.
Thomson.

Hieracium sabaudum. Penmanshiel Wood ; and in the Peasebridge
Dean, plentiful, Dr Johnston.

Hieracium sylvaticum. Penmanshiel Wood, plentiful, Dr Johnston.

LiGUSTRUM vulgare. Pcasebridgc Dean, Mr A. Carr. Apparently
indigenous there.

Lotus corniculatus, var. B. Smith. Near Buncle, Mr T. Brown.

Littorella lacustris. Mill-pond of Northfield, plentiful, Dr John-
ston.

Melampyrum pratense, var. montanum. On Yevering-Bell, Dr
Johnston.

Malva moschata. Banks of the Whiteadder near Whitehall, and
by Covey-heugh on the banks of the Eye, Mr Henderson. Side of
the Whiteadder about Blanerne ; and most abundant in a field below
Preston farm-house, Mr R. Dunlop. Bridge over the Leet at Castle-
law, Dr R. D. Thomson. South side of the Whiteadder, a little below
the Raven-knowes, Mr R. Dunlop.

CEnanthe phellandrium. In the Loch at the Hirsel, and in Lith-
tillum Loch, Miss E. Bell and Miss Hunter.

Nasturtium terrestre. Lithtillum Loch, Dr R. D. Thomson.

Nasturtium sylvestre. Tweedside at Lennel, and Birgham-haugh,
Dr R. D. Thomson.

Parietaria officinalis. Vault on the site of the old church in front
of Mordington House, Mr A. Carr.

Plantago maritima. One mile south of Bogend on the Kelso road,
Dr R. D. Thomson.

Pyrola media. Dirrington-law, Mr T. Brown. In the wood oppo-
site Bankhouse, Mr W. Baird.

RARER PLANTS OP THE FLORA OP BERWICK-UPON-TWEED. (II

Rosa rubioinosa. Sea-banks near the shore, half way between Ross
and Lamberton Shields, a single shrub, but perfectly wild, Dr Johnston.
RuMEx SANGUINEUS. In the woods at Whitehall, Mr Henderson.
Langton Woods, plentiful, Mr T. Brown.

Sanicula EUROPiEA. Banks of the Eye near Houndwood ; and of
the Whiteadder, near Whitehall, Mr Henderson.

Saxifraga oranulata. Banks below Ninewells, Mr Henderson.
Symphytum tuberosum. Near the mill-call above Huttonhall Mill ;
and by the side of the Whiteadder at Whitehall, Mr Henderson.
Samolus Valerandi. Ferneyrig bog ; Learmonth bog. Miss Bell.
Salix pentandra. Near Langton House, Mr T. Brown. Base of
Yevering-Bell, Dr Johnston.

Symphytum officinale. Post-road near Purvis Hall, Miss Hunter.
Dunglass Dean, Rev. A. Baird.

Senecio tenuifolius. On the Raven-knowes between Claribad and
Edington Mills ; in the lane between Edrington and Cocklaw, Mr R.
Dunlop.

Sambucus ebulus. Banks of the Tweed and of the Leet near the
Hirsel, Miss E. Bell aud Miss Hunter.

ScABiosA COLUMBARIA. About the Linn at Stitchell House, Mr T.
Brown. Craigs below Nenthorn-Gerrick on the Eden, Dr Johnston.
Thalictrum majus. Dulaw Dean, Mr Henderson.
Thalictrum flavum. Dunglass Dean, Rev. A. Baird.
Trollius EUROPiEUS. Very abundant in a plantation above Billy
Mill, Mr Henderson. Bog south of Hardacres, Dr R. D. Thomson. In
boggy ground below Lumsden, abundant, Dr Johnston.

Trifolium officinale. Plentiful on the banks of the Tweed about
Coldstream, Miss Bell. Tweedside at Lennelhill and Birghara-haugh,
Dr R. D. Thomson.

Utricularia vulgaris. Ferneyrig Bog, Dr R. D. Thomson.
Viburnum Opulus. Base of Yevering-Bell, Dr Johnston. Lees'
Cleugh, Mr T. Brown.

Veronica scutellata. In the parishes of Langton, Longformacus,
and Westruther, very general, Mr T. Brown.

Vbrbascum thapsus. Banks of Wooler- Water, near Coldgate Mill,
Mr Mitchell.

Viola lutea. Banks near Earnsheugh Camp, plentiful, Mr A. Carr.

MONOCOTYLEDONES.

Alisma ranunculoides. Loch Lithtillum, Dr R. D. Thomson.
Pond on St Abb's Head, Mr A. Carr. In a bog below Lintlaw farm-
house, Mr R; Dunlop.

Arum maculatum. In a hedge at Whitehall, Mr Henderson.

62 ADDITIONAL HABITATS FOR SOME OP THE

Allium vineale. Bauks of the Eye, near Ayton House, Mr A.
Can*.

Blysmus compressus. Side of Whiteadder above and below Clari-
bad Mill ; and very plentiful in a bog a little west of Blanerne House,
Mr R. Dunlop.

Carex laevigata. In the brushwood at the base of Yevering Bell,
with C. remota et paniculatxi, Dr Johnston.

Lemna trisulca. Pond behind Heughhead farm-house, Mr A. Can.

LiSTERA ovATA. Banks of the Eye at Coveyheugh, Mr A. Carr.

Orchis conopsea. Banks about Coldinghain Lough, and the mill-
pond of Northfield, Dr Johnston.

SciRPUs lacustris. Ferneyrig Bog, Dr R. D. Thomson.

SciRPUS SYLVATicus. Birgham Wood, Dr R. D. Thomson. Banks
of the Eye, below East Reston, Mr A. Carr.

Typha latifolia. In an old marl-pit at Craig's-walls, Mr Hender-
son, In a pond near Crumstane, plentiful, Mr R. Dunlop.

Triticum caninum. Whiteadder at Hutton Hall, Dr R. D. Thom-
son.

CRYPTOGAMOUS.

AspiDiUM oreopteris. Edmonstone Dean, Dr Johnston.

AspiDiUM angulare. Dunglass, and Cockburnspath Tower Deans,
Rev. A. Baird.

AspiDiUM aculeatum. Dunglass Dean, Miss Hunter. Twizelglen,
Miss E. Bell.

BoTRYCHiUM lunaria. On the moor above Mayfield, plentiful, Mr
R. Dunlop.

Polypodium dryopteris. Lamington Dean, abundant, Mr Hender-
son. Edmonstone Dean, in great profusion, also on Yevering Bell, Dr
Johnston.

Anomodon viticulosum. Pease Dean, in fruit. Rev. A. Baird.

HooKERiA LUCENS. Boggy places on Dirrington, and in Langton
Lees* Cleugh, Mr T. Brown. Dunglass Dean, abundant, Rev. A.
Baird.

Hypnum uncinatum. Near Buncle, Mr T. Brown.

Hypnum alopecurum. In fruit in Langton Lees' Cleugh, Mr T.
Brown : and, in Pease Dean, Rev. A. Baird.

Orthotrichum pulchellum. At Longformacus, and near Gaving-
ton, Mr T. Brown. Cockburnspath Tower Dean, Dr Johnston.

Anthoceros punctatus. In a field east of Buncle, with Ricia
glauca, Mr T. Brown.

PoLYTRicHUM URiNGERUM. Near Foggo, Mr T. Brown.

Parmelia AQUiLA. Rocks at Sweet-hope, and Hairy-heugh, Mr T.
Brown.

BARER PLANTS OF THE FLORA OF BBRWICK-UPON-TWBSI>. 68

Parhelia conspbrsa. Sweet-hope Craigs, Hairy-heugh Craigs, Mr
T. Brown.

Sticta pulmonaria. Langton Lees* Cleugb, io fruit, plentiftil, Mr
T. Brown.

AoARicus RUTiLANS. Hirsel Woods, Dr Johnston. Bankhead
Wood, Dr R. D. Thomson.

Arcyria punicea. Bankhead Wood, Dr It. D. Thomson. Hirsel
Woods, Dr Johnston.

iEciDiUM LACERATUM. On the fruit of the hawthorn on Yevering
Bell in June 1834, in great profusion, Dr Johnston.

Erineum PYRiNUM. On the leaves of the crab-tree in Bankhead
Wood, Dr R. D. Thomson.

PoLYPORUS FOMENTARius. At Stitchel Housc, Mr T. Bfown.

Phascidium repandum. On Sherardia arvensis about Eccles, Dr
R. D. Thomson.

Scleroderma cepa. In the Hirsel Woods, abundant, Dr Johnston.

A CakUogue of the Cirrhipeda found on the Coast of Berunckshire.
By Dr Johnston.

I. Cirrhipeda sessilia.

1. Balanus communis, Mont. Test. Brit. p. 6. On the roots and
stems of the larger Fuci, on stones from deep water, and on crabs, com-
mon.

2. Balanus Balanoides, Mont. Test. Br. p. 7. On stones, fuci, and
the shells of crabs, common. This species exhibits the interior cellular
structure of the valves in a very distinct manner.

3. Balanus punctatus, Mont. Test. Brit. p. 8, pi. S,fig. 5. This is by
.much our commonest species, and literally covers the rocks between
tide-marks, for it is never found within the line of low water, as the pre-
ceding usually are. When young the shell is smooth and oval (Lepas
convexula, Penn. Br. Zool. iv. 150,/>/. ^Q,fig. med.\ but in its growth,
pressed upon and constrained by others, it becomes irregular in its out-
line and rough. On the Berwickshire shores it seldom exceeds the
quarter of an inch in diameter, and is about the same in height, but from
the neighbourhood of Bamborough I have specimens nearly an inch
long, the height exceeding three times the measurement of the base.

4. Clitia striata. Leach. Lepas striata, Penn. Br. Zool. iv. 148, pL
4\y fig. inf. Balanus striatus, Mont. Test. Br. p. 14. Creusia verruca,
Lamarck. On the roots and stalk of Laminaria digitata, on shells and
corallines, common.

64 CATALOGUE OF THE CIHRHIPKDA FOUND IN BERWICKSHIRE.
II. CiRRHIPEDA PEDUNCULATA.

5. Pentelasmis anatifera, Leach. Lepas anatifera, Lin. Anatifa
laevis, Lamarck. Adhering to a plank of wood cast on shore in the
winter 1819-20. This is the shell which, little more than a century ago,
was generally believed to be the embryo of the barnacle duck ; and, in
the year above mentioned, I had the tale told me by our fishermen, yet, it
must be allowed, in a manner that showed they were very incredulous
of a fable, to the truth of which very learned historians and theologians,
and very observant naturalists, have deponed with the confidence and
sincerity of eye-witnesses.

6. Scalpellum vulgare, Leach. Lepas scalpellum, Lin. PoUicipes
scalpellum, Lamarck,, On corallines, especially on Tubularia ramosa,
not uncommon.

( 65 )

An Address delivered at the Fourth Anniversary of the Berwickshire
Naturalists* Club, September 16. 1835. By Robert Embleton,
President.

On resigning the chair to which I was, by your kindness, elected, it
is necessary that I should briefly recapitulate the proceedings of the
Club for the past year. Before doing so, however, I must express, as
one of the promoters of this Club, the pleasure and gratification I feel in
seeing the hopes and expectations formed at its commencement so fully
realized. Four years have now elapsed since its formation, and, if we
regard what we have already accomplished with feelings of satisfaction,
it cannot be deemed presumptuous to hope, that the labours of each suc-
ceeding year will afford additional matter for congratulation, and fresh
inducement for exertion.

The last anniversary meeting was held at Twizell House, the beauti-
ful seat of our late President, and was one of great interest. I need
scarcely recall to your recollection the admirable address of our President
on his leaving the chair ; nor the satisfaction every member of the Qub
must have then felt at the approbation expressed by two of the most dis-
tinguished zoologists of the present day, Messrs Jenyns and Yarrel, who
attended it, of the plan, objects, and probable advantages of our Club.
No insects of any note were captured on our walk, which was necessari-
ly a hurried one ; but two or three good plants were found in Bradford
Dene, viz. Mentha gentilis, Sanguisorba officinalis, and Clinopodium
vtdgare. At that time I laid before you the first part of my List of the
Malacostraca of Berwickshire and North Durham, specimens of which
were also exhibited ; and Dr Johnston read a description of a new Bri-
tish shell {Natica helicoides), a specimen of which was shewn. The rest
of the day was spent in inspecting the beautiful collections in the various
departments of natural history belonging to Mr Selby.

Our December meeting was held as usual at Berwick. The day was
such as to prevent our taking any excursion farther than the beach, and
nothing of any novelty presented itself to our notice, 'i'he papers, how-
ever, which were then read were neither few nor unimportant. U/, In
the botanical department. Miss Hunter and Miss £. Bell furnished us
with a list of some rare and additional species of the Cryptogamia of
Berwickshire, amongst which may be mentioned, Peziza h^Bmisph/ericOj
P. sarcoideSf Agaricus fragrans ; with Polyporus betulinus, Cantharel-
lus laviSf Merulius lachrymans, Dtedalea oonfragosa, &C., specimens of
which were exhibited. 2d, An elaborate and interesting paper on the
Entomostraca of Berwickshire was read by Mr W. Baird. This class of
crustaceans, from their minuteness, and from the care and perseverance
necessary for their elucidation, has engaged but little the attention of

B. N. C. NO. III. E

66 Mil EMBLETON*S ADDRESS.

naturalists since the time of Miiller ; but, from the short period since Mr
Baird commenced their investigation, he has determined no fewer than
eighteen species ; and as the season was not the most propitious for them,
we may look forward to the discovery of many not yet known to the
naturalist ; and there is no one, I am sure, more capable of doing justice
to the subject than he who has undertaken it. Sdli/, A description, by
the Rev. A. Baird, accompanied by many specimens, of those curious
and fantastically formed productions, known bj'^ the name of " fsdry
stones," from the Fairy Glen, near Melrose, so beautifully described by
Sir Walter Scott in the Monastery. 4M, Notices of the occurrence of
several rare and interesting species in Ornithology, Ichthyology, and
Entomology, by the Secretary ; ^ also a list of the Bivalve MoUusca
found on the coast of Berwickshire, illustrated by specimens, and re-
marks on the diversities in their organization and habits, btk. Addi-
tions to the previous list of the Malacostraca of Berwickshire and North
Durham, which I laid before you at the previous meeting. On that day
two more were added to those I had already determined ; one, the beau-
tiful Pinnotheres Cranchii, first found on the Devonshire coast by Dr
Leach, was brought by the Reverend Mr TurnbuU from Eyemouth ; the
other at the time was supposed to be a species new to the Fauna of
Great Britain, and on referring it to Mr J. E. Gray of the British Mu-
seum, that opinion was confirmed. It is proposed to give to this species
the name of Galatkcea nexa, as forming a beautiful link between the
Galathcea squamifera and G. spinigera of Dr Leach. Three specimens
have only as yet been obtained, two in Berwick Bay, and the other near
Embleton.

The next meeting at Allan ton, a district through which flow the
streams of the Blackadder and Whiteadder, so well known to the lovers

* Of these notices we may particularize the following : —

*• 1. Phalaropus lobatus, Grey Phalarope. Shot in the Tweed at Berwick, by Mr Good,
about the middle of November 1834.

" 2. Botaurus stellaris, Common Bittern. A fine specimen was shot at Redheugh, pa-
rish of Cockburnspath, by Mr Johnston, on December 6. 1834. Mr Selby has a specimen
in his collection, which was shot near Berwick.

" 3. Ljparis Montagui, Fhm. Brit. Anim. p. 190. Occurs occasionally on the coast
of Berwickshire, adhering to rocks and stones at low water-mark. It has not been pre-
viously noticed as a Scottish species, and is considered rare even in the south of England.
Among our specimens there was one marked with dark stripes, arranged in a very peculiar
fashion.

• * 4. Locusta migratoria, Locust. I have a specimen taken at Beal, North Durham, by
Mr W. Willowby, about the middle of August 1834; and another taken at Scremerston on
the 17th of September. A third was captured at Chirnside, where, as Mr Henderson has
told me, at least one other individual was seen about the same time.

♦* 5. Oiceoptoma dispar. Of this rare insect I took a specimen on the heights near
Smailholm Tower, in our excursion there in July 1834.

" 6. Chrysomela lamina. I have a specimen which was taken on the Castle-hills at Ber-
wick.

•* 7. Vanessa To, Peacock Butterfly. Taken near Redheugh and the Pease Bridge, by
Mr Ralph Johnston.

" 8. Melitsea Selene. Captured near Dunse."

MR BMBLBTON'S ADDRB88. 67

of tliat recreation which honest Isaac Walton describes as " the most
calm, quiet, and innocent of all," was one of the best attended ; and from
the diversity and beauty of the scenery, each member had sufBcient
scope to follow the bent of his inclination in the pursuit of his favourite
study. The first paper read was one on the parr (the Salmo aamulus
of Willughby and Ilay), by Sir W. Jardine, being the second of a series
on the fishes of the Tweed. *ldly, A notice of the fishes found in the
Tweed, and in the rivulets and the lochs in the vicinity of the Hirsel,
by the Earl of Home. 3rf/y, A list of the insects captured in the neigh-
bourhood of Berwick, by Mr C. Babington, when on a visit to Dr John-
ston, was read by the Secretary ; and the Reverend A. Baird brought
for exhibition some beautiful specimens of Peziza humosa found on
Bunkle-edge, and an addition to our flora. The business of the day
was concluded by a brief, clear, and interesting lecture, on the best
means of keeping a meteorological table, by the Reverend Mr Wallace.

The June meeting took place at Head Chesters, and whether we view
the district with the .eye of a naturalist, or as a mere lover of the pic-
turesque, there is perhaps no spot we could name in preference to it.
The bold and beautiful boundary of the " vast and mighty deep," so
well known to geologists, the dark and deeply wooded glen of the Pease
Burn, the high and scantily clothed heights above Old Cambus, furnish
a variety of scenery, either taken conjointly or separately, which few
districts can boast of. In the walk between the Siccar Point and the
mouth of the Pease Burn, the Astragalus glycyphyllus was observed in
several places by that acute botanist Dr Greville, whose presence added
not a little to the pleasures of the day. A species of Hieracium, which
remains to be determined, was observed in several places, and in great
profusion. Afler the walk, Mr Selby and Dr Johnston laid before the
meeting lists of the insects taken by them at Allanton. A beautiful
figure of the singular animal Cuvieria Phantapus (Flem.) was shewn by
the Secretary ; it was sent from Eyemouth by the Reverend Mr Turn-
bull, and is the first instance of its occurrence on the coast of Berwick-
shire. Mr Selby mentioned a striking and beautiful display of instinct
which had come under his notice, as shewn by a pair of water-hens in
the removal of their eggs from their nest, which had been invaded by
the rise of a water-course, on the margin of which they had built. In
the contemplation of this instance of instinct, we may trace the same
Great Cause, which pervades all nature ; and to those who look upon
the followers of natural history as weak and foolish, we might use the
admonition given by him of old — Go, consider, and be wise.

The next meeting at Earlston presented many attractions, not having
been visited previously by any member of the Club. The day being
windy, was not favourable for the capturing of insects, consequently few
species were taken. Included in the walk were the grounds of the fjw-

e2

68 MR bmblbtom's address.

filmed " Cowden Knowes," and the Banks of the Leader : in such a spot
the botanist would naturally expect to find many a favourite flower ; nor
will he find himself disappointed. Amongst those observed on that day
were, Veronica montana^ Vicia sylvatica, Stellaria nemorum, Hyperi-
cum hirsutum, EuonymiLS eur&pceus^ Viburnum opulus^ Huhus saxatilisy
Circcealuietiana., Hieraciumprcenanthoides, Campanula latifolia, Melica
unijloray Br omits asper, Car ex sj/lvatica, Aspidium lobatum ;^ and Ver-
bascum Thapsus was gathered by Sir W. Jardine, but too near the cul-
tivated grounds of the mansion not to leave some doubt as to its being
indigenous. Lists of the insects taken at last meeting were read by Dr
Johnston and Mr Selby. An interesting addition to the Phenogamous
plants was communicated by Dr Johnston, the Orobus sylvaticus^ which
he had found in Howpark Dene, in the parish of Coldingham,^ along
with Pyrola media. 3dly, Observations on the strata of Berwickshire
and North Durham, by Dr R. D. Thomson. 4//^/y, A paper on the
Skeleton of a Red Deer found at Cheswick ; and another upon the
opening of a Cairn at the same place, in which were found the remains
of a human skeleton, and some ancient weapons, by Mr Donaldson,
concluded the business of the day.

In this brief review of the labours of the past year, the increase to our
knowledge in the various departments of our pursuits will be found to be
neither little nor uninteresting. Those members who have hitherto la-
boured so zealously, I hope will still continue their exertions ; and I
trust that each and all will strive to add their mite, to make our know-
ledge as perfect as possible. As the mighty torrent owes its power and
grandeur to the tributary streams, by which in its course it is fed, so
the general stock of Jiuman knowledge and happiness is increased by
the efforts of each individual member of society. The progress of Na-
tural History of late years has been rapid and extensive. Clubs similar
to our own are springing up in various parts of the kingdom ; and its
natural history will never be fully investigated, until each county can
boast of one. When we consider what we have already done, and what
still remains to do, even in this county, the productions of which are
better known, I believe, than those of any other in the kingdom, we
can easily imagine what a field of discovery in every branch is yet
unexplored ; and when we shall have attained to a complete enume-
ration of the species of each class, what a boundless and inexhaustible
mine for wonder and admiration still remains, in the investigation of
their habits and uses in the different places assigned them in the crea-
tion. To rest satisfied with the mere knowledge of the name of an ani-
mal or plant, is to stop on the very threshold of Nature's wide domain.

* All these were gathered in Redpath Dean.

* Found also by the Rev. A. Baird, on a wooded bank between Penmanshiel Wood
and Bank-house.

ADDITIONAL MEMBERS. — DESCRIPTION OF NATICA HELICOIDBS. 69

The true naturalist seeks to discover the great laws of Nature : their
contemplation leads him to admire and adore the wisdom and power of
Him who has given them bounds they cannot pass, in their reproduc-
tion, preservation, and annihilation. He investigates their harmonious
connexion, their wonderful organization and powers, their uses, as they
conduce to supply his wants, relieve his cares, assuage his disease, em-
hellish his life, or add to his happiness. In their pursuit he finds health,
contentment, and peace. To him, the fertile vale, the barren heath, the
cloud-capped hills, and the dry and arid rock, furnish objects for his
study and delight ; and with a mind influenced by such feelings, he is
ready to exclaim,

** These are thy worki, O God, and they proclaim thy praise.**

List ofMemberSf continued from p. 33.

J. S. Donaldson, Esq. of Cheswick, . . May 6. 1835.

Rev. M. Dods, Belford, ....

Rev. N. B. Cunynghame of Prestonpans, . ■ -

Sir David Erskine of Dryburgh, . . Sept. 16.

Description of Natica helicoidbs, a new British Shell. By Dr
George Johnston.

Natica helicoides.

Shell ovato-conical, smooth, white, immaculate, covered with a yellow-
ish epidermis ; whorls 5, rounded, separated by a channelled suture,
the spire produced and rather obtuse ; aperture pure white, with a
small fissure on the pillar. Length ^^ths ; breadth scarcely ^^ths.

Hab. Berwick Bay.

Obs. This new species was found in the refuse of a fishing-boat. When
the epidermis is removed, the whorls appear to be finely striokite
in a spiral direction. Animal unknown.

List of the Malacostraca Podophthalma, found on the coasts of Ber-
wickshire and North Durham. By R. Embleton, Surgeon.

1. Carcinds Memos, Leach, Mai. Brit. teb. 5. Common dog crab.
Penn. Brit Zool. iv. tab. 2, fig. 5. Everywhere common.

70 LIST OF MALACOSTRACA PODOPHTHALHA.

2. PoBTONUs pvbeTy Leachy Mai. Brit. tab. 6. Velvet crab. Penn
Brit. Zool. iv. tab. 4, fig. 8. Not uncommon.

3. PoRTUNus corrvgatus. Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 7, fig8. 1-2. Wrinkled

crab. Penn. Brit. Zool. iv. tab. 5, fig. 9. Berwick Bay, rare.
Dr Johnston.

4. PoRTUNUS ^/eca^M*, Milne Edwards^ Hist, des Crust, part 1, p. 442.

Penn, Brit. Zool. iv. tab. 4, fig. 6, «. Occasionally brought from
deep water in Embleton Bay, adhering to the nets of the fishermen.

5. PoRTUNUS marmorem, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 8. Marble crab.
Pe7in. Brit. Zool. iv. pi. 2, fig. 6. Occasionally met with in the same
way as the preceding.

6. Cancer j^a^wriAy, ZcacA, Mai. Brit. tab. 10. Common crab. Penn.
Brit. Zool. pi. 3, fig. 7. This is the only species used as food on
these coasts ; it is taken in vast quantities, and during the whole
year.

7. Pinnotheres J9WMW, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 14. Pea crab. Penn.

Brit. Zool. iv. pi. 1, fig. 1. Inhabits bivalve shells, chiefly those of
the common mussel. I have taken it also from the Cardium leevi-
gatum, the only specimen of the shell that has occurred to me. It
is by no means uncommon in the mussels obtained at Holy Island,
but all are females.

8. Pinnotheres Cranchii, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 14, figs. 4-5. A

single specimen has only come under our notice ; it was brought
from Eyemouth by the Rev. Mr Turnbull.

9. Macropodia phalangium. Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 23, fig. 6. Slender-
legged crab. Penn. Brit. Zool. iv. pi. 9, fig. 1 7. Common.

10. Macropodia tenuirostris, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 14. This is of

much less frequent occurrence than the preceding ; it is easily dis-
tinguished from it by the length of the rostrum, and by the spines
on the inner side of the claws.

1 1 . LiTHODEs Maja, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 24. Penn. Brit. Zool. iv.
pi. 8, fig. 14. This beautiful crab is not uncommon in Embleton
Bay. The male is at once distinguished by the length of the claws
and size of the spines ; the females, however, are much more nu-
merous, not above one male occurring in five or six. They are
called Harpers by the fishers.

12. Ebalia Pennantii, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 25, figs. 1-6. Uneven

crab. Penn. Brit. Zool. iv. pi. 9, a, fig. 19* Rare. A single
specimen, taken at Redheugh, Berwickshire, in the collection of Dr
Johnston, and another in my own, taken in Embleton Bay, are the
only ones that have come under my notice. In both, which are
females, the abdominal covering is marked with two rows of bright
scarlet spots, a character not noticed by Dr Leach.

13. Hyas araneus, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 21, a. Spider crab. Penn.

LIST OP MALAC08TRACA PODOPHTHALMA. 71

Brit. Zool. ir. pi. 9, fig. 16* Common. Generally covered with
fuci and corallines.

14. Hya3 coarciatus, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 21, b. Berwick Bay. Dr

Johnston.

15. Inachus DorynchuSy Leach^ Mai. Brit. tab. 22. Berwick and

Embleton Bays. Not unfrequent.

16. Porcelana platychelesy Milne Edwards, Hist des Crust, pi. 22,
fig. 5. Great-clawed crab. Penn. Brit. Zool. iv. pi. 6, fig. 12.
Very common in Berwick Bay, but more rare to the south.

17. Porcelana longicornisy Lamarck, Aiiim. s. Vert. v. 230. Long-

homed crab. Penn, Brit. Zool. iv. pi. 1 , fig. 3. A beautiful spe-
cies, found frequently in the roots of the Fttcus palmatus.

18. Pagurcs Strehlonyx, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 26. Hennit crab.
Penn, Brit. Zool. iv. pi. 1 7, fig. 38. Very common, occupying shells
of the genus Turbo and Murex.

19. Galathea squamifera, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 28, a. Berwick and

Embleton Bays. Not common.

20. Galathea spinigera. Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 28, b. Penn, Brit.

Zool. pi. 14, fig. 26. A common but beautifully marked species.

21. Galathea rugosa. Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 29. i^enw.Brit. Zool. iv.
pi. 1 3, fig. 25. Not uncommon ; differs from either of the pre-
ceding in the extreme length of the first pair of claws.

22. Galathea nexa, nova species. Three specimens of this hitherto
unnoticed species have only yet been found, two in Berwick Bay,
and the other in Embleton Bay. It forms a beautiful link between

G, squamifera and G, spinigera, approaching to the first in the
shape of the body, and to the latter in the shape and size of the
claws. The characters of the three species may be thus expressed :

(1.) Gal, spinigera. Arms rather small, flattened, hirsute, very
spinous ; the spines arranged along each margin, and a row
of lesser ones down the middle ; ligament of the marbled
shell bright blue.

(2.) Gal, nexa. Arms large, hirsute ; the hand without spines,
the wrist with a single one on the inner side, or, when two,
the anterior is much the smallest ; ligament of the shell
brown (plate 1).

(3.) Gal, squamifera. Arms large, almost naked ; the hand
without spines ; two unequal spines on the inner side of the
wrist ; the posterior spine one-half less than the anterior ;
ligament of the shell blackish.

23. Nephrops norvegicus. Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 36. Norway Lobster,

Penn, Brit. Zool. iv. pi. 12, fig. 24. One of the moft beautiful of
the Crustacea ; on the coast of Berwickshire, opposite to Cold-
brandspath, it is not nneommon, bat is rarely M'ei: farther south.

^2 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

To the Rev. A. Baird of Coldbrandspath, I am indebted for the
specimen I possess.

24. Cbangon vulgaris^ Leachj Mai. Brit. tab. 37, B. Common Shrimp,
Penn, Brit. Zool. iv. pi. 15. fig. 30. On all our sandy bays.

25. Pandalus annulicornis, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 40. Red Shrimp of

the fishermen. Berwick Bay, &c. not uncommon. Remarkable
for its bright red colour ; the antennae, which are very long, marked
with alternate red and white bands.

26. PALiEMON Squilla, Leach, Mai. Brit. tab. 43, figs. 11-13. In pools

in the Bay on the north-east side of Holy Island, &c. Frequent on
the coast of Berwickshire.

27. AsTACUs Gammarusy the Lobster, Penn. Brit. Zool. iv. pi. 10,
fig. 21. Taken in great numbers on this coast. The regular time
for commencing to take them for the London market is the 1st of
December. A full-grown lobster, to use the language of the fishers,
must measure four inches and a half in the length of the barrel ; they
then bring from ten to fourteen shillings a-score ; if below that size,
they bring only half price. Of late years, the numbers taken annual-
ly have very much decreased, owing to the increase of the fishery.

28. AsTACVs Jiuviatilis, the Crawfish, Penn, Brit. Zool. pi. 15, fig. 27.

In the rivulets to the south of Berwick Bay, this species is not un-
common. Dr Johnston, however, has not met with it in Berwick-
shire.

Contributions to the Flora of Berwickshire.

1. Additional Species.

Sphagnum squarrosum. In peat bogs on Coldingham Moor. Dr John-
ston.

Peltidea aphthosa. On rocks west from Longformacus Manse, spa-
ringly, Mr Thomas Brown.

Agaric us yra^ra/w. With. Bot. Arrang. iv. l6l. Anton's-hill and Hir-
sel Woods, in October and November, not uncommon, Miss E.
Bell.

Agaricus rosettSy With. Bot. Arrang. iv. 258. Hirsel Woods, Miss
Hunter and Miss E. Bell.

Cantharellus l(Evis, Bot. Gall. ii. 797. Parasitical on Hypnum ruta-
bulum, Miss Hunter. Description. Fungus sessile, of a uniform
white colour, thin and membranous, cuped, the disk somewhat un-
even, the margin entire, even or sinuous ; hymenium not veined,
roughish. The largest specimens are fully three-tenths in diame-
ter. When old, the disk becomes often nearly plane. On drying,
the plant shrivels up, so that it can scarcely be recognised, but its
original appearance is restored by immersion in water.

MR BAIRD ON THE ^< FAIRY 8TONB8." 73

DiBDALEA confragosay Bot. Gall, ii. 795. Boletus labt/rinthifarmitt
With, Bot* Arrang. iv. 329. On the. decaying roots of trees at
the Hirsel, Miss Hunter and Miss £. Bell.

Merulius lachrymanSf Grew. FL Edin, 397. On much decayed fir
sticks from the Hirsel Woods, Miss Hunter and Miss E. Bell.

Peziza hemispfuBricat Bot. Gall, ii. 744. P. hispida. With, Bot. Ar-
rang. iv. 354. Anton*s-hill Woods, Miss Hunter.

Peziza sarcoidesy Grev. Fl. Edin. 423. Hirsel Woods, Miss E. Bell
and Miss Hunter.

PoLYPORUS betulinusy Grev. Fl. Edin, 400. On the trunk of a decay-
ing birch tree near Anton s-hill. Miss Hunter.

2. Additional Habitats.

HiBRACiUM Prenanthoides. Banks of the Dye at Longformacus ; Pease
Bridge Dean, Mr Thomas Brown.

Hieracidm umbellatum. Near Woodend, in the parish of Langton, Mr
Thomas Brown.

Pteris crispa. On the Black-hill at Earlston, plentiful.

Agaric us fiabelliformisy A. JicoideSy With. Bot. Arrang. iv. 303. On
decaying sticks at the Hirsel, Miss E. Bell and Miss Hunter.

Helvella mitra, Anton's-hill and the Hirsel Woods, not uncommon.
Miss Hunter and Miss E. Bell.

Peziza macropus. Hirsel Woods, Miss E. Bell and Miss Hunter.

Peziza ochroleuca. Hirsel Woods, Miss Bell and Miss Hunter.

Peziza umbrina. Anton*s-hill woods, common. Miss Hunter.

PoLYPORUs varius. On decayed sticks from the Hirsel Woods, plen-
tiful. Miss Hunter and Miss E. Bell.

3. Erratum.
For Rhamnus catharticus, /mi^^ 56, read Hippophae rhamnoides.

Remarks on the Mode of Formation of certain curiously shaped Stones y
found in the bed of a small stream near Melrose, and popularly
known in the neighbourhood by the name of** Fairy Stones.** By
the Rev. A. Baird.

Those of us who remember with any thing like correctness some of
the earlier of those interesting productions, known throughout the
civilized world by the title of ** The Waverly Novels," will have lit-
tle difficulty probably in recalling to their recollection the scenery of
** The Monastery.'' They will recollect the beautiful descriptions which
there occur of " St Mary's ruined pile," — of the smiling scenery of fair
Twccdsidc, — of the ancient castle of the Glendinnings, — of the pool in

74 MR BAIRD ON THE " FAIRY STOMBS."

the ruin where the poor Sacristan was so uncivilly and unmercifully
ducked by the White Lady, — and of the usual spot itself of that fair
creature's residence, the pastoral Valley of Glendearg. These several
scenes occur within a very few miles of each other, and in each and
all of them there is an interest and charm of no common nature, whether
we consider their own inherent beauties, or the many pleasing associa-
tions which either the genius of the poet's pen, or the deeds of other
years, have thrown around them. Of these various scenes, however, the
last is the one which at present is more immediately interesting to us,
as it is the scene where not only many of the principal events of the
romance are supposed to have taken place, but where also the curious
substances occur which are to form the subject of our present specula-
tions. This pleasing little valley commences about two miles westward
from the town of Melrose, its general direction being from north to south,
and extending in length about five miles. It is watered by a limpid
little mountain stream, named the Elwand or Allan Water, which, after
forming some very pleasing scenes, discharges itself into the Tweed on
its northern bank, and near the site of the ancient bridge across that
river. Towards the south, the valley thus opens into the wider vale of
the Tweed, while at its northern extremity is situated the ruin of
Hillslop Tower, the undoubted Glendearg of the romance.

There are several ways of access to this valley leading from different
directions, but to see and to examine its scenery to the greatest advan-
tage, the most interesting, although certainly not the shortest, is by the
streamlet's side, along a winding path through Langlee-wood, the pro-
perty of Lord Somerville. During this part of the walk the scenery is
very pleasing, although much contracted ; but on leaving it a wider glen
gradually opens to view, bounded on one side by a precipitous bank or
scaur of a reddish colour, varied here and there by a few intermingled
patches of green sward, and on the other by a series of more gently
swelling eminences, forming, from their more cultivated appearance, a
striking contrast to those opposite to them. Proceeding onwards this
kind of scenery continues for some time with little interruption, till we
arrive at a scene somewhat different, an amphitheatre of scaurs and pre-
cipices thickly strewed with copsewood, at the foot of which the streamlet
is seen working its troubled way. This spot is generally known by the
name of the " Fairy" or " Nameless Dean," and it is in this part of the
valley, as the name itself suggests, that the " Fairy Stones," as they are
vulgarly called, are most frequently found. These are of various sizes,
from that of a bean to two or sometimes three inches in circumference,
and of a great variety of shapes, some exhibiting the exact appearance
of hunting-caps, some of tea-pots, kettles, buttons, walnuts, &c. &c.
Generally speaking, however, their usual form is roundish, with a flat-
tened base ; and they are all seemingly composed of a pretty pure clay,
which yields more or less readily to the knife. They are almost in-

MB BAIRO ON THE << FAIBY STONES.** 75

variably found by collectors in the bed of the stream, and from their
singular shapes and equivocal sort of origin, have most probably given
the name of the " Fairy Dean** to the little valley in which they are
usually found. These stones are well known to the inhabitants of the
neighbourhood, and seem to be regarded by many with no small venera-
tion. Well known, however, though they are, I have not been able, ex-
cept in one trifling book, to meet with a single notice or remark upon
the subject This book I do not now remember the title of, but its ob-
ject, as far as I can at present recollect, is to serve as a guide to strangers
visiting the neighbourhood of Melrose and Abbotsford. In this little
work, the author sums up both his description of the external appearance
of these stones, and his opinion of their origin, in two short lines.
" Here occur,** says he, " some curiously shaped stones, which are said
to be found after great falls of rain ;** " and which are justly supposed,**
as he adds in a note, ^^ to be the petrifactions of some mineral spring
hard by.** Whether this supposition was the author's own invention or
not, or whether, along with his own, he expressed the opinion of any
other observers, I know not ; but I fear the explanation which he offers,
will hardly satisfy those who examine these substances even with the
most common attention. They evidently bear no earthly similitude to
a " petrifaction*' (if that word at least is to be understood in its proper
meaning), and I know of no " mineral spring hard by*' possessing any
such qualification as that alleged. This idea, therefore, appearing so
unsatisfactory, it will be necessary to have recourse to some other ex-
planation ; and accordingly, on talking over the subject with some ac-
quaintances, I have heard two other opinions upon the subject, which I
shall next very shortly notice. The one is, that they may have been
originally portions of a soft clay rock, occurring somewhere towards the
head of the glen, which, having been detached from their native situa-
tion by the action of the stream or weather, had gradually been worn
into their present fantastic shapes by simple attrition in the channel of
the rivulet : and the other, which, before visiting the scene personally,
I was inclined to think sufficiently satisfactory, is, that they may have
been originally imbedded portions or nodules contained in an amygda-
loidal rock, that is to say, nodules of fine clay, which, by infiltration from
above, had gradually found their way into the cavities with which that
kind of rock abounds, and which, partly by the influence of the weather,
and partly by the occasional violence of the water, had been forcibly
disengaged, and carried down into the bed of the stream where we now
find them. Neither of these opinions do I now consider as correct ; for,
with regard to the former supposition, if they were merely portions of a
day rock, formed into their present shapes by simple attrition and the
unceasing flow of the waters over them, why, it might be asked, do we
not find such stones in every similar situation where clay rocks oocur ?
and why should the Allan Water manufacture such curiosities, and no

76 MR BAIRD ON THE " FAIRY STONES.*'

other water ? But, besides this, the great variety in the shape of the
stones themselves, is a strong objection against this supposition. For,
were they formed merely by friction, we should expect of course that
they would all uniformly assume the circular form ; and that, instead of
finding one perfectly flat on one side and roundish on the other, and in-
stead of the sharp angles and projecting lines we observe in others, as
beautifully marked as if they had been turned by art, we should find
them of one uniform indistinct roundness, and certainly without the
beautiful character of the projecting lines already alluded to. And with
regard to the second supposition, it may be sufficient to state, that no
amygdaloidal rocks appear to occur in all this neighbourhood, nor any
other rock in which nodules of this description could be imbedded.
The rocks, where visible, appear in general to be stratified, the funda-
mental ones at least being greywacke and greywacke slate. The other
rocks I cannot take upon me at this moment to name (unless to suspect
that there may be slight traces of the old red sandstone), for the only
regular visit I ever paid to the glen was a hurried one, and that too
when the shades of evening were beginning rapidly to close around me.
Dim and indistinct, however, though the surrounding objects were now
becoming, enough of light was still left to guide me to another theory
upon the subject, which possesses the merit at least of being a simple
one. I imagine, then, that these stones are in fact little else than a pe-
culiar kind of stalactite, and, generally speaking, formed in much the
same way, altliough their component parts are somewhat different from
ordinary stalactites. On several parts, accordingly, of the banks of this
dean, there flow little trickling streams of water, and in one place the
bank is composed entirely of a stiff" tenacious alluvial claj^ with boulders
of different rocks and of various sizes firmly fixed in it, and frequently
projecting considerably beyond the surface of the clay of which the bank
is composed — (a specimen of this kind I at one time had, but cannot
now exhibit it, which I am sorry for). Down this slope, water is con-
tinually trickling, highly saturated, as we may suppose, with the particles
of the fine clay, which, as it flows, it of course deposits either in small
hollows on the surface of these boulders, or round any little inequality
or obstruction on their surface to which it can attach itself. Thus, for
example, in any rolled mass, such as that now before me, we can easily
suppose that there may be many little inequalities either higher or lower
than its general surface, — that water regularly trickling over this, highly
saturated with the particles of a fine and tenacious clay, meeting with
these inequalities and obstructions, would find something on which, or
around which, to form a deposition, — that a nucleus would thus be
formed, and that, as the water kept trickling, layer after layer would be
gradually added, until at length the deposition would increase into the
form and size which these stones generally assume. Such I am inclined
to consider as the general mode of formation of these curious substances ;

DR JOHNSTON 8 CATALOGUE OP BIVaLVBD SHELLS. 77

and this being admitted, the various peculiarities of figure observable in
them may easily be accounted for. Those, for instance, with a protu-
berance to one side more than another, would be deposited on the sur-
face of the boulder inclined at a considerable angle ; those again with
the most perfect shapes, would be formed on the under side of the stone
in a vertical position, like a regular stalactite ; and so we might equally
easily explain any variety of figure in those specimens which have a
flattened base, and which thus shew that they must at one time have ad-
hered to a level surface. Those again which have an oval shape, com-
posed as it were of two distinct hemispheres, we may suppose to have
been formed in this manner, viz. by the water flowing over a hollow on
the surface of the mass or boulder, that this hollow will gradually be
filled by the particles of the fine clay, which, as they will naturally have
more attraction for themselves than the smooth surface of the rock or
stone they are deposited on, will thus go on increasing, layer afler layer
being added, until at length the figure of an oval or double hemisphere
is assumed.

It is easy likewise to explain how they occur so often single, and are
generally found in the bed of the streamlet. A very violent shower of
rain would account satisfactorily for both appearances. The violence of
the water flowing over the banks would loosen many of these imbedded
boulders, — they would rush furiously down the slope, — from the rough-
ness and resistance of their course they would part with their attached
fairy stones : these would thus be carried into the bed of the stream, where,
as before remarked, they are generally found, and that too in greatest
abundance after violent showers of rain.

It has been remarked by the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, that
they are much less abundant now than they once were, at least good
specimens ; but whether this be owing to their having been more sought
for of late years by the increased number of visitors to this valley, or
whether it is owing to the higher grounds above the Dean being more
drained than formerly, and consequently allowing less water to trickle
down their slope, I shall not pretend to determine.

A Catalogue of the Bivalved Shells found on the Coast of Berwickshire
and North Durham. By Dr Johnston.

SoBKiNGDOM MOLLUSCA. Class CONCHIFERA.
I. MONOMYAIRIA.

OsTRBADJB. Anemia punctata.

Anomia ephippium. aculeata.

squamula. Ostrea cdulis.

7«

DR JOHNSTON S CATALOOUB OF BIVALVED SHELLS

Pectbnida.
Pecten maximus.
opercularis.
lineatus.
varius.

Arcad^e.
Arcafiisca.
Nucula nuclea.
minuta.

Mytilid^.
Mytilus edulis.

var. pellucidus.

var, subsaxatilis, WiUiamson, in
Mag. NaL Hist. vii. p. 354,
%. 48.
Modiola vulgaris.^

var. barbatus.
discors.
discrepans.^

Unionid>e.
Anodon anatinus.
cygneus.

Conch ACKJE.
Cardium edule.

echinatum.'

laevigatum.
Donax trunculus.

Pecten obsoletus.

spinosus, Brovm, Ulus,
fig. 8.
Lima fragilis.

II. DIMYAIRIA.

Tellina fabula.

tenuis.

crassa.
Psammobia florida.

Ferroensis.

solidula.
Cyprina islandica»*
Mactra solida.

tnincata.

pi. 33,

subtruncata.

elliptica. Brown, Illus.
fig. 6.

stultorum.
Kellia suborbicularis.^

rubra.
Cyclas comeus.^

amnicus.
Pisidium pulchellum, Jenyns

pusillunij Jenyns.
Astarte Danmonise.

Scotica.

compressa.
Cytherea exoleta.'^

lincta.

ovata.

pi. 15,

^ Lamarck haa arranged " Modiola'' amongst the " Monomyairia," but iVf. vulgaris has
three or more properly four, adductor muscles ; viz. one near each end of the shell, and two
lesser ones towards the centre of the body.

2 The foot of this and the preceding is very extensible, and when extended, is several
times longer than the shell, and almost filiform. By fixing this foot at the furthest point to
which it can be stretched, and then dragging the shell forwards, the animal moves with con-
siderable rapidity ; and swims readily in a reversed position on the surface. .

^ Foot of a rich pink colour, long, somewhat compressed, with a bend or elbow, whence
it tapers to an obtuse point : cloak with a plain thin margin, about a line in breadth, behind
which it is suddenly thickened, and at regular intervals raised into glandulous warts or tu-
bercles, corresponding to the grooves in the shell : respiratory and excrementitious aper-
tures encircled with tentacular filaments ; labial appendages long, strongly striate on one
side.

* Animal white ; the cloak open, with a thickened minutely crenulate border, the ori-
fices of the passages encircled with papillse ; foot broad, compressed, the margin plain, and
somewhat undulate.

* Animal clear white ; syphonal tube single, cylindrical, with a plain aperture ; foot
compressed, tapered, thin, and flexible.

* Often found in marL

' Animal with a broad compressed foot ; syphonal tubes united throughout, with plain
apertures.

DR Johnston's catalogue of bivalvbd shblls. 79

VesBS etusina, Mya arenaria.

fatciata. normegica, Lyontia tMaU, Twr-

Gallina. ton,

undata. Sphenia Swainsonii,

Venerapis perforam, Anatina pubesccns, Turton. Amphi-

pullastra. desma pubesccns, Fleming.

decustata. Amphisdesraa album.

virginea. Solen siliqua.

ensis.

Pylorid*. peliuoidus.

Corbula striata. Hiatella rugosa.'

Lutraria vulgaris. arctica.
Mya truncata.

The following species 1 have not met with : —

Pecten sinuosus. Holy Island, Winch.

Mytilus edulis, var. incurvatus. Holy Island, Winch.

Isocardia Cor. " This exceeding rare shell in the British catalogue, was

taken by me alive in the Firth, near St Abb's Head." — Laskey in

Wern. Mem. i. 385.
Cardium nibrum. Holy Island, W. C. Trevelyan, Esq.
Amphidesma convexum, Fleming. Mya declivis, DiUwyn. Holy Island,

Winch.
Cytherea Guineensis. " Taken in deep water, off St Abb's Head, very

rare. One specimen was taken alive." — Laskey,
Venus subrhomboidea. Taken by Captain Laskey, off St Abb's Head,

in deep water, very rare.
I^olas Dactylus. Holy Island, Winch.

crispata. Holy Island, Winch.
Solcn Legumen. Holy Island, Winch.

In the preceding list I have followed the nomenclature of Dr Fleming's
♦• British Animals," except where the contrary is specified. Of the spe-
cies in italics, the empty shells only have been found, but the others
have occurred in a living or fresh condition. Few of them seem to be
abundant in oiur bay, but their apparent scarcity may be owing to the
want of proper means and opportunities of ascertaining their localities,
for the dredge has not been used, my specimens having been picked
from the refuse of fishing-boats, or on the shore after storms. The Pec-
ten lineatus, P, spinosusy Limafragilisy Arcafusca, Kellia rubra^ Ana-
Una pubescensy Tellina crassoy Psammobia florxday Astarte comprestOt
and Ml/a norvegica, are, however, considered among our rarest species
by collectors in general, and in that respect are the most interesting in
the catalogue.

The Mussel {Mytilus edulis) is our most plentiful species, and at cer-

^* Animal with two large syphonal tQb<>s, united throughout : a tmall hjmn
anterior end.

80 DR Johnston's catalogue of bivalved shells.

tain seasons is brought to the market, many people being fond of them
when roasted or pickled ; and it is also occasionally used as a bait by
our fishermen. On the rocky and exposed coast of Berwickshire it
rarely attains a size exceeding one inch, but becomes very large and fine
in the gravelly and sandy bays which lie opposite Holy Island, where it
finds a supply of brackish water. The Cockle^ ( Cardium edule) is gre-
garious in the same places, whence large quantities are annually taken
for sale to Berwick and the neighbouring villages. The Clams {Pec-
tenidce) are rare with us, excepting the small obsoletus, which is the fa-
vourite food of the flounder, from the stomach of which many specimens
can generally be procured. The Solenes, or Razor-fish, and the Myge
abound on the sandy flats about Goswick and southward, burrowing in
the sand and gravel, but being used neither for food nor bait, they are
consequently not sought after. The only Oyster-bed is in the channel
between Holy Island and the mainland, and is the private property of
the Earl of Tankerville. In the inventory of the Priory of Holy Island
for 1381-2, we find expended for " a sloop (navicula) bought of a cer-
tain Scotchman (de quodam skoto), with the oysters and other goods
contained in it, 100s." From the nature of the purchase, Mr Raine
thinks it may be inferred " that there were at that period no oysters to
be procured at home ;" and suggests, that the oysters of this very cargo
were the founders of the present valuable colony. {Hist. N. Durham^
p. 110.) The conjecture is, I believe, unfounded, for not many years
since, the oysters being exposed, by the unusually great recess of a
spring tide during the night, to a severe frost, were all killed, and the
bed had to be renewed from Prestonpans ; and, if my information is
correct, a similar accident has occurred more than once during the last
half century.

None of our bivalved shells are remarkable for their brilliancy or
beauty. The fresh-water species are of a dirty green or horn colour,
while the marine are generally of a uniform dull chalky-white, often co-
vered with a brown epidermis, and sometimes marked with coloured
lines and spots, but less strongly than on the same shells from the south-
ern shores of our island, and greatly inferior to the specimens figured in
our illustrated works on Conchology. The pectenes, however, exhibit
mottled and streaked surfaces of brown, yellow, and white, which is very
agreeable, and hence they have been applied to many articles of fancy-
work ; and when the outer layer of the shell of the mussel is removed
with care, a fine display of blue and white bands, blending their irrides-
cent hues, is exposed. The delicate valves of Kellia svhorbicularis I
have seen very successfully used in imitating the petals of the hawthorn.

^ •* On the saods of those farms (Ross and El wick) are very large cockles, known in
the country by the name of Budle-cockles : also an oyster scarp, which has long been famed
by those who profeM an elegant taste, the oysters produced there being said to excel those
of every other part of the kingdom." — Hutchison s Durham^ v. iii. p. 471.

MR BADINGTON's CATALOOUE OP 1MSBCT8. M

The cloak of the pectenes deserves attention from the beauty and sin-
gularity of its structure. The free margin is clouded and mottled some-
thing like the shell, with brown, orange, black, and white, and two or
three series of short ciliated tentacula, which are not exactly marginal,
encircle the outer edge. Similar tentacula garnish the thickened mar-
gin next the adhering part of the cloak, intermixed with a few of much
larger size placed at distant intervals ; and in this inner series we find
little black bead-like bodies placed at regular intervals, glowing with
the lustre of some precious stones. These beads are very hard, iridescent,
circular, nearly sessile, and, I think, cupped in the centre ; but of their
function no probable conjecture has been offered.

It will be observed from the table, that no species of Tubicolae is found
on our shore, — species which are more peculiarly organized for burrow-
ing in wood, clay, and stone ; yet our limestone rocks are perforated in
every direction with thimble-like cavities, large enough to admit a finger.
These holes are the sole work of the Hiatella rugosa, which has the
wonderful property of excavating its cells in the rock by the excretion
probably of an acid or solvent, the nature of which, however, remains to
be discovered.

Catalogue of Insects found at Bertmck-upon- Tweed, in August 1834.
By Charles C. Babington.

Dromius linearis.' Hydroporus alpinus.*

■■ fasciatus.* sexpustulatus.

Hclobia Gyllenhalii.* proximus.

brevicollis.* ovalis.

Amara leevis. jugularis.

Bradytus apricarius. -^_— erythrocephalus.

Calathus mollis.' __ flavipes.

Argutor crythropus. ■ pubescens.

Trcchus minutus. Colymbetes maculatus.

Acpus fulvesccns.* bipustulatus.

Peryphus agilis. Oyrinus natator.

Bembidium paludosum.* Enicocerus viridia>ncu8.

Notiophilus striatus. tristis.

Haliplus obliquus. Oibsoni.

ruficollis. Elmis Volkmtcri.

Hygrotus scitulus. — variabilis.
Hydroporus depressus. — ^ lacustris.
— — — - 12-punctatus. nigosus.

> Found 00 plants by the side of the river at Berwick, but not in plenty.

* These two insects occur in great plenty under stones by the sea-shore.
' In plenty under stones by the sea.

♦ Taken in the crevices of rocks near to high.waler mark, by Dr George
A Taken by Mr Ralph Johnston on the aides of the Whiteadder, at Oaribad Mill.
^ In the Whiteadder river.

B2 SIR WILLIAM JARDINE ON THE PARR.

Elmis eeneus.i Sphcerodcrma Cardui.

Phalacrus corruscaus.' — — testacca.

Crytophagus cellaris. Haltica ncmorum.

Byrrlms pilula. Phaedon tumidulus.

Nccrobia mficollis. Clirysomcla fastuosa.

Anthonomus fasciatus. Cassida nibiginosa.

Notaris acridulus. CoccincUa dispar,

Hypera punctata. globosa.

nigrirostris. variabilis.

Otiorhynchus piccus. 11 -punctata

Apion £encum. Rhyzobius litura.

radiolus. Charrcas grauiinis.

— subsulcatum. Pcdicea rivosa.
Adimonia halensis.

Notice of the Parr, By Sir William Jardine, Bart.

The fishes inhabiting the rivers of Berwickshire are comparatively
limited in the numbers of their species, but some of them are of much
importance and value, while others, as the little fish we are now about
to notice, although abundant, and familiarly known as a parr^ has yet
some unrivalled mysteries in its history, and there are, I believe, only a
few persons at the present time, who are able to say what it really is,
or to point out the distinctions which separate it from its congeners.
Among naturalists generally, an uncertainty seems to have existed whe-
ther this fish was the young of some of the migrating salmon ; but more
lately, this opinion seems to have resolved sitself into this, whether the
parr was a species, or only the young or a variety of the common river
trout. The following observations are the result of comparisons made
last month between Tweed specimens of the parr and S. Fario. We
shall first, however, shortly notice the habits of the former.

Among the British Salmonidae, there is no fish where the habits are
so regular, or the colours and markings so constant. It delights in the
clearest streams, with rocky or gravelly bottoms, and seems pretty ge-
nerally distributed in Britain in those which have this character ; but is
not at all found in the low and flat districts, where the waters are deep
and sluggish. It frequents the shallower fords, or the heads and lower
parts of streams, in shoals, hanging nearly in one place, and in constant
activity from the exertion, apparently day and night. It takes any bait
with the greatest freedom at all times, and when no trout, though abun-
ant among them, will rise or bite. That part of its history which is
et unknown is its breeding. Males are frequently found so far ad-

1 The species of Enicocerus and Elmis were found in plenty under stones in the bed of
the Whiteadder, particularly just below the bridge nearest to Berwick.
* Under bark.

SIR WILLIAM JARDINB ON THB PARB«'i4 UV.

vanced, as to have the milt flow ui>oii being handled ; but at the
period, the females Iiad the roe in a very backward state. Neither have
they been seen in an advanced state at any other season, or disco-
vered spawning upon the shallower streams, like the common trouL It
is probable that this little fish may also be found in some of the conti-
nental alpine and subalpine streams, but I cannot say so from observation.
In the north of Europe I suspect it is wanting ; and in our late excur-
sion to Sutherland, a perceptible decrease of its numbers was observed
towards the north. It should also be oljserved, that I have never seen
the parr^ or been able to find any traces of it, except in rivers which had
an uninterrupted intercourse with the sea. The size is from three to six
inches in length ; very rarely specimens reach eight and nearly nine
inches. It abounds in nearly all the Berwickshire rivers.

The general colour on the upper parts is a greenish-grey, changing
to a pure silvery white on the lower parts, which, however, are some-
times tinted with yellow. When the streams which they frequent are
impregnated with moss from some of the small alpine sources, upon each
side is a row of oval-shaped marks of a deeper tint, and more inclining
to bluish-grey than that of the upper parts ; and it is probable that from
a somewhat similar marking being seen in the young of the common
trout, and the young of several other Salmonidae, the supposition of this
being identical with some of them was first surmised. In the parr these
markings are narrower and more lengthened in their form. The general
smaller spotting of the sides seldom extends below the lateral line, and
upon the gill-cover there are almost always two black spots ; sometimes
one is only distinctly marked, but a trace of the other is mostly percep-
tible, and the relative position of them is almost always alike. In com-
parison with a trout of similar size, the parr is altogether more delicately
formed ; the nose is blunter ; the tail more forked ; but the chief exter-
nal distinction is in the great comparative power of the pectoral fins,
which are longer, much more muscular, and nearly one-third broader ;
and we shall at once see the necessity of this greater power, when we
consider that they serve to assist in almost constantlf/ suspending this
little fish in the most rapid streams. Scales of the party taken from the
lateral line, were altogether larger, the length greater by one-third ; the
furrowing more delicate, and the form of the canal not so apparent or
so strongly marked towards the basal end. In the osteology of the head,
which appears to offer the most constant and well-marked distinctions in
this tribe, the general delicacy (still continuing the comparison with a
trout of same size) of the bones is in all parts kept up. The opcrcie^
forming the posterior edge of the gill-covers, is much more rounded,
approaching, in this respect, to the form of it in the salmon ; in the
trout, the lower corner is decidedly angular. The itUer opercle is longer
and narrower. The maxillary bone is much shorter, but broader at the
posterior end, whence the much shorter or less, gape in the parr* The

p2

84 MR SELBY ON THB INSTINCT OF THE WATER-HEN.

vomer is much weaker. The bones of tlie rays of the gill-covers are
longer and much narrower. The tongue is longer, weaker, and not s
broad. The under jaw much weaker, and the distance between its rami
one-third less. The teething much more delicate.

These are the principal distinctions which appear in the external form
and osteology of the head. In the latter every bone differs, and the dif-
ferences appear constant in all that I have taken to pieces ; and in this
state, therefore, I have no hesitation in considering the parr perfectly
distinct from any species or variety of trout we are acquainted with, and
entitled to hold a separate rank in our Fauna. From the Migratory
Salmon it is separated entirely by its habits ; and I consider that it
should therefore stand in our systems as the Salmo Salmultis of Wil-
lughby and Ray. The correct distinguishing marks to be seen by a
person who has not leisure to make a minute examination, are the great
size of the pectoral fins, the shortness of the maxillary bones, and conse-
quent small gape, and the narrow breadth between the rami of the lower
jaw.

On the Instinct of the Water-Hen, By P. J. Selby, Esq.

As the following anecdote seems to indicate a degree of intellect, or
an exercise of the reasoning power, in the feathered race, and apparently
acting in conjunction with Instinct, or that blind impulse to perform
certain offices or actions, for which the lower orders are remarkable, and
which, according to the views of one of our ablest naturalists, is sup-
posed, and with great probability, to be the result of physical action
upon organizations adapted to receive and respond to it, I think it may
not be altogether uninteresting to the Club, and may possibly direct the
attention of some of its membei*s more immediately to the various phe-
nomena exhibited by the lower animals in regard to their instincts, com-
bined, or acting as it were, at times in conjunction w^ith the exercise of
their reasoning or intellectual faculties. During the early part of the
past summer, a pair of water-hens ( Gallinula chlorapus) built their nest
by the margin of the ornamental pond at BelFs-Hill, a piece of water of
considerable extent, and ordinarily fed by a spring from the height above,
but into which the contents of another large pond can occasionally be
admitted. This was done while the female was sitting, and as the nest
had been built when the water level stood low, the sudden influx of this
large body of water from the second pond caused a rise of several inches,
80 as to threaten the speedy immersion and consequent destruction of
the eggs. This the birds seem to have been aware of, and immediately
took precautions against so imminent a danger. For when the gardener
(upon whose veracity I can safely rely), seeing the sudden rise of the
water, went to look after the nest, expecting to find it covered, and the

DR THOMSON ON THB STRATA OF BEBWICKSHIBE. 85

eggs destroyed, or at least forsaken by the hen, he observed, while a^ a
distance, both birds busily engaged about the brink where the nest was
placed, and, when near enough, he clearly perceived that they were add-
ing, with all possible dispatch, fresh materials, to raise the fabric beyond
the level of the increased contents of the pond, and that the egg$ had by
some means been removed from the nest by the birds, and were then de-
posited upon the grass, about a foot or more from the margin of tlie
water. He watched them for some time, and saw the nest rapidly in-
crease in height, but, I regret to add, that he did not remain. long
enough (fearing he might create alarm) to witness the interesting act of
the replacing of the eggs, which must have been effected shortly after-
wards ; for upon his return, in less than an hour, he found the hen
quietly sitting upon them in the newly-raised nest. In a few days after-
wards, the young were hatched, and, as usual, soon quitted the nest, and
took to the water with their parents. The nest was shewn to me in situ
very soon afterwards, and I could then plainly discern the formation of
the new with the older part of the fabric.

Observatiotis on the Strata of Berwickshire and North Durham. By
Robert D. Thomson, M. D.

The Edinburgh coal-beds which have recently attracted so much
attention, in consequence of the discovery in their most ancient elements
of several remarkable fossil fish, are interrupted, in their continuity
southwards, by the Lammermuir range, and again appear on the banks
of the Tweed, along the southern boundary of the Merse. Now, the
great problem requiring solution is. What is the age of the Berwickshire
strata, which occupy the interval between tlie Edinburgh and Northum-
berland coal-beds ? In a former paper, which I read before this Club
soon after its institution, and which was subsequently published, I de-
scribed the central part of this county, including, in my observations,
particularly what I termed the New Red Sandstone formation, which
comprehends by far the greater portion of the Merse, and was there-
fore well deserving of an attentive consideration. My object was simply
to describe the rock as it was presented to me during a very careful exa-
mination, more especially within the limits to which I then confined
myself; and I adopted this name, Jirsty because it had previously been
applied to this formation in this particular locality, both by Mr Smith
and Mr Greenough, in their respective geological maps of England ;
and, second, because I considered the facts which I had accumulated
were sufficiently strong in favour of the idea, that this designation liad
been correctly applied by these geologists. For, according to the general
notions which prevailed, relative to the position of the new red sand-
stone, it was held by geologists, that the sandstone which lay over mag-
ncsian limestone belonged to this formation, the magnesian limestone

66 DU THOMSON ON THC STllATA OF ECUWICKSUIRL'.

itself being superior to the carboniferous series. Now I traced a calca-
reous rock lying under tlie Berwickshire sandstone (which, it should be
observed, is characterized by containing beds of sulphate of lime) for
three miles, in a northerly direction from the Tweed at Birgham, and as
many to the westward from the same point. In addition to this, I
tmalyzed the rock, and found it to consist of one atom of carbonate of lime,
and one atom of carbonate of magnesia, a composition exactly similar
to that of the magnesian limestone which occurs on the coast near Sunder-
land. What could be the legitimate conclusion from these facts, then,
but that this rock constituted the magnesian limestone formation ; and
that whatever sandstones I should find in contact superior to it, would
belong to the new red sandstone formation ? If the magnesian limestone
had occurred only in the form of thin beds of insignificant extent, then
it might have been granted, without comj)romising the claim of that rock
to the title of a formation, that the rock with which they were connected
was a member of the carboniferous series, or even had its position be-
neath them : but this was not the case ; and therefore it is as clear as
the orb of day when at its meridian brightness, that if the Berwickshire
sandstone belongs to a series which is older than the carboniferous rocks,
the magnesian limestone is still older than the latter set of strata ; and,
further, that the sandstones overlying the magnesian limestone, and
which have been hitherto termed new red sandstones, are also older than
the coal rocks. Hence it will be impossible to make any distinction be-
tween old and new red sandstone. That the Merse rocks are intimately
connected with the carboniferous group, is obvious, from the circum-
stance of our meeting with considerable remains of plants in the quarry
at Whitsom, bearing a strong resemblance to Calamites, But is it not
agreeable to what we should expect to meet with, that rocks deposited
subsequently over others, should approach somewhat in their nature ? I
have already stated this in some botanical observations published in the
last number of the Transactions, and written in July or August last year.
I have in vain long endeavoured (and many a day have I fruitlessly pur-
sued this important object) to discover a section where the junction of
the red sandstone, and decidedly coal rocks, could be detected. But
until their relative positions are demonstrated, it would be unphilosophi-
cal to deny that the Berwickshire sandstone is new red sandstone.

Having made these remarks, in order to excite attention to the eluci-
dation of the age of the Berwickshire strata, I proceed to state, that the
true coal strata only begin to exhibit themselves on the banks of the
Tweed. At Lennelhill, where fossil vegetables have been so unmerci-
fully quarried by amateurs, as to leave scarce a vestige for the man of
science, the only person to whom they could be of the slightest value,
the limestone and shale containing microscopic shells are clearly mem-
bers of the carboniferous group. They occupy a considerable portion
of the banks of the river in this neighbourhood j but at no great distance

DR THOMSON ON THB STRATA OF BEBW1CK81I1RE. 87

to the westward, in the direction of CoIdDtrcani, the schistose and cal-
careous sandstones, which frequently accompany the Berwickshire saud-
stoue, make their appearance, and continue, with little change, to Uie
point at Birgham where I have already described them as lying over
magnesian limestone. The difficulty is to determine how these strata
are situated in relation to each other. It is evident that they are closely
connected : but we ask, is the position of the sandstone above, below, or
collateral witli the carboniferous rocks? I have stated the reasons which in-
duced me to class it with the new red sandstone. No argument can suffi-
ciently controvert my statements, except observations on the rocks in situ
demonstrating the contrary. Such I hold to be the experimentum crueit.

The western boundary of the North Durham coal-beds is indicated
by the course of the river Till. For a little to the west of Duddo they
may be seen cropping out, and dipping from south-west to north-east I
have examined the strata in this neighbourhood, and am happy to be
able to add to the interest of this coal tract, by presenting a section of
the new shaft at Greenlaw- wells, which was commenced in 1832. For
this I am indebted to the attention of the son of the late intelligent over-
seer, in company with both of whom* and one of the proprietors (Mr
Young) 1 descended on the 8th of November 1833. Although the ob-
servations which follow are few, and perhaps of little moment in so far
as theory is concerned, still I think they are sufficiently important to re-
quire a place in the Transactions of our Club, because they are facts,
and facts are eternal. The shaft is about 31^ fathoms in depth ; the sec-
tion presented by it, being that of varieties of sandstone and shale, ol
various extent and thickness. Over the coal which is worked, situated
at the depth of 27 fathoms, lies a black limestone, which is also observed
underneath it. Above the limestone which is situated over the cca),
i|iere is a stratum of shale, or tills, as the workmen denominate it, filled
with impressions of palm-like plants and bivalve shells. In some plac<4
the superjacent limestone is absent, and the shale occupies its place ; and
as it forms the roof of the level or drift, as it is termed, tlie fossil vege-
tables can be seen to great advantage.

The whole series dips at an angle of 45% in a north-easterly direction
Hence it is obvious that the coal would soon disappear, and attain such
a depth as to render its being worked a matter of impossibility. Yet
coal is raised in four or five places, in a line fi*om Duddo to the sea
The Cooper-eye coal, which is worked at Greenlaw-wells, is understood
to prevail in each of these localities, and therefore it must be raised or
brought nearer the surface in many points. This is rendered more pro-
bable, when we consider that tliere is an extensive trap-dike runnin|r
from the Till to the sea, which may have been tlie instrument in pro-
ducing the extraordinary convulsion in this carboniferous series ia the
neighbourhood of the Tweed.

It is to the rough -quartzosc sandstone tliat is observed at the »urikc<>

68 DU THOMSON ON THE STRATA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

near Greenlaw-wells, that I am inclined to attribute the position of the
fossil tooth, which was found by one of our members, the Rev. Mr
Knight of Ford. The rocks at Ford and at Greenlaw-wells seem to ap-
proach each other in their composition, and both are near the surface.
Dr Grant, to whom I shewed the specimen, was of opinion that it be-
longed to a fish. It consists essentially of phosphate of lime, but effer-
vesces when it is touched with acid. The minuteness of the size of the
specimen, however, has prevented me from obtaining any satisfactory
results in reference to its quantitative analysis.

Dr Johnston informs me, that the Lepidodendron Sternbergii has
also been observed at Ford, in the same sandstone, and impressions of
ferns (Sphenapteris ?). The position of the locality where these re-
mains are observed, is about two hundred yards from the mouth of a
coal shaft.

The sandstone consists of a yellow calcareous basis, mixed with clay,
which serves to agglutinate irregular grains of white quartz, and exhibits
cavities lined with carbonaceous matter. The Greenlaw-wells sandstone
is likewise yellow, coarse, and consists of large grains.

The Cooper-eye coal, although thin, when compared with coal beds in
other places, forms a good burning material. The levels formed during
its working are on an average 3^ ^eet high. The coal is removed be-
tween two levels, and its place supplied by the limestone, which lies on
both sides of the coal. The immense pressure frequently crushes these
supports, and when any considerable quantity of country has been
mined, the surface sinks. The effect of this subterraneous quarrying is
very visible upon Duddo Tower, which has been rent from top to bot-
tom, in consequence of being undermined, notwithstanding that it is si-
tuated upon a considerable eminence. In traversing the different levels
I observed in one place a rent, the opposite surfaces of which appeared
brilliantly polished. I found, upon attending minutely to the adjoining
strata, that this was caused by one portion having subsided, while the
corresponding part had remained stationary. The consequence had been
violent pressure upon both surfaces during the subsidence of the former*

I made many inquiries with regard to the occurrence of accidents in
the mines in this neighbourhood, and learned that they were very uncom-
mon. Inflammable air or carburetted hydrogen never appears, its occur-
rence being confined to deep mines. The only inconveniences arise from
bad ventilation when the levels have been driven to a great extent, and the
occasional disengagement of carbonic acid, which takes possession of the
extremity of a level, and cannot readily be expelled. A man was lately
killed by the influence of the latter cause. The consequence of the ra-
rity of these accidents is, that no precautions are deemed necessary for the
safety of the miners. No safety -lamps are employed, — a candle stuck in
a piece of clay sufficing for all necessary purposes. The name of a Davy
lamp is not known, except to those colliers who have worked in the New

DR THOMSON ON TUB 8TBATA OF BERW1CK8HIRB.

89

castle mines. The workmen at the period of my visit appeared healthy.
The wages of men were 20s. 6d. per week, and of boys of sixteen years,
lOs.

In order that the following table may be understood, I consider it ne-
cessary to explain the terms which are used by the miners, as they differ
from those employed in other places ; and I can do this with confidence,
because I have examined the rocks to which the names were applied,
along with the overseer of the mine :

Tiles — Shale, filled with shells and fossil vegetables.

Dent — Soft slate-clay or shale, with few organic remains.

Metal — Slate-clay.

Freestone — Sandstone.

Whin — Bazalt. (The term Whin is applied in Berwickshire to all
rocks except freestone and quartz.)

Seam — A coal bed.

Section of Greenl

aw We

ly Shaj

ft, North Durham.

Path.

Feet.

Inch

1 Red gravelly clay,

1

0

0

2 Blue Metal,

0

5

0

3 Coal,

0

I

2

4 Limestone,

0

0

10

5 Coal,

0

0

6

6 Grey tiles,

0

1

3

7 Coal,

0

1

1

8 Blue tiles.

0

0

7

9 Freestone bed,

0

0

10

10 Coal,

0

1

1

11 White metal,

0

3

6

12 Grey freestone.

0

1

3

13 Blue metal,

0

0

n

14 Coal,

0

0

H

15 White metal,

0

4

3

16 Grey freestone beds,

12

2

0

17 Coal, called Main coal not workable,

0

1

3

18 Hard brown metal, slaty.

,

0

2

5

19 Good coal, rather splinty,

,

0

1

0

20 White metal, with limestone

scalp.

0

1

3

21 Coal mixed with black dent,

0

1

0

22 Grey freestone mixed with charcoal.

0

0

3

23 Black metal.

0

0

3

24 Coal,

0

0

3

25 Dark brown metal, .

0

I

3

26 Coal,

0

0

3

27 Limestone, very dun,

0

1

4

28 Good coal,

0

0

3

29 Blue metal.

0

8

6

30 Limestone with fireestonc sciilp.

0

0

7

Carry

forwar

d,

98

OR THOxMSON ON TIIli: STRATA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

FiUb.

Feet.

Inch

Brought over,

3 1 Good coal,

0

0

5

32 Black deut,

0

0

4

33 Limestone mixed with metal,

0

0

5

34 Blue metal,

0

0

9

35 Coal mixed with black dent,

0

0

10

36 Brown freestone beds,

0

1

0

37 Grey do.

0

0

10

38 Blue metal,

0

0

9

39 Grey freestone, with very liai'd sand,

0

1

1

40 Black dent.

0

0

2

41 White metal,

0

1

10

42 White hard freestone,

0

0

5

43 Grey do. . .

0

2

0

44 White do. with metal partings,

0

1

7

45 Grey freestone beds,

0

3

9

46 Coal, .

0

0

2

47 Grey freestone.

0

1

9

48 Grey freestone beds,

0

3

6

49 Coal with blue metal,

0

0

8

50 Hard grey freestone,

0

4

0

51 Brown freestone beds,

0

0

9

52 Blue metal,

0

0

3

53 Hard white freestone.

0

0

8

54 Grey freestone bands.

0

0

11

55 White metal,

0

2

5

56 Hard white freestone.

0

0

5

57 Blue metal,

0

0

2

58 Hard grey freestone,

0

0

9

59 Soft freestone beds,

0

0

6

60 Hard grey freestone.

0

0

4

61 White freestone beds.

0

1

3

62 White metal.

0

0

4

63 Grey freestone beds.

0

0

8

64 Hard white freestone.

0

1

3

65 Blue metal.

0

0

2

66 White freestone,

2

0

0

67 Blue metal, . .

0

2

5

68 Limestone,

0

2

5

69 Coal,

0

0

6

70 Blue metal.

0

2

7

7 1 Grey freestone band,

0

0

4

72 Coal,

0

2

3

73 Blue metal,

1

1

2

74 Grey freestone bands.

0

0

9

75 Grey tiles,

0

1

9

76 Limestone,

0

1

1

77 Coal worked, called the Cooper-eye Coal,

0

2

3

LosDoy, ^th July 1835.

31

( 91 )

Notice oftJie Skeleton of a Red Deer (Cervus Elaphw) found at Chct-
wicky North Durham,^ By J, S. Donaldson, Esq.

On the 2d June 1835, some workmen engaged in making a drain
upon the farm of Mr George Scott, in the town»iiip of Cheswick, Nortli
Durham, having dug to the depth of five feet, came upon the head of
what tliey conceived to be the skeleton of a horse, but which, on a fur*
ther examination, proved to be, as I shall endeavour to shew, tliat of a
quadruped of the genus Cervus. The skeleton was in an uprigiit or
standing posture, embedded in a kind of mossy earth, above whicii was
sand, and the workmen had to dig about four feet lower than the point
where they found the head, before they succeeded in getting the whole of
it out of the ground. I regret that I could not procure the entire skele-
ton, the greater part having been dispersed and buried again previous
to my being informed of its discovery ; and I particularly regret not
having seen the head, which would have enabled me to have decided at
once, and without any doubt, on the order and genus to which the animal
was referable. But from the description of those parts of tlie skeleton,
which I did not see, but which I received from Mr Scott and his work-
men, particularly as to the absence of cutting teeth in the upper face, and
the hoofs being cloven, as well as from the few bones which I was able
to procure, viz. the two metacarpal or shank bones, and several of the
ribs, which I have brought for the inspection of the members of the
Club, I have no doubt of its being the remains of a Red Deer, Cervus
Elaphus. No antlers were found, they having either been removed
previous to our discovery, or else the animal had died at the period
when the antlers were shed, and before the new ones were grown ; or it
may have been the skeleton of a female, which in general has no antleis.
I may here remark, that antlers of the Bed Deer have frequently beeu
found in the bogs and low grounds of this township, some of which J have
myself inspected. If I am correct in the supposition that these are the
remains of a red deer, it would appear that these beautiful and majestic
animals, which arc now only to be found in a state of nature in tlie mo«t
remote and inaccessible parts of the Highlands of Scotland, in Uie New
Forest in Hampshire, the higher moors and wastes of Cornwall and De-
vonshire, and in the woods and hills of Martendale forest near Ulswater,
in Westmoreland, were once the denizens of our Northumbrian wilds
and forests ; and the country between Belford and the Tweed, including
the Kyloe and Lowick hills and moors, appear to have afforded haunts
well suited to their habits. Cultivation, and the increase of population,
which, since the Union, have here in particuhir been so much extended
and increased, have extirpated the Uurger beasts of chase, replacing them,
however, with animals of much greater utility to man, and creating out
of what was, at the period of the accession of King James tlie First to the
English throne, a desert waste, one of the best cultivated and most fertih
districts in the kingdom.

( 92 )

Remarks on the Tumulus at Cheswich. By J. S. Donaldson, Esq. of

Cheswick.

In opening one of those tumuli situated at Cheswick in North Dur-
ham, in which our British, or perhaps Danish ancestors were accustomed
to deposit their illustrious dead, I discovered an ancient tomb of rude
construction, containing the remains of a human being, in a state of great
decay, every part of the skeleton, with the exception of the skull and
larger bones of the legs and thighs, being nearly decomposed. Near the
skull was found the head of a spear, being all that remained of the de-
ceased warrior's martial accoutrements. This weapon is made of brass,
and appears to have been highly polished. It is in good preservation,
and is coated with verdigris. It is seven inches in length, and three
in breadth at the base. Of the handle there was nothing remaining but
two pins of brass, by which it had been secured to the head.

The tomb was composed of five large stones : two six feet each in length
and twenty-six inches in width, set on edge, formed the sides of this rude
sarcophagus. One stone at the head measuring thirty -two inches by twenty-
six ; another, of similar dimensions, at the foot, and a very large flat
stone formed a cover to the whole. The stones were in a rough and
unhewn state, and appeared to have been procured from a rock of the
encrinal limestone upon the adjacent beach. The tomb was placed upon
the ground on a level with a surrounding field, about 250 yards from
high water-mark, and the stones forming the tumulus from their water-
worn appearance, had evidently been principally procured from the sea-
shore. The height of the tumulus was about twenty feet, and the area
of its base about fifty feet in diameter. A fine coat of smooth green
turf covered the whole, and from the top was an extensive and beautiful
view of the coast from St Abb*s Head to Bamburgh Castle, including
Lindesfarn, and the Inner Farn Island, &c. A range of similar bar-
rows or tumuli is traceable along this coast, viz. North Durham. One
was opened some years since about one-fourth of a mile to the north-
ward of that now described, and was found to contain human bones, but
no tomb, or any other remains of antiquity, were then discovered. Si-
milar tumuli have been explored in this and the adjoining county of
Northumberland of late, and with nearly the same results. In some, as
at Buckton in North Durham, vases of clay, containing ashes, were
found, and at North Charlton in Northumberland, a weapon like to that
found at Cheswick was discovered. I am not suflSciently acquainted
with the subject to determine whether the absence of the vase or urn in
the Cheswick tomb, will refer it to an earlier or later period of anti-
quity. I should not omit to mention, that before the workmen arrived
at the tomb in the centre of the tumulus, they found several skeletons at
an inconsiderable depth below the surface. These were lying promis-
cuously amongst the stones, and some of them were entire. In referring
to Stackhonse's Illustrations of British Tumuli, I find that the learned

MR DONALDSON ON A TUMULUS AT CHBSWfCK.

93

author conjectures, and with sonic probability, that in addition to the
sepulchral character of these barrows, there is another and no less inter-
esting light in which they are to be viewed, viz. as parts of an amazing
system of vigilance and communication, in fact a species of telegraph ex-
tending over extensive districts. We are informed by Caesar, that the
Gauls, from whom the Britons descended, conveyed intelligence with
wonderful celerity through the fields and cantons by shouting with all their
might (De Bell. Gal. lib. 7, ch. 3), and the distance of 400 or 500 yards
which intervenes between the barrows upon this coast appears well calcu-
lated for a telegraphic communication of this kind; and they are uniformly
placed within sight of each other. I offer these remarks to the Club on
the subject of Tumuli, with the view of directing the attention of its an-
tiquarian members to this curious and interesting department of British
antiquities, and particularly for the purpose of endeavouring to ascertain
the probable date and period of such places and modes of sepulture.

Contributions to the Entomology of Berwickshire. By P. J. Sblby,
Esq. and Dr Johnston.

AUanton, May 6. 1835.
COLEOPTERA.

Cicindela campestris.
Clivina Fossor.
collaris.

Elmis pugosus.
Enicocerus viridieeneus.
Gibsoni.

Helobia nivalis.

(H. Gyllenhallii, Ent. Edin.)
Anchomenus prasinus.

albipes.

Agonum parumpunctatum.
Pcecilus cupreus.

rufifemoratus.

•——' versicolor.
Stomis pumicatus.
Amara familiaris.
Bradytus femigineus.
Harpalus ruficornis.
Trcchus collaris.

(T. fulvus, Ent. Edin.)
"< • ' ■ minutus.
Tachys binotatus.

' immunis.
Perj-phus littoralis.
— — - agilis.

' cnemerythnis.

(P. tibialis, Ent. Edin.)
Lopha 4-guttata.
Tachypus properans.

— striatus.
Bcmbidium paludosum.

flavipes.

Notiophilus striatus, Waterh.
Hydroporus alpinus.
Georyssus pygmseus.
Elmis Volkmari.

. variabilis.

Oiceoptoma rugosa.
Meligethes seneus, Ent, Edin.

pcdicularius.

Micropeplus porcatus.
Byrrhus dorsalis.
Cataphagus obscurus.
— — — lincatus.
Hypnoidus riparius.

4-pustulatus.

Hylurgus piniperda.
Ned^nis assimilis.

(Ceutorhynchus assimilis, Ent.
Edin.)
Merionus obscurus.

(Bar^otus obs. Ent. Edin.)
Sitona tibialis.
Nemoicus oblongus.

(Polydrusus obi. Ent. Edin.)
Phyllobius Mali.

viridicoUis.

Apion flavipes.
Haltica nemorum.

rufipes.

Phaedon Betulro.

tumidula.

- niarginella.
Hclodes Pbcllandrii.
Coccinella globosa.
Tachinus rufipcs.
Tachyponis analis.
— — — marginatus.

94

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ENTOMOLOGY OF BERWICKSHIRE.

CHvina Fossw.

Carabus catenulatus.
Helobia brevlcollis.
Anchomcnus prasinus.

— albipes.

Steropus madidus.
Patrobus rufipcs.
Harpalus reneus.
Peryphus littoralis.
Lopha quadriguttata.
Tachypus proper ans.
Notiophilus tibialis.

striatus.

Elapbrus cupreus.
Colymbctes ater.

gTittatus.

Head Chesters, parish of Cockburnspat\ June 1 7. 1 835.

COLEOPTERA.

Telepliorus dispar.

pellucidus.

testacciis.

bicolor.

Malthinus biguttulus.
Notaris acriduliis.

(Erirhinus acrid. Ent. Edin.)
Merionus ohscurus.
Othiorhynchus notatus.

(0. picipesj Ent. Edin.)
Sitona grisea.
Polydrusus micans.
Nemoicus ohlongus.
Phyllobius argentatus.

iiniformis.

viridicollis.

Hydrobius minutus.
Meligetbes viridesceiis.
Catcretes Urticae.
Bj-rrhus pilula.
Catapbagus limbatus.

marginatus.

sputator.

Hypnoidus riparius.
Aplotarsus tcstaceus.

Quercus.

Atbous baemorrboidalis.

( Anatbrotus ruficaudis, Ent. Edin.)

Apion Ononis.

Jlavipes.

Oxystoma tJlicis.

Crioceris cyanella.

Phaedon marginella.

Phaedon tumidula.

• • vitellinsc var. vulgatisstraa.

Cbrysomela Letura.

Cbilocorus 4-verrucatus.

Coccinilla 13-punctata.

Lcsteva obscura.

Lepidoptera.

Lyccena Phlasas.
Polyommatus alsus.

Panorpa communis.

Harpalyce tristata.
Euclidia Mi.

Neuroptera.

Earlstown, July 29. 183r).

Coleoptera,

Agonum parumpunctatum.
Peryphus tibialis, Ent. Edin.
Dytiscus marginalia.
Gyrinus villosus.
Elmis Volckmari.
Enicocerus Gibsoffti.
Nitidula obsoleta.

Nccrobia violacea.
Coccinella oblongo-guttata.
Haltica femiginca.
Polydrusus undatus.
Apion Jlavipes.
Lesteva obscura.

Lepidoptera.

Charccas graminis.

( 95 )

LiH of Enlomoslraca found in Berwickshire. By Mr William
Baird, Surgeon.

The great Class Crustacea is divided by naturalists into two gene»
ral sections, the Mctlacostraca and Entomostraca, The greater number
of the animals of this second division arc contained within a regular
shell, and they have therefore received the name of Entomostraca, from
the two Greek words signifying " insects with a shell." Little atten-
tion has been paid by British naturalists to the history of those exceed-
ingly interesting little animals, and what we do know of them, we owe
almost solely to our continental neighbours. Baker, indeed, in his mi-
croscopical researches, has taken notice of several species, and given
plates of them, but he has done little to add to our information with re-
gard to their anatomy and economy generally. Joblot and Ledermuller,
in their works on microscopical objects, have given plates also of several
species ; whilst De Geer, SchaefFer, and several other celebrated conti-
nental naturalists of the last century, have added each a little to our
knowledge of them. Linnaeus included all that he knew in one genus
Monoculns (so called from their possessing only one eye), and gives de-
scriptions of nine species only. Otho Fridericus MuUer is the first re-
gular historian of these animals who has done them justice. To him it
is that we owe the greater part perhaps of our knowledge with regard to
their economy ; to his labours we owe our acquaintance with so many
curious little creatures ; and to his eloquence is perhaps owing the further
researches and more detailed histories of succeeding naturalists. His
work on the Entomostraca, published in 1785, is one of the most inte-
resting memoirs in Natural History that we are acquainted with ; and
though it appears from later naturalists that he has fallen into many
errors, still it is the most complete and best history of the Entomostraca
that has ever been published. Since the time of Muller, much has been
done to add to our knowledge of these interesting animals ; and the me-
moirs of Jurine, father and son, Hamdohr, and M. Straus, contain the
most excellent and most minute histories of detached genera that can be
met with. Their researches have been conducted with the greatest zeal
and care, and their labours have been abundantly crowned with success,
their memoirs leaving little to be done by succeeding naturalists but to
add to the species. Hermann (fils), Daudebart de Ferussac, Adolphe
Brongniart, and other continental naturalists, have also given some ex-
cellent memoirs upon detached genera and species, whibt our own cele-
brated Leach is the only British naturalist we know that has paid any
attention to the history of the Entomostraca ; his labours, too, being chief-
ly directed to the parasitic animals of the division. It surely is not
from want of interest belonging to them, that the naturalists of this coun-
try have neglected the Entomostraca, for many of them are worthy of

96 MR DAIRD ON THB ENTOMOSTRACA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

all admiration. " The multifarious and complicated structure of their
body,** says Muller in his admirable work ; " the wonderful agility of their
members ; the very great fineness of their organs ; their singular method
of living and copulating ; their living in waters which our cattle and we
ourselves are daily drinking ; the evils which they may give rise to, and
to which fishes are seen to be liable ; the emoluments* which, although
we are in the greatest part ignorant of, they nevertheless produce in the
economy of nature ; that these things are very worthy of being known,
scarce any one will doubt. Not to mention their external similitude to
shells, and the natural transition which takes place in them from insects
to testaceous animals, who ever knew before the cypris was detected,
of an insect quadrupedf ? Before the limulus and caligus were properly
observed, who ever knew of an insect acephalous, or with a head scarcely
visible ? Who ever imagined of a copulation of two males with one fe-
male at one time, such as takes place in the famous Pulex aquaticus ; or
of an animal whose head was all eye, as we see in the Polyphemus ?
These and more wonders are to be met with in the history of the Ento-
mostraca."J At commencing this catalogue, it was my intention to have
prefixed some details of each of the genera, as they had come under my
own observation, and as they have been made known to us by the con-
tinental naturalists ; but I found that, to do justice to the subject, the pa-
per would be swollen to too great a length, and that it would afford
abundant materials for several papers which might be communicated at
different intervals. I have confined myself, therefore, at present to the
catalogue of the Berwickshire species of the Entoraostraca, adding ob-
servations on each of the species as they occur. We are indebted to
the labours of this Club for the knowledge of the fact, that Berwickshire
and the district to which our labours extend, abound in a very great va-
riety of species both of the animal and vegetable kingdoms, many of
which too are very rare, some scarcely to be found in other counties ;
and we also know that the geology of the district is one of very great
interest. Sea and land have both been ransacked, and made to give up
their hidden treasures, and though the minute and microscopic insects
which form the division Entomostraca have hitherto been neglected, I
have no doubt that our county and district will yield a plentiful harvest
to the gleaner in this department also. Dr Leach, in his article Crusta-
cea in the Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, has only enumerated sixteen species
of Entomostraca as found in Great Britain, a list which is increased by
Samouelle, in his British Insects, to twenty. This strikingly shews what
little attention has been paid to the subject by British naturalists, as I

* ** It is the common opinion that it is the Caligus which forces the salmon from the sea
up rivers towards the cataracts."

■f The Cypris, according to M. Straus, has six feet, two being always concealed within
the shell ; according to Ramdohr they have four.

I Muller 't Entomostraca, p. 4.

MR BAIRlD ON THE BNTOH08TRACA OF BERWICKSHIRE. 97

have, in an autumn's search in one district, found thirty-eight species
belonging to the order Branchiopoda alone. In the arrangement of the
genera I have followed Latreille in Cuvier^s Regne Animal ; but with
regard to species I have taken MuUer as my text-book, along with Des-
marest in his work on the Crustacea. Latreille divides the Entomostraca
into two Orders, the Branchiopoda and the Pcecilopoda. The order
Branchiopoda he divides again into two principal sections, the Lophy-
ropa and Phi/llopa ; to the first of which I for the present confine this
catalogue.

Class ENTOMOSTRACA— Order BRANCHIOPODA.
Section I. LOPHYROPA.

Gekus I. Cyclops.

1. Cyclops staphyltnw^ Desmarest— C. minutus^ Muller, p. 101, tab. xvii. fig. l-

7 Canthocarpus ttaphylinus, J. O. Westwood, MS. Common in pools of fresh

water and ditches. The figure of this species, as given by Muller, is but indiffe-
rently correct ; I have therefore sketched it as it has occurred to me. PL II, fig. 1.
Desmarest calls it " staphylinus," from its habit of tuminc up its tail like the
staphylinus. From some difference in the antennae, and from the peduncle
attached to the tail, it has been proposed to form a particular division for this spe-
cies. My friend Mr Westwood has formed a new genus of it, which he calls
" Canthocarpus.'* PI. II. figs. 19, 20, are the young of this species in different
stages.

2. Cyclops rubens^ Muller, p. 104, tab. xvi. fig. 1-3 — C. castor^ Desmarest^

Disptomus castor, J. O. Westwood, MS Found in Dunglass Pond, and about

Yetholm. It has been proposed to form a distinct group for the reception of this
species, from the division of the inferior antennae and palpL It has been formed
into a new genus by Mr Westwood, and called Disptomw. PI. II. fig. 2 is the
young of this species, a few hours after birth.

3. C. lacinuUUttSy Muller, p. 105, tab. xvi. fig. 4-6 — C. castor, Desmarest

Found in Yetholm Loch, along with C. rubens. Desmarest makes the C. cairuleus,
rubens, and lacinulatns, into one species, which he calls C. castor^ the lacinise of
this si>ecies being considered infusory animalcula attached to the taiL If it be
a mere variety, it is somewhat curious that these animals should adhere only to
this species, and that they should occur the same in Scotland as in Denmark.

4. C. vulgaris, Desmare8t.~C. quadricomis, Muller, p. 109, tab. xviii. fig. 1-14.
—Pedieulus aquaticus, Baker, Microsc. p. 496, tab. xv. fig. 1-4 — MonoctUus quadri.

comis, Linne, Fabricius, and Donovan Very common in all pools, ditches, &c.

throughout the district. Desmarest has changed the name of this species from
quadricomis to tmlgaris, and much for the better, as the epithet qimdricornU would
lead one to suppose that this species alone had four antennce, whereas all the species
we know have that number. PI. II. fig. 3 is the young of this species twenty-four
hours after birth ; and fig. 21, three weeks old, being the Nauplitts saltatoriut of
Muller.

5. C. minuticomisy Muller, p. 117, tab. xix. fig. 14, 16. Pools of soj-water at

Cockbumspath and Berwick. The young is the Amjfmone thyas of Muller. p. 47,
tab. xi. fig. 16, 17.

6. C. brevicomis, Muller, p. 118. Pools of sea-water at Cockbumspath.

7. C. Johnstonu Nova species. PI. II. fig. 4.— Pools of sea-water at Berwick

and Cockbumspath. Body of four segments, tail of six, terminated by two snort

lobes, from which issue two long setae, fully the length of the body. Superior an-
tennw of about six articulations, stronger than inferior pair. In the male there
is a bulla about fifth articulation. In the female they are more slender, more »e-
tiferous, and destitute of bullae. Inferior antennie of three or four articulations ;

o

98 MR BAIRD ON THE BNTOMOSTRACA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

terminated by two or three short setce. All four antennae setiferous at base
of articulations. Head beaked. Beneath the antennae are two organs (palpis ?)
of two articulations, setiferous at base of articulations and at extremities. Be.
neath these are two organs, which Muller calls hands, of two articulations, termi-
nated by a strong curved moveable claw or hook ; and beneath these again, are two
double organs, or membres particulieres of the French authors, each pair consisting
of a short strong common footstalk, from which arise two flat bodies, the superior
of which is the longer, of two articulations, serrated above, and terminated by three
short setae ; the inferior, also serrated above, and terminated by three setae, but
consisting only of one articulation. From the three inferior articulations of the
body arise three pairs of long setiferous feet ; and from the second articulation of
the tail arise the sexual organs in either sex. This species approaches the C. che-
lifer of Muller, but differs in many points when closely examined. In MuUer's
species there are no articulations to the body, which gradually tapers to the tail,
and which he describes as " farciminis facie." The superior antennae are only of
three articulations ; the inferior, which he calls " palpi", of two. The organs be-
neath these, which I call " palpi," are furnished with a claw, and only of one arti-
culation, whilst the last pair of particular members, have only the shorter of the
two bodies of which they are composed, serrated, the longer being entire. The male
in MuUer's figure has not the bullae on antennae.

Genus II. Cythere.

None of the authors, since MuUer's time, who have written upon the " Ento-
mostraca," from their residing in inland situations, have had opportunities of see-
ing the insects belonging to the genus Cythere, as they are only to be found in
sea-water. Their history, therefore, is in more obscurity than any of the other
genera, both as regards their economy and the number of species. No new
species, as far as I am aware, have been added to the five of Muller, by any of the
writers on " Entomostraca ;'' but that there are more to be met with by a little
investigation, is very evident from those I have discovered on the coast.

1. Cythere flavida, Muller, p. 66, tab. vii. fig. 5, 6 Amongst Confervae in pools

of sea-water at Cockburnspath.

2. C. gibbera, Muller, p. 66, tab. vii. fig. 10-12 Sea shore at Cockburns-
path.

3. C. reniformis. Nova species. PL III. fig. 5 Sea-shore at Berwick and Eye-
mouth, &c Shell reniform ; flesh-coloured ; covered with hairs ; both extremities

of equal size; antennae fiirni shed with numerous short setae to all articulations;
anterior feet falcate, entire; all the feet furnished with tlaws. This species ap-
proaches the C. viridis of Muller, bnt differs in colour, in both extremities of shell
being equal, and in anterior feet not being serrulated. It differs from C. lutea
in shell being covered with hairs.

4. C. alba. Nova species. PI. III. fig. 6 Shore near Dunbar. Shell white,

transparent, hairy, acute at posterior extremity, and broader at anterior ; a rim
rouna edge of shell whiter than the rest of shell ; antennae beset with short setae
at each articulation.

5. C. variabilis. Nova species. PI. III. fig. 7. a. b — Shore at Cockburnspath and

Eyemouth. Shell glaucous, without hairs, ovate, anterior narrower than the

posterior extremity ; anterior legs falcate, and furnished with pretty strong claws ;
antennae slender, without setae. This species varies much in colour and markings.
Some specimens are white, with two black fasciae, one at posterior margin, and the
other across centre of shell, while the posterior extremity is marked besides by a
beautiful reddish or bright bronze spot \fig. a., other specimens are of a light flesh
colour, with the edges of shell slightly greenish, and the body of the shell marked
with dark streaks running across. Some are altogether of a fine flesh colour;
Jig. b , while others again are of a very dark brown. All the varieties, however,
agree in shape of shell, in size, &c., merely differing in colour and marking. Fu-
ture observations may perhaps determine them to be of two different species.

Genus III. Cypris.

1. Cypris delecta, Muller, p. 49, tab. iii. fig. 1-3 C. conckacea, Desmarest

Pool on Beaumont Water at Yetholm.

MR BAIRD ON THE BMTOMOSTRACA OF BERWICKSHIRE. 99

2. C. ttrigata, MuUer, p. 54, tab. iv. fig. 4-6. Brackish water on sea««hore at

Thornton Loch, near Cockbumspath.

3. C. vidua, M uller, p. 55, tab. iv. fig. 7-9. Dunglass Fond.

4. C. puberoy Muller, p. 56, tab. v. fi^. 1-5.— .C. eonohaeea. Leach and Latreiile.
•—'Mcnocuius conchaceus., Linn^ and Fabncius.—— Ditches at Berwick, Cockbums-
path, Ac Muller*8 figure does not appear to me to be a good one of this species.

. C. monacha, Muller, p. 60, tab. v. fig. 6-8. Dunglass Pond.

6 C. candidoy Muller, p. 60, tab. vL fig. 7-9 At Cockbumspath.

7. C. reniformis, Daudebart de Ferussac, fils. Annales du Museum d'Histoire
Naturelle, tom. 7. p. 212, (1806); Leach, in Edinburgh Encyclopedia, art. Crus-
tacea. Ditch near Berwick, and at Coldstream.

6* C.Joanna, Nova species. PL IIL fig. 8. — Pool near Abbey St Bathans.

Shell roundish, ovate, narrower anteriorly than posteriorly ; of a brown colour, with
an orange mark across back of shell and lower margin ; shell beset all round with
rigid hairs, and covered with minute black points or dots ; setae of antennae nume-
rous, about twelve or more. Resembles C vidua a good deal in shape, but differs
totally in colour and markings. Differs from C. piiosa somewhat in shape, and in
not being glabrous, but marked all over with black roughish-looking points.

9. C minnta. Nova species. PL III. fig. 9. — Pool on Beaumont Water at Yet-

holm. Shell broader posteriorly than anteriorly ; elevated and rounded on upper

margin ; slightly sinuated on under margin ; hairy all round ; of a light brown colour
with a tinge of green ; body of shell smooth, shining ; posterior legs terminated by
one long claw ; anterior legs furnished with a pencil of long hairs from penultimate
joint, and terminated by several strong hairs or setae ; setae of antennae numerous.

10* C. eUmgata. Nova species. PI. III. fig. 10. — Pool on Beaumont Water at Yet-
bolm.— -Shell much broader at anterior than posterior extremity, which is narrow
and much elongated ; elevated on upper margin towards anterior extremity, and
sinuated on under margin more towards the posterior extremity ; white ; transpa-
rent ; hairy ; setae of antennae five or six ; anterior feet of about three articulations,
each articulation furnished with setae ; posterior legs denticulated.

11. C. reptans. Nova species. PL III. fig. 11 — Yetholm Loch. Shell long

almost elliptical, nearly plane on upper, and slightly hollowed out or sinuated on
under margin, rather ventricose, hairy ; densely ciliated on anterior extremity ; the
ciliae on posterior extremity fewer but much longer, of a light colour with dark green
markings, which appear to be rather irregular; both extremities have a Large broad
green spot, which send out processes as it were towards the centre of the shell ;
antennae and feet short in comparison to the size of shell. I have never seen this
species swimming about in the vessel in which I have kept it, but always creeping
on the bottom.

12. C. Weshcoodiu Nova species. PL III. fig. 12 Yetholm Loch Shell

much elevated and rounded on upper margin, and sinuated on lower, broader at
anterior extremity, green-coloured, semi-transparent, densely covered with pretty
long hairs all over ; second last joint of anterior feet furnished with a pencil of long
hairs ; posterior feet furnished with a short seta at each articulation, and with a
long curved claw at extremities ; antennae indistinctly articubted.

13. C. tristriata. Nova species. PL III. fig. 13.— Pond at Little Swintou

SheU ovate, ventricose, anterior extremity a little narrower than posterior, upper
maivin rounded, lower sinuated slightly, green, hairy ; on the the upper margin,
nearly in middle of length of shell, there is a dark mark, from which nm to poste-
rior extremity three dark green streaks, the centre one of which ij» the most dis-
tinct and the darkest coloured ; anterior extremity of a rather darker green than
the rest of shell. Between the centre and most anterior of the streaks are five or
six small lucid spots.

14. C.Mspida. Nova species. PLIII. fig. 14 Pool on Beaumont Water at Yet-

holm.~— Shell almost elliptical ; the anterior extremity being a little broader than
posterior ; rather ventricose ; very roughl v and densely hairy ; of a brown colour
all over, with one or two dark brown marks running across centre of shell, in the
anterior of which are four or five translucent spots ; both extremities of a darker
colour than other parts of sheU. The whole shell is very hispid, spines rather than

100 MR BAIRD ON THE ENTOMOSTRACA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

hairs covering the shell ; antennie slender ; setse seldom much divaricated, about
welve in number. The markings of shell are not in all specimens very distinct.

15. C. lucens. Nova species. Pi. III. fig. 15. — Yetholm Loch and pools on Beau-
mont "Water. Shell white, shining, without spot; almost opaque ; venlricose;

elevated on upper margin towards posterior extremity, and reniform underneath ;
anterior extremity narrower and flatter than posterior, which is arched and broad,
the inferior angle being, however, prolonged to a point ; a few fine hairs at each
extremity. This species differs from C. detecta in being ventricose, and more
arched in upper margin ; and from C Candida in being renitorm, in not being ovate,
and in want of rigid hairs which beset that species.

16. C.compressa. Nova species. PI. III. fig. 16 — Yetholm Loch. Shellround,

shaped, compressed rather narrower anteriorly than posteriorly ; of a grey colour,
more or less deep ; semi-transparent ; at either extremity beset with fine hairs ;
in some specimens spotted as if little pieces were hollowed out ; anterior feet pro-
vided with several long bristles ; eye large ; antennte terminated by numerous
long setae. From the flat compressed shape of shell, its motion through the water
is very much like that of some species of Lynceus.

Genus IV. Dafukia.

1. Daphnia quadrangula^ Muller, p. 90, tab. xiii. fig. 3, 4 Ditch near Berwick*

2. D. pulex, Desmarest, Leach, Latreille.— Z). pennata, Muller, p. 82, tab. xii.

fig. 4-7 — Monoculus pulex^ Linne and Fabricius — Pulex caudatus, Schaeffer.

Near Berwick, at Coldstream, and near Routing Linn at Fenton.

3. D. sima, Muller, p. 90, tab. xii. fig. \1-12.—D. vetula, Straus. — Pulex non,
caudatus, Schgetfer Common about Cockburnspath, Yetholm, &c.

Genus V. Lynceus.

1 Lynceus spJuerums Muller, p. 71j tab. ix. fig. 7-9. — Monoculus spTuericus, Fa-
bricius Common in all the ditches and ponds throughout the district.

2. L. guadrangularis, Muller, p. 72, tab. ix. fig. 1-3. In the Pease Burn, and

in a pool on Beaumont Water at Yetholm.

3. L. lamellatus, Muller, p. 73, tab. ix. fig. 4-6 — Yetholm Loch, and in a pool

on Beaumont Water at Yetholm This is a very fine large species, about the

size of Daphnia pulex^ but Muller's plate of it does not appear to me to be a good
one.

4. L. trigonellus, Muller, p. 74, tab. x. fig. 5-6. — L. laticornis, Desmarest.

Pond at Foulden, and at Yetholm.

5. L. truncatus, Muller, p. 75, tab. xi. fig. 4-8 — Pool on Beaumont water at

Yetholm Muller says he found this species once in autumn 1782, but never

met with it afterwards. It appears, therefore, to be a very rare species, and is a
very beautiful one.

6. L. harpcB. Nova species. PI. II. fig. 17. — Pool on Beaumont "Water, and in

Dunglass Pond Shell harp-shaped; ribbed longitudinally, the ribs resembling

the strings of the harp ; rounded posteriorly, sinuated anteriorly, and terminating
in a point projecting forwards ; antennae four, long, nearly the length of the shell,
each consisting^of three articulations, and terminated by three long linear setae ;
shell smooth, except anterior edge where it is sinuated, being there ciliated ; tail
serrated, terminated by two strong setae ; head rounded, and beak blunt. Differs
from L. truncatus in sinuated anterior margin of shell, blunt beak, and long antennae ;
in not being truncated on posterior extremity ; in wanting the thirteen little teeth
at the base ; and in wanting the two thick and large upper feet : differs from L.
quadrangularis in shape, in sinuated anterior margin, in more distinct rios, and in
blunt beak.

7. L. hamatus. Nova species. PL II. fig. 18. — Yetholm Loch. Shell truncated

anteriorly, and ciliated ; upper part gibbous ; tail not serrated, gibbous, terminated
by two setae ; two upper feet large, and each furnished at extremity with a strong
claw or hook curved upwards ; antennae of three setae each : approaches L. trigo-
nellus^ but differs from it in beak being blunted and stronger ; in tail not being
serrated; in wanting the strong pediform organ below palpi and aoove the feet;
and in the upper feet having the strong hooks.

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(101 )

An Address to (he Members of the Berwickshire Naturalist^ Cltd), de-
livered at the Anniversary Meeting held at Yetholm^ September 21.
1836. By Sir William Jardine, Bart. President.

Gentlemen,

We have met after the lapse of another year, and it becomes me to
follow the example which has been already four times so excellently set
before me, — to give a brief sketch of the progress we have made, and of
the things done and specimens captured, since we last commemorated the
institution of ihe Club.

The last anniversary was held at the Bite-about Inn, Doddington,
Northumberland, on the 16th of the present month, with an ample mus-
ter of members, and the company of Dr Douglas of Kelso and Mr Ather-
ton, as visitors. The walk was at first directed towards the Routin-
Linn, about two miles distance, a romantic dell and waterfall, the former
richly clothed with a thick and tangled copse of birch and hazel, inter-
mixed with a few stragglers of the monarch of the wood. The princi-
pal attraction here was to re-discover the Osmunda regalisy which was
said to grow in this habitat. The locality appeared favourable, but the
royal fern escaped the search of our botanists. Still, though the object
of the excursion was not obtained, the party were compensated by the
beauty of the scenery and the capture of some good insects. The walk
was now continued eastward to an extensive marsh called the Horse-
bog, and some interesting Coleoptera and Diptera were taken. In the
course of the walk the Myrica gnle was observed in profusion, a circum-
stance noticed here, because it is mentioned by Mr Winch to be rather
a rare plant in Northumberland, and in general is accounted local in its
distribution. In the whole of the northern part of this county, however,
it abounds, running over, in almost more profusion upon the extensive
moorlands on the border, where in the hollows, intermixed with stunted
tvillow {S. avrita et aquatica), it becomes a favourite retreat for the black-
cock, when his devotions to the female are past, and his plumage has to
be renovated for the ensuing season. Calamagrostis lanccolata, a plant
hitherto unnoticed in our district, was seen growing abundantly ui tlie
moss, intermixed with Airu ctespitosa, Salix pentandroy &c. On our
return to the inn, and the usual duties being paid to the table, Mr Emble-
ton's address, and the sketch of the labours of tlie bygone year, were
attentively listened to, and the following papers were read : — " No-
tice of the Capture of a Honey Buzzard near Twizel, and of the Wry-
neck near Lacker, by Mr Selby." This was a communication of consi-
derable interest, being a contribution to our knowledge of the habits of
this comparatively rare bird. The district around Twizel appears to
have something attractive to this species, for, within these few years, ^e-

B. N. C NO. IV, G

102 SIR WILLIAM JAODINli's ADDRESS.

veral specimens have been procured both in the adult and immature plu-
mage. The bird in question was accidentally observed to rise from the
situation of a wasp's nest, which it had been attempting to excavate, or
in fact to a certain extent had accomplished, and the large hole which had
been scraped, shewed that a much greater power could be employed, and
that the bird possessed organs much better fitted to remove the obstacles
which generally concealed its prey, than a superficial examination of the
feet and legs would warrant us in ascribing to it. A few hours after-
wards, the task was found to be entirely completed, the comb torn out
and cleared from the immature young ; and after-dissection proved that
at this season (autumn) at least, birds or mammalia formed no part of
the food. A steel-trap, baited with the comb, secured the aggressor in
the course of the next day, when he had returned to review the scene of
his previous havoc. The next paper was on the Architecture of Holy
Island Priory, by Dr Clarke, a place renowned in romance and clas-
sic in our poetry ; and we would remark, that there are many buildings
of antiquity, which have yet been untouched by the pen of a member.
A meteorological paper, by Mr William Baird, concluded our essays for
the day — " Remarks on the Sea Tree,' — a peculiar arrangement [of
clouds well known to mariners under the above title. The object of the
paper was to shew the connexion between the different forms of clouds and
the weather, and it may be recollected that the observations were detail-
ed with the science of the meteorologist, and the feeling of the poet.

For my report of the remaining meetings, I regret that I shall bo
obliged to have recourse to the minutes only, but the accuracy of our
secretary, I have little doubt, has left nothing wanting. In December,
the Club held its usual meeting at Berwick. Miss Hunter and Miss
Bell continued to increase the list of the Berwickshire Flora, by the ad-
dition of some fungi not previously seen within its bounds. Agaricus
rubery odorus, and radicatus, with Cyathia vemicosus, were recorded.
The unusually stormy winter had already laid open some of the trea-
sures of the deep, and the heavy gales of November had discovered some
inhabitants which were not of every day occurrence. The Rev. Mr A.
Baird read a notice of Pleuronectes hirttLS, and of Brama marina^ cast
ashore at the foot of Dunglass Dean.* Dr Johnston laid the foundation
of a Fauna, by reading a list of the zoophytes found on the coast of
Berwickshire and North Durham, and made some interesting remarks
upon the metamorphosis of the Crustacea. A series of the curiously
formed " Fairy-stones" were exhibited by Mr Good, taken from a clayey
bank on the side of the Tweed below New Water-haugh, and we would
here remind you of a paper on the formation of these little nodules,

• It was after similar storms iu the February following, that the interesting addition to
our British fishes, Lutjanus rvpt»tri$, was procured, two specimens being thrown on shore
in Berwick Bay, and another on the shore at Bamborough. — See M»g. of Zool. and Bot.
i. 9. 107.

SIB WILLIAM JARDINU'S ADDRESS. 103

which last year came before us, and is now printed in our last Transac-
tions. The first part of the "Fauna of Twizel" was also laid before
the Club, comprising the vertebrated animals, and the coleopterous and
lepidopterous insects, and we cannot too much recommend the adoption
of the plan of this paper to our memliers. It is, in fact, following out
the principal object of the Club, and if done with care and attention to
local circumstances, such essays would lead to our intimate knowledge
of the habitats and geogi'aphical distribution of most, and in time of all,
of our native species. We had, in conclusion, from Mr Baird, Remarks on
the Horary Observations made under the superintendence of our learned
member at St Bathans ; and an Account of the Aurora, as it occurred at
Berwick, on the evenings of the 17th and 18th November, and which it
will be interesting to compare with a paper which the same author read
to us, in the season of 1834.

The meeting for May took place at Hound wood Inn, an apparently
favourable station, but rendered most unsatisfactory by the inclemency
of the weather. Five members only were present ; but they were grati-
fied by the appearance of Dr Greville and the Rev. Mr Duncan as visi-
tors. During the day, the incessant rain and cold north wind rendered
all attempts at out-door work nearly fruitless, and some of the more com-
mon coleoptera only were obtained. By the botanists the remarkable
Podisoma junrperi communis^ a parasitic fungus upon the living juniper,
was noticed. In the after part of the day, a paper was read " On the
Proverbs, Popular Sayings, and Rythms of Berwickshire," by Mr Hen-
derson, which excited considerable interest, and gave rise to an after dis-
cussion.

At Chatton, June 15th. This may be called the meeting of the year.
Favoured by a beautiful day, the Club met to breakfast in high spirits.
The vicinity is excellent both for the botanist and entomologist, and
Chillingham Park was the first object of the walk. Independent of its
natural beauties, the extent of the domain and variety of wood and
cover render it a spot most fertile for the excursions of the natura-
list. The greater part of the forenoon was occupied in it, and the
party were gratified by a sight of its peculiar ornament — the wild cattle,
and by groups of red and fallow deer. Rass Castle, a hill within the
park, was visited, and some rare insects were taken in the vicinity.
Cumpylis linearis and Cffrabus nitens may be noted among the coleop-
tera ; of the latter, three specimens were taken on the castle. Neither
were the botanists idle. Listera cordata and Trientalis europcta were
found, the latter in profusion on all the higher grounds. From the
Park, the party proceeded to Hepburn Hill, but lime had run, and
allowed only a slight examination of a small portion of this rich ground.
Trientalis continued in profusion, Genista anglica was abundant on the
muir, Myosotis repens rendered every moist spot in the wood resplen-
dent by its light blue flowers, and the birch was crimsoned with Eri-

G 2

104 SIR William jaUdine's address.

num roseitmy an addition to the fungi of the district. In the evening, ft
beautiful hybrid plant between Iris Germanica and /. Florentina, very
distinctly mixed, was exhibited by Captain Carpenter. Mr Parker shew-
ed a fine specimen of the water-rat (Arvicola amphibia), with a piebald
fur; and Dr Johnston produced a drawing of the Phylline hypoglossi,
taken from a large holibut caught in Berwick Bay. Dr Clarke read a
notice of an encounter between a hawk and bat, witnessed at Berwick at
noonday, in which the former was unsuccessful, from the rapid manner
in which the bat evaded the darts of its enemy, and the Doctor drew at-
tention to the exquisite sense which these curious animals appear so
peculiarly to possess. A very interesting table of the produce of the fishery
at Sandstel, kept by the late Mr Waite for a period of eighty-two years up
to 1818, was presented. From this table, it appears that 1745 was a
year extremely unfavourable, 52 salmon only being taken; 1764 and
1765 are the most abundant, above 15,000 and 17,000 being severally
taken. For the last ten years of the account, the take averages from
2000 to GOOO salmon, and fi'om 3000 to 1 3,000 grilse.

In July we have to regret that there was no meeting, — an untoward
event, which we trust the zeal of the members will prevent any future
President the pain of recording.

I have thus, gentlemen, very lightly sketched the results of the excur-
sions and meetings of the last season, and I may be allowed to congra-
tulate the Club upon its advance and continued prosperity. It must be
considered, however, that we have had a season almost unexampled in
the recollection of most of us, for its low mean temperature and general
inclemency, both very unfavourable to the researches of the out-door
naturalist ; and the observations of some of our members on the east
coast remarkably coinciding with my awn, made at a residence on the
opposite shores of the island, and situate nearly at the same elevation
a-id distance from the sea, shew that over the north of England and south
of Scotland, this unpropitious time has too uninterruptedly spread. Many
of you may have observed the late appearance of the great proportion of
the summer birds of passage. The song of those welcome visitors, which
always conveys so many associations for the returning year, was expect-
ed for nearly fourteen days in vain, and when the arrival was proclaimed,
it was soon perceived that some cause had materially diminished the
usual numbers of these travellers.* The coleoptera, also, were much later
in leaving their winter retreats, and among the Lepidoptera, there has

* It has been since rematked, that the departure of our summer birds of passage ha«
been unusually early. Befoie the Ist Septeml)er most of the warblers had departed, a few
individnals only of S. trochihm remaining. Hirvndo lustica, and nrhica, were not seen after
the 20th Septenober, nearly a month before their usunl time of departure. Ci/pseli have
been recorded as rarely seen at all, in many parts of the ishnd.

The fieldfare and redwing arrived between the 20th and 25th October, about a fort-
•ight before the average time of th«ir arcuatomed arrival.— W. J. 14th Nov. 1836.

«IR WILLIAM JARDINE's ADDRESS. 105

been a remarkable deficiency of the Geonimridcc, and of the greater por-
tion of those Noctuadw, which feed more particularly on the foliage of
trees, circumstances that were perhaps occasioned by the remarkably
cold and parched weather which occurred in May and June, and which
was equally unfavourable to the development of the flowers and foliage
of many of our native and generally hardy plautiJ. But notwithstanding;
this unpropitious season, from the sketch that I have just now read, you
will have seen that some subjects have been added to our Fauna, and
some new plants to our Flora, besides considerable additions to our
local knowledge of the district, within the boundaries of our range.

But I have another subject on wliich the Club has my warmest con-
gratulations. Our little proceedings tell more decidedly how much the
value of such an institution is esteemed. Humble as they seemed at
first, and printed and circulated without display, it must be gratifying
to us all, that they have been already quoted in works which bear a high
rank in zoology and botany, and that they may be now said to hold a
place in the literature of the naturalist. Let me then entreat you to
continue your perseverance ; you have now to retain the eminence you
have gained ; much yet lies before you, particularly in the lo'Acr forms
of our various departments ; there is abundance which will bear to be
re-examined, while one path, which was formerly recommended in an
admirable address from this chair, still stands nearly clear, — that of the
physiology and internal structure of the beings and plants which we have
already been attempting externally to characterize. I would also hint
at another ol>ject which the Club might now endeavour to attain : You
are all well aware how much Berwickshire is indebted to one of our num-
ber for the illustration of its Flora, and it appears to me that if a sketch
of a Fauna was made out, including all the vertebrata and invertebrata,
so far as the notes in our possession would admit, that it would mudi
facilitate the addition of species as they were discovered, and would be
a guide by which meujbers might direct their researches to the vacant
parts, and finally fill the gap in the natural history of the county.

Leaving these hints for your consideration, it only now remains for
me formally to resign my seat to one whom I trust will prove a more
worthy successor, and I must express my regret that circumstances
sliould have compelled me to be so frequently absent from our meetings,
and to take so little share in the duties of the situation in which your
partiality placed me, and at the same time I would offer my acknow-
ledgments for your indulgence. From the time of my admission into
the Club, I have felt a lively interest in its prosperity, convinced that if
similar institutions were formed, we should soon learn, how much we Lad
to learn of the natural history of our county. Neither is there any as-
sociation more likely to lead to the discovery of objects of commercial
or individual importance, while tb^y may attain a still higher eod ; for
by bringing individuals to a peaceable and rational converse, they point

106 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OF BEIIVVICKSHIRE.

out what will ever become a healthy and useful recreation, — what will
gain upon the mind, and will be a wholesome relief from the more severe
studies incident to the necessary professions of the world ; and I have
not yet met with the person who, from the casual observance of some
beautiful natural object, or the example of some friend, has entered into
our pursuits," who has not been led to inquire Who it is that hath
gilded the insect's wing, and painted the blossoms of the wild flower,
and ultimately to think of His presence

** .. That diffuses charms

Unspeakable, o'er mountain, wood, and stream.'*

List of Members, continued from p. 69.

Rev. Dr Gilly of Norham,

Matthew Cully, Esq. of Fowberry, .

Rev. R. Mitford Taylor,

Sir David Milne, K. C. B.

David Milne, Esq. of Milne-Graden,

May 4. 1836.

June 15.

July 27

Sept. 21.

Contributions to the Flora of Berwickshire.

1. ADDITIONAL SPECIES.

Agabtcus ruber, With. Bot, Arrang. iv, 210. Woods at Anton's-hill,

Miss Hunter.
Agaric us odorus, Grev. Crypt, Fl. tab. 28. Woods at Anton's-hill,

Miss Hunter.
Agaricus radicatus, Grev. Crypt. Fl. tab. 217. Woods at the Hirsel,

and at Anton's-hill, Miss E. Bell and Miss Hunter.
Cyathia vernicosus, Bot. Gall. ii. 865. Nidularia campanulata. With.

Bot. Arrang. iv. 356. On decayed sticks both at Anton's-hill and

the Hirsel, Miss E. Bell and Miss Hunter.
Verbena officinalis. Gathered in a corn-field near Cockburnspath, by

the Rev. A. Baird, and undoubtedly introduced with seed corn.

2. Additional Habitat.

Mentha piperita. In a ditch on the estate of Belchester, in great abun-
dance, and at a great distance from any garden or cottage. Miss
Hunter.

( 107 )

A Catatogue of the Zoophytes of Berwickshire. By Dr Johnston.

Class.— ZOOPHYTA, Solander.

Section.— POLYPIFERA.

Order. — Helianthoida.

Fam, 1. Actiniadae.

variety — A, crassicomis.

Lucernaria auricula.

variety — A. equina.

convolvulus.

variety — A. coccinea.

Actinia mesembryantheraum.

Dianthus.

var.. — A. viduata.

« «

geramacea.

Tuediae.

Order.-

— Asteroida.

Fam, 1. Pennatuladae.

Fam. 2. Lobulariadae.

Pennatula phosphorea.

Lobularia digitata.

Order.-

— Hydroida.

I. Gemmiparous.

Sertularia puraila.

Fam, 1. Corynidae.

operculata.

Coryne glandulosa.

argentea.

squamata.

* «

Fatn. 2. Hydroidae.

thuja.

Hydra viridis.

Thoa halecina.

grisea.

Antennularia antennina.

Fam, 3. Tubulariadae.

var. — A. indivisa.

Tubularia indivisa.

var. — A. ramosa.

ramosa.

Plumularia falcata.

var — T, ramea.

pinnata.

setacea.

II. Vesiculiferous.

Catharina.

Fam, 4. Sertulariadae.

Fam, 5. Campanulariadae,

Sertularia rugosa.

Campanularia dichotoma.

polyzonias.

geniculata.

abietina.

volubilis.

filicula.

syringa.

' nigra.

duraosa.

rosacea.

Order—

-ASCIDIAOIDA.

Fam, 1. Tubuliporidae.

Crisea luxata.

Notamia loriculata.

cornuta.

Crisea eburnea.

108

DR JOHNSTON ON THE ZOOPHYTES OF BERWICKSHIRE.

Tubulipora patina,
serpens.
Fam. 2. Flustraidae.
Cellepora Skenei.

ramulosa.

pumicosa.
Berenicea immersa.

trispinosa.

variolosa,

ciliata.

coccinea.

nitida.

Cellularia scruposa.
reptans,
ciliata.

Farcimia salicornia.

Flustra foliacea.

Flustra truncata.
carbasea.
avicularis.
yB.T.—-fiustroides,
var. — avicularia*
pilosa.

raembranacea.
lineata.
unicornis.
Fam. 3. Alcyoniadae,
Alcyonium gelatinosum.
hirsutum.
echinatum.

? parasiticum.
Fam. 4. Lymnophylli.
Cristatella mirabilis.
Plumatella Sultana.

Grantia compressa.

botryoides.

ciliata.

pulverulenta,

nivea.

abnormis.
Spongia pulchella.

Section PORIFERA.
Order. — Amorphozoa.

Halichondria palmata.
ramosa.
papillaris,
var. — -panicea,
var. — cristata,
Spongilla fluviatilis.

Corallina ofticinalis.

Order — Lithophyta.

Millepora lichenoides, var.

( 109 )

T^otice of the Capture of Pemis apivonis (Honey Buzzard), a rare
specie^ of the British Falco7iid(B ; and of the Wry-iieck. By
P. J. Selby, Esq.

This indiviJual was caught in a steel spring-trap on the 28lh of
August last, under circumstances which, as illustrative of the peculiar
habits of the species, I think it may not be altogether uninteresting to
detail. On the afternoon of the 27th August, a large bird, apparently
of the hawk species, was observed by Mr B. Atherton in the grounds at
Twizell, to rise from the ground beneath the decumbent branches of a
Platanus. Upon going to the spot, he observed a number of wasps
(Vespa vulgaris) flying around, and part of a nest and broken comb
scratched out of a large hole at the root of the tree, in which it had been
built. The fact was mentioned on his return to the house, and from the
circumstances detailed, I conjectured it might possibly be the work of a
honey-buzzard ; an inspection of the place an hour or two afterwards
strengthened this supposition, as it was evident the aggressor had again
been there, having nearly torn the whole of the comb to pieces, and
cleared it of the wasps, grubs, and immature young with which it had
been filled. At the suggestion of Mrs Selby, two steel-traps were set in
the evening, close to the site of the destroyed wasp-hive, and baited
with two large pieces of comb taken from another nest, destroyed a few
evenings previously. Upon looking at them early the following morning,
they appeared undisturbed, but during the course of the forenoon, the
bird was again observed upon a tree within view of the traps, and ap-
parently reconnoitering the place, and it then allowed of a near ap-
proach. It would appear, that whatever suspicions it might have en-
tertained, it had not long been able to resist the cravings of its appetite,
as it was found in the evening secured by its leg in one of the traps.
From its size, I conjectured it to be a male, and such it proved upon
dissection, and an adult bird, from the difference of colour, as constrast-
ed with two birds of the year in my possession, as well as from the pure
yellow of its cere and legs, those parts in the young being of a greenish
grey. It measured 21 inches in extreme length, and 3 feet 7 inches in
extent of wing; the cere was of a fine lemon-yellow, the top of the bill
bluish-black, the iris dark bluish-grey; the tarsi about Ij inch in
length, feathered in part about half-way down, the naked part and feet
yellow. Tlie claws very little arched, but sharp ; the tail long, fan-like,
and extending beyond the closed wings about 2J inches. The exte-
rior plumage is of an uniform dark or umber brown, including the close-
set feathers around the eyes, which, firom their tiled disposition and
firnmess, appear well adapted to protect the face of the bird from the
stings of hymenopterous insects. The bottom or lower part of the plu-

110 MR SBLBY ON THE PEHNIS APIVOBUS.

mage is white, and a thick clothing of down closely invests the whole of
the body. The tail hair-brown, with bars of a deeper colour. The skin
I found to be tough and thick. Upon opening the body, the craw and
stomach were found filled with wasps, as well full-grown as in the nymph
and grub state ; no remains or feathers of birds, or bones and fur of mam-
malia were to be seen, so that, at this season at least, its food would ap-
pear to consist entirely of insects, and particularly the hymenoptera and
their larvae. The trunk and gently curved bill, as well as the straight
claws of this bird, shew its departure from the typical Falconidae, and
its decreased predatorial habits. It was in tplerable condition, though
not in the fat state of the individual killed at Thurston, and described
by the Honourable Mr Liddell in the Transactions of the Northumber-
land Natural History Society. While alive, it shewed no irascibility of
disposition, and did not attempt to strike with its talons, and made no
outcry. It was infested with that unpleasant looking parasite Hippomya
viridisy several specimens of which were secured.

I have also to notice a beautiful specimen of the Yunx torquilla
(wry-neck) shot by our associate Captain Mitford on the 1st of Septem-
ber, near Lucker. It was seen by him, threading in various directions
a thickset hedge, and frequently exhibited the gesticulations and twist-
ings of the head and neck peculiar to this pretty bird. It was in high
condition, and loaded with fat, and, upon dissection, proved a female.
The stomach was filled with ants, of the species Formica fusca, Steph.f
mixed with their pupae : no other insects, or food of a different kind, was
observable. The tongue of this bird, as in the woodpecker tribe, is ex-
tensile, and, except the tip, in the form of a cylindrical sheath, composed
of elastic rings ; it is kept moistened with a gluey saliva, secreted by
large and appropriate glands ; and, as in that family, the fumee of the
OS hyoides are greatly prolonged, and after extending down to the
nape of the neck, are then bent upwards, and, crossing over the crown
of the head, above the orbit of each eye, are brought in contact imme-
diately above the base of the bill.

The wry-neck, is a very rare bird in this district, and this is the se-
cond instance only of my having met with it north of Morpeth. In the
spring, when it first arrives, it is easily recognised l)y its loud and pierc-
ing cry, which somewhat resembles that of some of the small Falconidae.
It breeds in the holes of trees ; but its soft fan-like tail shews that its
scansorial powers are confined, and that its zygodactyle feet, like those
of the cuckoo, are rather calculated for firm prehension in certain atti-
tudes, and when the centre of gravity is frequently thrown considerably
forwards, than for ascending the trunks or arms of trees.

( Hi )

Holy Island Priory, By Henry Clarke, M. D.

I HAVE been induced to draw up the following sketch of the Priory
of Holy Island, from its being the most beautiful fragment of antiquity
in the district to which our reseai'ches are confined, as well as from its
presenting one of the most remarkable architectural remains of the period
to which it belongs in the kingdom.

It need scarcely be mentioned, that, in the earlier periods of Chris-
tian history, the choice of so unattractive a site was in obedience to the
idea which indicated the remote and scarcely accessible island, and the
lone and unfrequented desert, as spots peculiarly fitted for that contem-
plative life, and withdrawal from the world, in which the perfection of
religion was supposed to consist.

When the monastic system was introduced into the West, this was its
leading and characteristic feature, and the same spirit which had selected
the inhospitable island of lona, induced the monk who issued thence for
the conversion of Northumberland, to prefer the bleak sands of Lindes-
farnq to the pleasant valleys of the adjacent continent.

It would be needless also to dwell upon the advantages derived from
monastic establishments during the darker periods of history — their pre-
servation of literature and religion — the solace they afforded to the way-
farer and the pilgrim — the asylum they furnished to the poor, the sick,
the impotent, and the aged — the influence which they exerted in allevia-
ting, where they could not prevent, the various evils incident to a bar-
barous age — the peaceful arts which they cultivated, and especially that
which enabled them to raise those august and sumptuous edifices, which
still remain the grandest examples of architectural skill, and defy all ap-
proaches of the moderns to a parity of excellence.

The exercise of these and kindred virtues ought to redeem the mo-
nastic institution, when reviewed in a candid and equitable spirit, from
the unmeasured obloquy and censure which the license and misrule of
some of its branches in later times have drawn down upon it. .

There is no doubt, however, that the very virtues, which originally in-
spired awe and attracted esteem, tended, by a natural process, frequently
renewed, and always with similar results, to the gradual corruption and
final overthrow of the monastic system.

Long before the Reformation the elements of discontent had been at
work, and the clamour against the monasteries had been gradually ac-
quiring force and fixedness, when in the person of

" the majestic lord
Who broke the bonds of Rome,"

was found a fitting instrument for the expression of the popular will.
In the year 1 536, the lesser monasteries were doomed to destruction

112 PR CLARKE ON' HOLY ISLAND rRIORV.

by tlie execrabln tyrant who then wieldod the sceptre of England, and
the Priory of Holy Island was included in the general wreck.

From that hour it dales its gradual decay and present state of irre-
trievable ruin. Sir Walter Scott has thus described it in <' Marmion."

" In Saxon strength that abbey frownM,
With masbive arches broad and round,
That rose alternate row on row,
On ponderous columns short and low,

Built ere the art was known,
By pointed aisle and shafted stalk,
The arcades of an alley'd walk,

To emulate in stone."

The latter part of the stanza is a complimentary allusion to the fanci-
ful theory of Sir James Hall concerning the origin of the pointed arch.
The application of the term Saxon, it would be impossible to verify or
substantiate-
There are no buildings in this country with the characteristic forms
of this church, or the distribution into nave and aisles, that belong to so
early a period. A few rude structures there certainly are which may
have been erected by Saxon architects, one of which occurs in our own
district — the tower of Whittingham Church, Northumberland — charac-
terised by a peculiar sort of quoining — consisting of long and short
stones, placed alternately over each other — small round-headed apertures
divided by a rude balustre, and the absence of buttresses. Tlie term
Norman may be safely used, if it be understood simply to designate a
style which appeared in this country at the conquest, and prevailed for
125 years, during the Norman rule; but it is in reality Roman, and was
derived from the Imperial city by the architects who diffused it over
Europe, with the religion to which these structures w^erG consecrated.
It flourished during the first thousand years of the Christian era, with
long interruptions during the dark ages, but its rudiments may be dis-
cerned at this day in the Temple of Peace at Rome, erected during the
first century, and in the Halls of the Baths — those colossal structures in
which the grandeur of thought and magnificent aims of the Roman
people are most conspicuously combined. In these edifices we perceive
the general arrangement of our Norman and Gothic churches — a wide
central space arched over at top, with the vaults resting on pillars cor-
responding to our nave ; between these pillars lofty arches open into as
many vaulted apartments on either side intercommunicating by similar
archways and constituting side-aisles. The roof of the side -aisles being
considerably lower than that of the central vault, admits the insertion of
lights in the main wall looking into the nave, which correspond with our
clerestory windows.

The general character of Holy Island Priory is Norman, or to speak
more correctly, Romanesque. The west front is almost perfect — re-
markably so when we consider, that, in buildings of that period, this part

UR CLARKE OS HOLY ISLAND PRIORY. 1 13

has generally undergone a change, by the insertion of windows of a later
style, leaving only the Norman door below to point to the real date of
the structure. Here, we have a door of great deptli and richness of ef-
fect from the number and boldness of the ornaments. On either side
are plain semicircular blank arches — but not intersecting — and the whole
was flanked by towers, one of which still exists. Of the nave, the south-
ern portion as well as the south aisle, is entirely gone, but that on the
north is tolerably complete. The p'ers, with their capitals, which bore
up the arches, are of various patterns, channelled, lozenged, shafted, and
shewing in their sculptured surfaces, and tlie various fretwork of the
arches, that is, in the only decoration which the style admitted — the
germ of that inexhaustible variety and multiplicity of ornament which
was in the sequel to characterize the Gothic.

The nave, as well as aisles, has been vaulted in stone, as is evidenced
from the vaulting shafts, and commencing springers still seen at the junc-
tion of the nave and transepts, and from the curve of the vault itself,
yet traceable at the west end, but denuded of its ribs. This is a re-
markable and almost singular instance of the centre aisle of a Norman
building receiving a vault of stone. Both in England and on the Con-
tinent, the nave was covered simply by a flat boarded roof, to which were
in a great degree owing the frequent and destructive fires of our early
churches.

There are six arches in the nave, but the last is of smaller dimensions
than the rest. This peculiarity is not unfrequent in Norman and Go-
thic churches, as if the architect had not previously calculated the space
to be occupied by his arcade. The efl^ect here has been to produce a
horse-shoe instead of a semicircular arch, from its being of the same
height, but lesser span, than the others. This arch is very rare, even in
Norman buildings.

Above the pier-arches there has existed a triforiura, of which the only
remains arc a single shaft at either end of the nave, the beginning and
termination of the arcade. The Norman triforium is in England simply
a row of openings or pannels in the wall, to fill up, ornamentally, what
would otherwise have been a blank space. In Germany it is a real gal-
lery, and appropriated to the young men, and called the Manner-chor.

Of the vaulting of the north aisle one arch still remains, but flattened
at top, and only retained in its position by the wedge-form of the stones
which compose it. This will soon fall, and yet might be easily preserved.
The vaulting was quadripartite — the piers, with their cushioned capi-
tals, and transverse ribs, are yet seen. In one or two places, the vault-
ing from pier to pier yet remains, though the ribs which would have ap-
peared to support it are gone. This is a proof that the ribs used in
vaulting were introduced merely to satisfy the njiud by appearing to
support the arches above, and that the eye, which had been accustomed

114 DR CLARKE ON HOLY ISLAND PRIORY.

to Strong lines in every other part of the building, should not here rest
in a blank surface.

We now reach the intersection of thie nave and transepts. Here in
the strong and massive piers, we have slender circular shafts set in square
recesses — a style of transition from the short and heavy Norman to the
loftiness and exility of the Gothic, by which the weights above being
distributed to different and independent props — an air of lightness and
grace is produced without any diminution of security or strength.

Above, arose the tower which crowned the whole structure, but of its
existence the only remaining evidence is the most singular and beauti-
ful feature of the ruin. It is the great cross rib traversing the vault
diagonally from N.W. to S.E., and spanning the mid-air free and uncon-
nected with the building but at its spring. Had this been a pointed arch,
it would have fallen with its superstructure, but the pressure of the round
arch being only at the sides, it is likely to endure as long as the parts
which buttress it up.

The chancel beyond the transepts had originally a semicircular ter-
mination, as is still discernible on the floor, — a feature retained in all
the Norman churches abroad. In this part of the edifice, it is to be re-
gretted, is a departure from the unity of style which pervades the rest
of the fabric — the circular apse has given place to a rectangular, lighted
by pointed windows, in compliance with the fashion of the day, and in
violation of the grave simplicity of the rest of the structure.

Buttresses of slight projection run all round the building. They were
scarcely needed by the Norman architects, from the enormous thickness
of their walls, and their inferior height ; but in them we may trace the
rudiments of what became, in the hands of the Gothic builders, so beau-
tiful and necessary a member, shooting up into airy pinnacles and spires,
and impressing a lofty and majestic character upon the whole.

Of the conventual buildings the traces are few and indistinct. The
most important to their comforts — the vast kitchen chimney yet remains
in all its original strength and completeness. The large walled space
adjoining was probably the Refectory, with which the kitchen would
communicate by the buttery-hatch.

The building is now secured from violence and wanton dilapidation,
and as it has only to contend against the silent erosion of lichen and
wallflower, we may hope that it will long continue to adorn our district
— a monument of a far distant age and far different state of society, and
a beautiful and affecting link between the past and the present.

( 115 )

Remarks on the Sea Tree. By Mr William Baird.

Every person, the most unlearned even in the science of meteorology,
it may be observed, - pretendi*, by looking at the clouds, to be able to
foretell the changes of weather ; and many whose occupations lead them
to be much in the open air, have attained a very considerable degree of
knowledge in the matter. From observing that under certain states of
the clouds a change of weather has taken place, the weather-wise can
with considerable confidence predict a similar change to take place, upon
certain circumstances occurring again. Such observations may be duly
authenticated, but it is more difficult to assign a satisfactory reason for
the change taking place.

The object of this paper is to lay before the Club a few observations
upon a variety of one of the modifications of clouds, as connected with
the weather, which I have made at various times and places ; and though
I shall not perhaps be able to assign a satisfactory reason why such a
connexion should exist, I hope that the establishing the fact, that there
is such a connexion, will be more valuable, and perhaps better suited for
this Club, than an ill-contrived theory to support the assertion. The
great object of this Club is to collect facts ; and we should always bear
in mind, that whilst the finest spun theories have been swept away, like
the gossamer web, or the morning mist, before the first breeze of wind
that has blown, or have vanished " like the Borealis race, that flit e'er
ye can point their place," the hardier and more stubborn facts upon which
they have rested, have withstood the hardest gales — as the mighty oak,
" the monarch of the wood," only rises stronger from every blast that
blows, and strikes its roots the deeper in the ground, the more the tem-
pest strives to overwhelm it, — so they have only gained more strength
and stability from the rude assaults that have overthrown the superstruc-
tures which have been built upon them.

Of the seven modifications, or species, into which Howard and other
meteorologists have divided the clouds, three are simple and primary,
the others are compound. One of these primary species, called the
" Cirrus or Curl-cloud," is perhaps the most beautiful and diversified,
and is certainly the highest of all the modifications. Every person must
be acquainted with it in some one or other of its varieties — those beau-
tiful white, almost transparent, and finely formed tufts, like locks of
silken hair, which we so often see in fine weather pencilled high up in the
clear blue sky, especially when we have the wind in the east, and from
which shape the cloud takes its name of " cirrus or curl-cloud* — the
wild, dishevelled, streaming, poetical-looking appearance, which the same
lock of hair puts on at times, called the grey-mare's tail, proverbial as a
forerunner of a gale — the beautifully reticulated and scale- like cloud,
which we often see at an amazing distance in the cerulean sky, and which

1 IG MR BAIRD ON THE SEA-TRUE.

gives US some faint idea of the immensity of space, since our familiar
friends the clouds are at such a distance, — a cloud which is well known
to seamen as a prelude to a stiff breeze, and called the mackerel back * —
these or some other of its varieties are known to almost every one. The
way in which this cloud perhaps most generally makes its appearance, is
in a milkiness or turbid whiteness diffusing itself over some part of the
heaven. This gradually either descends in the atmosphere, or becomes
more condensed, and takes on some more decided appearance, such as
one of those I have already mentioned, or without taking on any of those
decided forms, stretches itself in long lines over the sky, and passes gra-
dually into one of the compound forms, " cirro-cumulus" or " cirro-
stratus." The " cirro-cumulus" has been finely described by the poet
Bloomfield, " the beauteous semblance of a flock at rest,'' and may be
considered the cloud of fine weather. The " cirro-stratus," however,
figures in many a sad change, and it is frequently in combination with
this compound form, that the " cirrus" is seen a mark of bad weather.
In variable and showery weather, when the shower has passed away, and
all appearance of rain is gone, when a few rocky " cumuli," or some de-
tached portions of " cirro-stratus" are only to be seen lingering in the
sky, we often perceive, shooting up between two or three of these clouds
I have mentioned, a light fleecy almost transparent cloud, branching out
at one side into fine radiations, like the down upon a feather, and hence
called " plumose cirri ;" when such are seen, we may almost certainly
conclude that the weather will continue changeable, and showers will
again prevail. This modification or variety is generally met with in
showery weather ; but there is another somewhat resembling this one,
which is very frequently only to be met with during a continuance of
fine settled weather, and which may be understood when I describe it as
two of these " plumose cirri" united, rendering it plumose on each side,
or giving somewhat the appearance of a tree, and called, I believe, by
the natives of Norfolk, the ^- Sea- Tree." It is this variety that I have
selected as the subject of this paper, and which, with few exceptions, I
have generally found as a sure sign of approaching rain. The weather
has been fine and settled-looking for some time, the sun rises clear and
unclouded, his mid-day ardour is moderated perhaps somewhat by those
elegant shaped parasols of heaven, — the beautiful fine weather cumuli ;
whilst he sinks in the evening to his western pillow in a flood of glory.
Day after day the same succession of weather takes place, and a long
continuance of such is predicted, till at last, on some warm or sultry
day, we perceive the " sea-tree" make its appearance, perhaps iso-
lated and waving its branches at an immense distance in the heavens,
perhaps its stalk rising out of a b£^nk of " cirro-stratus,'' its feathery or

* " Mackerel bncks and mares' tailri.
Make lofty sliips carry low si.ils,"
is an adage *e\l knov^u at sea.

MR BAIRD ON THB SBA-TREB. 117

arboreflcent summit flickering aloft and pointed towards the wind, and
immediately the meteorologist acquainted with its appearance, foretells
a change. I have observed this cloud in many different parts of the
world, and I have watched with great interest the change from dry to
wet weather take place, and found the same change produced between
the tropics, under the equator, in the burning climate of India, in the
cooler latitudes of a southern zone, as well as in our northern clime, in
the midst of the trackless ocean, as well as on land in our own county of
Berwick. From a meteorological journal I kept some years ago, during
a period of fifteen months in various parts of the world, I could produce
many instances to prove the connexion which seems to exist between the
appearance of this cloud, the " sea-tree," and wet weather. I could shew
it uninfluenced by climate, and independent of previous weather — and
producing the same effects when isolated from other clouds, as when
connected with, or rising out of " cirro-stratus." — I shall, however, select
the notice of a cloud of this description as seen very lately in Berwick-
shire, and the appearances of which were marked at the time. The un-
usual dry weather which has prevailed this last summer, renders perhaps
the appearance of this cloud and the results more remarkable than it
would have been, had the weather been wet and showery.

On the 3d of September, during a warm day, and after some continu-
ance of dry weather, the prevailing clouds being " cumuli," I observed
a bank of "cirro-stratus" hanging over the northern horizon, but at some
considerable height from the horizon. The wind was very gentle and
almost due south. * When looking up some little time after to the " cirro-
stratus," I observed, near the eastern part of the bank, two distinct
" sea-trees" shooting out of it ; their stalks, as it were, rising out of its
substance, but at the same time distinguished from the body of the
cloud by being darker in colour. They shot up into the sky, and their
arborescent heads pointed and waved in the direction from which the
wind was blowing. Whilst the " cirro-stratus" moved northwards with
the breeze, the sea-trees rose up against it, and some less well defined
clouds of the same description appeared rising out of the bank at its
western portion also. These threatening clouds continued visible for
some time, but gradually disappeared. As the aflernoon wore on, how-
" ever, " cirrus and cirro-stratus" blended, the one passing into the other,
took possession of the sky, and shewed that some change in the atmo-
sphere was already going on. About seven p. m. this stratum of cloud
had partly disappeared, and I did not observe the appearance of the sky
again that evening, which, however, was rather cold and chilly. In the
morning, however, about six or seven o'clock, the sky was again seen to
be covered with a pretty dense stratum of " cirro-stratus." ** Cumuli"
were mixed with it — the wind began to whistle — the stratum of cloud
became denser — and soon after "nimbus" formed, covered the whole
sky, and rain began to fall, continuing tluroughout the forenoon. It

B. N. c. NO. IV. H

118 MM. BAIRD ON THE SEA-TREE. *

cleared up during the afternoon to fine weather, which lasted till the 8th.
In the evening of the 7th, about ten p.m., a bank of " cirro-stratus" was
observed hanging over the eastern horizon, with the same kind of cirri,
the " sea-trees" shooting out of its upper edge and pointing towards the
south-west. No particular appearances had been observed, as indicating
rain during the day, but the moment I observed this arrangement of
clouds, as lighted up by the moon, which had just about eighteen hours
before completed her full, I prognosticated that we should have rain next
day. An hour afterwards I observed that the whole of the bank of
" cirro-stratus," with its accompanying " sea-trees," had passed away,
and the night looked still and clear. At seven a. m. of the 8th, however,
the sky was already covered with a pretty dense stratum of cloud, very
much resembling the passing of " cirro-stratus" into nimbus, and soon
afterwards rain fell. The rain continued, with short intervals of fair
weather, during the whole day and for most of the night ; and for seve-
ral successive days, we had abundance of the plumose variety of " cirrus'*
already mentioned, appearing in the intervals of large " cumuli," and ac-
companied, as I have also stated above is usually the case, with showery
unsettled weather.

One of the great uses of the " cirrus," according to nephelologists, is
the conducting electricity from one portion of the sky to another, and
thus keeping up the electric equilibrium of the atmosphere — a purpose
for which it is exceedingly well adapted, by the fine, tapering, needle-
like points, in which cirrose clouds are generally seen to terminate. The
passing a stream of electricity through a portion of water, produces a
rise in the temperature of the water, for " in the transmission of the
electric force," says Dr Murray,* " the transmitting medium, under a
certain degree of electrical intensity conveyed through it, sustains eleva-
tion of temperature." The clouds being water in the form of vapour,
will in all probability sustain an increase of temperature also, when a
current of electricity is passed through them, and thus most likely in-
crease the temperature of the surrounding atmosphere as well. Even
when no clouds are visible, there is still a quantity of watery vapour in
the sky, which will be heated by the electric stream. The " sea-tree"
being a cloud, the greater part of which consists of a body of fine points,
will in all probability be very intensely active in distributing electricity,
and will no doubt, during the time it remains visible, have conveyed a
large portion of this mysterious power through the aqueous vapour, in
that portion of the heavens where it is situated, and thus not only have
increased the temperature of this vapour, but also of the atmospheric air
surrounding it. In the description of the " sea-tree" in the former part
ef this paper, I have stated that the arborescent head of the cloud point-
ed toward* the quarter from which the wind blew, and from which the
rain afterwards came. Now, if the cloud be situated in the northern
* Mmray's Chemistry, vol. i. p. 383.

THE PAOVERB8 AND POPULAR 8AYING8 OF BBRW1CK8UIRB. 119

|)Brt of the sky, the air and aqueous vapour will in that quarter have
sustained an increase of temperature — becoming thus more elastic, and
rising up in the atmosphere, a greater or less degree of vacuum will be
produced — the colder air from the south will rush in to supply its place

condensation of the aqueous vapour will be the effect — and rain in all

probability will fall.

The Proverbs and Popular Sayings of Berwickshire. By Mr Hen-
derson, Surgeon, Chirnside.

In laying before the Club the following proverbs, with the few re-
marks thereto appended, my motive is to preserve, as far as possible,
some scattered remnants of the " rude forefathers of the hamlet" and
the shieling j and I hope I will be excused in this humble attempt to
illustrate these faint traces of the spirit and manners of the men of
other times, seeing that the immortal Ray himself did not think it be-
neath his notice, to collect the apophthegms of bygone ages. The most
of these sayings and proverbs may still be occasionally heard among
our aged peasantry, but it is probable that in the course of one or two
generations more, they will be entirely forgotten, and hence the necessity
of giving them a permanent form in the Transactions of this Club. In
other districts of the county, it is possible that other sayings may still
be in common use among the people, as several of those noticed are of
a very local nature, and seem to be confined to the eastern part of the
shire : they are all, however, which I have been able to collect.

1. " He has a conscience as wide as Coldingham Common.**

Before the year 1777, Coldingham Common was an extensive and un-
dirided waste, containing about 6000 acres. Since that period, some
portions of it have been planted and improved, and during the last ten
years, several feuars have taken up their residence upon it, and there pro-
tracted an uncomfortable existence on the scanty crop which it produces ;
but the greater proportion still remains covered with heath, interspersed
with bogs and mosses. In ancient times, this Common constituted part
of the forest belonging to the Abbey of Coldingham ; and it seems to
have been then partially covered with trees and brushwood — the roots
of oak, birch, and hazel being still frequently found in the soil, and the
peat-mosses being full of their decayed trunks and branches. This moor
has a singularly wild, bleak, and dreary aspect, and extends several
miles in extent in every direction : hence the proverb is with great ap-
propriateness applied to those persons of lax principles who can accpm.-

h2

120 MR HENDERSON ON THE'pROVERBS AND POPULAR SAYINGS

niodate their consciences to all circumstances, and who can stretch it td
any extent to suit their selfish purposes.

2. " The third and last of Ayton FairP

As the pleasant and thriving village of Ayton is well known to all the
members of the Club, it would be a waste of time to give any descrip-
tion of it here. When the good housewife has brought forth the last of
her stone of meal, potatoes, &c., it is usual with her to repeat the above
saying. How it originated, it is not easy to say.

3. « This is lihe Hilton Kirk."

The ancient parish of Hilton now forms the eastern part of Whitsome.
The kirk is in ruins, but its burial-ground is still used. The Rev. Da-
niel Douglas was minister here in Scotland's persecuting times, and he
had to flee to Holland to escape the fury of his enemies. He seems to
have been a man of apostolic simplicity, sincere piety, and every way
endowed as becomes a minister of the Gospel. After the Revolution he
returned to his charge at Hilton, and died there on the 24th July 1705,
in the eighty-sixth year of his age, and his Through is still pointed out
in the church-yard. A certain laird of Hilton, who had been freely re-
proved by Daniel Douglas for his licentiousness, so far forgot what was
due to decorum, as to drag the reverend gentleman from the pulpit.
Such a scene would naturally excite great disorder and confusion in the
congregation, and hence may have arisen the proverb, — as it is common-
ly applied to a noisy assembly of village politicians, or when things are
in great disorder about a house.

4. " This is like Cranshaw Kirk, therms as many dogs as folkV

In a wild pastoral region like that of Cranshaws, lying in the midst
of the Lammermuir Hills, it is usual for the shepherd dogs to accom-
pany their masters to the church, and, in times of severe stormy weather,
it may have happened that ^^vf people, except the shepherds, who are
accustomed to be out in all seasons, could attend divine service ; and in
such circumstances, it may have occurred that the dogs may have equal-
led in number the rational hearers of the Word, and hence has probably
originated the saying, which I have often heard applied by bustling ser-
vant-girls to a scene where three or four dogs were lying about the fire-
side, and impeding her in her work.

5. " H^s as bold as a Lamntermocyr Lion!*

A Lammermoor lion is a sheep, and the proverb is applied in a sarcas-
tic way to a boasting and assuming person. " As fierce as a lion of
Cotswold," is an English proverb, and bears the same meaning.

OF BERWICKSHIRE. 121

6. " We'li gang a* together, like the folk o* the Shiek"

I have heard that Lammerton Shiels is the place here referred to.
Others say it is a Shiels somewhere in the Merse, but the name is so
common in Scotland, that we have some doubts whether it ought to be
admitted as a peculiar proverb of this county. It is, however, very com-
mon in the mouths of the peasantry, when any party of them wish to
accompany another to their homes from kirns and other social meetings.

7. " Go to Birgham and buy bickersP

This is said to a person whom one is desirous to get rid of. Birgham
is a small but ancient village on the north bank of the Tweed, a few
miles below Kelso. Tiie Scottish competitors for the crown, in the time
of King Edward I., met here in 1291 to acknowledge that ambitious
king as their supreme lord and master ; and hence the place became
odious to all true patriots of the Scottish nation, and was associated in
their minds with the abominable transaction of those who bartered away
tiie independence of their country for a precarious crown ; and it is sup-
posed that this popular saying originated in the contempt with which
the common people viewed the ignoble transaction of their superiors.

8. " WeWe like the folk o* Kennetside-heads, we hoe it a* before us,**

Kennetside-heads is a farm in the western extremity of the parish of
Eccles. The occasion which gave rise to this proverb, is said to have
been the following : — A person passing the place on an afternoon, about
the end of harvest, found a band of reapers taking their ease by the
road-side. He asked them, Why were they resting so long, Avhen they
had so much corn to cut ? One of the band answered, " It is our kirn
day, and we hae it a* before us, before the sun is down," — meaning
thereby, that they had it fully under their command. But when the
traveller returned pretty late in the evening, he found the " folk o* Ken-
netside-heads" still shearing by moonlight ; and hence the saying is fre-
quently used by the labourers in the time of harvest, in a sort of mock
way, to indicate that they need not work too hard, because they have it
all before them. Or it is applied as a warning to those who are too con-
fident in their own powers, and who are hence rather lax in their exer-
tions— " not to be like the folk o* Kennetside-heads."

9. " He*sfoiher*8 better, cooper o* Fogo,^
The village of Fogo, which at one time seems to have been of consi-
derable size, has now dwindled down to a few houses, and all its coopers
have become extinct. This proverb is very common in Berwickshire,
and is applied to the son who equals or surpasses his father in any handi-
craft or profession, although it is oftener used in a bad sense. Who the
far-famed cooper was, we have no accounts, but the following rhyming

122 MR HENDERSON ON THE PROVERBS AND POPULAR SAYINGS

commeDtary, which I have once or twice heard, so far explains the mys-
tery why he was so celebrated.

** He's faither's better, cooper o' Fogo,
At girding a barrel, or making a coggie,
Touming a stoup, or kissing a rogueie."

1 0. " Dunse dings a\"

For what no one can tell. May it not have originated in consequence
of the encampment of General Leslie on Dunse Law, with his 20,000
men, in May 1639 ? Dunse might then have been said to beat all the
country.

11." Ilka bannock had its maike (equal) but the bannock o' ToUishilir

ToUishill is a farm in Lauderdale, and its bannock was unequalled,
because gold was baked in it for the purpose of being conveyed to John,
first Duke of Lauderdale, a loyal adherent of Charles II., and remark-
able in after times for his political power and rapacity, when he was
confined in the Tower, after the battle of Worcester, in 1651. The
heroine who baked the bannock and conveyed it to her landlord, for
which purpose she went up to London, was Margaret Lylestone, wife to
Tlwmas Hardie, tenant in Tulloshill. There were anciently three farms
of Tullos in Lauderdale, and from her abode, by way of distinction, she
was called Midside Maggie. For further information on this matter, we
refer to the late John M. Wilson's " Tales of the Borders;" a tale on the
same subject by Miss Margaret Corbett, in Chambers' Journal, No. 146 ;
and to a ballad, entitled " The Gudewife of Tulloshill," by James Mil-
ler, author of " St Baldred of the Bass."

1 2. " Yot^ll hae your ain way like the miller o* Billymill, although the

Merse should sinkr

What the particular way of the miller referred to was, we cannot
learn, but we have heard it (and that only once) applied to those who
are particularly headstrong and self-willed. Billymill stands upon a
small stream in the parish of Buncle, and is a lonely place, quite out of
the thoroughfare of any road.

1 3. " YoiCre like the Miser o' Reston^ yoiCll rather be drmvned than

pay for a tJieeker^

It is said that a person of considerable property, who died in Reston
about forty years ago, was so parsimonious, that rather than give a few
shillings to a thatcher to mend the roof of his house, he allowed the rain
to descend upon him at his own fire-side, only warding it off as well as
he could with a large wecht and the girdle ; and hence the saying is ap-
plied to those who are excessively niggardly and economical in their
habits.

OF hbrwickshire. 123

14. ** Ye're like the lady o* Bemerside^ yell no sell your hen in a rainy

dayr

This is a common saying in the south of Scotland. — Chambers' Po-^
pular Rythmes of Scotland^ p. 162.

15. " In JEdencraw, wliere the toitches bide cCV

This is a common saying in all the eastern parts of Berwickshire, and
is often uttered as an expression of contempt for the place. Auchencrawj
or, as it is usually pronounced, Edencraw^ is a small decayed village in
the south-west extremity of the parish of Coldingham, containing about
200 inhabitants. How the proverb arose, we liave no means of ascer» f
taining ; liut we well remember of an old friendless woman called Mar-
garet Qirvan, dying in an old smoky hut, about twenty-five years ago,
on a very windy day^ and she was said to be the last of the Edencraw
witches. It was anciently a popular belief, that when the witches de-
parted this life, there was always a very high wind ; and on the day iu
question, this belief was confirmed beyond a doubt, the wind blowing
down the house formerly possessed by James Bonner, author of a work
on Bees. It has been supposed that the greater number of the seven or
eight unfortunate women, whom Home of Renton, then Sheriff of Ber-
M ickshire, some time previous to the Revolution, caused to be burned
for witchcraft at Coldingham, belonged to this village, and perhaps if
search was made in the proper quarters, the names of those unhappy
victims of a dark and superstitious age might yet be discovered. That
the women of Auchencraw were suspected, long after the above mention-
ed period, of exercising the black art, we have the following instance oc-
curring in the Session-records of Chirnside : — In May 1 700, Thomas
Cooky servant in Blackburn (in Billy Myne), was indicted before the
Kirk-session of Chirnside " for scoring or scratching a woman in Auchen-
craw, above the breath (t. e, on the brow), in order to the cure of a dis-
ease that he laboured under." Of course he imagined that the woman
had inflicted the disease upon him, by her power with the Evil One ; and
it was believed, if a witch could be cut upon the brow, carving thereon
the sign of the cross, that her compact with the devil was instantly dis-
solved.

16. " You are like the dead folk of Arsiltoum (Earlston), no to lippen

tor

I know nothing of the origin of this singular saying, but we hear it
often applied by the peasantry, in a jocular way, to those whom they
are not altogether sure of trusting.

( 124 )

Account of the Produce of the Fishery of Sandstell, from the earliest
Information contained in my Fathei^s booksy that have been preserved.
By William Waite, Esq.

Year.

1737
1742

1743
1744

1745

1746
1747

1748
1752
1753
1754

1755

1756

1757
1758
1759
1760

1761
1762
1763

1764

1765
1766
1767
1768

1769

1770
1771
1772
1773
1774
1775
1776
1777
1778
1779
1780
1781
1782
1783
1784
1785
1786
1787
1788
1789

1790

Salmon.

1486

2694
1582

1666
1940

52

1206
3836

7024
4372
6386
4476

4682

4558

1846
4714
5988
8934

4812
8684
6472

11216

17484
8538
6552
6826

6006

8970
12852
8308
9238
3008
7176
8388
3736
2836
5374
5496
6878
2904
1922
2498
1906
2800
3856
1477
2577

2498

Gilses.

No

account.

Do.

300

606

No

account.

Do.

840
5150

2042

560

922
5710

1914
No
account.
Do.
3354
3816
1020

1153

2880

2226

No
account.

Do.

2486

1688

2046-

No
account,

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.

Do.
4400

640
4419

1513

Trouts.

398

3068

400 i
1002

402
500

No

account.

960
1030

634
420
512
392

350

634

654
366
122
106

128

446
592

782

1300

954

988
1140

376

1702
1144
1848
3408
2574
2280
1544

Notes of anv thing bemarkablb bblatino to the
Fishery.

1938

2536

864

730

258

1346

986

769

1224

2558

1454

1465

No

Account.

The account of the first of these seasons only comes
down to 31st July ; the second to 13th August ; the
remainder lost. No account to be found of Sand-
still of 1738-39-40-41, but all these seasons were
good in Blakewell.

N. B. Sandstill, in 1745, had on the 13th April pro-
duced 52 salmon, but her ground was then thought
so bad, that the fishermen deserted her, and went
to Scotland, though I have often heard Mr Lam-
bert say, had they continued, they would have
fished as well as usual.

N.B. Caught in Sandstill, on 10th July 1747, in
one tide, 170 salmon, 630 gilses — in all 700 fish.

No account of 1749-50-51 to be found.

N. B. In 1754, caught in Sandstill, in one tide, 300
salmon and 900 gilses— in all 1200 fish.

In 1757, Hallowstell a great year. Sandstell ground
had likely been bad.

N. B. 1760. Believed the most plentiful season ever
known in the Tweed. A great quantity of salmon
sold at 9d., 8d., and one day at 4d. per stone.
One flood on a Monday supposed to produce
10,000 salmon — N.B. In all these years, very
few trouts.

N, B. The greatest year that ever was in Sandstell.

N. B. About this period, the Bull commenced fish-
ing, and had some very great years.

In July 1770, my father died. For yearq after that,
the gilse books either lost or mislaid.

iV. B. About this period, the hole in the Meadow
Haven began to increase, and lowering the beacon
rocks for smugglers' ballast, — both certainly inju-
rious to the Tweed, but Sandstell particularly.

N. B. In 1782, two most remarkable floods in May,
which injured Sandstell ground excessively, and
certainly hurt the Tweed fishing generally.

Sandstell ground not so good for many years after
the Floods in 1782.

y. B. In 1787, a great salmon season, but few
gilses. Terrots, and the Tweed generally, much
better in proportion than Sandstell. — iST. B. In
1787 and 1/89, great quantities of salmon in both
seasons, but from badness of Sandstell ground,
and constant floods, did not get our proportion in
either season.

ACCOUNT OP THE PRODUCE OF THE FISHERY OF 8AN08TELL. 125

Year.

Salmon.

onaet.

Trouta.

1 NoTBt OV ANT THIIfO RXMARKABLB EBLATIMO TO TUB
FiSHBRT.

1791

2732

5318

5828

1792

6900

4111

2336

N. B. 1792. The first good year in Sandstell since
the floods in May 1/82, but still not in propor..

tion to the river generally.

1793

2532

4526

5050

1794

4236

10534

3484

N. B. In 1794, a great giUe time, between 3000
and 4000 gilses in one week. A most uncommon
absence or fish from beginning of June till end of

July, after that great fashing, particularly gilses.

1795

7380

7046

3499

1795. A great year.

1796

4715

3253

2221

1797

5494

4792

3038

N. B. A great year in the Tweed, but too many
floods for Sandstell.

1798

4640

4801

1726

N. B. This year Sandstell ground still bad, as Te-
rott's fishings more than doubled her. The Bull

particularly great — L.500 worth of salmon in one
week.
N. B. A most promising year and far advanced, but
in August, and to conclusion, ruined with large

1799

5235

6075

2843

and constant floods.

1800

2863

6264

1055

N. B. Terott's this year again better than Sandstell

1801

4524

15365

2263

in proportion.
N. B. The greatest gilse year ever was in the
Tweed. In all our concerns, 50,588 gilses.

1802

3832

2634

1324

N. B. A middling year.

1803

2206

:;4851

1327

N. B. The worst and scarcest spring fishing ever
recollected : almost nothing down to very end of
June. Excellent fishing after that, but &ndstell
not good. One of the best years in Terrot's.

JV.5. Much hurt with floods.

1804

2660

3342

2312

1805

1958

4074

18761
1742 j

Two poor seasons, but worse in Sandstell than in

1806

2050

3000

Terott's, &c.

1807

3048

6356

21921
2196/

N. B. Improving, but both seasons hurt with fre-

1808

4676

4410

quent thunder-storms and floods.

1809

2510

3294

1296

N.B. A tolerable vear in Sandstell, but from per-
petual floods, the M'orst year ever known in the
Tweed in my time. Lost considerably on the

leases.

1810

3080

3975

1719

N. B. Half Blakewell included this year and after-

1811

3798

3154

1674

wards.

1812

2219

7682

2653

N. B. A good gilse season.

1813

3568

6997

3181

1814

6299

9123

4408

An excellent fishing season.

1815

4944

12442

6458

A capital gilse season.

Goou fishing, but depressed prices.

1816

5108

13464

7306

1817

2976

5922

3980

Good in Sandstell compared with other fishings.

1818

4040

7830

4624

( 126 )

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( 127 )

Remarks on the' Aurora Borealts, as it occurred at Berwick on the
Evenings of Tuesday 11 th and Wednesday I8th November 1835..
By Mr William Baird.

In a paper which I read to the Club this time two years, I there stated
that the appearance, especially vivid displays of the Aurora Borealis,
seemed generally to have a decided connection with the weather, and
that wind, or rain, or both generally, followed the occurrence. The ap-
pearances which I then, with a feeble pen, essayed to describe, I men-
tioned had been followed by violent storms of wind and rain, and that
the disastrous effects of these had been felt on all our shores. In Lou-
don's Magazine several short notices may be seen of these phenomena,
accompanied with journals of the weather succeeding, all of which sup-
port the opinion I had also attempted to establish.

Since the time of my last notice, opportunities have again offered of
observing these phenomena in this district, and the succeeding storms
of wind and rain which have desolated our coasts, have fully borne out
the opinion of their intimate connection with the weather. The remarks
which I shall now submit to the notice of the Club, corroborative of my
former paper, I shall throw together in the form of a journal, kept for a
short period about the time of their appearance.

Sunday i 15M November 1835. — The weather was this day remarkably
fine and mild.

ICM, Weather extremely fine, mild, and calm throughout the day,
the sun shining out with all the warmth of a day in spring. Wind
westerly.

\lthi During the day the weather was fine and mild ; wind westerly ;
a gentle breeze during the day, but increasing a little as evening began
to set in. During the evening, the clouds which had obscured the sky
during afternoon, partly cleared away, and a fine display of Aurora was
observed. I unfortunately did not see them myself this evening, but
they were described as being very vivid here, and were observed the
same night at Cockburnspath, being described there as producing such
a degree of light as if the moon were near her full. At Berwick they
were observed at times shooting up in pencils of light, while at Cock-
burnspath they were seen in the form of bright white cloudy -like masses
of light, not possessed of much motion. During the display of these
phenomena the wind was moderate, blowing from the westward ; but
about two or three o'clock of the following morning, the 18th, it
rapidly increased, and soon blew a gale from the south-west, unaccom-
panied with rain. As morning advanced it took a nortli-westerly direc-
tion, and at ten a.m. it blew a fierce storm, which continued during
forenoon, but gradually abated about two or three o'clock in the after-
noon. Several fishing boats belonging to Coldingham had gone out

128 MR BAIRD ON THE AURORA BORBALIS.

early in the morning upon their usual avocations. They were caught
in the storm while out in deep water, and were obliged to take refuge
from the gale by attempting to run for Eyemouth and Burnmouth har-
bours. Several of them reached the desired havens in safety ; but one
poor boat, less lucky than the rest, and manned by a gallant crew of six
men, some of them the flower of their village, while struggling with the
tempest, was hidden by a mighty wave from the eyes of their comrades,
and swallowed up by the roaring ocean. The Aurora of Tues-
day night, it appears, was observed simultaneously at great distances
from Berwick. At Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Banff, it was seen very vivid,
and the storm which succeeded its display, it also appears, has raged all
along the north-east coast of Scotland. Every succeeding day brought
in from the more distant quarters of the country tidings of still more
fatal disasters. At Peterhead, St Comb's, Gardenston, Collin 'Bay,
Johnshaven, Banff, and other places on the coast, fishing-boats, all in-
tent upon their perilous avocations, were caught in the storm, which,
veering round from south-west to north-west, took them at unawares,
and, in too many instances, at all the places I have mentioned, produced
the most fatal results. Many were but too surely swallowed up by the
raging sea, while others have been amissing, some of which, it is feared,
have shared the same melancholy fate. Coasting-vessels all along the
north-east shore have experienced shipwreck, and the most fearful de-
vastation has taken place. Nor did its fury make itself be felt at sea
alone — on the dry land houses were unroofed, trees blown down, and
tiles and slates driven about by the force of the gale, like chaff or fea-
thers. At Berwick the gale abated about two or three o'clock in the
afternoon, decreasing to a moderate breeze, whilst, in the evening,
the most splendid display of Aurora took place that I had ever on any
occasion witnessed. It seems to have commenced at half-past seven
p. M., and to have attained its greatest brightness about eight. At this
hour the scene presented by their appearance was magnificent beyond
description. An immense concourse of beautiful pencils of light, vary-
ing in intensity from the most vivid brightness to a mild effulgence, shot
up from the east, north and west, now flickering, then blazing, shorten-
ing, and lengthening themselves alternately, till they reached the zenith,
and there converging together in a flood of light. The beautiful ap-
pearance thus presented, was said by one poetic, imaginative spectator,
to resemble an angel's wing — but it would require a pen snatched from
the plumes of that angel's wing itself, to describe with justice the amaz-
ingly magnificent scene that then was unfolded to our wondering and
admiring eyes. This truly astonishing display continued visible for
some time — then changed its appearance, and during the rest of the
evening assumed at intervals almost every possible variety of configura-
tion. At one time the whole sky, even far to the southward, was co-
vered with bright, white, cloudy-like thin masses, in constant motion

MR BAIRD ON THB AURORA B0REALI8. 129

now flickering over the whole heavens, then suddenly withdrawn like

a veil from off the sky, but only for a moment, having their places al-
most immediately supplied by a fresh host in amazingly rapid motion.
When watching these bright visitants in their rapid career over the
sky, it was almost impossible not to be convinced that the ear could dis-
tinctly trace their quick sound as they passed over. The wind, however,
was blowing at the same time in short quick gusts, the sea was to be dis-
tinctly heard in the distance, and the hum and noise of the town came
also by fits upon the ear, so that it was impossible to ascertain, with any
thing like precision, whether or not the sound was imaginary, or a por-
tion, as it were, of some of the various noises I have mentioned. At
another time, after these fairy clouds had vanished, a bright broad arch
of light would form over the northern horizon, with thousands and tens
of thousands of short rays proceeding out of its upper edge, disappear-
ing after they had shot up a few degrees, in a narrower arch extending
over the other, from whose upper edge longer and brighter pencils flash-
ed up to the zenith. After continuing thus for some time, these arches
might be seen themselves in rapid motion, moving with all their bright
rays issuing from them, away to the west ; a host of short coloured rays
at times dancing, and leaping and skipping, along their edges with fan-
tastic motions, well deserving the name so appropriately applied to
them, the Merry Dancers. Soon after the arches became in motion,
they might be observed to be formed altogether almost in the west, but
it appeared to me that, though the southern quarter of the sky, at va-
rious times during the evening, was more covered with these meteors
than I had ever seen before, the arch never moved its western limb far-
ther southward than a point or two beyond due west. Once, while
watching this arch in motion, it seemed to stop with one of its limbs
about due west, while the other continued still to move steadily on from
the north, and, as it shortr ned the distance between the two limbs, and
contracted the space contained within the arch, the centre of the arch
rose higher up into the sky, and increased apparently in brightness.
This almost circular arch continued visible only for a short time, and
was truly beautiful. The arch itself, as I have said, increased in bright-
ness as it rose higher up in the heavens, and continued to shoot out from
its upper edge immense quantities of bright rays which converged in
the zenith, while it appeared to be bounded on the south-west and
north-west by immense pyramidal-shaped pillars of living fire, which
shot out directly from the horizon, and extended up to the zenith in huge
jets of startling brightness, givingtothe imaginative mind the idea of
watchfulsentinels, waving their swords of flame in protection of their
weaker and more timid comrades. The meteors continued visible thus,
constantly varying in appearance, till a late hour in morning, having
been observed still pretty bright at three o'clock. During the whole
time they lasted, they gave out a great degree of light, and though, at

l30 MR BAIRD ON THE AURORA BORBALIS.

the time of their commencement, it only wanted thirty -six hours of nety
moon, the night was fully as light and clear as if she had been at her
full. At all times, and during every variety of configuration, the stars
'COiikl be distinctly seen shining through them with scarcely any dimi-
nution of their brightness* The brightest exhibitions, during the even-
ing, were very evidently from the westward, and what struck me as re-
markable, the greater part of the southern hemisphere at times was co-
vered with them also. The morning of Thursday the 1 9th was clear,
tvith slight frost ; but as the day advanced it became cloudy ; the frost
gave way, and rain succeeded in the evening. The rain increased as
evening advanced, and continued all night, and all the morning of next
day, the 20th. In the forenoon, however, it cleared up, and continued
fair, though frequently threatening rain all the rest of the day.

21*^, Clouds continued to cover the sky, and collect in great quanti-
ties in the forenoon at 1 p. m. passing into nimbus, which soon extended
all over the sky, and descended in continued heavy rain during the
whole day. In the evening the wind, which has all along been from the
westward, began to rise, and soon increased to a smart gale, with much
and heavy rain all night long. The wind fell, and the rain abated in the
morning of the 22d, which commenced fine ; but during the forenoon
the clouds again collected from the westward. Extensive nimbus again
formed, and spread over the whole sky about 1 p. m., and descended in
torrents of rain during the rest of the day, and during the whole night.
Early in the morning the Tweed was observed, from the previous day
find night's rain, to be swollen to top flood, and all the streams were
flooded throughout the neighbourhood. As the rain, however, came
from the west, it was in the western parts of the country that the great-
est damage was done. A reference to the newspapers of the period
will shew a constant succession of fatal accidents, where, from the swoll-
en state of the streams, considerable loss of life took place, both men
and horses being in many cases swept away and overwhelmed by the
.torrents. But it was at Greenock that the most fearful devastation
took place, and the dreadful event that occurred there during the night
and morning of the 21st and 22d, whether considered in the view of the
mere damage done to property, or the more frightful loss of human life,
will long be remembered in that quarter with feelings of dismay. The
-Very large reservoir which collects the water destined for the supply of
the various mills and public works about Cartsdyke, and which is situ-
ated on high ground about a mile above that suburb of Greenock, was
60 immensely filled by its overflowing feeders, that the embankments,
though said to be 150 feet thick, became no longer able to bear the huge
pressure of water, and gave way with dreadful fury. The torrent of wa-
ter which now escaped, rushed into another dam a little below it, which
also gave way, and, increased thus to a frightful extent, bore death and

MR BAIRD ON THE AURORA BORBALI8. 131

destruction before it ; the older houseS) and buildings which opposed its
course were swept away like gossamers' webs before the morning breeze,
and men, women and children, while warm in their beds, and fearing no
danger, were in a moment buried in the ruins of their frail tenements,
and hurried by the raging torrent along with the wreck of their proper-
ty, into immediate destruction. Onward with its victims flowed the
fearful mass of water, and when it reached the newer and more strongly
built houses, it raged and roared at finding itself impeded in its head-
long fury, and rose in sheets of spray over the tallest buildings. It still,
however, notwithstanding these short checks, continued its path of de-
struction, and taking some of the streets in its course, plowed up the
pavement as if it were a bed of sand, and forcing its way into the lower
parts of the houses on each side, swept away their furniture, and com-
mitted the most dreadful destruction. Upwards of forty human lives
were lost in this fearful night, and some of the most extraordinary and
almost miraculous escapes took place that can well be conceived. It is
not the object of this paper to give the details of this sad calamity ; but
it will long be remembered in the neighbourhood of Greenock as one of
the most appalling events that has ever occurred there.

2Sdj The forenoon was fair, but cloudy. Nimbus formed, however,
at about 1 p. m., and it rained heavily all the rest of the day and evening*

2i(hf Was fine and mild all day.

25thy Forenoon fair, but cloudy. Nimbus formmg again about mid-
day, and considerable rain falling during afternoon and evening.

26thy Forenoon fine and clear. Towards noon cirri began to form
aloft, in some places assuming the plumose figure. In aflernoon they
descended in atmosphere, and gradually condensing became cirro-stra-
tus. In evening the wind rose to a fresh breeze, nimbus formed, spread
over sky, and heavy rain took place.

It is unnecessary to continue the Journal farther. The storms and
floods which I have attempted to give some idea of in the above pages,
will, I think, when taken in connection with such exceedingly vivid dis-f
plays of the Aurora as I have attempted to describe, fiilly bear out the
opinion which has been so frequently adopted, of their intimate reIatioi»
with these bright, beautiful, and interesting phenomena.

( 132 )

Habitats for Plants, either not mentioned in Ih Johnstorls Flora of
Berwick^ or rarely met with within its limits. By Francis Douglass,
M. D.

ZosTERA marina. Holy Island.

Veronica scutellata, Smailholm Bog.

Fedia olitoria. Stitchell Lynn.

ScHCENUS nigricans, Learmouth Bog.

SciRPUS maritimus. Mouth of Warren Water, abundant.

Bromus secalinus. Field near Smailholm.

HoRDEUM murinum. Home Castle, and abundant about Kelso.

Parietaria officinalis. Old Walls at Ford, Crookham, Etal, &c.

Anchusa sempervirens, Polwarth Church.

Anagallis tenella. Holy Island, near the Snook.

Solan UM Dulcamara. Hedge, Learmouth.

Gentiana amarella. At Holy Island. Fl. invariably white.

CEnanthe pimpinelloides. Mouth of Warren Water, plentiful, — but
with the characters also of CE. peucedanifolia, having linear
radical leaflets, and frequently wanting the universal in-
volucre.

JuNCUS coenosus. Holy Island.

Epilobium alpinum. On the sides of College Water, Hen-Hole, Che-
viot, sparingly.

Vaccinium oxycoccos. Yeavering Bell. Learmouth Gorse.

Pyrola rotundifolia, Learmouth Gorse, in great beauty and profusion.

Pyrola minor. Wood near Smailholm.

DiANTHUS deltoidesy var. ^. With pure white flowers on Nenthorn Hill.

Aren Am A peploides. Bay, Holy Island.

PoTENTiLLA argentctt, Stitchell Lynn.

Nuphar lutea. Eden, near Mellerstain.

Ranunculus Lingua, Banks of Eden, near Mellerstain, with the above.

Trollius europceus. Hen-hole, Cheviot.

Betonica officinalis. Bradford Dean, Belford ; and Dean at Kyloe.

ScROPHULARiA oquotica, Eden, at Nenthorn.

Lepidium campestre, Lowick Quarries.

CocHLEARiA officinalis. Hen-hole, Cheviot.

Nasturtium terrestre, Lithtillum Loch.

Sisymbrium Sophia, Learmouth.

Geranium lucidum, Stitchell Lynn ; Dryburgh Abbey.

Malva Moschata, Birgham. Mertoun, with occasional white flowers.

Genista anglica. Greenlaw Moor.

Astragalus Glycyphyllos, Sea-banks near Bamborough.

Medicago sativa. Holy Island Links.

Hypericum humifusum. Nenthorn.

MR 8BLBY ON THE FAUNA OF TWIZBLL. 133

HiERACiUM umhellatum. Hen-hole, Cheviot.

Carlina vulgaris, Bamborough Links.

Eriqbron cunis, A solitary specimen found on Holy Island, in August

1835.
Inula dysenterica. Holy Island Links. Confined to a small spot. Not

in flower either in 1835 or 1836.
Chrysanthemum Segetum. Fields at Gordon.
LisTERA ovata. Holy Island Links.

cordala. Wood near Smailholni.

Euphorbia exigua. Road-side near Smailholm.

Typha latifolia, Eden, above Nenthorn. Lithtillum Loch.

Carex cwta, Learmonth Gorse.

limosa. Bog near Smailholm Tower.

hirta. Birgham, with smooth herbage.

Arum maculatum* Stitchell.
Rhodiola rosea, Ken-holo, Cheviot.

Fii^e Report on tfie Fauna of Twizell. By P. J. Selby, Esq.

Having commenced, a short time ago, what is intended (when com-
pleted) to form a Fauna of Twizell, the following is a list of the verte-
brate animals, which have already come under my notice.

MAMMALIA.

QuADRUMANA. Sorex araneus, Linn.
Vesper ti If onidce. fodiens, Gmel.

Vcspertilio pipistrellus, Desm. Erinaceus europseus, Linn.

emarginatus? Geoff.
Plecotus auritus, Geoff. Glires.

Mus sylvaticus, Linn.
Ferce, musculus, Linn.

Miistela putorius, Linn. decumanus, Pall.

erminea, Linn. Arvicola amphibia, Desm.
vulgaris, Linn. agrestis, Flam.

Lutra vulgaris, Desm. Lepus timidus, Linn.
Canis vulpes, Linn. cunicutus, Linn.

Talpa europaea, Linn.

AVES.

Raptores. Falco tinnunculus, Linn.

Falconidce. iEsalon, Gmel.

Haliaetus albicilla, Sav. Accipiter fringillarius, Vig.

Falco peregrinus, Gmel. Buteo vulgaris, Bechst.

B. N. C. — NO. IV. I

134

MR SELBY ON THE FAUNA OF TWIZELL.

Buteo lagopus, Flem.
Pernis apivorus, Cuv.
Circus rufus, Briss.

cyaneus, Flem.

Strigidce.
Otus vulgaris^ Flem.

brachyotos, Flem.
Strix fiammea, Linn.
Ulula stridula, Selby.

Insessores.
Fissirostres.
Hirundo riparia, Linn,
rustica, Linn,
urbica, Linn.
Cypselus murarius, Temm.
Caprimulgus europaeus, Linn.
Alcedo Ispida, Linn.

Dentirostres.
Muscicapa grisola, Linn.

luctuosa, Temm.
Lanius excubitor, Linn.
Merula viscivora, Selb.
pilaris, Selb.
musica, Selb.
Iliaca, Selb.
vulgaris, Ray.
torquata, Selb,
Cinclus aquaticus, Bechst.
Saxicola Ginanthe, Bechst.
rubetra, Bechst.
rubicola, Bechst.
Erythaca rubecula, Swain.
PhcBnicura ruticilla, Swain.
Salicaria locustella, Selb.

Phragmitis, Selb.
Curruca atricapilla, Bechst.
hortensis, Bechst.
cinerea, Bechst.
Sylvia hippolais. Lath, (rufa, T
sibilatrix, Bechst.
trochilus, Lath.

Regulus auricapillus, Selb.
Parus major, Linn.

coeruleus, Linn.

palustris, Linn.

ater, Linn.

caudatus, Linn,
Accentor niodularis, Cuv.
Motacilla alba, Linn.

boarula, Linn.
Anthus pratensis, Bechst.
arboreus, Bechst.
Bombycilla garrulus, Bonap.

Conirostres.
Alauda arvensis, Linn,
arborea, Linn.
Plectrophanes nivalis, Meyer.
Emberiza miliaria, Linn,
citrinella, Linn,
schoeniculus, Linn.
Passer domesticus, Ray.
Fringilla coelebs, Linn.

montifringilla, Linn.
Carduelis spin us, Steph.
elegans, Steph.
Linnaria cannabina, Swain.
minor, Ray.
chloris.
Loxia curvirostra, Linn.
Pyrrhula vulgaris, Temm.
Sturnus vulgaris Linn.
Corvus corax, Linn,
corone, Linn,
cornix, Linn,
frugilegus, Linn,
monedula, Linn.
Pica Hielanoleuca, Vieill.
Garrulus glandarius, Flem.

Scansores.
Picus major, Linn,
emm). Certhia familiaris, Linn.

Troglodytes europaeus, Selb.
Cuculus canorus, Linn.

MR SELBY ON THE FAUNA OF TWIZELL.

Rasores. Crex porzana, Selb.

Columba Palumbus, Linn. Gallinula chloropus, Latli.

Phasianus colchicus, Linn. Vanellus cristatus, Meyer.

Tetrao Tetrix, Linn. Charadrius pluvialis, Linn.
Lagopus Scoticus, Selb. morinellus, Linn.

Perdix cinerea, Briss. hiaticula, Linn.

135

GraUaiores,

Ardea cinerea, Lath.
Numenius arquata, Lath.
Tetanus ochropus, Temm.

hypoleucos, Temm.
Scolopax nisticola, Linn.

Gallinago, Linn.

Gallinula, Linn.
Rallus aquaticus, Liun.
Crex pratensis, Beehst.

Sauria.
LacertidcB.
Lacerta agilis, Flera.

Ophidia.
Anguidce.
Anguis fragilis, Linn.

SerpentidcB,
Pelias Berus, Bonap.

NcUatores.
Anser ferus, Flem.
Anas Boschas, Temm.

crecca) Linn.

Clangula chrysophthalmos, Steph.

Podiceps minor, Lath.

Larus ridibundus, Linn.

canus, Linn.

fuscus, Linn.

REPTILIA.

Ab«»hibia.
Caducibranchia.
Ranid(B,
Rana temporaria, Linn.
Bufo vulgaris, Flem.

Salamandridce,
Triton palustris, Flem.
aquaticus, Flem.

PISCES.

Cobitis barbatula, Linn.

SalmonidtB.
Salmo Trutta, Linn.
Fario, Linn.
Eriox ? Linn.

Acanthopteryoii.
Loricati.
Gasterosteus aculeatus, Linn.

Malacopterygii.
Abdominales,

CyprinidiB.
Leuciscus phoxinus, Yarr.

The list of the mammalia, as might be expected, is limited, and offers
little for observation. Among the bats, is one I take to be the Ves.
emarginatusy Geoff., described by Mr Jenyns in his Manual, and consi-
dered a rare species. Sorex fodiensy though not frequently seen, ow-
ing to its retired habits, is pretty common about the brooks and ditches,
but its nearly allied congener, the S, remifer of Geoff., has not yet been

136 MR SELBY ON THE FAUNA OF TWIZELL.

met with. The otter also now rarely occurs ; and no recent instance of
the badger {Meles Taxus) frequenting his former burrows, has for many
years past been observed. The ornithological list exhibits a considera-
ble number of species belonging to the first three orders, particularly that
of the Insessores, which may be attributed to the variety of the ground,
and the extensive plantations upon the property, so congenial to the ha-
bits of the majority of its members. Among the Falconidae, is the cine-
reous sea-eagle {HaL albicilla), as I have twice had the gratification of
seeing this noble bird wing his way across the fields, on his route from
the coast to the higher parts of the country. The honey-buzzard {Per-
nis apivorus) one of our rarest raptorial birds, has already been noticed
and exhibited to the members of the Club. Bombycilla garrula, the
lonely wax-wing chatterer, I have twice seen at distant intervals ; and the
Loxia curvirostra (common crossbill) is not an unfrequent visitant. The
Picus major (greater spotted woodpecker) is the only species I have
noticed : its visits are short and uncertain, and generally confined to the
period of its autumnal migratory movements. The creeper {Certhia
familiaris), is however abundant, and resides with us the whole year.
That delightful songster the wood-lark, Alauda arborea, has only once
been met with. Among the Grallatores, the Totanus ochropus (green
sandpiper) and the Grex Porzana (spotted crake) are the only species
of rare occurrence. In the class Reptilia, the Anguis fragilis (blind or
slow-worm) is frequently seen in the dens, as is also the common viper
or adder of the country, which upon examination I find to be the Pelias
Berus of Bonaparte, the Vipera communis of Jenyns. The red and
dark brown varieties are sometimes met with, which in a great measure
I believe depend upon the state or age of the epidermis, as well as the
sex of the reptile.

( 137 )

Address to the Members of the Berwickshire Naturalist^ Cluh^ after
the Sixth Anniversary Meeting^ held at Norhamy September 2(Mh
1837. By the Rev. John Baird of Yetholm, President.

Gentlemen,

Circumstances, which formed only too sufficient an apology for my
absence, having denied me the pleasure of meeting you at the last Anni-
versary of our Club, and of returning you thanks in person, not only
for the honour you formerly did me, in electing me to the chair of
President ; but for the forbearance also shewn me while I held that of-
fice ; I have now only farther to solicit your indulgence, while I en-
deavour, after the example of my predecessors (and, as I believe, is still
expected of me), to take a short retrospect of the doings and discoveries
of the Club during the last twelve months, ending the third Wednesday
of September last. Before doing so, however, I perceive it has been cus-
tomary to congratulate the Club on the prosperity which continues to
attend us, and I am happy to be able, after a Sixth Anniversary Meet-
ing, to address you in the same cheering language. The success of our
experiment, indeed, has far exceeded, I believe, the expectations of the
most sanguine of our members. We were among the first, and I believe
the very first, in Scotland, to attempt the formation of a society like the
present, whose object should be, minutely to examine and illustrate the
Natural History and Antiquities of a^particular district or locality ; to
meet frequently together for this purpose in different places within the
appointed limits ; to spend the day in a personal investigation of its va-
rious objects of interest ; and to record our observations and discoveries
in papers read at our meetings. The design was not more simple than
admirable, and it has prospered beyond our hopes. Many interesting
discoveries have been made, — much valuable information accumulated, —
and several new and important additions have been made to the Flora
and Fauna of Great Britain. Our list of Members too, is not only nume-
rous, but includes several names of eminence ; and, what is not the least
interesting feature of our Club, we continue, after an existence of six
long years, to meet with the same zeal, and with the same anticipations
of enjoyment, as we did at our first formation, when our Society posses-
sed all the freshness and interest of novelty, — and it was yet an untried
experiment. The harmony of our meetings has scarcely ever for one
moment been interrupted ; and we have, at this moment, the same pros-
pect of pleasure and prosperity before us, as we had at the commence-
ment of our Institution. I cannot help thinking, that one of the prin-
cipal causes of our success, and of the harmony which pervades our
meetings, is the short and simple character of our laws and regulations ;

B. N. C— NO. v. 1

138 THE RRV. MR BAniD*S ADDRESS.

if indeed we can be said to have any laws at all : for, certainly, the rules by
which we are guided, are rather certain understood principles and feel-
ings, which education, the object which brings us together, or something
better than either, has implanted in the bosom of gentlemen, than any
complicated or compulsory code of enactments. The motives which in-
duce our attendance are, not the fear of pecuniary penalties, nor of any
disgrace attached to non-attendance ; but the pleasure, gratification, and
instruction, we derive from our meetings, — the pleasure of social inter-
course,— the gratification of beholding and admiring the beautiful scenery
of nature, — and tlie instruction, moral and intellectual, which are to be
derived from the study of the works of the great Creator, whose good-
ness, and wisdom, and power, are conspicuous in them all. In the dis-
coveries which are made, we all feel a common interest ; and though all
cannot be equally fortunate, the least successful has the same enjoyment
as the happy discoverer himself. And though, as we might naturally
have expected in so variable a climate as our own, clouds and tempests
have occasionally darkened our days of meeting, and some of us have
had many a weary mile to travel, yet have we never failed, except, I
believe, in a single instance, to have a respectable attendance of mem-
bers.

The contributions which have been made to the Flora and Fauna of
the district and country during the past year, have been more scanty
than, I believe, during any preceding year of our existence as a Club.
This, however, has arisen, neither from any lack or decay of zeal among
our members, nor from our past discoveries having exhausted the limited
sphere of our observation ; for a vast unexplored field still lies before us ;
but from the extremely unpropitious weather of the autumn of 1 836, and
of the spring of the present year, — weather so ungenial and so remarkable
for cold in particular, that the oldest inhabitant of the country scarcely
remembers a parallel to it. Yet, that our labours and researches have
not been altogether in vain, will be seen from the following short no-
tices of our meetings.

Our Anniversary Meeting in September 1836 was at Yetholm, a vil-
lage, or two small villages, embosomed among the lower hills of the Che-
viot. The day was most unlike the season, being one of great beauty,
and the excursion, though productive of no discovery of importance,
was by no means destitute of interest. Our walk was first over Ye-
tholm Law — a hill cultivated to its summit — down to Yetholm Loch, —
a handsome sheet of water of about 40 acres in extent. Here were ob-
served in considerable abundance, — Ranunculus Linguay Typha lati-
folioy Nuphar lutea, Cicuta virosa, Scutellaria galericulata, Lythrum
salicaria, ^c. Linton Loch, or what at least is so called, a few deep,
dark, mossy pools of a few yards in diameter, being the only water
visible, was next visited. Here, besides the greater number of the plants

U9

observed at Yetholm Loch, t}ie Lj/copus europaust &c. and a few spcciniciis
of Hieraceum denticulatumy were gathered : and several insects and Iar«
vee of some rarity were obtained in both situations. Ascending, then,
the lofty and classic hills of Wideopen and Crookedshaws, the scene of
the snow-storm in Thomson's " Winter,*' and memorable from the oc-
casional residence of the poet himself, in a small cottage situated in a
little glen on the former hill ; we descended into the vale of Bowmont
Water. Mentha gerUilis was gathered in wet ground by the margin of
the river near to Priraside Mill, and on the roadside, Carduus nutam
sparingly.

The rocks of the district walked over were exclusively trap, the pre-
vailing, almost the only one being the felspar porphyry. Numerous large
boulders of the pitchstone porphyry were observed ; this rock being known
to occur among the lower hills of the Cheviot.

After dinner, and the excellent address of our late President, Sir Wil-
liam Jardine, several other valuable and interesting communications were
read. 1. A notice of the Effect of the root of the Monk's-Hood (Aconi-
turn napellus) on the Horse, by Mr Henderson. 2. Notice of Scolopax ma-
jor (Great or Solitary Snipe) by Mr Selby. 3. A List, by the same gentle-
man, of some of the rarer nocturnal Lepidoptera^ taken during the sea-
son at Twizel House. 4. A Notice, by the Rev. A. Baird, of an An-
cient Sea-Beach recently exposed by a violent storm on the coast near
Dunglass. 5. An Analysis of Lithomarge from Maxton, by Dr Robert
Thomson ; also an Analysis of Fuller's-earth from the same situation ;
and some remarks by the same member on Potamogeton ohlongus, 6.
A List of Day-flying Lepidopteray captured during the last summer by
Mr M*Laurin junior. Some other communications were received, but
the reading of them was postponed to the meeting of the Club in "De-
cember.

At the meeting in December, held as usual at Berwick (for any nott-
tices of which I must be chiefly indebted to our Secretary's minutes), a
considerable number of members appear to have been present; and
though, in consequence of the state of the weather, and other circum-
stances, the excursion was short, and produced nothing of interest ; yet
there appears to have been no lack of in-door occupation and enter-
tainment. Several long and interesting papers were read, — one by Mr
Henderson, on the Popular Rhymes of Berwickshire ; another, by Mr
Darling, on the black-turnip Caterpillar ; a third by Mr Donaldson, re-
ceived from Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, entitled " Practical Ob-
servations on the Par, by James Kerse, fisher, Bowhill ;" a fourth, by the
Rev. Mr Parker ; from the Rev. Mr Cooke regarding a Skeleton and
Stone- Coflin dug up in Chatton church-yard, for which Mr Parker
requested to convey to Mr Cooke the thanks of the Club.

i2

140 THE REV. MR BAIRD's ADDRESS.

The Rev. A. Baird also exhibited a specimen of the Plain Red Mul-
let taken in a herring-net some months previously on the coast of
Berwickshire, by one of the Cockburnspath fishermen. It was a full-
grownindividual, and may be regarded as the only authentic specimen
hitherto taken in the Scottish seas ; for, though it has long obtained a
place in the British Fauna, its title to be considered as a Scottish fish
has hitherto rested on a vague report. A large map of Berwickshire
was presented to the Club, through Mr Donaldson, from Messrs J. and C.
Walker, for which Mr Donaldson was requested to return the thanks of
the Club. A specimen of the Pholas crispaUtf found sparingly in Ber-
wick Bay, an addition to the bivalve shells of Berwickshire, was exhi-
bited by Dr Johnston ; who also announced the following contributions
to the Flora of Berwickshire, made by Miss Hunter of Anton's Hill : —

Agaricus granulosus. Thelephora incrustans.

sulphureus. Helvella crispa.

peronatus. elastica.

squarrosus. Peziza tuberosa.

variabilis. hemisphaerica.

Sistotrema confluens. fructigena.
Thelephora laciniata.

Of all these Fungi, some of which are rare, specimens were shewn,
as also of Agaricus cockleatus, Elaphomyces granulatus, and Torula an-

/e«;««to, which the Doctor had himself discovered in plantations about
Foulden.

Of the meeting in May at Houndwood, there is extremely little wor-
thy of record ; for, though it was a very pleasant one, the day also de-
lightful, and the attendance of members respectable, yet, owing to the
exceedingly backward and unpropitious state of the season, nothing new
or interesting in any department of Natural History was observed.
While some of the members sought the amusement of angling, another
party, in a different direction, proceeded first through a thick and tan-
gled bank of natural wood rising above the river Eye, in the hope that
it might afford something interesting ; but, though the ground seemed
favourable, in this they were disappointed. With the same object in
view, they next proceeded to thread the mazes of a wooded and romantic
ravine, formed by a little streamlet called Alton-Burn. The day and
scenery being delightful, there was much enjoyment in the walk ; but with
the exception of one or two rare insects captured by Mr Selby,* and

• Mr Selby gives the following List of those taken on this occasion: —

1. Helobia hrevicollis. 6. Poecilus cupreus.

2. H. Marshallana 7. Omaseus nigrita. ,

3. Loricera pilicornis. 8. Amara lata.

4. Anchomenus albipes. 9. Harpalus limbatus.

5. Agonum parumpunctatum. 10. Tachys binotatus. t

THR HBV. MR BAIKl/s ADDUESK. 141

the discovery of the uest of the Dipper (Cinclus aquaticus) on the edge
of a little precipice overhanging a deep pool at the bottom of a water-
fall, a most inaccessible situation, nothing was found meriting particular
notice. Chrysosplenium altemifolium was afterwards found growing
sparingly on a wet bank by the river Eye, about a mile and a-half above
Houndwood ; and on the higher wooded banks above the road, large
patches of the Anemone nemorosa and Primula veris growing together
in full and magnificent blossom, attracted general admiration.

The geology of the district was very partially observed. The only
rocks which presented themselves were the greywacke and greywacke
slate, principally the latter, exhibiting its usual variety of colour and
structure. The same rocks seem to occupy a very considerable portion
of this part of Berwickshire, composing the greater part of the Lam-
mermoor range in the neighbourhood, and extending from thence to the
sea-coast.

Afler dinner a specimen of Arvicola pratensisy taken at Twizel, an
addition to the quadrupeds of the district, was exhibited by Mr Selby.
No papers were read ; notwithstanding a most agreeable evening was
passed.

The meeting of the Club in June was perhaps the most delightful of
the year. A few weeks previous to it, the cold wintry weather we had
experienced in the months of spring had been succeeded by the most
brilliant summer. There being much moisture in the soil, the warm
suns brought forward vegetation in the most rapid and luxuriant manner.
Serious apprehensions had been entertained only a short time before, of
a general failure of the crops ; but a week or two of the splendid weather
which followed soon banished all fear on this subject ; and we have once
more experienced in this instance the truth of the Divine promise, that
while the world endures, seed-time and harvest and day and night shall
not cease. God has at length crowned the year with his goodness,
after we had almost begun to despair that any harvest, with its golden
treasures, would gladden our fields.

After breakfast at Dunse, the members proceeded to the appointed
scene of the day's excursion, the banks of the Whitadder, in the neigh-

11. Peryphua littoralls. 19. Apbodiut prodromut.

12. Pery. tibialis. 20. — tarrectris.

13. Helophorus granularis. 21. — iEratus.

14. Sitooa ulicia. 22. Qucdius picicoroia.

15. Sitona spartii. 23. Gabriua pallipes.

16. Apion — 24. Rogilua immuois.

17. Phaedoa iumidula. 25. Aleochara —

18. Thjramia — 26. Oxytelas opacua.

A vary rare dipterous fly was also takcu. It was fuuod io a small haugb by the side nf
a rivulet, where potatoes bad been grown tbe picceding June. Four or fiva spedmena
were captured. I have not yet ascertained the name. P. J. SL

142 THE REV. MR HAIRD's AUDKKSS.

bourhood of Preston Bridge, a description of scenery from which not a
little was expected, nor did it disappoint our hopes. While some of
the party amused themselves with fishing, the remainder proceeded to
examine the banks of the river above Preston Bridge, which they were
able to do to the distance of several miles. The day was most beau-
tiful, the scenery interesting, and the vegetation splendid ; but though
many interesting plants were noticed, no addition was made to the Flora
of the county or district.

The cherry and the gooseberry were both found in tolerable abun-
dance on the wild and precipitous side of Stainsheil Hill, a situation
which may be regarded as interesting in reference to the question, whe-
ther or not these are to be considered indigenous plants. Perhaps, how-
ever, the most interesting plant observed during the excursion was the
Litorella lacustris^ growing in great abundance on the side of a pond
at Primrose Hill, the second time only the plant has been gathered in
Berwickshire. It would be endless, however, to enumerate the other
plants observed and admired. Many of those most beautiful, though
common, plants, but not less beautiful on that account, which adorn our
wooded banks and sunny glades, our verdant meadows and marshy
grounds, were here scattered in great profusion, Menyanthes trifoliatay
Cistus Helianthemum^ Geranium sylvaticum, and G. pratense, dilFerent
species of the beautiful genus Hypericum, and many others. " But
above all," as our Secretary adds in the minutes, " the glorious forest of
whins on the side of Stainsheil Hill,'' then in full bloom, was no doubt
a noble sight, and " will long be remembered with delight by those
who witnessed it ;" nor will it be less memorable on account of the
severe penance endured in forcing a painful and thorny passage through
them.

But if nothing new was added to the Flora or Fauna of the district
by this day's walk, an interesting addition was made to our knowledge
of its geology, scarcely any other part of Berwickshire, perhaps, pre-
senting, in so small a compass, so many geological appearances, interest-
ing in themselves, and important to illustrate the geology of the county.
As the result of the observations made on that occasion, however, with
a more extended geological survey of the neighbouring district, has been
promised to be laid before the Club in the shape of a regular paper, it is
needless at present to do more than to notice the subject in the most
general manner. The prevailing rocks at Preston Bridge, and for about
a mile and a half above it, are merely slates, sandstones, and other rocks,
apparently belonging to the coal formation ; — not that the general aspect
of the rocks themselves, which are exceedingly unlike those of the coal
formation in other parts of the country, still less any appearance or
any probability of coal being found among them, indicate them as be-
longing to this class of rock?, but the position they occupy with refe-

THE REV. MR BAlRP's ADDRESS. 143

rence to other rooks, which will be noticed immediately, and the diffi-
culty of regarding them as members of any other formation, seem to
forbid us from arriving at any other conclusion. Afler travelling over
these strata upwards of a mile above the bridge, in which distance we
find them frequently traversed by dykes of claystone, porphyry, and
basalt, they are succeeded by what is undoubtedly the old red sand-
stone formation, and this again, at no groat distance, is succeeded by the
greywacke and greywacke-slate, the principal rocks of the transition
series. Thus, in the course of less than two miles, the three great for-
mations of Berwickshire may not only be observed, but their junction —
the junction especially of the old red sandstone witii the greywacke,
may be very beautifully and distinctly seen — even more distinctly, if
that were possible, than the same appearance at the celebrated Siccar
Point. The hill of Stainsheil is a huge mass of a very beautiful rock,
the transition granite or sienite, subordinate apparently to the grey-
wacke. I shall not at present, however, farther anticipate the fuller de-
tails, which may, ere long, be read to the Club.

The insects captured or observed were neither numerous nor interest-
ing, and the only communication of any importance which was submit-
ted to the Club at this meeting, was a summary of observations of the
barometer, thermometer, hygrometer, &c. for the preceding year, by the
Rev. Mr Wallace, which, for the fulness and accuracy of its details, cajled
forth unanimous approbation.

At our meeting in July, at the Lamb Inn, near to Haggerstou, we
were favoured, as at all our preceding meetings of this year, with a
beautiful day, and a large party of members and visitors had assembled
to enjoy the excursion. There were here two objects of attraction, the
sea-coast and Kyloe Crags, and the members were divided in their
choice. One party, therefore, took the direction of the former, another
of the latter, and fortune smiled upon them both. The former party, in
the salt-marshes at Beat, met with in abundance Scirpus maritimusy Ar-
temisia maritima, Chenopodium maritimum, PoaprocumbenSy (Enantke
crocatQy Aira aquatica, and a plant new to the district, Bfysmus rufwt^
growing in abundance from four to eighteen inches in height. Return-
ing from the coast, they observed near Kyloe Church Ranunculus ar-
vetuisj Solanum dulcamara, and in Kyloe Dean BeUmica officinalis^
Carex remofa, EryU^reea centauriay Eupaiorium cannabinumf and a
rare British species, the Hieracium molle.

The other party was not less successful. On Kyloe Crags they ob-
served in great profusion Thalictrum minus, Cynoglossum officinale;
and a plant new to the district, Asplenium septentrionale, was gathered
in some abundance on the precipitous cliffs, where also, and in the debris
beloWf were seen Euonymus europants, and our familiar friends the hoUy

144 THE KKV. Mil HAIRD's ADDUESS.

and honeysuckle. On tlie moors Listera ovata a.nd Narthecium ossifrU'
gum were gathered, and returning by Fenwick Wood and the village of
that name, many of the plants already noticed, gathered by the other
party, were observed, besides a specimen or two of Trifolium officinale,
and of Vicia cracca^ with pure white blossoms.

The Kyloe Crags are a bold rocky hill, of no great altitude, with a
precipice to the west, from which descends a steep slope, composed af
the debris of the hill. It is now in great part clothed with wood, and
being seen from a considerable distance, forms rather a conspicuous ob-
ject in the landscape. It is composed of trap, as most of the other
hills and rising grounds in the neighbourhood, and rises through the
coal formation, of which class of rocks the surrounding country is com-
posed.

No papers were read at this meeting. Dr Francis Douglas announced
the discovery which he had made of Cladium MariscuSy in abundance
in Learmonth Bog ; Dr Johnson of the Cerastium atro-virens^ on old
walls in the immediate vicinity of Berwick ; and the Rev. A. Baird of
Adoxa moschatellinai in Dunglass Dean, additions to the Flora of the
district, which, together with Blysmus rufus and Asplenium septentrionale,
discoveries of the day, were gratifying proofs of progress towards com-
pleting the botany of the district. Several very fine specimens of fos-
sils (the property of the Rev. Mr Jenkinson of Lowick), from the lime-
stone quarries of this part of the county, were exhibited at this meeting.
Dr Johnston added to the catalogue of Berwickshire bivalve shells, Lis-
tera compressa, Cardium elongatum, and Nucula tenuis.

Such, Gentlemen, is a brief outline of the transactions of our Club
during the past year. I will make no apology for its numerous defects.
It may, however, help to recall to your minds some happy days spent
amid the fair scenery of nature, and in the study and admiration of
some of the beautiful productions of the Almighty and Beneficent
Creator, who called this universe at first into existence, and who still
preserves it by the word of His power. " Great and manifold are
His works : in wisdom has He made them all." " All His works praise
Him.'* They display His glory : they proclaim His goodness. They
invite us to examine them, and it is an employment most suitable to man,
the tongue of this mute but lovely creation, which requires his intelli-
gent services to make them speak His praise.

List of Members, continued from p. 106.
Rev. William Thomson. June 21. 1837.

( 145 )

Contributions to the Flora of Berwickshiref &c.

Blysmus rufus. Salt-marshes at Beal, abundant.

AsPLENiUM septentrionaie. Kyloe Crags.

Cladium Hariscus. Learraonth Bog, abundant.

Cbrastium atro'virens. Old walls in the neighbourhood of Berwick.

The Popular Rhythmes of Berwickshire; to which are added, a few Il-
lustrations. By Mr Henderson, Surgeon, Chirnside.

Perhaps there are few counties in Scotland which possess so many
rhythmes of a popular nature, as that of Berwickshire. Whether it be
owing to the circumstance that " Thomas the Rythmer" was a native of
this district, and to whom the authorship of several of these rhythmes is
attributed, — or whether the people of the Merse are in general disposed
to encourage this species of ancient lore, we will not waste time in a
vain endeavour to determine. The fact of itself is sufficiently obvious
from the following collection, and perhaps it might still be enlarged.
The memory of " Thomas the Rythmer" is still highly honoured in his
native county, and the people hitherto have placed undoubted con-
fidence in his prophetic enunciations, although these are certainly now
beginning to be numbered among the "wreck of things which^were."

As Sir Walter Scott, in his " Border Minstrelsy," &c. has, with his
usual pleasing and happy mode of illustration, brought together all the
facts that can now be discovered of the Minstrel of Ercildoune, it would
be superfluous for us to enter here into any discussion relative to the his-
tory or merits of that singular being, who lived so long with the Elf
Queen (according to rythme and tradition), and who yet " dfees his
weird" in Fairy land. All that we have set ourselves to do is to collect,
into one place, all the popular rhythmes connected with this county, as far
as we are acquainted with them, and append thereto such notes as an ex-
planation of them seems to demand ; and if we can hereby be the means
of preserving these curious relics of a former day from falling into utter
oblivion, the little trouble which we have taken in collecting them will
be amply rewarded.

In the first place, we shall introduce those Rythmes which have been
for many generations attributed to " True Thomas," and then add the
others, which are unclaimed by any author.

1. " The hare shall kittle on my hearthstane,

And there never will be a Laird Learmont again."

Thomas here prophesies the ruin of his own house. It appears that
he had granted his proi^erty to the Hospital of Soltra, and that none of

146 THE POPULAR RHYTIIMES OF BEIIVVICKSHIRE.

his descendants ever after inherited his patrimony at Earlstoiin. About
a century ago, it is said, that a hare actually took up iier residence in the
" Rythnier*s Tower," and produced her young upon the hearthstone of
the dilapidated tenement. About this time a person of the name of
Murray inhabited this ancient edifice. According to Chambers he was " a
kind of herbalist, who, by dint of some knowledge in simples, the posses-
sion of a musical clock, an electrical machine, and a stuffed alligator, added
to a supposed communication with Thomas the Rythmer, lived for many
years in very good credit as a wizard." * The person here so ludicrous-
ly introduced appears to be no other than Mr Patrick Mun-ay, surgeon
in Earlstoun, who details a case of an " Uncommon tumour of the belly,
and a Dropsy cured," in the " Medical Essays and Observations, by a
Society in Edinburgh." vol. vi. p. 133, and published in 1747. The
ruins of the Rythmer 's Tower may still be seen near the Leader, at the
west end of the village of Earlstoun, and a stone in the wall of the church
bears the following inscription —

*• Auld Rythmer*8 race
Lies in this place."

2. " This thorn tree as lang as it stands,
Earlstoun sail possess a' her lands."
This Rythme was very popular about Earlstoun some years since.
The tree referred to was a very large one, and stood near the east end
of the village. It was blown down by a high wind during the night in
the spring of 1821. The lands, originally belonging to the community
of Earlstoun, were from time to time alienated by the magistrates, till
there is scarcely now an acre left. What gave additional weight to the
prophecy was, that, at its fulfilment when the tree fell, " the greater part
of the shopkeepers in the town happened to be then, on account of a
tissue of unfortunate circumstances, in a state of bankruptcy." t

3. " A horse sal gang on Carrolside brae,

Till the girth gaw his sides in twae."
This refers to some period of desolation in the history of our country,
which we fondly hope has been fulfilled long since. Carrolside lies on
Leader Water, and is the property of an enterprising proprietor, James
Home, Esq., who has much improved and ornamented his estate, so that
the former sterility of Carrolside Braes is no longer proverbial.

4. " There sal a stane wi' Leader come,

That*ll make a rich father, but a poor son."

The small river Leader, of classic celebrity for its " sweet hauyliSy^
and the " Homes that dwelt on Leader side," takes its rise near the
quarry, which supplies the district of Lauderdale with lime, and the pro-
* Chambers' Popular R^thmcn. t Chambers.

THE POPULAR RHYTllMES OF BERWICKSHIRE. H7

phecy is supposed to refer to those agricultural improvements which have
in part resulted from the use of lime ; the " stane that came wi' Leader/
which in many instances enriched those who were the first improvers,
but which also unfortunately engendered an expensive style of living in
their immediate successors, which led to their ultimate ruin.

5. " Vengeance ! vengeance ! when ? and where ?

Upon the house o* Cowdenknowes, now and evermair."

The proprietors of Cowdenknowes were in the days of the Covenan-
ters, of a persecuting disposition, and several traditional stories are re-
lated of their cruelty ; hence these lines are often in the mouths of the
oommon people to indicate that vengeance will yet come upon that
house, for the evils which it inflicted on the godly in former times. Cow-
denknowes, so celebrated in song for its " bonny broom," lies near the
village of Earlstoun, and is the property of Professor Home of Edin-
burgh. Part of the present mansion-house is very old, and in this part
of it the unfortunate Queen Mary lodged for a night or two. We observed
that this estate was lately advertised for sale.

6. " Betide, betide, whate'er betide,

There'll ay be a Haig in Bemerside."
The ancient family of Haig have been in the possession of Bemerside
for many hundred years. " The grandfather of the present proprietor of
Bemerside had twelve daughters before his lady brought him a male heir.
The common people trembled for the credit of their favourite soothsayer.
The late Mr Haig was at length born, and their belief in the prophecy
confirmed beyond a shadow of doubt." *

7. " At Threebum Grange on an after day,

There sail be a lang and bludy fray ;

Where a three-thumbed wight by the reins sal hald

Three kings horse baith stout and bauld.

And the Three burns, three days will rin

Wi* the blude o' the slain that fa' therein."
Thirty years ago this rythme was very popular in the east end of Ber-
wickshire, and about the time of the French Revolution a person of the
name of Douglas was born in the parish of Coldingham, with an excres-
cence on one of his hands, which bore some resemblance to a third thumb.
Of course the superstitious believed that this was to be the identical
♦« three-thumbed wight" of the Rythmer, and nothing was looked for
but a fearful accomplishment of the prophecy. Threebum Grange, or
Grains, is a place a little above the Press, where three small rills meet
and form the water of Ale.

* Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, toI. iv. p. 150.

148 riiii roruLAU kiiytiimes of hI'Uwkkshire.

We now proceed to another class of Rytlimes, the most of which are
still floating about among the peasantry.

8. " I stood upon Eyemouth fort,

And guess ye what I saw,
Fairneyside and Flemington,

Newhouses, and Cocklaw ;
The fairy folk o' Fosterland,

The witches o* Edencraw,
The bogle bo' o' Billy Myre

Wha' kills our bairns a'."

It would be a useless waste of time to form theories and conjectures as
to the origin of the above Rythme, for nothing certain is known con-
cerning it, but that it has been in circulation for time immemorial. Were
a person at the present day to stand upon the site oi Eyemouth fort^ with
the expectation of seeing all the places, not to say persons, enumerated
in the Rythme, he would certainly be disappointed, as from its situation
it is impossible to see several of the places named. Fairneyside, Flem^
inton, and Cocklaw, are farm places in the parish of Ayton. Of New-
houses we know nothing, and there is no place, we believe, in the neigh-
bourhood now known by that name. Fosterland was an old farm place,
its site, like many other old steadings, being marked out by a few ash
trees near the eastern extremity of the parish of Buncle. A small stream
M'hich rises on the moor, above that range of hills called Buncle Edge, is
still called Fosterland burn, and is one of the numerous rills that dis-
charges itself into Billy Myre. On the east side of this stream, where
its banks are steepest, there formerly existed an extensive British encamp-
ment, the traces of which have been nearly obliterated of late years by
the operations of the plough. The banks of this stream formed a favourite
haunt of the fairies in bygone days, and I once knew an old barn-man,
by name David Donaldson, who, although he never saw one of these
aerial beings, constantly maintained that he had frequently heard their
sweet music, in the silence of midnight, by Fosterland Burn, on the
banks of the Ale, and on the Pyperknowe.* Fosterland is said to be a
contraction of Foresterland, the name being derived from the forester of
Buncle wood, who had his dwelling here, when all the hill side, from the
Whitadder on the west, to this place, was covered with oak and hazel.

Of the witches of Auchencraw or Edencraw, we have not been able
to glean many particulars. We have heard, indeed, one or two other
rythmes regarding them, which would shew that, among otherthings, they

* Pyperknowe^ so called from the pipings of the fairies heard on it, is a large knoll ly-
ing on the south bank of Billy Myre, behind the present farm-house of Causewayhank. It
consists principally of gravel, and less than twenty years ago it was covered with a luxuriant
crop of broom. It now cultivated .

THE rorULAR BIIYTHMF.8 OF BEBWICKSHIRE. 149

delighted in horrid and wicked transactions ; but the lines are hardly
such as to be fit for hearing.

With regard to the last mentioned personage in the above rythme, it
is only necessary to say, that the passage over Billy Myre, between
Auchencraw and Chirnside, was long infested with a ghost, the " Bogle
bo' " of the Uythme, which bore the cognomen of " Jock o' the Myre.*'

9. " The Rye kail o* Reston

Gar*d a* the dougs dee ;
The browster gied us a' a glifF

Wi* his barley bree,
And gar*d Meg o' the Gurl hole

Awa' wi' Bawtie flee."

This rythme has been often confounded with one of those alluded to.
We are convinced, however, that it is altogether distinct from it, and re-
fers to a totally different subject. It is, however, apparently imperfect.
The village of West Reston is pleasantly situated upon the south bank
of the Eye, in the parish of Coldingham, and contains between two and
three hundred inhabitants. In old time it was the seat of a baronial
castle, and a chapel dedicated to St Nicolas, to which the beneficent
Davidde Quixwood granted a yearly allowance of some liarts from his
territory in Lammermoor. The disaster to the dogs, which the rythme
relates, may have been caused by diseased rye, or rye infected with the
Secale comutum. The latter part of the rythme is rather obscure. It is
probable that the person indicated by " Meg o* the Gurl hole'* shared
the same fate of the dogs, as Bawtie is well known to be a sort of generic
name for a colly or shepherd's dog, among the peasantry of Scotland.
There is still a house in Reston known by the name of "the Gurl."
What is the meaning of the term we know not, and a field on the farm
of Greenhead, in the immediate neighbourhood of the village, is still
called « the Browster butts.'*

10. « St Abb, St Helen, and St Bey,

They a* built kirks whilk to be nearest the sea.
St Abb's upon the nal>s,
St Helen's on the lea,
St Bey's upon Dunbar sands
Stands nearest to the sea."
" St Abb or St Ebba, St Helen, and St Bey, were, according to the
country people, three princesses, the daughters and heiresses of a king of
Northumberland, who being very pious, and taking a disgust at the
world, resolved to employ their dowries, in the erection of churches, and
the rest of their lives in devotion. They all tried which should find a
situation for their buildings nearest to the sea, and St Bey or St Ann
succeeded, her church being built upon a level space, close to the water
mark ; while St Abb placed her structure upon the points or nobs of a

150 THE POPULAR RHYTHMES OF BERWICKSHIRK.

high rock overhanging the German Ocean, and St Helen pitched hers
upon a plain near, but not exactly bordering upon the shore. It is ob-
vious that the situation of these churches suggested the popular belief."*
There are now no remains of St Bey's chapel : the ruins of St Helen's are
still conspicuous in the parish of Colbrandspath, and the church-yard sur-
rounding them, is still used as a burial-ground ; but scarcely a vestige of
St Abb's remains on the high and lonely point, to which she has bequeath-
ed her name, and not a single grave-stone is now to be seen raising its
grey head from among the nettles and thistles which cover the deserted
spot, although some aged people remember to have seen it used as a place
of sepulture about sixty yeai's ago.

11." Grisly Draeden sat alane

By the cairn and Pech stane ;
Billay wi' a segg sae stout,
Says — ' rU soon turn Draeden out' —
Draeden leuch, and stalk'd awa,
And vanish'd in a babanqua."

This rythme, which I picked up when a boy from an old man (David
Donaldson, referred to above), who possessed a rich collection of old
sayings, songs, and rythmes, which I never heard any where else, evi-
dently relates to a large cairn which was situated about half-way between
two streams (Draeden and Billyburn), on the farm of Little Billy, in the
parish of Buncle. The cairn was surrounded, except on the south-west
side, by a circle of large whin stones, many of which would have weighed
several tons. At the distance of about 200 yards to the east of this
cairn stood a large block, of a reddish sort of granite, which the old man
already mentioned used to call " The Altar." The cairn is now removed,
but this stone still stands in its original situation. It is probable that
the circle of stones surrounding the cairn had constituted, in remote
times, a place of Druidical worship ; and it is also probable that the small
stream, a little to the north of the site of the cairn, derives its name,
Draeden, from this circumstance ; the affix draed being similar in sound
to Druid, and den, a dean or vale — The Druid's Vale. When a moss
which skirted this stream, was begun to be drained about twenty years
ago, many pieces of oak were dug out ; and I recollect of being shewn,
near its northern extremity, a quagmire or babanqua, with a slit or open-
ing in the middle of it, on which no grass or any other plant grew, owing
to the constant oozing of the water from its bottom, into which, it was
said, a horse and his rider had sunk, and were never more seen. This
story rests upon tradition only ; but I have seen places of this descrip-
tion, into which, if a person had sunk, he would have been in imminent
danger of losing his life ; but, since the incalculable improvement of

* Chambers' Popular Pjthinee, p. 45.

TUB POPULAR RHYTIIMBS OP BERWICKSHIRE. 151

draining commenced, few of these shaking quagmires are to be seen in tliie
part of the country. It is probable, I think, that this curious rythme has
some distant allusion to the introduction of Christianity into our island,
to the discomfiture of a dark and horrid superstition, which formerly
held in bondage the souls and bodies of our Pagan progenitors.

1 2. " Huntly wood — thy wa*8 are down,

Bassendean, and Barrastoun ;
Heckspeth wi' the yellow hair,
Gordon gowks for ever mair."

** The people of Gordon were recently a very primitive race ; some of
them having lived in the same farms from father to son for several centu-
ries. It was perhaps on this account they were stigmatized as the
* gowks o* Gordon' in the above popular rythme." — Chambers. The
other places mentioned in the rythme lie in the neighbourhood of Gor-
don, but we know not to what circumstances the rythme refers. In
fact, it is a rythme without any obvious meaning — a rythme without a
reason*

13. " The hooks and crooks o* Lambden Burn,

Fill the bowie,* and fill the kirn.^f
Lambden is in the parish of Greenlaw, where there was anciently a
chapel. The rythme relates to the fertility of the banks of " Lambden
Burn,'* remarkable for its many sudden turnings and windings. It is a
tributary of the Leet

14. ** Bughtrig and Belchester,

Hatchet-knows and Darnchester,

Leetholm and the Peel :
If ye dinna get a wife
In ane o' thae places,

YeMl ne'er do weel."

The places enumerated in this rythme are all within four or five miles
of Coldstream. The rythme should be widely disseminated, for the espe-
cial benefit of all bachelors and widowers.

15. « Little Billy, Billy Mill,

Billy Mains, and Billy Hill,
Ashfield, and Auchencraw,
Bullerhead, and PefFerlaw,
There's bonny lasses in them a."
The first five places enumerated in this rythme are in the parish of
BuDcle. Bullerhead and Pefferlaw lie in the parish of Chirnside. About
* Bweie — • woAden shallow veMel fvr hulding milk. t Kirn — • chura.

152 NOTICK OF AS ANCH-NT SFA BEACH.

forty years since, all these places were separate farms ; but Little Billi/y
Billy Hillj Ash/ield, Bullerheady and Pefferlaw, exist now only in name,
their farm-houses and cottages being levelled with the soil ; and the
rythme is worth preserving, if it was for no other purpose but to keep
the names from perishing also.

16. " Hutton for auld wives,

Broadmeadows for swine,
Paxton for drucken wives,

And salmon sae fine.
Crossrig for lint and woo',

Spittal for kail,
Sunwick for cakes and cheese.

And lasses for sale."

This rythme was taken down only a few weeks ago, from the recita-
tion of a girl of eight years of age in Chirnside. All the places men-
tioned are in Hutton parish ; but whether they are now famous for the
articles enumerated in the rythme, we have no means of ascertaining.

17. " I, Willie Wastle,

Stand firm in my Castle,
And a' the dogs in your town.
Will no pull Willie Wastle down."

This is said to have been sent by T. Cockburn, Governor of Home
Castle, as an answer to a summons of surrender by Colonel George Fen-
wick, under the Protectorate of Cromwell, in 1650. It is very popular
among boys, who repeat it in a sort of game.

Notice of an Ancient Sea Beachy near Dunglass. By the
Rev. Andrew Baird.

Every one now present must remember the tremendous gale of the
17th February last, a gale which raged with great fury throughout a large
extent of Scotland, but which was felt nowhere more severely than on
the coast of the parish of Cockburnspath and its neighbourhood. The
wind being from the north-east, and the moon about full, a very high tide
was the consequence, — the highest, it was alleged, which had been known
for half a century. The effects of this extraordinary tide are still very
visible in many parts of the coast ; but nowhere, as far as I am aware,
was a more curious or interesting disclosure made by it than on that part
of the coast betwixt the mouths of Dunglass Dean and Billsdean, imme-
diately on the confines of Berwickshire. This was a bed or deposit of
gravel, about four feet in thickness, mixed with shells, bones, &c., and
firmly cemented by calcareous tuffa. It occurs at the base of a lofty and

NOTICE OF AN ANCIENT SEA BEACH. 15.*?

precipitous bank, the lower half of wfiich is moist, and covered with a
thick coarse turf, on the removal of which, by the unusual violence and
height of the waves on the day alluded to, the appearance which I am
now about to describe was opened to view. All that has been laid bare
of this curious bed or deposit is about fifty feet in extent ; and it occurs
at a distance of about the same number of feet from the present high
water mark, the base of it being about twelve feet above the highest pre-
sent level of the sea. It is composed of the same general fragments of
rocks which form the present sea-beach ; and the imbedded shells are the
sambas those which are still most abundant on that part of the coast.
On examining this bed, the conclusion seems at once to force itself on
the observer, that it has at one period, and that for a considerable length
of time, been subject to the influence and action of the waves : in other
words, that it is neither more nor less than an ancient sea-beach ; and,
having arrived at this conclusion, the interesting question which next
suggests itself is. Has the sea receded, or has the land risen, so as to ac-
count for the elevation of this gravelly bed above the present level of the
ocean ? a question which, in the present state of geological science, and
especially when other ascertained facts regarding the same coasts (the
Firth of Forth at least) are taken into consideration, it will not, perhaps,
be difficult to answer. From these facts, the plain and natural reply
seems to be, that the land has risen on this part of the coast, though how
long it may be since this change took place between the relative level of
sea and land, it is not so easy to determine. From several circumstances,
however, it would appear to have been recent, i. e. after the district was
inhabited by the same animals, terrestrial as well as marine, which now
exist in it. The shells, as already mentioned, included in the cemented
gravel, are all of presently existing species ; and the bones which were
found in it appear to be equally recent. Several of these bones I picked
up in company with D. Milne, Esq., who, on shewing them to well
known anatomists in Edinburgh, ascertained that they belonged to the
common cow or ox, but a variety greatly smaller than that which is now
to be seen in the Lowlands of Scotland. Some of these bones, I may
farther mention, appear to have belonged to a species of the genus
Cervus. On a subsequent occasion, I found various and well defined
teeth ; from all which facts, the discovery of this ancient sea-beach
may be regarded as one of no small interest, being one of the few facts
yet recorded or observed, which would tend to prove, that the present
race of land animals existed before the change of levels took place. To
establish the correctness of this inference, one thing seemed to be espe-
cially desirable, viz. to ascertain whether these bones were actually im-
bedded in the gravelly mass, or merely adhering to the surface of it, as,
in the latter case, very little information regarding the point now alluded
to could be drawn from their occurrence. I have since ascertained, how-

B. N. C. NO. V. L

J54 LIST OF THE PULMONIFEROUS MOLLUSCA

ever, from personal examination, that they were imbedded (many of them
in the very centre of the mass), which, combined with other appearances,
which the limits of a notice will not allow me to detail, tends to confirm
the idea, that the elevation of this part, at least, of the coast of Berwick-
shire, must have taken place at a comparatively recent period.

I may farther mention, in connection with this subject, that on the
coast of Fife, immediately opposite to this, a rise of the land, to the
height of about fourteen feet above the present high water mark, has re-
cently been observed by an eminent geologist ; and, probably, the ap-
pearance I have now attempted to describe may be considered of 4he
same date. The subject, however, may be recurred to, and more fully.

A List of the Pulmoniferous Mollusca of Berwickshire and North
Durham. By George Johnston, M. D.

MOLLUSCA.
Class.— GASTEROPODA, Cuv.
Order — Pulmobranchia, Blainv.

Family I— LIMACIDiE.

1. Arion ater, Flem, The Arion circumscriptus is a variety or im-

mature state of this species. Common.

2. A_RiON^UBFLAyus. Woods and shaded places. Frequent.

3. LiMAX ciNEREUS Frcqucnt.

4. LiMAX CELLARius, Lister. In wine cellars in Berwick.

5. LiMAX AGRESTis. Very common, and in some years very destructive

to early crops.

6. LiMAX BRUNNEus, Drap. This differs from every variety of Z. agrestisy

in its darker colour, its colourless mucus, in the abrupt termination
of the tail, in the position of the shield, which is nearly central when
the animal is fully extended, and in the size of the shield, which is as
long as the posterior half of the body ; nor is there any keel on this
part. It inhabits shady woods, and is comparatively rare. As a
native, its discovery is due to my friend, Mr J. Alder of Newcastle,
who pointed out its peculiar characters to me on specimens taken in
Dunglass Dean.

Family II.— HELICIDvE.

7. ViTRiNA FELLUciDA. Not uncommou. Our Berwickshire shell is

smaller, and less tinged with green than specimens from England.
It is probably the V. Mulleri of Jeffreys.

8. SucciNEA AMPHIBIA. Commou. A small variety, about three-tenths

of an inch long, is also common in Berwickshire. It seems to be a
perfect shell ; and, in the places where it abounds, the larger shell
is not found.

OF BERWICKSHIRE AND NORTH DURHAM. 155

9* Succl^iEA GRACILIS. Aoiongst hypua in spongy places, or in trick-
ling rills. Sea banks below Rcdbeugb, and about the coves at
Cockburnspath.

10. Helix aspersa. Common.

11. Helix arbustorum. Common near Berwick, and in the eastern

parts of the county.

12. Helix nemoualis. Very common. The numerous variations in
colour to which this species is subject, may be classified thus :

I. Pure yellow or cream-coloured.

A. Yellow banded with brown.

a. Bands narrow.

h. Bands broad; often confluent.

c. Bands mottled.

II. Uniformly flesh-coloured. *

B. Flesh-coloured, banded with brown.

a. Bands narrow.

b. Bands broad, oflen confluent.

13. Helix HORTENsis. Not uncommon.

14. Helix tuochulus. — H.fidva^ Turt. In woods, frequent.

15. Helix scarburgensis. In the dean at Twizel House. I have a
single small specimen found near Berwick.

16. Helix aculeata. Pease Bridge dean. Rare.

17. Helix fusca. In Dunglass and Pease Bridge deans abundant,

where it was shewn me by Mr J. Alder.

18. Helix QRAKVL AT Af Alder.-*— H.hispida, Motit. Not uncommon.

19. Helix hispida, Jeffreys, in Lin. Trans, xvi. 388. Not uncommon

under stones in shaded places.

20. Helix concinna. Alder, Frequent.

21. Helix caperata. — H. striata, Drap, Common.

22. Helix ^ricetorum. Roadside between the village of East Ord and

Longriage Lodge. Plentiftil in several spots.

23. Helix nitidula. Common.

24. Helix cbllaria. Not uncommon.

25. Helix alliaria. Common.

26. Helix lucid a. The specimen of this shell in my collection was
found in the Hirsel plantations. I believe it to be rare in our district.

27. Helix radiatula. Alder, Frequent.

28. Helix crystallina. In moss. Not rare.

29. Helix pyom;ea. In a boggy piece of ground, on the banks between

Redheugh and Fast-Castle, Mr Alder and G. J.

30. Helix rotund at a H, radiata, Moni, Common.

31. Helix PULCHELLA. Langton Woods. Apparently rare in Berwick-
shire, where we have seen only the smooth variety.

32. Helix pura, Alder, On the sea banks between St Abb*s Head and

156 LIST OF PULMONIFEROUS MOLLUSCA*

Fast- Castle. Rare. — The Helix ericetorum occurs abundantly on a
bank at the roadside between Spindlestone and Gloweroerhim, and
H. virgata on the links at Bamborough Castle : but these localities
are without the limits to which this catalogue is confined.
3.3. BuLiMUs oBscuRUS. Rare. Dunglass dean, in the dean at Twizel
Bridge, and at Twizel House.

34. BuLiMus LUBRicus. Frequent.

35. Balea fragilis. Frequent, though rarely abundant in any one

place. On Smailholra Tower plentiful.

36. Clausilia rugosa. Common.

37. Pupa umbilicata. Common.

38. Pupa marginata. Holy Island, plentiful ; Spittal Links ; on the

shore at the mouth of the Pease-Burn.

39. Pupa anglica. Dunglass dean, Mr Alder ; under stones at the

mouth of the Pease-Burn ; sea banks between Ross and Lamberton
Shields.

40. Vertigo palustris, Turt,

41. Vertigo substriata, Jeffreys.

42. Vertigo pygm^a, Drap, These three species were found together
in a piece of boggy ground, on the banks between Redheugh and
Fast-Castle. Mr Alder and G. J.

Family III.—AUElCULIDiE.

43. Carychium minimum. Under decaying leaves in woods, and in
moist places, not uncommon.

Family IV.— LYMNEID^.

44. Planorbis vortex. Not uncommon.

45. Planorbis contortus. Not uncommon.

46. Planorbis albus. Common.

47. Planorbis l^vis, Alder. Holy Island Lough.

48. Planorbis nitidus. Rare. Coldingham Lough.

49. Planorbis IMBRICATUS. Rare. Near the mouth of the Whiteadder.

50. LiMNiEA stagnalis. In a small pond on Halydown Hill, and in a

pond at the base of the hill near the field grieve's house.

51. LiMNiEA peregra. Very common.

52. LiMN^A PALUSTRIS. Not uucommon.

53. Limn^a fossaria. Frequent.

54. Physa fontinalis. Common.

55. Physa hypnorum. Rare. In a ditch below Jourdan Field, near

Dunse, Mr W. Dunlop.

56. Ancylus FLuviATiLis. Frcqueut.

57. Ancylus LAcusTRis. Rare. In small ponds near the mouth of the

Whiteadder. Coldingham Lough, Mr Alder.

( 157 )

Notice of the Effect of the Root of MonKshood (Aconitum Napellus) on
the Horse, By Mr Henderson, Chirnside.

Four years ago, I dried and powdered for some purpose a quantity of
the root of this plant, and having kept about half an ounce till I imagined
it quite inert, I threw it out upon the top of a wall, near which I used
frequently to tie my pony. In this situation, she one morning licked up
about one-half of it when I had occasion to ride about eight miles. Ere
long, however, she began to chew incessantly, and saliva to flow from
her mouth in great abundance. Her debility also became such, that she
could scarcely carry me, and she was covered with a profuse perspira-
tion. After reaching with difficulty the place appointed, the salivation
continued for six hours ; not less than three gallons of a watery and
frothy mucus being discharged from her mouth. After this it gradually
subsided, and I rode her home in the evening, apparently nothing the
worse, though at one time I had given her up as lost. The situation
admitted of no other remedy than a little oatmeal and water ; though
perhaps a little linseed or sallad oil might have been of advantage, had it
been tried. While suffering under the poison, she would neither eat nor
drink ; nor did she taste any thing till the day afler. No permanent ill
effects, however, followed. If properly administered, might not this root
be of service in some diseases of horses, such as colds, &e., in promoting
a free discharge from the salivary glands ? Might it not also be tried in
the severe disease called Glanders ?

Analysis of Ftdler's Earth from Maxton. By Robert D. Thomson,

M.D.

This mineral is found in round masses larger than the fist, in the bed
of a stream at its junction with the Tweed near Maxton, imbedded in clay-
stone porphyry, spec. grav. 2.394. Before the blowpipe, with nitrcy car-
bonate of soda, and salt of phosphorus, it fuses into an opaque mass.
With borax, fuses into a transparent bead, — pale amber-coloured when
hot, colourless when cold. Colour, yellowish-white or chalky. Frac-
ture earthy, soft, soiling the fingers ; scratched by the nail, tuesite and
gypsum. Adheres to the tongue like Halloysite. Contains crystals of de-
composing felspar interspersed through the mass. Its constituents I
found to be,

Silica, 57.105

Alumina, 31.850

Magnesia, . 2.615

Water, . 7.280

98.850

Now, this is equivalent to silica, 4 atoms ; alumina, 2 atoms ; water,
1 atom.

158 ANALYSIS OF LITHOMARGE FROM MAXTON.

Hence the formula representing its composition is,

2 Al. S» + Aq;

The formula for those specimens hitherto examined being

Al. S» + 2 Aq.

Berthier has included a mineral possessing the same composition under
Halloysite, and another under Kaolin, as exhibited in the following table :

Halloysite, Fahlun. Kaolin, Normandy.

Silica, . 46.8 50.

Alumina, 26.7 28.

Peroxide of Iron, 5. 5.5

Magnesia, 0.4 .7

Lime, .3. 5.5

Potash, . 2.2

Water, • 13.5 9.5

95.4 101.4

Berthier considers these two specimens as affording instances of fel-
spar in different states of decomposition ; and although he adduces no
circumstances which tend to confirm his supposition, yet it is possible
his conjecture may be correct. I could observe no fact, however, which
could give countenance to the idea, that Tuesite, or Fuller's earth, was
in any way connected with felspar in masses.

Analysis of Lithomarge from Maxton, By Robert D. Thomson, M. D.

For this specimen, as well as for the preceding, I am indebted to the
kindness of the Rev. John Thomson of Maxton. It occurs in veins in
the old red sandstone near the school. It is a soft, yellowish substance.
It is smooth, yielding to the finger ; contains greenish streaks and an-
swers to the description of Lithomarge or rock-marrow, spec. grav. 2.457.
With carbonate of soda, fuses before the blowpipe in the outer-flame in-
to an opaque brown bead, becoming colourless on cooling. Does not
fuse with borax. With biphosphate of soda, fuses in the outer flame
into a transparent colourless bead. Its constituents by my analysis are

Silica,

56.850

Alumina,

25.000

Potash,

6.178

Lime,

3.492

Magnesia,

2.640

Water,

5.840

100.000
0.5 atoms.

'efore

19 Atoms.

Lime,

a, 7.5

Magnesia, 0.5

1.0

Water,

4.0

Its composition is therefore

- Silica,
Alumina,
Potash,

The formula to represent its composition will be

8i AI. 82 + K S2 + 4 Aq.
Under this mineral we may, perhaps, include Berthier's Kaolins from
St Tropez and Mende.

( 159 )

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§ 1

January,..
February,
March,....

April.

May,

June,

Ju>7>

August, ...
September,
October,...
November,
December,

( ICO )

Notice of Scolopax Majors Lin. &c. (Great or Solitary Snipe.) By P. J.

Selby, Esq.

On the 8th of September, I killed a beautiful specimen of this rare
British bird upon the moor within a mile's distance of Twizell House.
It was first flushed by the setters when its peculiar flight attracted at-
tention. Upon rising the second time when it was shot, the same dif-
ference of flight from that of the common snipe (^Scolopax Gallinago)
was observed. Upon dissection it proved a female. It was in high
condition and very fat ; its weight six ounces. It measured 1 1 \ inches
in length ; in extent of wing 18 inches ; the bill short in comparison to
that of the common snipe, 2^ inches in length ; tarsi 1^ inch. When
flushed it uttered no cry.

The following are some of the Rarer Nocturnal Lepidoptera taken
this season at Twizell House : —

Deilephila elpenor. Apamea nictitans.

porcellus. Miana literosa.
Macroglossa stellatarum. strigilis.

Hepialus velleda. minima.

Triphaena fimbria. Scotophila porphyrea.

Mythmina grisea. Xanthia Gilvago.

Caradrina alsines. Miselia compta.

glareosa. Polia herbida.
Hadena adusta. serena.

genistse. chi.

Euplexia lucipara. Acronycta menyanthedis.

Contributions to the Fauna of Twizell and New to the District,
Arvicola PRATENsis . Mr Selby.

SOREX REMIGER, .

Contribution to the Bivalve Shells of Berwickshire.
Pholas crispata, Berwick Bay, . Dr Johnston.

( 161 )

Address to the Members of the Berwickshire Naturalist^ Cluby delivered
at the Anniversary Meeting, held at Ford, \^th September 1838. By
Dr Clarke, President,

Gkntlbmbn,

In the following summary of our transactions, I regret to say that our
meetings have not been so fertile in new or interesting results as in
former years, but they have continued to be, as heretofore, scenes of
cheerful and rational enjoyment, animated by the same genial spirit-
marked by the same friendly interchange of thought and opinion, and
never, even for a moment, clouded by the shadow of angry or intem-
perate discussion. But though the Club, as an associated body, has
fallen short of the reputation of other years, I rejoice to say, that her
members individually have not slackened their efforts in the cause of
Science. I mention, with especial pleasure, the description of the Ber-
wick and North Durham Coalfield, given by Mr Milne at the meeting of
the British Association, which Dr Buckland noticed in a strain of high
panegyric ; — an elaborate account of the Salmonidas by Sir W. Jardine,
pervaded by a spirit of philosophic and dispassionate inquiry ; and a
systematic work on British Zoophytes by Dr Johnston, whose name is a
sufficient warrant for fidelity of description and accuracy of induction,
and which the scientific world will hail as filling up a blank in the Na-
tural History of Britain.

The last Anniversary was held at Norham. The members, of whom
there was a strong muster, after breakfasting with the Rev. Dr Gilly,
proceeded to investigate the neighbourhood. One party examined the
geological structure of the district, as disclosed by the banks of the
Tweed, an account of which Mr Milne has forwarded to the Club. Drs
Johnston and Douglas followed the windings of the river as far as
Milne Graden, and obtained the following plants: — Asplenium Ruta-
Muraria, an addition to the cryptogamic Flora of Berwickshire ; Asple-
nium marinum, on rocks near Lady- kirk, three miles above tide-mark,
and above ten from the sea ; Cistopteris fragilis, from Lady's Bridge,
Milne Graden; Galium boreale, from the Scarth Crags; Thalictrum
majus; Euonymus europseus ; Lysimachia nummularia ; Lactuca virosa;
Viola hirta, &C., on the rocky and woody banks of the Tweed.

The Christmas Meeting took place as usual at Berwick, and was well
attended. Mr Henderson of Chirnside sent specimens of Melalontha
vulgaris, and Rhagium bifaciatum, taken in his neighbourhood. Mr Selby
mentioned that the dipterous fiy, taken at Hound wood last May, was
Tachina ursina. Dr Douglas exhibited specimens of Trochilium cra-
boniforme, in its different stages of caterpillar, chrysalis, and moth, to-

B. N. c — xo. Vf. M

162 DR Clarke's address.

gether with a specimen of Salix capraea, perforated by the caterpillar,
from the Hirsel.

After dinner a long and interesting communication from Mr David
Milne was read concerning some lenticular shaped stones, which were
found imbedded in soft and slaty shale on the high and precipitous
banks of the Tweed, near Norham, on the north side of the river.
These stones on being fractured presented also a lenticular arrangement,
and were found to consist partly of arenaceous, partly of argillaceous,
matter. Mr Milne likewise mentioned the occurrence of similarly
shaped stones in a red sandstone quarry in the grounds of Ladykirk
House, about three-quarters of a mile above the spot where the stones
were situated in the shale. Mr Milne added some observations on the
frequent occurrence and probable formation of these stones ; the latter
he attributed to a peculiar process of crystallization excited among the
pai'ticles of the stratum where they were imbedded ; the predisposing
cause he attributes to the presence of a quantity of iron (which they all
contain) impregnating the particles, and giving them the tendency to
arrange themselves in this particular form. This process, he observes,
must have taken place previous to the consolidation of the strata in
which they are imbedded. Mr Milne farther observed, that he had pro-
ceeded to the bank below Norham Castle, where an old quarry was
situated, in search of certain pyriform stones. Owing, however, to the
quarry being filled up with rubbish, he was unable to procure any, but
he shewed several which had been obtained several years ago by Sir
David Milne when the quarry was worked. They vary in size from
two inches to two feet in diameter. Mr Milne concluded his paper by
proving from the different strata of sand and gravel at and near the vil-
lage of Norham, that the River Tweed had at some former period
flowed in a channel about twenty -five feet higher than that which it now
occupies.

The Club met for the first time this year at Eyemouth. " After
breakfasting with the Rev. Mr Turnbull, the members took their walk,
which lay along the sinuous rocky coast between Eyemouth and Col-
dingham. The day was favourable, and as the locality is a fine one,
the Club had often occasion to halt that they might leisurely examine
and admire many little creeks, basins, and promontories, rendered inte-
resting by their geological structure, or their rugged picturesqueness.
One place exhibited a very plain overlying of the sandstone above the
trap, and gave rise to much speculative conversation, which was inter-
rupted and deleted by the unexpected appearance of a fine Grampus,
sporting in the sea below. He moved, at measured pace, along the
coast northwards, and was so near as to afford a full view of him, that
no doubt was left of his character and designation. The zoologists saw

DH Clarke's address. 163

little else worthy of notice. A Wheat-ear, which Mr Selby remarked
was the second only he had seen this season, — a Solan Goosey— 4i
green Cormorant in his spring plumage, — and an Eider Duck, were,
amongst others, of common occurrence. Mr Selby captured a few in-
sects, whose names he will communicate at another meeting. On the
shore nothing novel occurred, excepting a Planaria, picked up by Mr
Riddell, allied to the PI. Arethusa of Dalyell, but differing in being a
denizen of salt-water.

" In Botany nothing new was seen. The banks, in many places, were
covered with the Cochlearia officinalis, now in full flower ; and about
mid-way between Eyemouth and Coldingham, the Primrose, Cowslip,
and Oxlip, were observed ; the Primrose and Oxlip growing intermixed,
and shewing too many features of a common resemblance, to be consi-
dered descendants of distinct and separate stocks. Wherever the Prim-
rose grew, the bank was, as usual, enamelled with its never-failing con-
sorts— the Pile-wort, (the lesser Celandine of Wordsworth) — the Dog-
violet — the barren Strawberry — and the Field-Rush, now all in flower
and beauty.

" After dinner the minutes of last meeting were read and approved of.
The Rev. Thomas Riddell, Fellow of Trin. Coll. Cambridge, on the no-
mination of Dr Johnston, seconded by Dr Clarke, was admitted a
member.

" Mr Milne exhibited part of the stock of an .\nchor, which, after having
been sunk in the entrance of Eyemouth Harbour for about eight yean,
had been taken up and removed, in consequence of being rendered use-
less by the decay of the stock. It was very satisfactorily proved that
this decay was the effect of the Liranoria terebrans — the first instance
of the occurrence of this noxious insect on the Berwickshire coast.

" The Rev. Andrew Baird was instructed to draw up a Report for next
meeting, on the effects of the past winter, as shewn in plants and shrubs,
ftc. as well as on animals ; and members were invited to communicate
any facts that might assist him in this work.

" It will be observed, then, that at this meeting of the Club there
was no paper read — no discovery made — no business prepared — and
none to leave behind it a permanent trace — and yet your Secretaries
would instance it as a proof of the utility and rationality of your So-
ciety. It led, let it be remarked, to the detection of an insect in Eye-
mouth harbour, which may be of advantage ; for knowing, as they now
do, its existence and nature, the managers of that port will need to keep
a careful eye on its wood-works ; and it will prevent disappointment and
useless expenditure of money, if, in future, they adopt means to protect
whatever wood is used from its ravages. Kyanized wood may probably
be unsuitable to its taste ; and, we believe, that to cover the wood with
broad-headed nails, has been found a good remedy or preventive.

164

DR CLARKE S ADDRESS.

" But, independent of this, the meeting was not the less valuable to the
members individually. A day was spent by them agreeably, if not in
high, at least in conversation relating to interesting topics, which,
though not necessary to a man, are ornamental and improving. Relaxa-
tion, too, at stated intervals, is to the mind what some periodical dis-
charges are to the body, giving it fresh elasticity and health ; and a
relaxation of a better character than what our meeting afforded, it will
not be easy to procure. The mind was set at ease, and the imagination
was left to roam, but not unchecked ; for, by the society of congenial
minds, and by the influence of the outward scenes, its wanderings was
limited to objects all of a pleasing character, and that had a direct
tendency to lead it to the contemplation of the omniscience and provi-
dence of our Maker, as made visible in these his lower creations. That
these are the results of our association, is not imaginary ; — they were
shewn to be real not merely in the pleased contentment which every
member's countenance and conduct evidenced, but in the whole tenor of
the conversation that passed, — a conversation that knew no pause — that
went from theme to theme with every possible variety — and yet, which
never needed an apology to propriety, nor left a wish that a word might
be recalled."

In these remarks I hope the Club recognise " the sweet Roman hand"
— the genial spirit of our worthy Secretary Dr Johnston, delighting to
refer everything to the Deity, and looking abroad into Nature, only to
find evidences of his goodness.

The next meeting took place at Lauder, June 13, when the only
members present were the office-holders of the Club. Few objects of
interest presented themselves. The season had been ungenial, and
flowers and insects, those children of the Sun, appeared in slender num-
bers. Dr Douglas explored a marshy hill about 2 miles to the north-west,
covered with natural wood, willows, oaks, and elms. Towards the summit,
the juniper and great bill-berry were observed sparingly. The banks of
the Leader, above Lauder, seemed remarkably barren ; but in the gravelly
channel of the stream, Lepidium Smithii, a phenogamous plant, new to
Berwickshire, was gathered abundantly by Drs Johnston and Douglas.
Salix Forbeana was the only other rare plant gathered. The remoteness
of Lauder, lying at the western extremity of Berwickshire, sufficiently
accounted for the scanty attendance of members ; and it was resolved
that, in future, without especial reason to the contrary, the stations should
be fixed at more accessible distances.

In July, the Club assembled at Greenlaw. After breakfast, the mem-
bers proceeded to Greenlaw Moor, which, together with the adjoining
boggy ground, occupied their attention during the day. The following
plants were gathered : Lycopodium clavatum ; Genista anglica, which

DR CLARKE'S ADDRESS. 165

had stood the winter's extreme cold unscathed, while the apparently more
robust whin had died under its severity ; Heliosciadium inundatum ;
Habenaria viridis; Hippuris vulgaris; Hydrocotyle vulgaris ; Polypodium
dryopteris, fringing an old earth wall ; Listera ovata ; Sphagnum acuti-
foliuni and obtusifolium, the latter only in fruit ; Veronica scutellata ;
Uredo Lini ; and several species of Carex.

Crentlemen, — Whilst the rapid progress of the sciences of late years^
the light which they mutually shed upon each other, and the nearer re-
lationship which they manifest, as we trace them to their source — must
have been contemplated with pleasure by the members of this Associa-
tion, they must also have observed, with pain and regret, a spirit of mis-
guided zeal arraying itself against the results of Physical inquiry, as if
the discovery of facts and laws in the material world could weaken the
authority or invalidate the truths of Scripture. It may not be irrelevant
or unimportant to advert to this subject for a moment, to shew that,
however well-intentioned the parties may be who maintain this contro-
versy, they have entirely misconceived the spirit and mistaken the ob-
jects of Revelation ; and rather than be drawn out of their accustomed
circle of thought, are willing to close their eyes to the clearest demon-
strations of natural truth.

The dread of finding the Book of Nature at variance with the Book
of Revelation is vain and groundless. They both alike proceed from the
Author of all truth, and, when rightly interpreted, cannot contradict each
other. But there is this grand difference between them : the one con-
tains the moral history of our species — our relation to the Deity — the
conditions of salvation, and the great mystery of the Atonement ; the
pages of the other lie patent to our view, and require only the use of our
reason and senses to decypher them. The truths and mysteries of the
one are disclosed to us, because they are, from their nature, beyond the
reach of our faculties. We make ourselves masters of the knowledge
revealed in the other, by the powers of our understanding, and the evi-
dence of our senses. The one was freely given to us, as it embodied
information necessary to our happiness, yet unattainable by our reason.
The other was unrolled as an ample volume to be studied and decyphered
by successive generations of mankind with increasing wonder and delight,
as every page continued to disclose fresh evidences of the wise and bene-
ficent purposes of the Almighty Author. The one is a storehouse of
moral and religious, the other of physical, truths. They both concur in
affirming the unity of the Godhead. They both declare that this glorious
world is His work, and that it is neither the result of chance, nor has
existed for ever. They are both embodied expressions of his Will, and
manifestations of his Power. Further than this, they have nothing in
common. The attempt to strengthen and confirm the authority of re-

i66 DR Clarke's address.

velation by the aid of science, and, in turn, to frame theories in accord-
ance with pre-conceived notions of the intent and purport of Scripture,
has operated to the serious injury both of natural and revealed truth.
For some have been deterred altogether from scientific investigation, lest
they should discover anything to shake their reliance on Scripture ;
others, having seen one mode of interpretation confirmed by the con-
clusions of science in a certain state of knowledge, have had their faith
shaken, and their religious feelings jarred, by the disclosure of new facts
which stood in opposition to the former theory. The Mosaic account of the
creation was simply intended to lift the grovelling imaginations of the
early inhabitants of the earth, from the vain objects of their idolatry, to one
God — the great First Cause and Author of all things. It was necessary,
in this representation, not to contradict the prevailing notions of the time,
else the revelation would have been rejected as monstrous and incredible.
The Deity is described throughout as man, though with infinitely superior
powers, as being occupied in the work of creation for a certain definite
period of time — 6 days, as if the thought and act of an omnipotent Deity
were not simultaneous and coincident ; and as if the term of a day, by
which we measure a revolution of our planet, could have any relation to
Him, of whose will the law which governs the motions of our system is
but a single expression. He is represented as accessible to human feel-
ings, and swayed by human passions. We know that, in reference to
Him, time can have no meaning — that a thousand years are but as one
day, and one day but as a thousand years — that He is incapable of
change, the same to-day, yesterday, and for ever, and without any
variableness or shadow of turning. But so thought not the simple
Fathers of our race ; and all these particulars which imply a limited, and,
therefore, incorrect idea of the Godhead, are evident accommodations to
the state of knowledge at the time, and, accordingly, as we proceed, we
find juster and more exalted notions of the nature and perfections of the
Deity begin to open upon the sacred writers.

Again, if the revelation of Moses had included all the physical truths
which now obtain universal credence, from the infallible evidence on
which they rest, one of two results must have taken place — either, that
Man must have been endued with an intuitive power of apprehending
these truths, and have been a passive recipient of the knowledge com-
municated, the use of his reason precluded, and every discovery in
science forestalled — or, belief in such sublime disclosures must have been
impossible ; and so must it have been at any period of the world's his-
tory, for science changes its character as it advances, and, even now,
the extent of our survey only discloses to us a horizon of proportionate
magnitude beyond, over which hang clouds and darkness. If, for ex-
ample, the quiescence of the Sun in the centre of our system, and the
mobility of the Eiarth, had then been enunciated, the dogma would at

DR clarkb's address. 167

once have been rejected as a manifest falsehood. But this grand truth,
resting on infallible demonstration, is now recognised throughout the
civilized world, and the authority and integrity of Scripture, as to its
essential truths, remains intact and unassailable. Yet the same spirit
which would have kept back the truth in the case of Galileo, and de-
terred him from announcing or following up his discoveries, is now ar-
rayed to decry and impugn the truths revealed by geology — a science
which has opened up a new field for the display of the beneficent provi-
dence of the Deity. It is lamentable to think that the same delusion,
how often soever refuted and exposed, shows itself ever and anon in un-
diminished vigour, as if the lessons of experience, and the monitions of
history, included within them no voice of warning.

We can only hope that this unhappy spirit of dogmatism which would
lay prostrate our reason, and reject the evidence of sense — which would
erect a spiritual despotism within the realms of thought, will gradually
fade and disappear before the increasing light of truth and knowledge.
The sum of our argument, then, is, that revelation and science are totally
different in their nature — essentially distinct and dissimilar in the sub-
jects of which they treat — and must each be studied without reference
to, and independently of, the other. Indeed, after the ordinance of
Virtue, there is nothing so repeatedly and urgently enjoined in the Divine
writings as a spirit of inquiry and the acquisition of knowledge ; and it
hath pleased Him who adapted our mental constitution to the visible
world around, to annex pleasure both to its pursuit and acquisition, and,
it is certain, that, next to purity of life, knowledge is its own great and
self-sufficing reward.

It would be superfluous to show how much our enjoyment of the ex-
ternal world is enhanced by the study of Natural Science. A thousand
avenues of enjoyment lie patent to the cultivated man, from which the
ignorant is shut out. He comes in contact, as it were, with Nature, at
a thousand points. He sees her under an infinitude of aspects, and, in-
stead of stupid wonder or superstitious dread, the magnificent pheno-
mena of the material world offer to him only a theme of enlightened ad-
miration and love. " Nature," to adopt the language of the great Poet
of our age,

" Nature never did betray

The heart that loved her ; for she can so inform

The mind that is within us, so impress

With quietness and beauty, and so feed

With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues.

Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men.

Shall c^cr prevail against us, or disturb

The cheerf\il faith, that all which we behold

Is full of blessings."*

Let me, in conclusion, be permitted to observe, that to collect facts

Wordsworth.

168 DR clarrb's address.

and observe phenomena, though the first step and only sure basis of
science, yet does not constitute Science itself. The genuine votary of
Nature will not rest satisfied with her outward and visible revelations,
but will seek to penetrate the mysteries of the sanctuary. He will en-
deavour, by observation and experiment, by the classification of pheno-
mena, and the tracing of analogies and relations, to rise from effects to
causes, and to discover those principles and laws which constitute the
highest aim, as well as the chief privilege of Philosophy. It is by this
process of induction that the System of the World, instead of presenting
a confused assemblage of unconnected facts and unexplained pheno-
mena, is converted into a beautiful and consistent scheme, of which
symmetry, harmony, and order, are the unvarying and essential attri-
butes. It is this principle which distinguishes modern science from the
labours of the ancients — which deposes from their usurped authority the
countless Gods of the Heathen, and all the mysterious agencies and
powers which Ignorance raised up to direct, controul, and preside over
the phenomena of the world. It is this principle which, as Science ad-
vances, gathers fresh proofs of the profound mechanism of the uni-
verse, and which, amid all the seeming discrepancy and real dissimi-
larity— the vast complexity and inexhaustible variety — the infinitely
minute and inconceivably great — shews all nature to be interpenetrated
and pervaded by Laws whose operation is constant, unvarying, and univer-
sal ; and as the discovery of truth almost necessarily implies the exposure
of error, it is by this principle that the human mind is disenthralled from
the baneful influence of superstition, and the road to truth disencumbered
of the impediments which retard our progress.

Lastly, and certainly not the least important consequence of the in-
ductive philosophy it is, that as the bounds of our knowledge are ex-
tended, the single Personality of the Deity becomes a more convincing
and unimpeachable truth, and our views of the Divine perfections grow
more exalted and sublime as they become more just and rational.

And when we contemplate the magnificent array of science — the accu-
mulated wisdom of the world — the reflection which is forced on our
minds is — not any shallow boast of knowledge — not any overweening
pride of reason — but a humble yet confident hope, a deep and influential
conviction, that the being who has thus lifted up the veil from the seem-
ing mysteries of Nature — who has penetrated, as it were, the counsels of
the Deity, and brought to light countless proofs of his wisdom, good-
ness, and power, must be with Him an object of care and favour ; and
that we are not only thereby raised in the scale of moral and intellectual
existences, but permitted, in some degree, a foretaste and anticipation of
that state of being when we shall no longer behold His image darkly
shadowed forth in His works, but shall see him " face to face" in the
fulness of knowledge.

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// List of the Fishes of Berwickshire^ exclusive of the Salmones,
By George Johnston, M.D.

1. Perca FLUViATiLis, Linti, The Perch. Coldingham Lough;

Hirsel Lough ; in still parts of the Tweed, descending to within
two miles of its mouth.

2. Perca labuax, Linn. The Basse, Yarr. Occasionally taken in

the salmon nets at the mouth of the Tweed.

3. Trachinus dkaco, Linn. The Great Weaver, Pe7in. Rare, but

a few specimens are annually taken in our bay during the summer.

4. Trachinus vipera, Cuv. Lesser Weaver, Yarr, Stang-fish,

Prov. Not uncommon in our bay, and believed to inflict a
venomed wound by its strong fin rays.

5. MuLLus barbatus, Linn. Plain Red Mullet, Yarr. A specimen

taken on our coast in the autumn of 1 836, and presented to me
by the Rev. A. Baird.

6. Trigla gurnardus, Linn. The Grey Gurnard, Yarr. The

Gurnett or Crooner, Prov. Common on our coast, and a good
fish for the table, though rarely brought to market. Subject to
great variety in colour ; and I have seen a specimen which was
coloured and marked on the dorsal fin like the Ped Gurnard.
The provincial name may have reference either to the hard and
somewhat peculiarly shaped head of this fish, from croon — the top
of the head ; or it may be derived from the verb croon, viz. to
hum an air in an unmusical tone, because of the peculiar noise
which the fish sometimes utters on being taken from the water.
It sometimes reaches the length of 13 inches, but it rarely exceeds
9 or 10. Spawns in spring ; and is fittest for the table in the winter.

7. Trigla Pini, Bloch. Red Gurnard, Yarr. A rare species on the

coast of Berwickshire.

8. CoTTUs ScoRPius, /?/ocA. Sea Scorpion, Yarr. Frequent in pools

of water between tide marks, and under stones at low water-mark.

9. CoTTus BUBALis, Cuv. Father- Lashcr, Yarr. Tuck, Prov.

With the preceding, with which it is confounded by our fishermen.
10. AspiDOPHORUs CATAPHRACTUs, Jenyns. The Armed Bullhead,

Yarr. Miller's Thumb, Prov. Frequent at the mouth of the

Tweed.
IL ScoKPiENA NORVEGICA, Cf^v. ScE Pcrch, Pe/iw. The Bergylt, Yarr.

In 1832, I procured a specimen in our bay, which was sent to Mr

J. E. Gray of the British Museum.
12. Gasterosteus aculeatus, Linn. The Three-spined Stickleback,

Penn. Bainstickles, Prov. Of this common fish we have the fol-
lowing varieties :

(a.) Rough-tailed Stickleback, Yarr.

LIST OF THE FISHES OF BERWICKSHIRE. I7l

(b.) Half-armed Stickleback, Yarr.

(c.) Smooth tailed Stickleback, Yarr.

{d.) Four-8})iiied Stickleback, Yarr.
Dr Painell, in May 1836, took two specimens of the last in
the pools left by the tide on Yarrow-haugh, Berwick ; and he is
of opinion that it is different from the four-spined Stickleback of
Yarrel, but the only difference I can perceive is, that the 2d ray of
the dorsal fin is shorter than the 1st or 3d, while in Yarreirs they
appear to be nearly all of the same size. Dr P. agrees with those
authors who consider all the varieties as properly constituting dis-
tinct species ; but because they are to be always met with in the
same pools, living and mixing freely together, and because it is
not seldom difficult to refer a specimen to its supposed species,
from an obscurity or commixture of characters, I have preferred
following the example of Mr Jenyns, in his Manual of our Native
Vertebrate Animals.

13. Gasterosteus spinnachia, Linn, Fifleen-spined Stickleback,

Penn. Of not uncommon occurrence in the Tweed, at its mouth,
and occasionally taken in the bay. I have had this fish brought
me as the young of the Sturgeon !

14. Sparus AURATA, Zmw. Gilt-head, Yarr. Rare. A specimen oc-

casionally taken, during the summer, at the mouth of the Tweed.

15. Sparus cENTRODONTOS, yienyw*. The Sea-Bream, Yarr. Not un-

common.

16. Brama raii, Cuv, Toothed Gilt-head, Petir?. Ray's Bream, Yarr.

Rare. I have seen two specimens only cast on shore after a storm ;
and the Rev. Mr Baird has seen another, which had suffered a
similar wreck, on the shore below Cockburnspath.
J 7. Scomber scomber, Linn. The Mackerel, Yarr. Common.

18. Caranx trachurus, Cuv. The Scad, or Horse-Mackerel, Yarr.

Of occasional occurrence during the herring season.

19. Zeus faber, Linn. The Dory, Yarr. Rare.

20. MuGiL CHELO, Cuv. The Thick-lipped Grey Mullet, Yarr. The

Mullet, Prov. Of frequent occurrence in the bay in autumn.

21. Blennius pholis, Linn. The Shanny, Yarr. Common, lurking

under stones between tide marks.

22. Blennius yarrbllii, Valenc. B. Palmicornis, Jentfns. The

Crested Blenny, Yarr, Very rare. In pools between tide marks.
My specimen was taken on January 27. 1833.

23. Blennius ounnellus, Linn. Spotted Blenny, Penn. * The

Spotted Gunnel or ButterHsh, Yarr. Common under stones be-
tween tide marks.

24. Zoarces viviPARUs, Car. The Viviparus Blenny, Yarr. Barber

Eel, Prov. Frequent, especially in the river near its mouth.

^72 LIST OF THE FISHES OF BERWICKSHIRE.

25. Anarrhichas lupus, Linn. Wolf Fish, Yarr. Sea-Cat, Prov,

Not uncommon. " An uglie fish to sight, and yet verie delicat in
eating, if it be kindlie dressed" It is seldom or never brought to
market, but the few who know its good quality, buy the fish when
offered to them. A fisherman having cut off the head of an indi-
vidual, attempted to remove the hook from the mouth upwards of
an hour afterwards, when the jaws closed so forcibly, that the teeth
were thrust through his thumb, and he was incapacitated for
work for a week after. The head of a skate will snap, and give
evidence of life the day after it has been removed from the body.

26. GoBius BiPUNCTATUs, Yarr. The Doubly-spotted Goby, Yarr.

In pools left by the recess of the tide.

27. Callionymus lyra, Linn. Gemmeous Dragonet, Penn. The

Goldie, Prov. This remarkable and beautiful fish is not uncom-
mon on our coast.

28. Callionymus dracunculus, Linn. Sordid Dragonet, Penn, Less

common than the preceding. It appears to be now nearly estab-
lished that this is distinct from the preceding.

29. LoPHius piscATORius, Linji. Common Angler, Penn, The Fish-

ing Frog, Yarr. The Sea Devil, Prov. Not uncommon.

30. Labrus MACULATUS, B/ocA. Ballan Wrassc, Fam Sea Sow, Prov.

Frequent, living near low-water marks in rocky places.

31. Labrus rupestris, Selby. Jago's Goldsinny, Selby. After a very

severe storm in February 1836, numerous specimens of this pretty
fish were thrown ashore, of which five came into my possession.
Our fishermen considered it the young of the Sea Sow.

32. Cyprinus tinca, Linn. Tench, Penn. Hirsel Lough, — an arti-

ficial piece of water, first filled in the month of December 1786. —
Lord Home.*

33. Leuciscus phoxinus, Cuv. The Minnow. Common.

34. GoBiTUs BARBATULA, Linn. The Loach, Yarr. Beardie Loche,

Prov. In the Tweed, and in several of our burns.

35. Esox LUCIUS, Linn, Pike. Hirsel and Lithtilm Lochs, Tweed

and Whiteadder, though rare in the latter, the Leet, Eden Water,
&c. In the Hirsel Loch, " the Pike run to a great size — one of
them weighed 35 pounds, but from 10 to 20 pounds is the average
weight of those caught in the nets." — Karl of Home.

36. Belone vulgaris, Flem. The Garfish, Yarr. Greenbone, Prov.

A few specimens are annually taken during the herring season.
When a paragraph in a provincial newspaper announces the capture
of a Sward Fish on our coast, the naturalist may register the latter

• I am not aware that the Carp (Cyprinus Carpio) is met with in any part of Ber-
wickshire. Gold and Silver Fish (C. auratus) are favourite ornaments in a room,
but seldom live long with us.

LIST OP THE FISHES OF BERWICKSHIRE. 173

among the synonymes of the Garfish. The bones are grass-green
naturally, and the colour is not the effect of boiling, as is usually
stated.

37. Belone saurus, Jenyns, The Saury Pike, Yarr, Rare.

38. Osmerus eperlamus, Fleming, The Smelt, Penn, Very rare in

the Tweed, where, indeed, I have heard of only one specimen
being taken, and which was readily recognised by a fisherman to
whom the fish was faiiiiliar, as he had often taken them in the Tay.

39. Clufea pilchardus, Block. Pilchard. Rare, but a few speci-

mens are generally taken during the herring season.

40. Clupea harengus, Linn. The Herring. Visits our bay during

the harvest months in great numbers. In Wallis' time (1769),
" enough for export" were not taken.

41. Clupea sprattus. Block, The Sprat. Common. A favourite

food of the salmon tribe.

42. Clupea alosa, Cuv. The Shad or Rock Herring, Prov, The

Allice Shad, Yarr. Frequently taken at the mouth of the Tweed
in autumn, and sold in the market, but held in no estimation.
The true Shad I have not found on this coast.

43. Gados morrhua, Linn, Morrhua vulgaris, Cuv, The Cod.

Common. The young are called Codlings ; and when the fish is
of a red colour, which it assumes after lying some time among
weedy rocks, it is then called Rock Cod or Codling. A fisher-
man, on whose word I can rely, told me that he once caught a cod
with a hare in its stomach ; and in the stomach of another he
found a white turnip.

44. Gadus jiolefinus, Linn. Morrhua seglefiuus, Cuv. The Had-

dock. " Taken in such abundance as to furnish all tables, and to
reward the toil of the hardy fishermen.'* Wallis,

45. Gadus luscus, Linn. Morrhua lusca, Flem, The Bib, Pout, and

Whiting-Pout, Yarr, The Mailed, Prov. Not uncommon.

46. Merlangus vulgaris, Flein. Whiting. Common.

47. Merlangus carbonarius, Flem. Coal-fish, Penn, When yoimg

it is called with us the Podlie ; when somewhat larger the Podler;
and when full grown the Coal-sei/t or Black Coal^ey.

48. Merlangus pollachius, Cuv. Pollack, Penn, Lythe, Prov,

Common.

49. Merluccius vulgaris, Cuv, The Hake, Perm, Rare.

50. Lota molva, Jenyns, The Ling. Common, though much less so

than the Cod.

51. MoTELLA MUSTELA, Nilss. Gadus mustela, Limu Five-bearded

Cod, Penn. The five-bearded Rockling, Yarr, Not uncommon
in rocky pools, near low water-mark.

52. Raniceps trifurcatus, Flem. Trifurcated Hake, Penn, Tad-

174 LIST OF THE FISHES OF BERWICKSHIRE.

pole fish, H. Daines. Rare. I have already stated my reasons
for believing that the Ranieeps Jago of Fleming is not distinct
from this, and the opinion has been generally adopted.

53. Platessa vulgaris, Flem, Plaice, Penn, Common.

54. Platessa flesus, Flem, Flounder, Penn. The Fluke, Prov,

Common. Ascends the Tweed as far as the Till, which river it
also enters. Found in the Whiteadder, and in our other burns
which have a communication with thi sea.

55. Platessa limanda, Flem. The Dab. Common. Its favourite

food appears to be the pretty Pecten obsoletus.

56. Platessa microcephala, Flem, Smear-Dab, Penn, Lemon Dab,

Jeni/ns. Bastard Sole, Prov. Not common.

57. Platessa limandoides, Jenyns. Long rough Dab, Yarr, Not

rare.

58. HiPPOGLossus VULGARIS, Flem. Halibut, Penn. The Turbot of

our market. Common.
59 Pleuronectes maximus, Linn, Turbot, Penn. By our fisher-
men called the Turbrat or Roddams. There is a fishery for this
prized fish at Burnmouth ; and it is occasionally taken on all
parts of our coast.

60. Pleuronectes megastoma, Tion, The WhifF, Yarr, I believe

this is very rare. My specimen was named by Mr Yarrell.

61. Pleuronectes rhombus, Linn. Pearl, Penn. The Brill, Yarr.

Rare.

62. Pleuronectes hirtus, Mull, Muller's Topknot, Yarr, Rare.

63. SoLEA vulgaris, Flem. The Sole. Not uncommon.

64. Cycloptreus lumpus, Linn. Lump-Sucker, Penn. Cock and

Hen Paidle, Prov, Not uncommon. The Paidle spawns towards
the end of March, and in April. At that season the Hen ap-
proaches the shore and deposits her spawn among the rocks and
sea-weed within low water-mark, and immediately afterwards re-
turns to deeper water. The male then covers the spawn with his
sperm, and, according to the testimony of our fishermen, remains
covering it, or near it, until the ova are hatched. The young
soon after birth fix themselves to the sides and on the back of their
male parent, who sails, thus loaded, to deeper and more safe re-
treats. He is only one-half the size of the Hen, and at the breed-
ing season his belly becomes of a reddish colour. The spawn of
a single female will fill a large basin, and is of a beautiful pink
colour : the eggs globular, and about the size of swan-shot. Not
in use as food, but the Cock especially is reported to be excel-
lent when fried or baked.

65. Cyclopterus lipparis, Linn. Lipparis vulgaris, Flem. Unctuous

Sucker, Penn. Not common.

LIST OF THE FISHES OK BKRWiCKSHIRB. 175

66, Cyoloptbrus Montagui, Don. Liparis Montagui, Flem. Mon-
tagu's Sucking-fish, Yarr. Rare.

67* Anouilla acutirostris, Yarr» Common Eel, Penn. Sharp-nosed
Eel, Yarr, Common.

68. AnguillJT latirostris, Yarr, The Broad-nosed Eel, Yarr. Dr

Parnell gave me a small specimen taken in the Tweed, where I
believe it is not uncommon, and is distinguished from the others
by the name of Silver- Eel.

69. Conger vulgaris, Cuv, Anguilla Conger, Jenym, Conger, Venn,

The Conger-Eel. Not common. Attains a large size.

70. Ammodytes tobianus. Block, Sand-Launce, Venn, The Sand-

Eel. On sandy parts of the coast, whence it is dug with an old
hook at low tide.

71. Ammodytes LANCEA, Cuv, The Sand-Launce, Yarr, More com-

mon than the preceding, from which it is not distinguished by our
fishermen.

72. Syngnathus acus, l/mn. Pipe-fish, Venn, The Great Pipe-fish,

Yarr. Not common.

73. Syngnathus ^quoreus, JJnn, The ^Equoreal Pipe-fish, Yarr,

Rare. A fine specimen, taken in our Bay, was brought to me
alive ; and Mr Embleton has also had it from near Dunstanborough
Castle. According to M. Fries the Syng. ophidion of Jenyns and
Yarrell, (not of Linn.), is the male of this species. See Annals of
Nat. Hist. ii. p. 103.

74. Syngnathus lumbriciformis, Yarr, (not of Jenyns according to

M. Fries). Little Pipe-fish, Venn. The Worm Pipe-fish, Yarr,
Apparently not rare, lurking among the coarser wracks (Fuci) be-
tween tide marks.

75. AciPENSER Sturio, Linn, The Sturgeon. One or more speci-

mens are almost annually taken in our bay or river.

76. Squalus CANicuLA, Lhui, Scyllium Catulus, Flem. The Small-
^ spotted Dog-fish, Yarr, Rare.

77. Squalus coRNUBicus, Gwe/. Lamna cornubica, F/^/j. Porbeagle

Shark, Yarr, I have seen several specimens of this Shark taken
in our bay from five to eight feet in length. It is undoubtedly of
this species that Wallis gives the following account : — " An exotic
^ and singular-coloured Shark was taken in a salmon-net at the

ostium of the Tweed, a little above the bridge, in September 1757.
It was six feet long, and of a greenish colour ; the mouth armed
with teeth large and formidable. The fishermen, on first hauling
the net, were in rapturous expectation of an extraordinary and
unusual draught of salmon, but on drawing it near to the shore,
great was their consternation and surprise on the sight of this
dangerous creature, which made the water fly about their ears to a

y

176 LIST OF THE FISHES OF BERWICKSHIRE.

prodigious height. It is supposed to have followed the East India
fleet to Edinburgh Firth, and to have directed its course south-
wards, in forward and eager pursuit, after the salmon." Nat. Hist,
of North, i. p. 378.

78. Squalus galeus, hinn, Galeus vulgaris, Flem, Tope, Venn,
The Common Tope, Yari\ Occasionally taken in the bay from
five to six feet in length.

79. Squalus mustelus, hinn, Mustelus laevis, Flem, Smooth
''^ Hound, Penn. Not uncommon.

80. Squalus Acanthias, Linn. Spinax acanthias, Flem. The Picked

Dog-fish, Yarr, Dog-fish, Prov. Very common. The young
are spotted with white along the back.*

81. Raia batis, Linn, The Skate. Common.

82. Raia Oxyrhynchus, Mont, The Sharp-nosed Ray, Yarr. Not

uncommon, and attains a very large size. I have measured one
which was seven feet nine inches in length, and eight feet three
inches in breadth.

83. Raia clavata, Linn, Thorn-Back. Common.

84. Raia radiata, T>on. The Starry Ray, Yarr, Not rare.

85. Petromyzon marinus, Linn. Sea-Lamprey, Penn, The Nine-

eyed Eel, Prov), Not uncommon.

86. Petromyzon fluviatilis, Linn, Lesser Lamprey, Penn, The

Lampern or River Lamprey, Yarr, I have seen two or three
specimens which were taken in the Tweed.

87. Petromyzon planeri, Cuv, The Fringed-lipped Lampern, Yarr,

" I am indebted to the kindness of Sir William Jardine for two
specimens of the young of this species, which were sent from the
Tweed." Yarrell. I have been told that it is not uncommon in
the Tweed at Melrose.

88. Myxine glutinosa, Linn, Glutinous Hag, Penn, Not uncom-

mon.

An Account of some Additions to the Flora of BerwickshirCy by
C. C. Babington, Esq.

(In a letter addressed to Dr Johnston.)

St John's Coll. Cambridge,
Nov. 21. 1838.

Dear Sir — According to your request, I now propose giving a short
notice, for the Berwickshire Club, of the more interesting plants which

• I have been told by a fi9herman,;;that he has seen an Angel-fish (Squatina ange-
lus, Cuv.) which was taken in our bay many years ago.

ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OP BERWICKSHIRE. 177

I gathered during my visit to you at Berwick-upon-Tweed in September
last. The district included in your Flora has been so carefully examined,
by yourself and other excellent botanists, that it was not to be expected
that any new plants would be found within it, except such as are in-
cluded in genera which have been almost totally neglected in Britain.
I refer to Atriplex, Chenopodium, and, perhaps, I may be allowed to add,
Potamogeton ; for, although more attention has been paid to this latter
genus than to the two others, yet it has never been studied with suffi-
cient minuteness until very recently.

1. Atriplex rosea, Linn* (Sp. pi. 1493). Stem herbaceous spread-
ing, the branches patent, leaves ovato-triangular, unequally sinuato-
dentate ; calyx of the fruit rhomboid, acute, dentated, the back
with a double series of tubercles ; clusters of flowers axillary and
terminal. MerU and Koch,, ii. 307 ; Hort. Fl. Aust,, i. 320 ;
Fries Nov., 286 ; Ledebour FL Alt^ iv. 314 ; Koch. Syn,, 611. A.
alba Reich, FL excurs, n. 3735. A. patula .5. Sm, FL Brit,, iii.

. 1092.

This plant is most nearly allied to A, laciniata, from which it is dis-
tinguished by the shape of its enlarged fruit-bearing calyx, which in that
plant is irregularly rhomboid, or rather three-lobed, the two lateral lobes
being truncate, the intermediate acute.

This plant is in profusion on the SW. side of Holy Island, a little
above high water-mark, and it also occurs in several spots on the coast
and river banks near Berwick. When it grows within reach of the
water, and in muddy ground, it becomes much larger and more fleshy,
having totally lost the elegance for which it is remarkable in its more
typical state when growing on gravelly and sand^' places, and would
hardly be known as the same plant, but probably be taken for a state of
A. patula. This latter state is frequent above the bridge at Berwick.
I have noticed the present plant in Guernsey, at Shoreham, near Liver-
pool, and near Newhaven, Edinburgh. It has also been found on other
parts of the coast.

2. A. ERECT A, Hud8,fl, atig, ed. i. 376. Eng, Bot, 2223. Eng, Fl,

iv. 294. Hook, 379.

^. sTRicTA, Bab, Mss, Stem herbaceous, erect, the branches
ascending ; lower leaves ovate-oblong, cuneate at the base, irregu-
larly sinuato-dentate, upper ones lanceolate entire ; fruit-bearing
calyx rhomboid, acute, denticulated, submuricated on the back,
scarcely larger than the fruit ; spikes compound, many-flowered ;
seeds smooth and shining.

B. N. c. — NO. VI. N

178 ADDITIONS TO THE FLORA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

The A. erecta of Hudson is known only by a single very imperfect
specimen in the Smithian Herbarium, and which differs from our plant
by having smaller fruit, and the enlarged calyces strongly tuberculated.
The present species differs remarkably from both A.patula and angus-
ti/olia, by its densely flowered compound spikes ; those plants having
long simple interrupted spikes. It is also distinguished from the for-
mer, by its smooth, shining, and much smaller seeds, and the shape of
its leaves ; from the latter, by its denticulated calyx and great difference
of habit.

This plant is not uncommon throughout England and the South of
Scotland. I noticed it in Holy Island, and also near the Town of Ber-
wick, in great plenty.

3. Chenopodium botryoides. Sm» Eng, BoU t. 2247.

I gathered this plant in Holy Island, in company with Dr Johnston,
in September last, and have compared the specimens with others from
Lee Pool, Cornwall, with which they exactly agree.

4. SiLENE NOCTiFLORA. Linn* — Eng* Bot. t. 291.

We also found a few specimens of this plant during the same visit to
Holy Island.

5. PoTAMOGETON PLANTAGiNEUS. Du Croz (in Gaud, fl. heh. i. 471,

tab. 3.) Leaves all membranous, stalked, rather opaque, blunt,
entire, lower ones oblong, upper, elliptical ; nuts minute, ob-
liquely ovate, rounded on the back (when fresh) ; spike slender,
cylindrical, densely flowered, on a long terete peduncle. Roem.
and/Sci^.iii. 504. Reich, 24. Bert. FL Itat. ii, 232. P. coloratus,
Horn, in Fl. Dan. 1449, Cham, in Linncea, ii. 194, t. 5, f. 15 ;
P. Hornemanni " Meyer chlor. Hanov. 521 ;" Koch Syn. 674.

Differs from P. natans by its beautifully diaphanous reticulated leaves,
none of which are coriaceous, and its much smaller fruit ; from P. oh-
longiis by its leaves, and the acutely heeled back of its dry fruit ; in that
plant it is always obtuse.

A specimen of this species exists in Dr Johnston's Herbarium,
gathered by Dr R. D. Thompson, at Ferney Rig marsh, Berwickshire.
It has been found in several parts of England.

Hoping that these few notes may be acceptable to vour Club, believe
me, &c.

Charles C. Babington.

( 179 )

Address to the Members of the Berwickshire Naturalists Clubj delivered
at the Anniversary Meeting, held at Millfield, 1 Sth ^September 1 839.
By the Rev. T. Knight, Vicar of Ford, President.

Gentlemen,

I believe the rules of this Club, and the example of those who have
before been honoured witli the office which I now unworthily fill, leads you
to expect from me, before resigning this chair, some account of the trans-
actions of the Society during the last twelvemonth ; and this I have
much pleasure in proceeding to do, more especially as I shall have to
speak of the labours of others, not of my own.

The last Anniversary was held at Ford 19th September 1838, when
the following Members attended : Dr Clarke, President ; Dr Johnston,
Dr F. Douglas, Rev. T. Knight, Rev. John Baird, Mr Embleton, and
Mr Darling. Messrs Blackden and Knight jun. were present as visitors.

The day was clear and cloudless, and the party, after breakfasting at
the Rectory, sallied forth in high spirits to enjoy, from the hill above the
village, the extensive prospect, rendered peculiarly interesting by the
solemn towers of Ford Castle immediately below them, and the more
distant view of Flodden Field, — that spot so famed in History, and so
memorable — once the scene of deadly strife, and stained with the best
and bravest blood of two hostile nations, — now covered with peaceful
flocks and golden corn-fields. The ruder times of our forefathers, thank
Heaven ! have passed away ; and now parties, from the two countries,
can meet for other purposes than that of bloodshed — to contemplate and
admire together the works of the Great Creator and Father of them all.

The first point to which attention was particularly directed was a
sandstone quarry, situated in Ford Hill, where numerous specimens of
Lepidodendron were observed, some in situ, lying in a nearly horizontal
position, but with a slight inclination to the south east. The Lepido-
dendron was surrounded by a ferruginous crust, which had partly mould-
ered away. — The walk of the members thence was across Ford Common,
in the direction of Woodend copse. Gentiana campestris was observed
abundantly on the Common, some specimens of which were gathered in
flower, which did not exceed half an inch in length. At the top of the
Hill, previous to entering upon the natural wood at Woodend, there is
a peat -bog, where the usual denizens of such spots were observed, but
none of such rarity as to require a record here.

Woodend consists of about 1 50 acres of natural wood, situated on a
declivity facing the north. The wood is mossy and full of springs. Here
was a large field for the observer of nature to explore. Plants, insects,
&c. were numerous. The following among others were observed : —
Betonica officinalis, Bromus asper, Myosotis caespitosa, Rubus fhiticosus,

B. N. C. NO. VII. o

180 REV. T. knight's ADDRESS.

corylifolius, and idaeus ; Veronica montana ; Viburnum opulus ; and
Cantharellus cibarius. The latter esculent fungus was collected in con-
siderable abundance. A portion was dressed for dinner, and was per-
haps relished by those who partook of it. The flavour of the apricot
was distinctly marked.

After leaving Woodend, the party proceeded towards the Routing
Lynn, across Ford Moss, which is an extensive tract of peat-bog covered
with heather, Myrica gale, &c. A beautiful lizard (Zootoca vivipara)
Tras taken. The day being now far advanced, the party were reluctantly
obliged to return to the Inn without visiting the Routing Lynn, whither
they had intended to go in quest of the Royal Fern, which had been re-
ported to have a habitat in that sequestered spot. On returning, a variety
of Calluna vulgaris, with densely pubescent foliage, was observed in very
large patches, intermingled with the common heather. The flowers of
the pubescent variety were of a paler cast, and less withered than the
other. Aspidium dilatatum ; Euphorbia exigua ; Gnaphalium minimum ;
Cystus helianthemum ; Juniperus communis ; Solidago virgaurea, &c.
were noticed ; and Artemisia absinthium, in considerable abundance in
the vicinity of the village.

After dinner, Dr Clarke read the Annual Address, and the Rev. T.
Knight was elected President for the ensuing year. The evening was
spent as usual in interesting conversation, until the approach of darkness
reminded some of the party that they had many miles to travel before
the labours of the day were over.

At the December Meeting, which was held at Berwick, nothing was
done beyond transacting the usual business of the Society, and fixing
upon the places of rendezvous for the ensuing summer.

The next meeting of the Club was at Chirnside, May 1. 1839 — as
beautiful a morning as ever ushered in that month. The number of
members present, notwithstanding the loveliness of the morning and the
beauty of the spot selected for the meeting, were only Mr Selby, Rev. T.
Riddell, Dr Johnston, Dr Clark, and Dr F. Douglas. The party were
afterwards joined by the Rev. Mr Wilson, and Mr Henderson, surgeon,
and felt much indebted to the latter gentleman for conducting them to
the most favourable ground for observation. Their course was along
the romantic wooded banks of the Whiteadder, where all the early
spring flowers were in profuse blossom. Insects were tolerably abun-
dant, and Mr Selby was successful in capturing several rather rare spe-
cies— of which the following is a list : —

Elaphrus cupreus. Stenus bimaculatus.

Byrrhus sericeus. Coccinella 5-punctata.

Cassida rubiginosa. Helophorus Fennicus.

REV. t. knight's address. 181

HelophoruH granulans. Haltica rufipeji.

Hydroporus alpinus ? Tachys pusillus.

Peryphus tibialis. Lesteva caraboides.

PeryphuB saxatilis. Stenus oculatus.

Peryphus littoralis. Stenus pusillus.

Notiophilus biguttatus. Stenus Inevis.

Hydrobius bipunctatus. Lathrobium rufipenne.

Hypera nigrirostris. Philonthus rubripennis.

Anthonomus Ulmi. Tachinus apicalis.
Pliaedon concinna.

Several planariaB, and ova, or spawn, of various fishes and insects,
were procured from beneath the stones in the shallow channel of the river.
Viola hirta was found in full and luxuriant blossom, thereby adding another
to the already numerous localities of this species in Berwickshire ; which
had been considered by Sir W. Hooker as of very rare occurrence in Scot-
land. Symphytum tuberosum was likewise observed in considerable quan-
tity, but not in flower. A rather singular twist, resembling in shape the
top of a saddle, was observed in the limestone rock about a mile above
Ninewells House, on the east side of the river. Beneath a projecting slab
of this rock, a considerable quantity of acicular crystals of saltpetre was
collected. — After dinner, Dr F. Douglas read an account of the recent
drying up of the river Teviot, and explained, to the satisfaction of the
party, the probable cause of such a singular phenomenon.

The Rev. Mr Wallace forwarded his annual summary of observations
of the barometer, thermometer, and hygrometer, made at the manse of
Abbey St Bathan's, in 1838. By this table it appeared that, notwith-
standing the unusual severity of the months of January and February in
that year, the mean temperature for the year only averaged about 1^°
F. lower than the previous year.

Mr Selby read a very interesting paper on the effects which the winter
of 1 838 had produced upon animal and vegetable life. Mr Selby also
read an account, and shewed a drawing, of a curious aquatic Larva found
in a water jug at Twizell. It was chiefly curious on account of the
unusual means which it employed to convey food to its mouth. On
each side of the mouth extends a number of bristles, which diverge and
open like a fan, and which appeared to be put in motion by two small
clickers at their base. In this manner the food is brought to the mouth
of the Larva. It unfortunately died previous to undergoing a meta-
morphosis.

On the 19th June the Club met at Coldingham. There were present
Rev. T. Knight, President ; Rev. T. Riddell ; Dr Johnston ; Rev. J.
Turnbull — who were joined by the Rev. Mr Tough ; Rev. Mr Roberta
son ; Mr M'Laren, jun., and the Rev. Andrew Thomson as visitors. The
latter gentleman was subsequently admitted a member on the nomina-
tion of the Rev. Mr Turnbull, seconded by Dr Johnston.

182 REV. T. knight's ADDRKSS.

The morning walk was directed to and over St Abb*s Head — thence
to the Loch — and homewards to Coldingham. The excursion was a
most agreeable one, from the loveliness of the weather, and the beauty
and grandeur of the scenery, which, though often visited by various mem-
bers of the Club, was viewed with new and undiminished admiration.
It is unnecessary for me to give any description of it, as this has been
done on a former occasion by Dr Johnston. Nothing new was observed
in the course of the walk, but the sight of many old and familiar friends
gave rise to a varied, and it is hoped not an unentertaining conversation.
The flowers which constitute the enamelled turf of the Head were in
great beauty, but no additions to its flora were made. The Polyomma-
tus Alsas, and P. Artaxerxes, two pretty and rare Butterflies, were ob-
served flying in considerable numbers on the Head, as well as on the
banks of the Loch ; and a few specimens were captured for the gratifi-
cation of our Entomologists Balea fragilis and Pupa marginata, with
other more common shells, were found in great profusion in the crevices
of the rocks on the Head which overhang the sea.

Dinner being over, the minutes of the preceding meeting were read j
after which Dr Johnston laid on the table a descriptive catalogue of the
Berwickshire Cephalopods ; and the Rev. T. Riddell read an essay on
the early stages and development of the common Balanus, confirming,
in a great measure, the statement of the metamorphoses of the animal
published by Mr Thomson. There was also exhibited a living specimen
of Uria Grylle or Black Guillemot, which had been shot two days pre-
viously on St Abb's Head, and which probably had come from the Isle
of May, where it is known to breed.

The members, then, in company of the excellent minister of the parish,
visited the old church, so celebrated in history; and having partaken of
tea at the Inn, separated, apparently gratified with the day*s work.

The July meeting was at Birghara ; members present. Rev. T. Knight,
President ; Rev. John Baird ; Rev. G. Cunningham ; Dr Johnston j
Rev. Andrew Baird, and Mr Knight, jun. of Ford, as a visitor. The
day was unfavourable, but after breakfast, the members, as usual, made
an excursion with a view of gaining some acquaintance with the neigh-
bourhood. Their course was first directed to Birgham Haugh, where,
it was said, that Euphorbia Esula grew in abundance, and perfectly
wild, but the members soon satisfied themselves that this was a mistake,
and that the place on which it grows had been, at no remote period, the
site of a garden or shrubbery, and where still " many a garden flower
grows wild." After this the members traced the course of the river
downwards, and although several plants of comparative rarity were no-
ticed,»the only one which had not been registered as a native of the
county was Sangui&orba officinalis, that grew, very sparingly, on a piece of

HEV, T. knight's ADDRESS. 188

ground liable to be overflowed by every flood of the river, and hence an
uncertain and mutable station. Having nearly reached Firebum Mill,
the party returned to Birgham, in order that they might pay their respects
to the Misses Bell, but they were disappointed of that pleasure, as neither
of those ladies were at home.

The walk was now directed northwai'ds to Ferney-rig Marsh, where
the only plant of rarity noticed was the CEnanthe Phellandrium.

After dinner, the minutes of the preceding meeting having been gone
over, a list of plants new to, or of rare occurrence in Berwickshire, found
by Mr Hardy of Penmanshiel was read ; and the Rev. Mr Cunningham
gave orally a sketch of the early history of Professor Robison, which he
was requested to put upon paper for the use of the Club.

Specimens of Centaur ea scabiosa, gathered at Sprouslon, Roxburgh-
shire, but on the very limits of the county, and close to Berwickshire,
were exhibited by the Rev. John Baird.

Such is a slight sketch of the proceedings of the Society during the
last year, so far as the minutes of our worthy secretaries have made me
acquainted with them. And now, in conclusion, I trust I may be per-
mitted to express a hope that those distinguished members of the Club»
who were the chief instruments in bringing it into existence, and have
since continued its useful operations, will persevere in their interesting
researches. With respect to many amongst us, indeed, it may be said
that we are living on the labour of others — that the advantage is all on
our side, as we have as yet done nothing towards extending the informa-
tion of the Society : this we feel to be indeed too true. But still we trust
those gentlemen whose taste and talents qualify them in an eminent degree
for pursuing the object of the Club in a scientific manner, will neither
grudge us the pleasure we derive from the meetings, nor the instruction
we gather from their conversation.

To them, however, there is every encouragement held out — in the suc-
cess of their labours hitherto, and in the wide and diversified field which
Nature has spread before them. We doubt not that in Natural History,
as in exery other branch of science, much remains yet to be explored,
and who knows what fresh wonder it may be the lot of some member of
this little society to bring to light. But, however this may be, the study
of Natural History, and the pursuit of it in the manner adopted by this
Club, is not only a source of innocent and rational amusement, but a use-
ful and delightful exercise of our reasoning faculties. And the great
Creator of the Universe never spread his works around us in such varied
abundance that we should pass them by without observation, or without
endeavouring to draw from them lessons of wisdom, and fresh motives to
adoration and praise. He seems indeed to have stored his works with
treasures on purpose that the mind of roan might explore and develope
them ; and he seems expressly to have concealed many wonders from the

184 DR DOUGLAS ON THE CESSATION OF THE

view of his creatures, in order that their curiosity might from time to
time be enkindled, their vigilance awakened, and their mind restless,
till they have improved its powers, and thoroughly investigated the great
and mighty whole. Only let us keep carefully in mind that the advance-
ment of science is not our sole object, but that we have a nobler result in
view — the praise and glory of the Almighty Framer of the Universe ; —
then we shall have the satisfaction of feeling that we are not forgetting
duty in the midst of pleasure, that even in our hours of relaxation from
the graver callings of life, we are walking piously with our God.

Notice regarding the Cessation of the Flow of the River Teviot^ 21th
November 1838. By Dr Douglas, Kelso.

The temporary cessation of flow and drying up of the River Teviot
in November last, excited very considerable interest amongst the scien-
tific world generally, but more particularly in the South of Scotland, where
the phenomenon occurred. Unfortunately for my description, I was not
an eyewitness to the occurrence, but the following facts were gathered
with the greatest care, and their correctness ascertained.

The first intelligence which I had of the drying up of the river, was
a paragraph in a local newspaper announcing the fact, and likewise the
contemporaneous occurrence of the phenomenon in the Rivers Clyde and
Nith. My first impression was, that no common cause could account for
the phenomenon, and that, in all probability, it could be produced by
nothing short of an earthquake extending over a large surface of ground,
so as to comprehend all the springs which fed those rivers. In the sequel
we shall see what evidence exists in support of such a theory, and what
other conclusion the following facts would lead us to adopt.

I shall first, then, state the facts which I have ascertained, and secondly,
endeavour to give the proper solution of them.

1. The scantiness of the stream of water in the mill-lead above Max-
wellheugh Mill, situated about 50 yards above the confluence of the
Teviot with the Tweed, was first observed by the miller at 6 a. m., Nov.
27. 1 838. His attention was directed to it in consequence of the stop-
ping of the wheel from a deficiency in the volume of water which was re-
quired to keep it in motion. The supply nearly ceased altogether at
8 A.M. On examination, the whole of the water in the river was found
to be diverted into the mill-lead by means of a cauld or weir^ stretching
across the body of the stream, but the whole of this quantity was insuflS-
cient to keep the mill-wheel in motion. Between the hours of 8 a. m.
and 12 mid-day the bed of the river was perfectly dry. Many indivi-
duals walked across without wetting even the soles of their shoes. The

PLOW OP THE RIVER TEVIOT. 185

trouts were scarcely covered in the small pools which remained, and
were easily captured by the hand. About 12, the flow of water began
to increase, and at 1 p. m. was so completely established that the river
assumed its ordinary size. The miller informed me that the supply in-
creased gradually, and did not come in a rusk. The mills at Rox-
burgh, Heiton, and Sunlaws, situated from two to three miles above Max-
wellheugh, were similarly circumstanced. The following fact is curious.
At Ormiston, five miles from the mouth of the river, there is a cauld, facing
the north-east. Against this cauld, a keen cold wind blew directly, and
by the combined influences of the wind, and a tolerably intense frost,
a regular wall of iccy consisting chiefly of ice attached to the stones and
greWf was formed behind it across the river, which completely obstructed
the flow of the water over it, which consequently rose to the height of
nearly two feet in a pool above, nearly a mile in length. The mill at
Ormiston never ceased to revolve, as the miller broke the ice communicat-
ing with the sluice, and the ice collected against the cauld. Near mid-day,
partly by the enormous pressure a tergo, and partly by means of the solar
influence, this barrier gave way, and permitted the flow of the water
downwards.

A mill at Nisbet, three miles higher than Ormiston, also stopped from
want of an adequate supply of water.

At Minto, fourteen miles from Kelso, the river was observed in the
morning to be nearly dry. During the forenoon, there was a partial rise
above its usual level, which, however, soon subsided.

I regret that I have not been able to investigate fully the particulars
respecting the state of the river at this point.

At Hawick, six miles farther up, I am informed by a correspondent,
that, during the morning and forenoon, the mills were stopped for want
of their usual supply of water, and that near mid-day the supply was
established, and the mills again at work. For several miles above Ha-
wick, the river was remarkably small, and the same appearances were ob-
served in its tributaries.

The bed of Eule water, near its junction with the Teviot opposite
Minto, was perfectly dry. Several mills upon this stream were obliged
to cease their operations for several hours ; but the mill highest on the
river, about a mile from its sluice, never was interrupted from any defi-
cient supply. My friend in Hawick mentions, that during a severe frost,
the river there is frequently as small as on the late occasion, that it excites
no surprise, and is universally attributed to frost. The thermometer,
during the night of the 26th, and morning of the 27th November, fell
rapidly to 27° F. The river Tweed at Kelso, was nearly frozen across,
and an immense quantity of grew, incompact ice, floated down through-
out the whole day. The wind was very high from the north-east. The
barometer 30'.5.

186 DR DOUGLAS ON THE CESSATION OF THE

The drying up and cessation of the current of rivers, is not a new occur-
rence in the south of Scotland. The same thing has been frequently ob-
served and recorded during the last century, and has happened, I find
from inquiry, several times since the commencement of the present. In
January 1748, March 1783, and January 1787, the same phenomena
were observed in the Teviot ; and on the two former of these occasions,
the drying up took place near the mouth of the river. The following
extract from the Gentleman's Magazine, for March 1748, will be read
with interest.

" Letter from a gentleman in Scotland, February 29th Mr Urban,

we have had some extraordinary events in our neighbourhood, which
can't as yet be accounted for. On January 25th the river Teviot, for two
miles before it joins the Tweed, stopped its current, and its channel be-
came dry, leaving fishes, &c. on dry ground, many of which were taken
up by the country people, and sold at Longtown, and other places. It
continued in this condition for nine hours, and when it began to resume
its course, it began gradually until it ran as usual again, but in no greater
quantity from its stopping as might be expected. How to account for
the phenomena we know not, for there are no mines of any sort, nor any
cavities in the whole country ; and, if the waters had been stopped by
any rising of that part of the ground, by an earthquake, they would have
been heaped up in such quantities in a minute's time, that upon theground's
descending, the whole country must have been overflowed.

On February 19. the river Kirtle was dry for six hours.

On February 23. the river Esk stopped its course, and the channel
was quite dry for the space of five hours, to the admiration of the whole
country."

But similar phenomena have occurred in much more recent times. A
gentleman informed me that during the winter 1803-4, the river Teviot
was dry ; and on Fastern's evening 1824, 1 was assured by the miller at
Roxburgh that the river was even drier than on the 27th of November.
The previous night's frost having been intense, about eleven in the fore-
noon when the sun got out, the river began to flow as usual. On the
27th November the Tweed was scarcely perceptibly smaller than usual.
An enormous quantity of grew floated down during the whole of the day.
On the 28th of January last, after a frost of considerable intensity, ano-
ther stoppage occurred in the Teviot, but not to the same extent as on
the 27th of November.

A few observations will now be necessary to attempt an explanation
of the above phenomena.

Running water is always in the lowest ground in the district, and its
tendency is uniformly to cut into the earth as deep as its level will per-
mit. From this it may be inferred, that it will frequently interfere with
the course of springs, or in other words, that many springs must have

FLOW OF THE RIVRB TEVIOT. 187

their vent on the very verge, or in the bed of the stream.* In Pevere
drought or in sharp frost, the open springs at any distance from the low-
est level never reach it, and the supply of the stream is altogether kept
up by the water rising within its own bed. In a lake, where there is no
outlet, the common laws of heat and cold influence its freezing, and deep
water never congeals until the whole mass is brought to the freezing
point In our most northern settlements, Hudson's Bay for instance,
stagnant water is known to freeze to the depth of ten or twelve feet, and
all the fish are frozen along with it : — not so in the rivers — the surface is
frozen indeed, but the ice then becomes a protection to the running
water beneath, from the greater cold of the atmosphere. It is quite evi-
dent that in all running streams, the falling down of the colder, and the
rising of the warmer water cannot take place with any uniformity, for
the movements of the current prevent the regular action of heat and
cold, and the discharge of the springs into the channel of the river from
a greater depth than the frost penetrates, keeps the water still moving
freely below the surface of the ice.

To explain the singular phenomenon of the stoppage of mountain
streams, it is necessary to consider how they usually flow. Where rocks
abound and the channel is alluvial gravel, every one, conversant with
Highland scenery, is aware how the rivulet meanders almost in circles,
forms a succession of streams and pools, and at every turn creates a na-
tural weir, extending from side to side at right angles. The pools
discharge themselves at their lower extremity, over these natural wears,
which again form the heads of the streams below, and the streams again
terminate in pools, and so on in succession, till the enlargement of the
stream renders the natural weir less observable.

Let the wind come from any point of the compass, it must blow
directly in the face of a great number of these banks of sand and gravel,
will stop the descent of floating ice, and materially assist in freezing it
into a more solid mass. It will make the stoppage more easy in the na-
tural weirs below, by diminishing the current of water until it ceases to
flow altogether. To produce this, it is possible that frost alone may be
sufficient, but to do it more effectually, wind in addition would appear to
be requisite. Now this actually was the case during the night of Novem-
ber 26-7. The phenomenon which occurred at Ormiston cauld shews, in
a remarkable manner, how far the effect may be carried ; but the stoppage
of the rivers must be sought for in the natural weirs, where the frost, fix-
ing on the shallow bottom, forms a ground-ice, and then catching the
light floating grew, makes a chance of obstruction, while the stream being
stopped, there is time for the ice to form a covering on the surface of the
pools. After a time, which will be longer or shorter according to circum-
stances, the springs will force these barriers, and the flowing water will

• The springs being uniTereally directed towards the latter.

188 MR SBLBY ON THE WINTER OF 1838.

resume its course. If there is a tendency to fresh weather, the stream
will be increased in volume according to the duration of the previous
stoppage, as was the case on the afternoon of November 27. and the fol-
lowing day, in the Kale and the Teviot. If the frost continues, the waters
again flow beneath the ice, although cut off from any other supply than what
the natural channel of tlie brook receives from the springs which open
into it. This kind of obstruction can scarcely take place in a very flat
country, because the waters have higher banks and fewer streams, and
of course few natural weirs, and bjecause the boggy ground through which
they flow, affords a natural protection to the springs upon their banks
from the roughness of the herbage. This accounts for the rivers Eden
and Leet not being subject to such a stoppage. This principle is well
known and acted upon by gardeners and farmers — the former putting
rough grass or straw over his tender vegetables in winter, and the lat-
ter in frosty weather ploughing his roughest pasture, when bare ground
is quite impenetrable. This appears to be the most probable explanation
of the phenomenon, but at any rate there can be no doubt of frost being
the agent ; and the dryness of the channel can only be occasioned by the
water running off while the supply from above is withheld.

On the effects produced upon Animal and Vegetable Life, by the Winter
0/1838. By P. J. Selby, Esq. of Twizel House.

The severity with which the year was ushered in by the long con-
tinued frost during the months of January, February, and a part of
March ; the cold and long retarded spring, succeeded by a chilly and
ungenial summer, as well as a late and deficient harvest, place the year
1838 upon our records as one of peculiar, though happily of unwonted
character. Under circumstances of such a nature, and which it is more
than probable, may not again occur during the limit of the present ge-
neration, a few observations upon the effects of so severe a season, as con-
nected with animal as well as vegetable life, more particularly as affecting
our own district, may perhaps prove not altogether uninteresting to the
members of the Club. It will be in the recollection of those who at-
tended to the weather, that, up to the 5th of January 1 838, the season,
with the exception of the first week of the previous November, when we
experienced a severe but cursory snow storm, had upon tlie whole been
temperate and mild : this was particularly the case on Christmas, and
two or three following days, when the thermometer ranged from 52° to
55°, at which time, I may remark, many of the thrushes which still re-
mained inland, were heard recording in distinct and audible key, thus
flattering us with the hope that winter had divested herself of her cha-
racteristic garb, and that these sweet carols were to be the prelude of
an early spring. These halcyon days, however, were of short duration,
as, on the 6th of January, frost set in, accompanied in this district by

MR 8BLBY ON THR WINTER OP 1838. 189

shower:^ or falls of snow and hail, which, in consequence of the calm state
of thtj atmosphere, fell level upon the surface. It thus continued falling
at frequent intervals, more or less, for nearly a fortnight, when the snow
had accumulated to the depth of ten or twelve inches over the whole sur-
face of the country, the frost, at the same time continuing to increase in
intensity, till every brook and pool was locked up in ice and frozen snow.
In consequence of this deep covering the birds, particularly those of the
insectivorous tribe, or whose chief pabulum consists of worms and in-
sects, soon began to feel the effects of famine ; and blackbirds, red-
breasts, hedge-sparrows, &c., were reduced, at a comparatively early
part of the storm, to a deplorable state of weakness, and were daily found
dead or dying from the combined effect of hunger and cold. Many
fieldfares also perished at this early stage of the frost, though the great
body of this emigratory species, soon after the commencement of the
storm, moved southwards ; the thrushes also, which I have previously
observed were singing at Christmas, entirely disappeared, a precaution
I have observed for many years to take place in regard to this species,
whenever a storm or frost of any continuance has occurred. I may re-
mark, that, previous to the commencement of the storm, all the haws
and other berries which are the occasional food of the thrush tribe, had
been devoured by them, so that no resource of this nature was left them
to fly to when the frost first set in. About this period of the storm,
that is, afler a fortnight's continuance, the arrival of a great variety of the
rarer kinds of water-fowl along the line of coast proclaimed the intensity as
well as the wide extended range of the cold. Wild swans then made their
appearance in flocks, and for two or three weeks several of these birds
took up their residence in Buddie Bay, when, as may be supposed, their
unwonted presence caused an active pursuit, and many individuals were
shot. Among them, I may mention two that were taken alive, having
been wounded, but only so as, in conjunction with their reduced condi-
tion, to incapacitate them for flight ; these soon became very tame, and
were afterwards placed by W. B. Clark, E«q. of Belford Hall, in a
piece of water, where one of them continues to thrive, and now associates
with a common goose ; the other died during the course of the summer,
apparently from the effects of some internal wounds it had received.
Both of these were of the common or elk species (Ct/^nus /ems), nor
did any specimen of Cygnus Bewickii come under my observatioo,
though I am aware that a few individuals of this species were taken in
other parts of the kingdom. In other districts of the country, and in the
south of England, the destruction of these beautiful and noble birds was
very great. Among the rarer species of water-fowl killed upon our
coast, the following are deserving of notice. Larua minutus (little guU)
near Embleton, the first instance, i believe, of its occurrence upon the
Northumbrian coast ; this is now in the possession of our brother mem-
ber, Mr R. Embleton. Several specimens also of the Mergus aibeiius

190 MR SELBY ON THE WINTER OF 1838.

(Smew), in the adult male plumage, in which state it is considered a
rare bird, were killed upon different parts of the coast ; and of Po-
diceps rubricollii, far from a common species, I saw several instances.
Many specimens of the different colymbi (divers) were also shot, and
wild-ducks, widgeons, brent-geese, scaup-ducks, pochards, tufted-ducks,
and golden-eyes, were very plentiful. Upon the southern coasts
of England an equal or even greater influx of water-fowl took place,
and the destruction, as may be conceived, was comparatively great.
Jn Hampshire, I am informed, that a noble sportsman, who rented a
small part of the coast expressly for the shooting of wild-fowl, killed
during the storm, the extraordinary number of 515 head of various kinds,
among which were thirty-seven swans. This warfare upon the aquatic
tribe continued for six or seven weeks, and it was not till the middle or
latter end of March, that the wild-fowl began to shift their quarters, or
yield to that influence which directs their migratory movements to the
higher latitudes on the first approach of spring. Before a thaw took
place, many of our hardy indigenous and resident land birds also suffered
from the intensity of the frost and the want of food ; partridges and
pheasants were found dead in every direction, and even the hardy muir-
fowl upon the higher grounds were many of them frozen to death. In
Edinburgh, I am informed, that for weeks, after the first ten days of the
storm, baskets full of partridges and other game were brought to the
poulterers, which had died or had been caught in a dying state, and
when taken into the hand were found so reduced as to be a mere collec-
tion of bones and feathers. Four-footed game also did not escape with
impunity, and during a great part of the storm, their only food, in this
district, was the bark and twigs of such underwood and young trees as
appeared above the snow. But it was not in those districts alone in
which the snow lay deep upon the surface, that animal life suffered from
the severity of the season, for I find that in Dumfriesshire and other parts
along the western coast where the fall of snow was very trifling, and
scarce whitened tlie surface, great mortality nevertheless prevailed
amongst the feathered race, all access to food having been as effectually
prevented by the stony hardness of the earth, as it was where the hoary
covering hid every thing from view.

We now turn to the effects of the frost upon the vegetable fibre, and here
we find evidences of its intensity equally striking, and as fatally injurious
to certain plants, as it was to animal life. In this district its severity was
plainly demonstrated by the appearance of our hardy native, the common
whin ; this shrub, wherever fully exposed, or in so far as it remained un-
covered by the snow, was completely destroyed, for a proof of which I have
only to evidence its unsightly appearance at the present moment. The
common bay and Portugal laurels also suffered severely whenever exposed
to the south-east blast, and many of them still remain in a dubious state of
existence. The laurustinus, which had flowered and grown luxuriantly for

MR 8ELBY ON THE WINTER OF 1838. 19 1

m&ny years past in this district, lias most of it been destroyed to the root ;
and, I find, that even such plants as remained partially green during the
last summer, in consequence of some slight nourishment from the stem,
are now all withered and dead, a result, however, I had anticipated from
the appearance of the bark when it was examined last spring after the
melting of the snow. In the midland and southern parts of England,
where a still greater degree of cold prevailed, as indicated by the ther-
mometer, and where no protection was afforded by a deep covering of
snow, the destructive effects of the frost were more extensive, and few,
except the hardiest evergreens, escaped without more or less injury,
some being killed outright, others destroyed to the root, or totally de-
nuded of their leaves ; and rt so happened that many shrubs and trees,
which in the north of England and Scotland shewed but trifling symp-
toms of injury, were, farther to the south, unable to resist the rigour of
the cold. Thus, in a few short days, or perhaps hours, perished most of
those beautiful evergreens and other ornamental shrubs which add so
essentially to the elegant appearance of our country residences, and
which form so prominent and peculiar a feature in English ornamental
gardening ; many of these had attained a growth of thirty or forty years,
and were flourishing in the greatest perfection, having braved our usual
winters without suffering any material injury. The loss, I may add, is
still more severely felt, as time alone can repair it ; and it is only the
young and rising generation who can, even under the most favourable
circumstances, again expect to behold a new succession equal to that
which perished in the winter of 1838. Among the evergreens which
shewed an aptitude to bear an unwonted degree of cold uninjured,
or only injured to a trifling extent, the Holly, the Rhododendrons Pon-
ttcumj catawbiensej/errugineum, &c., the Yew, Box, Arbor Vitae, and the
Red Virginian Cedar, stood conspicuons ; the Portugal Laurel also^ ex-
cept in very exposed situations, was not materially injured, and the
common or large bay-leaved Laurel, in our own premises, escaped in most
instances with the loss of the tender part of the shoot of the preceding
season. Of the degree of cold experienced during the continuance of
this storm, we have authentic accounts of the thermometer having de-
scended to 4^ and even 7^ below zero, or 36° and 39^ below freezing, in
the midland and southern parts of the Island. In this and adjacent dis-
tricts it does not appear to have reached this intensity, the following be-
ing observations on which dependence can be placed. At Kelso, 140
feet above the sea-level, it fell to 3^^ F. on the night of the 2 1st January
1838, and during the continuance of the storm was frequently observed
at 5° and 8° F. At Mellerstein, about 500 feet above the sea, a self-
regulating thermometer of Adie's marked it at 2° F. during the nights
of January 20. and 21. 1838. At Greenkuow, near Gordon, and con-
siderably higher than Mellerstein, 3° F. on the night of 21st January. And
at Mertoun House about the 14th or 15ih January, a common thermo-

192 MR SELBY ON THE WINTER OF 1838.

meter was observed 2° F., and again on the morning of January 21.
at 2" F. Early in March the frost abated in rigour, and a slow thaw
began to melt the vast accumulation of snow which had been drifted into
the lanes, hollows, and hedge banks by the severe and oft-repeated gales
that had occurred during the two months frost. Up to this period none
of those indications which we had been accustomed to hail as the har-
bingers of spring had been observed, such as the song of the missel-
thrush and the mavis, the cooing of the ring-dove, or the pipe of the
golden plover, which in usual seasons seldom fail to greet our ears with
their welcome notes before February has advanced into the second week.
On referring to my notes I find it was not till the 5th and 6th of March
that the peawit and golden plover were first seen, or the carol of the
lark heard ; on the 7th the thrush and missel-thrush were in song, being a
period later by nearly a month, than any I can find in a register kept
for many years past, and it was not till the 20th thai the congregated
flocks of the ring-dove began to disperse, or that they were heard coo-
ing and exhibiting that peculiar flight which distinguishes the species
at the time of pairing, and which in ordinary years seldom fails to occur
before the 8th or 1 0th of February. It was now that the eflPects of this
long-continued storm, so remarkable for the great degree of cold that
accompanied it, became fully apparent ; for instead of the host of birds
that were wont to resort to our groves and plantations at this season,
and whose " wood-notes wild" used to greet us in every direction, a few
individuals or a solitary pair alone were to be seen, and where, a season
or two before, a united concert of a multitude of thrushes might have
been listened to on a calm mild spring evening, not more than two or
three at far distant stations could now be heard ; of our familiar attendant
the red -breast, few survived to pour forth their impassioned lay, as the
diminished numbers of this favourite bird, even after the increase of the
year, clearly demonstrate. The same may be said of the blackbird,
whose mellow whistle was scarcely recognised during the spring and
summer ; and a like falling off" was observed in regard to the wagtails,
wrens, and indeed all the indigenous insectivorous species, which suffered
to a much greater extent than the Conirostrae or Finch tribe, which, sub-
sisting upon seeds and grains, found, if not ample, at least a sufficient
quantity of food to support life in the stack and fold-yards where the
others were perishing from the effects of hunger and cold. But the de-
ficiency of the feathered tribe this year, I afterwards ascertained, was
not confined to our indigenous or permanent residents : it extended to
all those species which we call summer visitants, or which make our
island their breeding resort and habitat during their Polar migration ;
for as the time of the arrival of the various species successively occurred,
I found that throughout this district their numbers scarcely averaged a
third of the usual supply, and this falling off" not confined to a few particular
forms, but extending to all the migratory species. The same was observed

MR SBLBY ON THE WINTER OF 183S. 193

to prevail in the south of England, as in a communication from Mr
Yarrell, he mentions that the paucity of summer visitants had been ge-
nerally remarked by those who interest themselves in ornithology and
observations connected with it. The cause of this deficiency I attribute
to the very cold and ungenial weather which prevailed not only through-
out Britain, but over a great portion of the European Continent, at the
time these birds usually undertake their periodical flights, and which, 1
imagine, stopped many on their course, and prevented that extended
movement which, in ordinary years, permits their reaching our own and
even higher latitudes. That their lessened numbers arose from causes
which affected them during their winter sojourn can scarcely be sup-
posed, as that portion of the year, it is now well ascertained, is passed by
most of them in the warm region of the African Continent or in those
parts of Southern Europe, where frost is scarcely known. Some few
may undoubtedly have perished on the way, or from having advanced
at too early a period into the north of Europe, where, in consequence of
the chilling cold that prevailed, no appropriate food could be found, and
thus died of hunger ; but the more probable reason is, I think, that al-
ready assigned, viz. that they were stopped on their advance by the pe-
culiarity of the season, and were compelled to remain and nidificate in
lower latitudes than they are generally accustomed to do. Of the few
which did arrive, it was observed that their first appearance was nearly
a fortnight later than has generally been the case, upon an average
taken from a register of some twenty years past. Thus I find that the
Willow Wren (Sylvia trochilus), instead of the 16th or 18th of April,
was not seen or heard before the 3d of May ; the same in regard to ihe
Blackcap (Curruca atricapilla), the Tree Pipit (Anthus arboreus),
the Whinchat (Saxicola rubetus) ; and the 13th of May had arrived be-
fore an individual of the Fly-catcher (Muscicapa grisola) was observed.
Of the species just enumerated, a deficiency, such as 1 have already men-
tioned, was remarked ; but I think it was even more striking in others,
among which I may particularize the Sedge-warbler (Salicaria phragmi-
tis), Greater Petty -chaps (Curruca montana). White-throat (Curruca
cinerea). To this cold and long-retarded spring, succeeded a short and,
with the exception of a few days in July, a moist and chilly summer,
circumstances which affected not only the incre«ise of animal life, but
produced the more serious calamity of a deficient harvest. Fruits also
did not ripen at all, or very imperfectly, and were devoid of their proper
taste and flavour. In conclusion, I may add, that a great deficiency of
the insect tribes was generally remarked, and, from having given a con-
siderable degree of attention to the entomology of this district for some
years past, I can confidently say, that in most of its great families or di-
visions the remark is correct, more particularly as it applies to the Co-
leopterous and Lepidopterous insects, upon a comparison with what was
observed in' 1835 and 1836, as well as years previous to that date.

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REV. T. RIDDBLL ON THE BALAN08.

195

For the
Year.

Mean height
of Thermo-
meter.

Mean height
of Barometer
at 82° Fahr.

Mean point
of Deposi-
tion.

Meanrela-
tiTe Humi-
dity.

Qnantitr of
Rain in
inches.

1835
1836
1837
1838

45.2
43.9
43.9
42.7

29.309
29.238
29.351
29.246

38.6

40.0
41.4
39.2

818
883
926
895

32.66
37.21
31.82
36.83

Means.

43.9

29.286

39.8

880

34.6

Mean barometric height at the le- ) ., x i aia^

vel of the sea = 29 82 inches, / '^^ Log.=1.4746
Log. 29.286 =1.4667

.0078

1000.0.

Height of the place of observation must be )
somewhere about J

78 fathoms, or 468 ft.

On the Metamorphosis of the Balanus pu?ictatus of Montagu, By the
Rev. T. RiDDELL, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Among all the facts recently brought to light in Animal History,
there is, perhaps, none more wonderful than the discovery made by Mr
Vaughan Thompson, and published in his Zoological Researches, re-
specting the transformation of the Balani. An account of Mr T.*8 ob-
servations, together with a statement of the opinions of several eminent
naturalists respecting the correctness of his views, may be found in the
Penny Cyclopiedia, Art. Cirripeda. That an animal should be fur-
nished, in the first stage of its existence, with organs of motion and
swim about freely like a shrimp, and afterwards became immoveably
fixed to a rock and clothed with a hard stony shell, seems at first sight
so highly improbable, that persons might be expected to suspend their be-
lief till the fact should be fully proved.

Having heard from Dr Johnston in the beginning of June that he had
found Balani in all their stages, near the mouth of the river at the fishing
bat opposite Spittal, I went down the first favourable day to the place
he had mentioned, and succeeded in obtaining several of the animals io
the earliest stage of their growth, as described by Mr Thompson. They
were spread in countless numbers over the stones, but none of them
were free ; all were found adhering, seemingly by a short fine pedicle or
stalk, to some object, either stone, shell, or sea-weed. In the course of

H. N. C. — NO. Tin* , __-i«— ^ p

-w\

Ut m

ly6 HKV. T. UIDDliLL ON THE BALANUS.

the day ( 1 4th June) I sketched several figures with pen and ink ; the
annexed (Figs, a and h) are a side and back view. Under a high mag-
nifier the skin which covers the globules (near the blunt end) has a gra-
nulated appearance

On the following morning, when I examined the saucer containing
the animals, I was surprised to see some of the eggs (as I had supposed
them) moving swiftly about and swimming through the water. When
I had taken one out and placed it in a hollow glass under the micro-
scope, the rapidity of its movements was such as to prevent my examin-
ing it ; shortly afterwards, it was seen to move more leisurely along the
bottom of the glass, putting forth a sort of tongue which it fixed on the
glass in front of itself, and then retracted so as to draw itself forward.
My first thought was, this is evidently an entomostracous animal, a cy-
pris or something similar ; but having a small creature of tliat kind
(some species of cythera probably) under the microscope at the same
time, there appeared a marked difference between them, the limbs of the
latter being evidently much more perfect.

In the course of the day having obtained a loan of Mr Thomson's
work, I was enabled to compare his figures with my own observations.

Respecting Fig. 1 , Plate IX. which is intended to represent the natu-
ral size of the young animal, it must be observed that this is full twice as
long as it ought to be, and more than twice as broad. This remark is
not so unimportant as it may at first appear. The size of the young
Balanus, as given by Mr T., has been alleged as a strong argument
against the correctness of his views, because perfect animals are fre-
quently found much smaller. Perhaps the enlargement of a minute
figure in the process of copying and engraving is not uncommon.

Fig. 2 represents an indentation at the top of the case, corresponding
to the cleft in the animal. This has not been observed either by Dr
Johnston or myself.

The annexed figure (Fig. c) answers to Mr T.'s 3d figure. The eye
(Fig. 4) I did not see ; of the tail I have only seen the two long bristles,
which are much longer than in Mr T.'s drawing. Fig. 6 I have not
been able to verify, but I have no reason to judge it otherwise than cor-
rect.

As yet I have not been so fortunate as to ascertain the actual change
of the above animal into a Balanus ; but the circumstance of their being

DR JOHNSTON ON THR CEPHALOPODA OP BBRWICKSUIKK. 197

found together, and the great similarity between the Baianus clothed
with its first shell and the animal in question, tend very strongly to con-
firm Mr Thompson's observations. It seems to me highly probable that,
previous to the decisive change, the animal turns half round in its case
80 as to be nearly at right angles to its former position.

The organ by which the young animal fixes itself is the fore-foot ; this
part, therefore, is liable to be injured in detaching it ; and this may be
the reason why I only saw one fore-leg, though Mr Thompson gives
two in his figure.

May and June seem to be the months when the young Balani are
most numerous. Those who wish to observe the singular transforma-
tion should be on the watch at that time ; and it is certainly very desi-
rable to obtain as many and as complete observations as possible on such
an interesting subject of inquiry.

A description of the CEPHALOPODA which inhabit the cocut of
Berwickshire. By Dr Johnston.

CEPHALOPODA DIBRANCHIATA.

* Head surrounded with eight nearly equal arms.

1. Octopus. Body enclosed in a sub-globular sac, rounded at the
base, unfurnished with fins ; arms connected at their origins by a
broad membrane ; suckers sessile, toothless.

•• Head surrounded with eight arms and two long tentacula.

2. LoLiGo. Body enclosed in an elongated cylindraceous sac, pointed
at the base, and winged below, separate behind from the neck ;
suckers pedunculate, the rim strengthened with a horny denticulated
ring ; dorsal plate thin and horny.

3. Sbpiola. Body enclosed in a short sac, rounded at the base, furnished
with rounded fins attached to the sides ; dorsal plate horny, minute
and very slender.

4. Sepia. Body enclosed in an oval sac rounded at the base, fur-
nished on each side throughout its whole length with a narrow fin,
and strengthened dorsally with a calcareous lamellated cellular oval
plate, lodged in a peculiar cavity ; suckers irregularly scattered,
with horny toothless margins.

1. Octopus. Lamakck.

1. O. ventricosusj scentless ; body ovate, smooth or granular, profusely
sprinkled with reddish-brown dots ; arms straight, taper, longer than

198 DR JOHNSTON ON THE CEPHALOPODA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

the body, winged ; suckers uniserial. Grant in Edin. New Phil.
Journal, January 1827, p. 31 1. Oct. octopodia, Flem. Brit. Anira.
254. Sepia octopodia, Pe?in. Brit. Zoo), iv. 1 16. tab. 30.

lIcU). Berwick Bay, frefj[uent.

Body ovate, rounded at the base, contracted below the eyes, smooth or rather
minutely granulated on the back, which is slightly convex, clouded, closely
sprinkled over with small reddish-brown dots ; sides rounded, lighter
coloured, dotted ; belly flattened, bluish- white, also sprinkled with dots,
which, however, are larger, more distant, and arranged in almost regular
lines. The arms^are fully one-half longer than the body, finely tapered,
connected together at their origin by a membrane which runs up the ex-
terior edge, giving it a winged appearance ; the suckers are in a single
row, large, saucer-shaped, with a central hole crenulated on the rim, and
the rim plaited in a radiating manner ; towards the base of the arm they
are larger and not in contact, but they soon become approximate, and
gradually lessening in size they become very minute at the tips ; there are
about 100 on each arm. Eyes rather small, of a beautiful orange colour,
resembling those of the toad, often concealed by the skin being drawn over
them ; the eyelids white, silvery, profusely dotted like the skin. Length
of the body, in the largest specimen we have seen, 6^ inches ; breadth
4 inches ; length of the arms 12^ inches.

Pennant confounded this species with the Octopus vulgaris, nor was it pro-
perly distinguished and characterized until Dr Grant gave an excellent
history of it in the Journal quoted above. The specific name octopodia,
even had it the claim of priority, cannot be retained, since it is synony-
mous with the generic one.

When at rest this octopod lies prone on the belly, the arms spread out in
front with their extremities disposed in spirals on the sides. It has in
this position considerable likeness to a toad, and often raising the back
and head, its aspect is really repulsive and threatening. The changes of
colour from reddish-brown to a dull greyish- white, and frequently clouded
or spotted with different shades, are made with remarkable velocity, and
without any obvious cause. The respiration is regular, and in one speci-
men of medium size, respiration was performed eleven times in a minute,
at each time a strong cuiTent of water being propelled through the fun-
nel, while water flowed in at the sides of the sac in every inspiration.
Sometimes the creature would suddenly expel from its funnel a stream of
water with unusual force, and lance it forth three or four feet It moves
quickly, and always retrograde, playing its arms in a regulated graceful
manner which no one can contemplate without wonder in so grotesque a
body and apparently so unapt for locomotion. When it swims, the arms
are all drawn together and lanced straight out from the head in a column,
the body being thus, by successive strokes, driven backwards. Though
our specimen was subjected to much irritation it did not eject any of its
inky fluid.

2. LoLiGO. Lamarck.

I. L. vulgaris, the fins, together with the tail, forming a rliomboidal
expansion ; margin of the sac three-lobed ; dorsal plate narrowed
anteriorly, the edges thin. Lam. Anim. s. Vert. vii. 662. Flem.
Brit. Anim. 202. Sepia Loligo, Linn. Penn: Brit. Zool. iv. 11.5.
tab. 29.

Hah. Berwick Bay, not uncommon.

Body subcylindrical, gradually tapered to the tail (which is drawn in by the
fins being continued round it), profusely sprinkled with small reddish-
brown dots, which are not perceptible about the mouth, on the inner sur-

DB JOHNSTON ON THB CEPHALOPODA OF BKRWICIC8HIRE. 199

face of the teutacula, and on the under surface of the fins ; eyes larfpc,
. without lids ; lips plaited ; surrounding the muuth and attucluHi to Uie
base of the arms, there is a thin ineuibnme with six angles, produced and
armed in the central aspect with very small suckers ; suckers of the arms
biserial, of the tentacula quadriserial, and placed only on the enlarged
tips ; sac trilobate ; dorsal plate large, like a pen, the shaft being towards
the head. Length of the body sixteen inches, of the tentacula fourteen, of
the arms about six, but they are unequal, and some of them do not exceed
four, of the bone fourteen and a half inches. Makes an excellent bait for
cod, but does not occur in sufficient numbers to be used by our fishermen.
The ink is jet black. I have found the beaks of a small individual in the
stomach of a large one, so that it certainly feeds occasionally on its own
race.

2. X. sagiitatay the fins, with the tail, forming a triangular expansion ;
margin of the sac even ; dorsal plate narrow, three-ribbed, widest
at the apex and lanceolate, the inferior end saccate. Lam, Anim. s.
vert. vii. 663. Flem. Brit. anim. 253. Sepia Loligo, Monro Phy.
of Fishes, 62. tab 41 and 42.

Hal. Berwick Bay.

This is commonly less than the preceding, and, from the shape and position of
the fins, the outline of the body is considerably different. The sac is
smooth, cylindraceous, tapered to a point below, the upper margin free,
even or only obscurely pointed in the middle of the back. The dorsal
plate is thin, narrow, strengthened with a rib down the centre and a
stronger one along each margin, widest and lanceolate at the top, whence
it gradually grows narrower until within an inch or so of the end, where
the ribs seem to unite in one, and the plate is again dilated and formed
into a pouch at the termination. The lip encircling the beaks is furnished
with numerous suctorial papillce ; and the membrane at the base of tlie
arms is more or less distinctly divided into eight angular pointed segments.
Arms unequal in size, tapered, straight, with two rows of suckers ; tenta-
cula as long as the body, covered with suckers to within an inch and a half
of their origins, but at first the suckers are very small, and become sud-
denly larger towards the extremities; all of them hang from a short
peduncle that has a lateral insertion, and small suckers, on longer
peduncles, are intermixed with the larger ; these are cup-like, and have the
margin armed with a homy denticulated ring. The ink is of a bluckish-
brown colour, or dark olive-green. The stomach of a large specimen I
found filled with fragments of Alaria esculenta, on which the creature had
been feeding when taken, for pieces of the same were found between the
beaks half swallowed. It appears, therefore, Uiat this species feeds occa*
sionally at least on sea-weed.

3. Sepiola. Leach.

\. S. vulgaris^ suckers in two alternate rows; tentacula without sue-
kers. Grant in Trans. Zool. Soc. i. 77. tab. 1 L fig. 3— 13 Sepiole
commune, Cuv. Reg. anim. iii. 15. Loligo sepiola, Lam. Anim. s.
vert. vii. 664. Flem, Brit. anim. 253. Sepia sepiola, Linn, Penn.
Brit. Zool. iv. 117. tab. 3L fi^'. 2.

Hah. Berwick Bay, very rare.

Body one inch long, smooth, irregularly and closely spotted with red and
broiK'n, and the spots appear and disappear at the animal's pleasure, as-
suming various forms ; head lar^e ; eyes large, without lids ; iris black,
the conjunctiva white ; suckers biserial ; the arms unequal ; tentacula as

200 ON THE NESTS OF THE FIPTEEN-SPINED STICKLEBACK.

long as the body, filiform, slightly dilated at the tips ; fins small, rounded
subdorsal, and reflected backwards ; funnel white. Although kept alive, in
a basin of sea water, for about twelve hours, and repeatedly irritated, it
never ejected any inky fluid, with which it is nevertheless amjply provided.
I have taken a perfect specimen from the stomach of the Lythe.

4. Skpia. Linn^.us.

1. S. officinalis^ "body smooth; feet as long as the body; dorsal
plate elliptical." Linn. Penn. Brit. Zool. iv. 117. Flem. Brit.
Anim. 252.

Hob. Berwick Bay 1

The cuttle-fish itself I have never seen, but its dorsal plate is frequently cast
on our shore, more particularly on Holy Island, and as it is little injured,
even the thin membranousborder being generally entire,it seems evident that
it cannot have been brought from a distance by the tides, and is probably
the remains of native individuals. (For a description of this singular pro-
duction, reference may be made to Cuvier's admirable work " Sur les Mol-
lusques," Mem. i. p. 47 ; to Dr Fleming's Philosophy of Zoology, vol. ii.
p. 436 ; or to the Magazine of Natural History, vol. v. p. 612.)

On the Nests of the Fifteen-spined Stickleback, or Gasterosteus spinachia

of LinncBus.

In an early volume of the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal, there is
a slight notice of fishes' nests found on the coast of Berwickshire by
Admiral Milne, but the species of fish by whom they are constructed is
not mentioned. Mr Duncan of Eyemouth has ascertained that they be-
long to the Fifteen-spined Stickleback, — a fact confirmed by the Rev.
Mr Turnbull, to whom the Club is indebted for specimens.

These nests are to be found in spring and summer on several parts
of our coast, in rocky and weedy pools between tide-marks. They oc-
cur occasionally near Berwick, but seem to be more common near Eye-
mouth and Coldingham. They are about eight inches in length, and of
an elliptical form or pear-shaped, formed by matting together the branches
of some common Fucus, as, for example, of the Fucus nodosus, with va-
rious confervae, ulvae, the smaller floridese, and corallines. These are all
tied together in one confused compact mass by means of a thread run
through, and around, and amongst them in every conceivable direction.
The thread is of great length, as fine as ordinary silk, tough, and some-
what elastic ; whitish, and formed of some albuminous secretion. The
eggs are laid in the middle of this nest in several irregular masses of
about an inch in diameter, each consisting of many hundred ova, which
are of the size of ordinary shot, and of a whitish or amber colour accord-
ing to their degree of maturity. The farther advanced are marked with
two round black spots, which are discovered by the microscope to be the

ON THE NESTS OF THE PIFTEEN-sriNBD STICKLEBACK. *20l

eyes of the eipbryo, at this period disproportionally large and developed.
Masses of eggs, in different stages of their evolution, are met with in the
same nest. It is evident that the fish must first deposit its spawn amid
the growing fucus, and afterwards gather its branches together around
the eggs, weaving and incorporating at the same time all the rubbish that
is lying or floating around the nucleus.

For the safety of its nest and spawn, the fish is apparently very anxious
for a time. Some individuals were watched, by Mr Duncan and the
Rev. Mr Turnbull, for some weeks, and it was observed that the same
fish was always in attendance upon its own nest. During the time of
hope and expectation, they become fearless, and will allow themselves to
be taken up by the hand repeatedly. There can be no doubt that their
object in remaining near the nest is to guard it against the attacks of
such animals as might feel inclined to prey upon its contents.

Note. — Since the preceding notice was read to the Club, the 2d vo-
lume of Mr Swainson's Natural History of Fishes, &c. has been pub-
lished ; and I find that in it these nests are said to be constructed by the
GobieSy on the authority of Olivi. The question is worth further inquiry ;
but on mentioning this statement of Olivi's to Mr Maclaren of Colding-
ham, he assured me that he had seen and watched the stickleback in the
act of making the nests we have just described. G. J.

Note on Dr Douglass paper on the Cessation of the Flow of the River

Teviot.

The drying up of the northern rivers in 1748, is similarly accounted
for in the Gentleman's Magazine for April, p. 152, by a correspondent
at Carlisle. He says, " although the snows in February were heaped on
the mountains, by strong winds, intensely cold, yet there was a ground
thaw in the plains. This constant drift of snow on the mountains, and
intense cold of the air, consolidated the flakes in their descent" (mean-
ing, I suppose, as they floated down on the surface of the water), " and
a long succession of these congealed every standing pool, or mill-dam in
the channel, to the bottom. So that the intermediate channel became dry.

** The different courses of the freezing air, and the situation of the
mountains, with respect to the several rivers, were the cause why this
circumstance did not happen to all on the same day. And that several
adjoining rivers did not freeze must be attributed to their running
through a more level, and, therefore, a warmer country ; and for the
same reason some parts of the Etk might have little ice, as it is not all
surrounded by mountains.** T. K.

( 202 )

Notice of a curious Aquatic Larva^ found in a Water Ju0 at Twizely
Stk March 1839. By P. J. Selby, Esq. of Twizel-House.

In length, it measures about three lines, and is of a peculiar shape,
being anteriorly slender, and bulging posteriorly into an oval or flask-
shape. The posterior extremity is furnished with a small central sucker,
and three lateral fleshy protuberances, which also act as suckers, and by
means of which it adheres to the glass or sides of any vessel in which it
is placed ; it also possesses two fleshy tubercles or pro-legs on the con-
vex surface of the first segment ; and its mode of progression is some-
thing similar to that of the geometrical caterpillars, as, when wanting to
change its situation, it extends its body to its full length, and then fixes
its anterior legs, after which it draws up the hinder part of its body to
where they are placed, and securing itself by the suckers, thus advances
by alternate movements, each step covering a space nearly the length
of the whole body. The head is of a square form and large, and the eyes,
which are black, are situated towards the margin of the hinder angle.
On the forehead, two pellucid bristle-like antennae are visible, and the
mouth is furnished with a curious apparatus, the parts of which, however,
are too small and delicate to be distinctly made out, without the aid of
the microscope. Under a considerable power, these parts exhibit a
beautiful and highly-curious conformation ; but are admirably adapted to
its mode of life and predacious habits in this its larva state. To convey
an accurate idea of these cibarian instruments by verbal description, is
almost impossible ; for, to be properly understood, they ought to be seen
in action, and under the power of a high magnifier. The following de-
scription, however, may serve to give some general notion of their struc-
ture and mode of action : — On each side of the superior part of the
mouth, and below the insertion of the antennae, an instrument (which
I take to be one of the palpi), of extraordinary configuration, and which,
when fully developed, and the animal is engaged in search of prey, pro-
jects to a distance on each side of the head or face : the basal part of this
instrument is composed of a large and powerful clavate-shaped joint, the
apex of a number of bristles, or rather fine laminae, which diverge or
open like a fan ; only, that being bent, they form, when thus expanded,
a concave or hollow trap. These vibrissae, — except in so fkr as the
whole of the apparatus can be dpened or shut, or placed in a state of
rest over the mouth, — possess no vibratory motion, nor do they appear
to be furnished with ciliae ; but to produce a current, and bring the ani-
malculae upon which the larva feeds within the vortex of this curious and
delicate trap, two other members of the mouth, and which I consider to be
the mandibles, are constantly engaged in alternately catching at a small
projection, which is placed upon the upper part of the large joint of the
extended palpu8. This catching, or sudden jerk, gives to the delicate

CA8B OF ANDREW MITCHELL. 203

hairs or laminee a rapid motion, and creates a current, by which its prey
is brought within the concavity they form. The mandibles above men-
tioned are stout, and furnished with a small hook at the end, which
catches at each movement the projection upon the palpi above noticed
The moment an animalcula touches the internal surface of the vibrissa,
they close upon it, and it is forthwith conveyed to the mouth and de-
voured. When at rest, the fan-like portions of the palpi are folded, and
brought into contact or alongside the basal joint, in which position they
cover the upper part of the mouth. The body of the creature is pellucid
and diaphanous ; and the internal parts are plainly visible through the
integuments. One of the most striking peculiarities of this animal is the
mode in which the motion is communicated to the fan-like process of
the palpi, in order to create a current ; for in tiiis instance, it is not ef-
fected by the movement of the hairs themselves, nor by the rapid mo-
tion of ciliae attached to them, as is seen in various Crustacea and other
insects, but by the mechanical intervention of another oral instrument.
The animal was kept for some time in a glass of water, but died before
undergoing a metamorphosis.

Case of Andrew Mitchell^ aged ten years, son of Robert MitcheU of
North Charlton, in the parish ofEUingham, Northumberland, Shep-
herd, and Ann his Wife.

From about the 1st of March 1839, the patient complained of pains
in his head, particularly on each side above the ears, and of what he
termed " gumbles," which shifted to different parts of his head ; and ex-
pressed his belief of something moving about in his bead. These pains
&nd feels continued and increased till between nine and ten of the night
of the 14th June following, when, whilst patient was in bed, an insect,
as hereafter described, was discharged from his left nostril. Some blood
followed on the day after the discharge of the insect

The pains &nd feels continued with some interruptions till between
five and six p.m. of July 5. following, when, whilst patient was sitting
in the cottage, a second insect, exactly similar to that above mentioned,
was discharged from the same nostril. For the first fortnight after this
second insect was discharged, the pains of the head, particularly on the
sides of the face above the ears, were very severe and distracting.

A third discharge of a similar but somewhat smaller insect took place
on Saturday the 10th of August, whilst the patient was playing with
other children in an out-house, being exactly five weeks and a day from
the discharge of the second. A slight discharge of a tough mucus, some-
times tinged with blood, takes place occasionally from the opposite dob-

204 CASE OF ANDREW MITCHELL.

tril from that from which the three insects have been discharged, AH
the insects proceeded from the same nostril.

August 24. 1839. — Great discharge of blood, followed by much pain
at night.

September 2. 1839 — Painful at times, with lumpy discharge. Tlie
pain has been for the most part on the left side of face until a mercurial
plaster was put there, when it partially shifted to the right side. " Gum-
bles" are felt in the head when he runs or takes any sharp exercise.

He is supposed to find some relief from sweet-oil dropped into the ear,
as he frequently desires this to be done.

On the sixth of September the boy was brought to Twizel by his
mother, and their statements tallied in every respect with the written ac-
count produced, and furnished by the Rev. Mr Perigal of EUingham.
The boy still continues to feel unpleasant sensations in the left side of
the head behind the temporal region, and he complained much this morn-
ing after taking some quick exercise, of pains in the head and left ear,
and of the " gumbles,* or peculiar sensations already noticed, from which
symptoms, it would appear, that some larvce exist in the passages or
ethmoid cells. The larvae excluded, two of which I examined (and one
is now produced), are evidently those of a coleopterous insect, and they
approach very closely to the figure of that of Blaps mortisaga in West-
wood's Insects. Cases are upon record of vast numbers of the larvae
of this beetle, as well as the pupa, and, in one or two instances, the imago,
having been ejected from the stomach. (See Westwood, who mentions
one case of an Irish woman, supposed to have originated from drinking
daily water mixed with earth from the graves of two Roman Catholic
priests.) No case, however, similar to the present, or where they have
existed in the head or nasal passages, is mentioned. The query is, How
did the eggs or larvae get there ? The boy appears to be in delicate
health from the effects produced by these insects, as, previous to this at-
tack, he was quite healthy and strong. He has never felt any uneasy
sensation in the stomach, or any other part, the head alone having been
affected. P. J. S.

P, S. Wohlfarht has written a paper with the title " De vermibus per
nares excretis." A scolopendra has been found in the frontal sinus, and
in the nostrils. Kilgour gives a case of larvce in the nose destroyed by
infusion of tobacco. Heysham another of a larva in the antrum maxil-
lare. Mr Clark supposes, without sufficient reason, that in these cases
the larvae were those of an oestrus. See Young's Med. Literature,
p. 418 ; and Lin. Trans, iii, p. 323. G. J.

( -^06 )

Notice of the Myliobatis aqvila ofCuvier, or Eayle Ray of Yarrell,
by Dr Johnston.

" Mr Travis, surgeon at Scarborough," says Pennant, ** had, in the sum-
mer of 1769, the tail of a ray brought to him by a fisherman of that
town ; he had taken it in the sea off the coast, but flung away the body."
To what species this tail belonged has never been satisfactorily deter-
mined. Pennant himself believed it to belong to the species called by the
Brazilians laherete, but the editor of the edition of his work published
in lb 12, referred it to the Raia aquila of Linnaeus, which is said to be a
native of the Mediterranean, Dr Turton omitted it in his catalogue of
the British Fauna ; and in the works of Dr Fleming, and of Messrs
Jenyns and Yarrell, it stands among the doubtful or undetermined spe-
cies, the two latter expressing a belief that the tail might be referred to
the Raia Giorna, with as much probability as to R. aquila ; and, con-
sequently, Mr Yarrell has given a figure of both these species to enable
future inquirers the more readily to determine the question, should an
opportunity occur to any of his readers of doing so.

Aware of these particulars, it was, with no ordinary delight, that I re-
ceived a perfect specimen of the Raia aquila, on Wednesday last (Sep-
tember 1 1 ), which had been found that morning on the shore of our bay
near Spittal. It was quite fresh, and in fine preservation ; and proves,
as I think, that the conjecture of Mr Travis's fish being the aquila is per-
fectly correct. There is, at all events, now no doubt that this species is
a native of our seas.

The following is a description of my specimen. Body rhomboidal,
expanded laterally, flat, thickish, and raised in the middle, which gradu-
ally passes into the thin sides or fins, of a uniform dusky olive-green colour,
smooth and even. Head depressed, with a square vertex, or we may
compare it to the figure of a horse's hoof, having an oblong space in the
centre that represents the hollow part of the hoof; the front suddenly
lowered, round and entire. Eyes lateral, wide apart, roundish, dark grey,
overhung by a bony ridge. Behind them there is a large elliptical hole
leading to the gills. There is a series of punctures on each side of the
head, becoming most distinct and visible on the occiput. Each fm forms
a wide triangle with entire plain margins. Posterior fins square, and very
small proportionably. Tail once and a half as long as the body, flagel-
liform, tapering to a point, quadrangular, smooth, furnished with a small
fin within two inches of its root, and immediately under this fin the
aculeus or sting is protruded, which is upwards of three inches in length,
linear-lanceolate, long, serrated on both sides, the serratures reflected.
Ventral surface whitish, duskier at the sides, smooth. Teeth transverse,
linear-oblong, with a small open piece between the ends of every pair on
each side.

Extreme breadth 21 inches. From the snout to the insertion of the
tail 18 inches. Length of the tail 2H inches.

( 206 )

Contributions to the Flora of Berivickskire,
By Mr James Hardy.

1. HiPPURis VULGARIS. In a moss on the farm of Redheugh, called

Penraanshiel Moss.

2. Veronica scutellata. Marshes on Penmanshiel Moor; Bushiel

Dean ; by the side of the water Eye ; above and below Blackburn
Mill.

3. Veronica Anagallis. Marshes near Blackburn Mill.

4. Veronica officinalis. A dwarf variety with flesh-coloured flowers ;

on dry rocks in Winden Dean. Under the shade of fir trees the
flowers of the plant are almost white.

5. Utricularia intermedia. In old peat pits in Penmanshiel Moss

and Langstruther Bog, abundant.

6. SciRPUS SETACEUS. Piashy spot in Akeside ; on Eweside ; and on

the farm of Penmanshiel.

7. Eleocharis pauciflora. Langstruther and Braid Bogs, and Ewe-

side, abundant.

8. Eleocharis c-espitosa. One plant viviparous ; Penmanshiel

Moor.

9. IsoLEPis FLUiTANs. In deep pools in Penmanshiel Moss-Burn.

10. Ammophila arundinacea. Sea-shore at the foot of the Pease

Burn.

11. Melica nutans. Grows along with M. unifiora ; in two or three

tufts near each other on a cliff overlooking the small rivulet that
intersects the wooded dean of Blackburn -rigg.

12. Gl-Sceria MARiTiMA. Between the Cove shore and Dunglass burn ;

on the sea banks near Fastcastle ; growing from the dung of sea
fowl, by whom it has been introduced.

13. Festuca oviNA, var. vivipara. A single panicle of a plant in this

state, the other stalks having brought seeds to perfection, occurred
in an upland field on the farm of Blackburn.

14. Fes/uca ELATioR. Inland in the Pease and Tower Deans ; in

Winden Dean ; Braid Bog ; and by the side of the water Eye,
above Butterdean Mill.

15. Bromus giganteus. Pease and Cockburnspath Tower Deans ;

deans in Penmanshiel Wood ; Red Clues Cleugh ; Blackburn-rigg-
dean, abundant. This plant appears to connect the genera Festuca
and Bromus, The awn is inserted above the bifid point, as in Festu-
ca, not below it, as some authors state. In the most common state of
the plant, the number of florets in the spike varies from three to
four, with one rudimentary floret. Very luxuriant specimens have
eight perfect florets.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OF BERWICKSHIRE. 207

16. Bromus racemosus. Fields at Penmanshiel, and near the Cove.
The spikes frequently bear stiff, appressed bristles.

17> Triticum CANINUM. Cockbumspath Tower Dean. Joints, and the
culm a little below them, hairy.

18. Triticum junceum. Shore at the foot of the Pease Burn ; and be-
tween the Cove shore and Dunglass burn.

19- ScABiosA succisA. On the sea banks between Dulaw and Red-
heugh (the rock being grey wacke), this plant is remarkably luxuri-
ant, the foliage of a light-green hue, and almost always glabrous ;
while the claw of the florets is more developed than in the usual
state of the plants. On red sandstone rocks, in a similar situation,
the plant is ordinarily luxuriant, the light-green colour of the leaves
is retained, but the pubescence is resumed.

20. Galium palustre var. B. Witheringii. In bogs on Penmanshiel

Moor, and in Bushiel Dean, passing into the common state of the
plant. I have met with only one specimen of G. palustre, having
the stems smooth.

21. Galium uliginosum. Bogs in Penmanshiel Moor; and on the

Lammermuirs.

22. Plantago coronopus; a variety with the leaves and scapes very
hispid, and almost hoary. On rocks between the Cove shore, and
the Pease burn.

23. Potamogeton compressum. Large pool in Penmanshiel Moss.

24. Sagina apetala. Foot of Dunglass Dean.

25. Lithospermum maritimum. In considerable abundance among

the shingle, on a low part of the shore between Dulaw and Red-
heugh.

26. Cynoglossum oFFicrNALE. Sea-banks at the mouth of Lumsden

Dean.

27. Primula vulgaris. Variety with pink flowers. In the Pease

Dean. Varieties at times occur having the flowers edged or blotched
with pink.

28. Primula veris. Only two plants met with in Penmanshiel Wood.

29. SoLANUM dulcamara. Side of the Peaseburn, in a haugh, at the
foot of Penmanshiel Wood.

30. Viola lutea. Hill above Ecklaw.

31. Gentiana campestris. Old pastures above Blackburn mill; in

Edmonsdean : on Coldingham Moor, near Penmanshiel Moss, In a
spot that has at some former period been cultivated.

32. Helosciadium inundatum. In the boms on Penmanshiel Moor ;

in Bushiel Dean ; and by the side of the water Eye, above and
below Blackburn Mill.

33. Viburnum opulcs. Sisterpath Dean, below Penmanshiel onstead ;

Harelawside Wood ; Blackburn-rigg-dean ; and Winden Dean.

808 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

84. Peplis portula. In a pool, and by the side of a ditch, in Langstra-
ther Bog.

85. JuNcus coENOscs. In a marsh, within the sea-mark, between the

Cove shore and Dunglass burn, growing along with Gluux mari-
iima, &c.

36. RuMEX CRispus. When the plant is littoral, as along the sea-shores
of the parish of Cockburnspath, and in the chinks of greywacke
rocks near Redheugh, there is a large tubercle on each petal ; while
the plants growing on the sea-banks, and inland, have generally
only one perfect tubercle.

37- Trientalis europ-ea. About ten years ago there was a station
for this elegant plant on Penmanshiel Moor, but it has been ploughed
up about two years ago. I found a small patch of it on Coldingham
Moor, between Oldcambus Moss, and the Drone Moss. This year
I have found it in a very large patch, and scattered in another place,
under fir-trees in Blackburn-rigg Wood. It also occurs on the
boggy moor adjacent to the wood.

38. Epilobium angusti folium. Exceedingly abundant on the sea-
banks between Redheugh and Dulaw.

39. Polygonum lapathifolium. Not uncommon near Penmanshiel,

and Cockburnspath Tower.

40. Adoxa moschatellina. In Sisterpath Dean, below Penmanshiel

onstead ; abundant by the side of the Pease burn, above and below
the forester's house.

4 1 . Pyrola media. Red Clues Deugh ; Blackburn-rigg-dean ; Birchy-

bank, and Kitchen Cleugh. Also on the moors near Dulaw, but
never in flower. This plant flowers in its greatest beauty under
long heather.

42 Pyrola minor. In Blackburn-rigg Wood, perhaps introduced,
this being a wood of recent date. It abounds under fir-trees, in the
older parts of the wood, which have once been ploughed. In the
newer parts where it is rarer, it prefers a similar situation ; being
never found where the shade has not yet extirpated the aboriginal
plants (Calluna vulgaris, Erica cinerea, &c.) In the newer
parts of the wood the occurrence of Hieracium sylvaticum is
diminished or increased in dependence on similar circumstances.

48. Chrysosplenium alternifolium. Sisterpath Dean ; side of the
Pease burn, above the forester's house; abundant in Blackburn-
rigg-dean.

44. DiANTHUS deltoides. Sea-bank near the foot of Dunglass Dean.

45. Arenaria verna. Sea-bank between Dulaw and Redheugh.

46. Sedum villosum. Langstrather Bog ; Greenside Hill ; Pease

Bridge Woods.

47. Lychnis DiURNA. A variety with a white flower occurs in Ltims-

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OP BERWICKSHIRE. 209

den Dean, and in Edmond's Dean. This state of the plant, which
is mentioned by Wallenberg in his Flora Lapponica, may have
led to the confounding of L- diurna with L. vespertina.

48. Cerastium atrovirens. Plentifully on rocks near the sea- shore,

between Redheugh and Fastcastle.

49. Cerastium arvense. Field at Penmanshiel ; and on the farm of

Redheugh.

50. Spergula subulata. Old road-sides on Penmanshiel Moor.

51. Prunus Padus. Red Clues Cleugh, and Busbeil Dean.

52. Prunus cerasus. Pease dean, probably planted ; in course of being

introduced by birds into Blackburn-rigg Wood.
68. Rosa spinosissima. A variety with rose-coloured or pink flowers,
the flower-stalks hispid, and the leaflets obovato-retuse, grows among
whins in Bushiel Dean.

54. RuBUs suberectus. Blackburn-rigg Dean, tolerably abundant ;

Birchybank, Penmanshiel Wood, and Akeside, sparingly.

55. Rubus cjesius. Sea-banks between Redheugh and Duiaw, ad-

vancing among the shingle, even to high-water mark, and then of
the same size as R. saxatilis.

56. Rubus saxatilis. Plentiful on Blackburn-rigg Dean, on the north

side ; sparingly in a shady ravine in Bushiel Dean.

57. Papaver dubium. Apparently the only species in the com-fields

in the parish of Cockburnspath.

58. Thalictrum majus. In shady situations on the rocks between

Redheugh and Dulaw.

59. Trollius EUROPiEUS. Moor near Penmanshiel Moss ; Howpark

Dean ; Blackburn-rigg-dean.

60. Stachys ambigua. Side of the Pease bum, near the foot of Glen-

fyn Dean.

61. Prunella vulgaris. A dwarf variety with white flowers, and

the spikes of a green colour, occurs in barren marshy spots, in a
field near Blackburn-rigg Wood. Varieties with pink flowers are
not rare.

62. Scutellaria oalericulata. Side of the Pease burn, in a baugh
at the foot of Penmanshiel wood.

63. Digitalis purpurea. With white flowers on Eweside, in the

Pease dean, and on Penmanshiel Moor.
64 Lbpioium campestee. In Lumsden Dean.

65. Cochlearia danica. On the sea-banks between Dulaw and Red-
heugh, tolerably abundant. Flowers purplish.

66. Camelina sativa. A single plant among corn at Penmanshiel.

67. Cardamine sylvatica. Kitchen Cleugh ; Bushiel Dean ; and

Blackburn-rigg Dean. Frequent.

210 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FLORA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

68. Cardamine amara. Pease burn, above the forester's liouse ; Black-
bum-rigg-dean.

69. Arabis thaliana. Sea-banks near Redheugh.

70. Geranium sanguineum. Sea-banks behind Burnmouth.

71. Geranium columbinum. In a field near Penmanshiel.

72. Orobus tuberosus, var. fi tenuifolius. Penmanshiel Wood and
Moor ; in Biackburn-rigg Wood. On the sea-banks the leaflets
of this plant are remarkably broad.

73. VicJA SYLVATiCA. Red Clues Cleugh, very abundant on the north-
ern exposure ; deans in Penmanshiel Wood ; abundant below the
forester's house.

74. ViciA LATHYROiDES. Foot of Duuglass-dcan.

75. Astragalus glycyphyllus. On the sea-banks at the Ewelairs ;

between the foot of the Pease burn and the Cove shore.

76. Trifolium arvense. Pease-dean ; Siccar-Point ; near the Cove

shore ; on greywacke rocks on the sea-banks below Dulaw.
77 Hypericum humifusum. Fields on the farms of Penmanshiel and
Butterdean.

78. SoNCHUS oleraceus. a peculiarly marked variety of this plant
occurs in the vicinity of the sea along the coast of Berwickshire.
It is characterised by having the flower-stalks very downy when
young ; involucre usually bearing a number of glands ; leaves ly-
rato-pinnatifid, the terminal lobe angled and largest, generally desti-
tute of spines ; of a glaucous-green colour ; in texture thin and
flexible ; achenia minutely wrinkled. In rocks near Redheugh,
this variety is almost stemless, and the leaves spread around the
root in the manner of a star. This plant is the var. /3 of Smith,
Eng. Flor., and var. ? of Koch Flor. Germ. For the synonyms I
am indebted to the kindness of Dr Johnston,

79. Leontodon Taraxacum, with the leaves hispid on both surfaces ;
on the sea banks near Dulaw.

80. Hieracium molle. Blackburn-rigg-dean, on the north bank, rare.

81. CicHORiUM Intybus. Fields at Penmanshiel.

82. Carduus nutans. In a field near Blackburn -rigg Wood, abundant
but local. The musky smell appears to reside most powerfully on
the under surface of the leaves.

83. Cnicus heterophyllus. In marshy spots on the top of the sea

banks between Redheugh and Dulaw. The leaves of this species
emit a strong musky smell

84. Senecio viscosus. Very abundant in Glen-Fyn-dean, on the

southern exposure ; rare and dwarf on the northern exposure ; in
the Pease dean, and at Redheugh shore.

85. Senecio Jacob^a. A variety without the ray, grows bythe side
of the Pease burn, above the forester's house.

( 211 )

An Address to the Berwickshire Naturalists* Club, By tlie Rov. Tho-
mas RiDDELL, Tresident, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.
(Read at the Anniversary Meeting lield at Uoly Island^ S€})tem-
ber2i). 1840.J

Gentlemen,

The meetings of our Club have always been marked with so much
that is delightful at the time, and agreeable in retrospect, that you
will readily believe me when I express my regret that I am prevented
by engagements at a distance from attending and addressing you in
person, when resigning the office in which your kindness has placed
me.

It may be remarked, in reference to the pleasure we have enjoyed
in our periodical excursions, that we have very seldom found the wea-
ther so unfavourable as to prevent us from sallying forth and obtain-
ing some reward for our exertions. As the days of meeting are fixed
long beforehand, this strongly attests the great preponderance of
favourable weather in our part of the island — a circumstance which
persons are not generally inclined to admit till it be thus forced on
their conviction. I proceed to the minutes of our transactions during
the past year.

The Anniversary was held at Milfield (18th September), and was
well attended. Present, Rev. T. Knight, President, Mr Selby, Mr
Darling, Drs Johnston, Clarke, and F. Douglas, Rev. Messrs J. Baird,
H. Parker, and T. Riddell ; and Rev. H. S. Templeton, a visiter.
For several days previous the weather had been very showery, and
remarkably cold for the season. On Saturday and Sunday the 14th
and 15th, a very gre:it quantity of rain fell, accompanied by an east-
erly wind. On the 15th, all the rivers and streams in the country
were swollen much beyond their usual bounds. In many places the
banks were overflowed, and the water rushed with great imj)etuosity
over the haugh lands, and did nmch damage by sweeping away en-
tire fields of corn in some places, and in cutting up and otherwise de-
stroying the pastures in others. The new bridge in progress of erec-
tion near Norham was carried away by the weight of water and of
corn pressing upon it, while the centering was still standing. This
circumstance will serve to distinguish the flood in the memory of the
neighbouring inhabitants for many years to come. The 18th was
not very favourable for the pursuit of objects of natural history. The
weather was showery, but at intervals the sun shone brightly. Few
or no insects were on the wing ; most of the wild flowers had ceased
to blow ; and nothing remarkable was observed among the featheicd
tribes, with the exception of a redstart seen at a farm-oiistead at a
short distance from Milfield village. The party directed their course

B. N. C NO. VIII. Q

212 nEV. THOMAS niDDELL'S AD1)UE^;S.

along- the high road as far as Akeld Bridge, where they ascended a
deep wooded ravine, abounding with mosses and fungi. In conse-
quence of the wetness of the season, the latter were particularly abun-
dant, and a few rare ones were picked up. The members then ascend-
ed the ridge of hills in the direction of Yevering Bell, where an ex-
tensive and varied prospect presented itself to our view. The spire
of the Town Hall of our good town of Berwick-upon-Tweed was
descried in the distance, and further westward Dunse and Dirrington
Laws bounded the landscape. The river Glen winded through the
vale at our feet, and recalled to the mind the days of Edwin and
Pauliims, when that zealous bishop spent thirty-six entire days, from
morning to evening, in instructing the Northumbrians, and baptizing
converts in the river. The names of Adregin, Melmin, and Gleni,
which are found in the pages of Bede, leave no doubt of the locality
of this interesting portion of history ; though both Yevering and Mil-
field have long since ceased to be abodes of royalty.

On Yevering Bell nothing was observed except a number of
familiar faces, with which the members had become acquainted on
a former visit. The remains of a circular entrenchment occupies the
summit of the hill, and fortifications seem likewise to have existed
on some of the neighbouring lower hills ; but the position of this circle
on sloping ground seems rather to mark a place of meeting, probably
for worship or for sacrifices, than a British or Pictish encampment,
as some have judged it to be.

The party, on descending the hill, were greeted with a very heavy
shower of rain, which put an end to their excursion. We returned to
Milfield to dinner, and, after a comfortable repast, the Rev. T. Knight
proceeded to read the Annual Address, which was listened to with
interest, and warmly applauded. The Rev. T. Riddel 1 was then ap-
pointed President for the current year. The conmmnications made
at this meeting, though few, were highly interesting.

Mr Selby read a curious account of a boy who had at various
times discharged caterpillars (the larvaiof the Blaps mortisaga) from
his nose. This paper has appeared in our Transactions, accompanied
with a notice of similar cases by Dr Johnston. Since last year no
additional caterpillars have been discharged, and the boy's health is
improving.

Dr Johnston announced the capture of the Eagle Ray (Myliobatis
Aquila) at Berwick, the first undoubted instance of the fish being
caught on the British coast. A very excellent drawing of this fish
was made by Mrs Johnston, and a figure taken from the specimen
will appear in the forthcoming edition of Mr Yarrel's British Fishes.

The Winter Meeting was held as usual at Berwick (iSth December),
and the attendance was not numerous. Present, Rev. T. Riddel 1,

IlEV. THOMAS RIDDELL'S ADDRESS. 213

Dv Johnston, Dr Clurko, Mr Selby, Rev. Mr Turnbuil ; and Mr
McLaren, a visiter, well known to the members by bis valuable con-
tributions to our Transactions.

After the ordinary business had been transacted, and the stations
fixed for the ensuing year, several communications were read.

Tlie Rev. J. 13aird sent a notice that a specimen of the Bohemian
waxwingf hud been taken at Yetholm in the beg^inning of December.

The Rev. R. Cowe (of Whitsomo) presented the Club with a de-
scription of the various modes of taking- white-fisii, &c. on the coast
of Berwickshire, for which the Secretary was directed to write him
a letter of thanks in the name of the Club.

Mr M*Laren gave in a list of bivalve shells taken at Coldingham,
new to Berwickshire.* This comnmnication, therefore, is supple-
mentary to the Catalogue given at p. 77 of the Transactions.

Mr Selby read a paper descriptive of a hybrid between the black-
cock and hen pheasant. The bird was a male, and exhibited in a
very striking manner the peculiarities of both parents. A female,
probably belonging to the same brood, was killed the ye^r before, and
is preserved in the Newcastle Museum.

Mr Riddel 1 read a notice of the scenes enacted in the neighbour-
hood of Yevering when Christianity was first introduced into that part
of the country, under Edwin, King of Northumbria ; and another on
the prices and consumption of fish in England previous to the Refor-
nnition. The materials were chiefiy those furnished by the publica-
tions of the Surtees Society, especially the excellent index annexed
by Mr Raine to the volume containing the yearly accounts of Tin-
dale Priory. Many sorts of fish were then used as food which no one
would now think of eating.

Dr Johnston laid before the Club the first part of a descriptive
catalogue of the Berwickshire (lastropodous Mollusca.

The first meeting of the present year, held at Cornhill on the (ith
May, I was prevented from attending. The members present were,
Mr Selby, Dr Johnston, Dr Clarke, Dr F. Douglas, Rev. Mr Cunning-
ham, Rev. John Baird; Mr J. Langhorne, Dr Wilson, and Mr Mel-
rose, attended as visiters.

After breakfast, the party proceeded to the old tower and village
of Wark, where parts of that ancient border fortress are still standing.
On leaving Wark, the members directed their walk for nearly a mile

* Tcicbiatttla psittacea. -A dead specimen, got on the lines of liio Coldiugbaiu
tishernicn.
Pectunculus pilostts.~Noi uncoininou ; but only dead S|»eciinens have occurred.

Ponax ?— Coldingham. This is probably a new species.

(\-ytodon Jlejcuoatu.-li .\coedingly rare.
J.ucina radttia. — Common.

214 REV. THOMAS RIDDELL'S ADDRES§.

along- the river side towards Carhain, and met witli a few g-ood plants,
as Myosotis sylvatica, and several of the willow tribe, which beauti-
fied the banks of the river with their rich inflorescence and fresh-
coloured foliag-e. During- the months of March and April, the sea-
son had been remarkably forward ; little more than the hundredth
part of an inch of rain had fallen during those months, and for seve-
ral weeks the heat of the sun was fully equal to that in high summer
weather. In consequence, vegetation had correspondingly advanced :
many trees were in full foliage, the hawthorn had expanded its beau-
tiful and fragrant blossoms, and the clear musical note of the thrush
brought delight to the ear of the attentive natural observer. While
on the subject of the earlinessof the season, it may not be uninterest-
ing to remark, that, while the cuckoo's plaintive note was not heard
last year till the 10th of May, in the present year it was observed as
early as the middle of April. After leaving the river^, the members
walked to Leannouth Bog, an extensive morass, containing a number
of wild fowl, and a very considerable quantity of rare plants; but, at
the present season of the year, vegetation had not there made much
progress. A few shells (Helix, Planorbis, &c.) were collected, but
none new to the district occurred; and no insects were obtained.
In consequence of the prevalence of an easterly wind, accompanied
with occasional showers, none of those beautifully delicate inhabi-
tants of the upper regions were on the wing.

After the minutes of the last meeting had been read, Dr F. Dou-
glas proposed Mr Collingwood of Glanton Pyke, and Mr Jonathan
Melrose of Coldstream, and Dr Clarke proposed Mr John B. Lang--
horne, as members of the Club. These gentlemen were elected una-
nimously.

Mr Selby presented a list of insects taken by Mr Hardy in the
neighbourhood of the Pease Bridge.

Dr Johnston announced the occurrence of the Arvicola riparia at
Mayfield in Berwickshire ; and of the Tusk in Berwick Bay.

Our June meeting (Wednesday, 17th) was at Head Chesters, in the
parish of Cockburnspath. Present, Rev. T. Riddell, Rev. A. Baird,
Dr Clarke, Mr Selby, Mr Melrose, Dr Johnston ; and Mr Tancred, a
visiter.

After breakfast, we proceeded southward in the direction of Du-
law. A few beetles were found sheltering under stones, but a very
strong westerly gale, which blew all day, attended with smart showers,
prevented almost every other insect from appearing.

From the farm at Dulaw we walked down to the Dean, and en-
tered it near a small rough plantation, just opposite to a tiny water-
fall, which trickled down in front of a perpendicular rock. Leaving
the higher part of the Dean unvisited, we scrambled downwards to

REV. THOMAS RIDDBLL*8 ADDRESS. 815

tho soa, tlirough a very rude and desolate reg-ion, with more stones
than plants in it. Here, however, we met with the Rose-root, Rho-
diola rosea, * in great profusion and luxuriance,' as Dr Johnston had
previously noticed.

Having" descended to within a short distance of the place where
the Dean opens to the sea-coast, we went up the bank on the north
side, and soon came in view of the curiously-shaped rocks which
form projecting headlands, one of which is known as ' the cobbler,'
from the resemblance it bears to a shoemaker sitting at his work.
Skirting along by the high ground, we arrived at the heights above
Fast Castle, and went down to view that remarkable relic of ancient
times. It was possessed in the days of James VI. by Logan of Res-
talrig, and is said to have been the place to which the Ruthvens, if
successful, intended to have carried their sovereign ; and is also me-
morable as the spot where Napier of Merchiston, the mathematician
and theologian, expected to find hidden treasures : of this latter fact
there can be no doubt, as the agreement between Logan and Napier
respecting the division of the money is still extant.

After dinner, Mr Riddel 1 read a short notice of the Balanus in its
first stage, supplementary to a former paper. The additional obser-
vations made this year tend to confirm still more the correctness of
Mr V. Thomson's statements. The two fore-legs, and the six pair of
hind-legs, were distinctly observable ; and each of the bristles form-
ing the tail appeared furnished at their base with a comb, which the
creature used to clean its hind-feet. It was kept alive for a fortnight,
from the 5th to the 17th June; but it died at last without proceedings
to its change.

The next meeting was at Dunse (29th July). Present, Rev. T.
Riddell, Dr Johnston, Dr F. Douglas, Dr Clarke, Rev. Mr Cunning-
ham, Rev. A. Baird, Mr Selby, Mr Collingwood, Mr Embleton, Mr
Melrose.

After partaking of Mr Cunningham's hospitality at the Manse,
the members divided their forces, one party proceeding to try the
'* gentle art" in the Whiteadder, while the other perambulated the
beautiful grounds surrounding Dunse Castle. In the lake a very rare
and beautiful aquatic plant, Villarsia Nympha?oides, was observed to
grow and blossom abundantly. This is the first instance of its occur-
rence within the limits of the Club.* It hjis probably been introduced,
but now appears quite naturalized. The lake seemed to be abun-
dantly stocked with tench.

After viewing the striking exterior of Dunse Castle, the party di-
rected their steps towards Langhton Lees Cleuch, in search of Saxi-

* Mr Henderson of Chimsidc has since found it in a large pond or damhead
behind the farm onstead of Foulden New-mains.

21 G KEV. TTTOMAS RTDDEL'L'S ADDIlESf?.

franca hirculiis, but tlioy were not so fortunate as to discover its ha-
bitat.

After dinner, Mr Embleton exhibited a specimen of the Short Sun-
fish, taken in Embleton Ray some years before, which he had exa-
mined when it was just can^fht : and another of Larus minutm, the
little ^ull, shot on the same locality in March 1838, the plumag-e of
which indicated that it had only attained its second year. Mr Em-
bleton likewise exhibited a specimen of Comatula rosacea^ taken in
Embleton Bay, — an interesting discovery, which will probably lead to
that of the Pentacrinus Europajus, now believed to be the same animal
in its earliest condition.

Mr Selby read a paper by Mr W. Forster of Newton, on the habits
of the mountain sparrow ; and gave notice that several specimens of
the pied fly-catcher (Muscicapa luctuosa), had been killed in the neigh-
bourhood of Twizell in May of the present year.

l ought not to omit noticing a continuation of Mr Henderson's
paper on the popular rhymes of Berwickshire, in which I am confi-
dent that more than one of us must be interested. A variation, cha-
racteristic of the locality, occurs in the Roxburghshire version of one
of these rhymes, which a friend of mine heard from a little girl. * If
you wish to know what the lark says,' said she, * you must lie down on
your back in the fields and listen, and you will hear him say,

* Up in the lift we go,
Tchcc, tehee, tehee, tehee !

All the sutors in Selkirk can't make a shoe to me.
Why so ] Why so 1
Because my heel is as long as my toe.'

The weather generally on our days of meeting, though far from un-
pleasant, was yet very unfavourable for the entomologist, and there-
fore I regret the less that it is not in my power to lay before you an ac-
count of the insects which were observed. The arrangements of the
animals of the district in catalogues, which has been carried on for
several years by the most scientific members of our Club, must be very
conducive to a complete knowledge of the natural treasures it con-
tains ; and if, in a few years, when they have been completed, they
were published as a fauna, with notices of the more remarkable loca-
lities, especially in the case of rare species, they would furnish at once
an incentive and a guide to the researches of future labourers in the
same field. The known flora of the district has received great ac-
cessions in consequence of Dr Johnston's excellent publication, and
there are now materials accumulated for a more complete exhibition
of the botanical riches of the neighbourhood. It is most desirable
that every means should be employed likely to spread the knowledge
and the love of Natural History.

REV. THOMAS RIDDELL*S ADDRESS. 217

The pleasure derived from such pursuits will not be questioned by
any one who has ever cnj^nged in them, however slightly. But the
benefit to be derived from them, does not terminate in the feeling of
admiration and delight. They conduce to the growth of a healthy
frame of mind ; especially when the naturalist sees in himself merely
the interpreter of Nature, and is content in sincerity and humility to
follow out the evidence of facts. The polemical and personal dis-
putes which have in turns disgraced theology, literature, and sci-
ence, arise from the pursuit of selfish aims, and those who have been
involved in them have seldom attained the highest grade. The most
brilliant discoveries and the largest views have generally rewarded
the modest and simple-minded. Science especially must be loved for
its own sake, and communicated from a desire to make others sharers
in the pleasures and benefits it confers.

But I ought to apologize for stating truths with which you must
already be well acquainted. In this spirit of sincere, unadulterated
love of knowledge, the Club was founded, and on these principles its
proceedings have hitherto been conducted. While, therefore, I ask
your indulgence for my own deficiencies in discharging the ofiice of
President, I cannot do better, as regards yourselves, than exhort you
to persevere in your usual course of patient observation, praiseworthy
exertion, and the friendly interchange of scientific information.

Additiom to the Popular Rhymes of Berwickshire. By George Hen-
derson, Surgeon, Chirnside.

As one gentleman connected with the Berwickshire Naturalists'
Club takes an interest in the popular sayings of Berwickshire, I sub-
join a few that occur to me for his consideration. Although their
literary merit may be no higher than Mother Shipton's Prophecies,
and similar productions, yet they may cast a light on the manners of
past ages, preserve the memory of obsolete superstition, and be the
sole records of events of which " a peasant's plaint prolongs the du-
bious date."

" The oak, the ash, the elm tree,
Tho laird can hang for a' the three."

This rhyme is interesting, both as it may bear incidental evidence
to what were the indigenous and most valuable trees of the country,
and as it may be connected with history. It is well known that tho
greater part of the south of Scotland was at one time overgrown with
forests, which, from various causes, became thinned and wjusted, and
in many Ciises wholly extirpated. In the reign of James the Second
of Scotland, the Legislature made a vigorous effort to repair the da-
mage. A law was passed in 1457, *' Anent plantation of woodes and

218 MR HENDERSON'S ADDITIONS TO THE

hcdg-es, and sowinn; of broome," which ordains that the " tennontes
plant woodcs and trees, and make hedg-es, and saw broome, after the
faculties of their niaillin^es, in place convenient therefor, under sik
paine as law and unlaw of the barone or lord sail modifie." Whether
in this act there be any " pains and penalties" annexed for injuring
wood, I have no means of knowing; but in various subsequent acts of
the Scottish Parliament, rigorous punishments were inflicted, *' toties
quoticsy' against any person who should *' contravene" the law, and
" cut, break, or pull up any tree, or peel the bark oif any tree." They
extended " the punishment for destroying green wood, even to death, for
the third offence." Probably the rhyme may perpetuate some cruelties
exercised by the strong hand of power upon the peasantry, while they
yet groaned under a state of villanage. For the facts in this illus-
tration, I am indebted to a paper on the " Laws of Scotland for pro-
tecting woods, trees, and enclosures," given in the Farmer's Maga-
zine for November 1815.

" You're o'er near the Water J5JV."

Often said by a mother to a peevish child; but whether it refers to
the Water Eye par excellence, or to the water of the eye, ** non nobis
tantum componere litem."

" Loudon loots, Morse brutes, Lammermuir whaps."

This is the satirical effusion of some nameless Pasquin. The fol-
lowing extracts from Ray's Itineraries may be appropriate. *' August
the 17th [1661], we travelled to Dunbar [from Berwick], atown noted
for the fight between the English and Scots." On the journey, the
author remarked that " the women generally to us seemed none of
the handsomest. They are not very cleanly in their houses, and but
sluttish in dressing their meat." *' The Scots cannot endure to hear
their country or countrymen spoken against. They have neither
good bread, cheese, or drink ; they cannot make them, nor will they
learn. Their butter is very indifferent, and one would wonder how
they contrived to make it so bad." When he appears to have arrived
in the vicinity of Dunbar, he says — '* We observed little or no fallow
grounds in Scotland ; some layed ground we saw, which they ma-
nured from sea wreck. The people seem to be very lazy, at least the
men, and may be frequently observed to plough in their cloaks." Why
the Lammermuir people are designated whaps (curlews), I cannot
determine. It probably relates metaphorically to their being still
more uncivilized than their brethren in the low countries.

" The bat, the bee,
The buttei-flee,
The cuckoo and the swallow,
The kittiwake,
And the com crake.
Sleep a' in a little hollie.*'

POPULAR RHYMES OP BERWICKSHIRE. 219

In these versos, I believe, we may trace the g-ernis of an opinion,
longf prevalent even among' the most eminent naturalists, ag^aintft the
migrations of certain animals. Those especially commemorated in the
rhyme are termed the " seven sleepers." Ray gives a parallel tri-
plet concerning the birds '* which nestle in the Basse."
" The scout, tho scart, the cattiwake,
Tho soland gooso sits on the laik.
Yearly in the spring."

The magpie has in this country been always deemed a bird ** of
omen foul." The following is its portentous character :
" One is mirth, two is birth,
Three is a wedding, four is death,
Five is heaven, six is hell.
Seven is the devil's ain sell."*

This is eldritch and pythonic, the record of a dark a^e, and was
averted by spitting four times on the ground. The following is more
spirited, and in unison with better feelings. It is the song of the
lark done into Scotch verse by some rustic rhymster.
" There is not a shoemaker on the earth,
Can make shoo to me, to me.
Why so 1 why so 1 why so %
Because my heel is longer than my muckle toe.''

Note. — In Chambers's Picture of Scotland, there is a saying regard-
ing Chooslie which 1 do not find in IVl r Henderson's collection. It is —
** There's as good cheese in Choosly as ever chafts chewed, and the
cheese of Cheshire is nae mair like the cheese of Choosly than chalk
is like cheese." Chambers gives the illustration. F. D.

The White-Fishery on the Coast of Bencickshire, By the Rev. Ro-
bert CowE of Whitsome.

1. The Mode of taking Herrings, — Early in the season, before the
nights are sufficiently dark for the fish to take the nets, a few her-
rings have been caught for several years by white hooks, at Burn-
mouth and Eyemouth. But the process is so tedious, and the num-
ber taken so very small, seldom exceeding a hundred or two in a
night, that the fishermen are not likely to adopt this method very ge-

* A parallel rhyme regarding that given concerning the magpie, is one that de-
nounces the pretty yellow- h-inimer. I had it from a gentleman who passed his youth
in the hills between Berwick and Roxburgh shires, where it may still linger. These
three last rhymes are, I believe, not confined exclusively to Berwickshire.
" Yellow, yellow yorlin.
Drink a drap o' the deil's blude
Ilka Monday morning."

220 REV. R. COWE ON THE WHlTE-FISHERT ON

ncrally. The way of takings them is as follows: Several white
hooks, without any bait, are attached to each side of apiece of whale-
bone, or of any other material that will answer the })urposo, and so
secured that they project nearly at rif^ht ang^lcs to it; this, which is
called a jigger, is let down as quickly as it will descend throug-h the
water, by the weig-ht of the lead fastened to it ; and after letting; out
several fathoms of line, it is jerked up and down, when the fish are
taken. Sometimes the herrings take the hooks when the line is run-
ning- out. The fishermen think that the fish mistake the white hooks
tor sand-eels.

But the usual mode of taking herrings is by nets. The nets are
from fifty to sixty yards ]ong when stretched out at full length ; but
when put upon the ropes to be ready for fishing-, they are six yards
shorter, as they require to be so arranged as to allow the meshes
to open when suspended in the water. Each net is three hundred
meshes in width, and has about thirty-two meshes to each yard in
length. The average number of nets to a boat is eighteen. Each
net is suspended by six buoys, which arc composed in some cases of
dog"-skins, but usually of bladders, one when large, and two tied to-
gether when small. The tows or cords between the buoys and the
rope of the nets are generally three fathoms long, which is found ne-
cessary to allow ships to pass over the nets without getting entang-led,
and also to be a good average depth for successful fishing. When,
however, the shoal comes so very near the shore that the nets would
be torn by the rocks, if let down three fiithoms below the surface
of the water, and there being little danger from ships so near the
land, two fathoms are used, and sometimes only one. The nets are
securely fastened to each other by their respective ropes, when ar-
ranged in the boat, the buoys being put in at regular distances ; and
when the ground is reached where the crew mean to shoot or put out
their nets, they throw the first buoy over the boat's stern into the wa-
ter ; and the boat that does this first is understood to be entitled to
that berth for the night. The boat is then put right before the wind,
way being kept on her sometimes by a part of the sail being allowed
to stand, and sometimes by the use of two oars. The nets are put
out in a straight line, unless when the nets of the next boat, in the
hope of keeping among the fish, causes them to deviate from this
course. The newest and best nets are kept next the boat, as being
least exposed to danger in this situation ; and the one immediately
next the boat is fastened to it by a long and substantial ride rope,
technically called the swinr/, which lets down this net to the level of
the rest. After this is done, the mast is taken down to make the
boat ride steadily. The boats and nets, thus secured to each other,
drift with the tide during the whole night. In spring-tides, they are
frequently driven six miles in one direction. About an hour or so

THE COAST OF BERWICKSHIRE. 221

after the nets nro shoU part of the net next the boat is pulled up and
drawn in, to Rce whether any herrinps are goings in. Those found in it
are taken out, and the net and swinpf let out a^ain. By clearing this
portion of the net, if more fish are found in it when they look again,
they know o(f which phice thoy have taken tlio net. When the fish-
ing is not very abundant, if the nets keep clear, this is the only por-
tion examined, which is done several times till the morning, when
the whole are drawn in, in order to go on shore. The abundance
of herrings sometimes renders it necessary to draw in the nets al-
most immediately after they are put into the water. They pull in
their nets and change their berth when the nets take the ground, or,
by the irrep^larity of the tide, are drawn together into a body, or
when the nets of another boat drive upon them and become entangled.
This last case occurs when the boats do not take wide enough berths
from each other, or when owq fleet of nets has less buoy-string, and is
nearer the surface than those next them ; for in this situation they
drift faster, the tide being stronger near the surface than at a greater
depth. The take for the night is not unfrequently lost in this way ;
for if the fish happen to rise toward the surface of the water, and set-
tle down again while the nets are out of the water, the prospect is
marred for the night, an hour being sometimes sufficient for the pur-
pose.

The herrings not unusually rise to the surface, when they produce
a motion something like a gentle shower of rain. Generally, they
take the nets very gently, without deranging them in the least; but,
when very abundant, they often rush into them with such violence
that they raise them up and carry them over the ropes, twisting them
round about two or three times ; and when the bottom of the sea is
very unequal, and the tide rapid, the nets often go down to the bot-
tom at such a time, and considerable loss is sustained. The nets are
often very unequally fished; and sometimes the herrings in one part
of the nets are spawned, and tliose in the rest are not so.

The nets are stretched out half the length of the boat as they are
drawn in, the herrings hanging by the head on the lower side, and
most of them are shaken out, and fall into the bottom of the boat, as
the work proceeds. When the fish are so plentiful as to render the
boat too deep aft, if all taken into the stern, part of the nets are pulled
in nearer the bow, to put her into proper trim. When the wind is
violent and the sea high, the getting in of the nets is very hazardous,
especially when they are well fished. The waves and wind, acting
on the boat at the same time, overpower the strength of the crew, and
sometimes compel them to let part of the nets already secured run
out of their hands, to permit the boat to rise freely to the waves.
The sea dashes into the boat with great fury, threatening to fill her;
so that it is not uncommon, in such oases, for tho fishermen to cut

222 REV. R. COWE ON THE WHiTE-PlSttEUY ON

away their nets, and make with all possible speed for the nearest
harbour. The danger is increased in stormy weather, when the nets
of two or more boats are entangled together. The plunging of the
boats and the dashing of the waves render it very dangerous for the
men to stoop over the boats to clear the nets ; and the risk of collision
prevents the boats from coming near each other to assist in clearing
away the entangled parts. The nets are seldom got afterwards when
thus cut away ; or when found after the storm, they have been so
much torn as to be almost useless. Nets are also frequently injured
or lost by the buoys being maliciously cut olf, when the nets go to
the bottom and get fast to the rocks.

Instances have occurred, though not very lately, of boats deeply
laden with herrings being, before reaching the shore, overtaken by
wind, and going down. In one case, an accident of this kind near
Holy Island was occasioned by the boat getting stern way through
mismanagement, when she immediately filled and turned bottom up.
Two of the men clung to the boat till they were rescued by another
boat ; other three who were in the boat perished. About twenty years
ago, a Buckhaven boat went down about half-way between Berwick
and Burnmouth from having too large a cargo. The night had been
fine, but a brisk breeze sprung up in the morning, which was too
much for the overburdened boat. A fisherman, from whom the writer
had the account, was in a boat a little farther out at sea at the time,
and he says, that the fears of himself and his companions were first
awakened by seeing different articles, such as a hat and an oar,
drifting past them. On sailing in the direction from which the float-
ing materials came, the boat was found bottom up, but not one of the
crew was to be seen. Weighed down by their heavy boots, and ex-
hausted by previous fatigue, they had sunk to rise no more. But se-
rious accidents sometimes happen at this fishing from mere stress of
weather. Twelve years ago, a Greens' boat was upset in taking-
Berwick harbour during a heavy sea, occasioned by a violent north-
east wind. Two men were drowned. The other two kept themselves
afloat by the aid of the oars till they were rescued. A very affecting
occurrence took place off North Sunderland six years ago, when the
boats were fishing there. When about twelve miles from the land,
they encountered a very high sea and violent wind, which compelled
them to return. On their way back to the shore, one of the Eyemouth
boats was struck by a heavy wave, and filled with water. The next
boat tried to aid them : the steersman of it had a brother in the
disabled boat, who was seen sitting on one of the thwarts immersed
in the water, with his son, a boy, in his arms. The rest of the crew
cried out to the skipper as they approached, " Will ! mind your brother;"
but in spite of all that he could do, the bow of the boat, tossed by
the waves, pitched on the back of the unfortunate man, and tiien

THE COAST OF BERWICKSHIRE. 223

the one boat was driven over the top of the other. The blow, it was
thought, broke his back, for he made no etfbrt to save himself after
that. The assistinj^ boat drove to leeward, and could give no farther
aid. The next boat that came up, by throwing a rope, saved one
man ; the rest of the crew, to the immber of four, perished.

Sometimes the nets are anchored in very shallow water, when the
fish come so near the shore that they cannot be taken in the usual
way. This is called ground fishing. They are anchored in the direc-
tion of the tide, to render the pressure as light as possible. As many
as thirty barrels have been taken out of a single net in this way.
The nets do not drive out among the fish by the tide as in the other
way, so that by far the heaviest takes have been realized in this man-
ner. But whether from the shoals being more assiduously sought out
and broken in upon by our fishermen before the herrings reach the
shore than formerly, or from some other cause, they do not come into
small creeks among the rocks so frequently as in earlier years.

A much greater quantity of herrings is taken by each boat on this
coast than formerly. This arises in part from the greater number of
nets used by the fishermen, fiilly a third more than twenty years ago,
and partly by greater diligence and activity in seeking out the fish,
as well as by fishing on ground formerly thought so dangerous from
the existence of shoals as to be carefully avoided. The portion of the
bay between Berwick and Holy Island was one of these dreaded
spots ; whereas, for several years, the most abundant fishing has been
realized there.

A much superior class of boats is now in use to those employed
twenty or thirty years ago. They are much larger, carry nearly
double the burden, and sail nmch faster. Some of them are thirty-
seven feet long. The crew consists generally of four men and a boy,
sometimes of five men. And what shews the improved circumstances
of the fishermen, most of these boats are their own property, one
shared in common sometimes by two and sometimes by three men ;
whereas, at an earlier period, it was common for them to hire the
herring boats, and allow each boat a fifth or a sixth share of the
money realized during the season.

2. Mode of taking Haddocks. — Haddocks are taken with hooks.
The lines used for the purpose contain each from six to seven hundred
hooks, which are arranged at the distance of a yard and a quarter
equally along the whole line. The hooks are suspended from the
back or principal part of the line by a snood and wip fastened together,
the former a little thinner than the back, and made like it of hemp
cord ; the latter of hair, to which the hook is attached. When the
materials are very strong and bulky, the line does not fish well. The
line, when baited, is carefully coiled into one end of a basket, about

224 REV. n. cowE on the white-fisiiehy on

three and a half feet long', and the hooks are laid in separate rows at
the other end, wliich is of a flattish form for the purpose, with fog-
beneath them, and g-enerally also between the rows. The bait used
at Berwick is limpet and lug^-worm. Muscles were once very much
used, but they are not now to be had in sufficient numbers for the
purpose. The limpets are taken out of the shell about two hours
or so before being- put upon the hooks, when they are put into clean
milk-warm water to render them soft. If put on the hooks imme-
diately after being taken out of the shell, the fish will not take them.
They are also not very fond of them when they lie so lonj^ in the water
before being- put on as to swell too much and burst. When only three
or four miles from the shore, the lug--worm is so much superior to the
limpet, that double the quantity of fish is taken by it ; but at a nmch
g-reater distance out at sea, the difference is scarcely perceptible.
The fish off* there do not seem to be so nice as those which are near
the land, and which pick up some of the crumbs that fall from the
table of that cookinj^ animal man. At Burnmouth and Eyemouth,
from the scarcity of limpets, and having- no lug-'worm, they use a
good deal of bullock's liver for bait, which is found to answer very
well. When the bait is old and stinking-, very few fish are taken ;
and according-ly, the fishermen are in the habit of baring their lines,
and putting on fresh bait, when the weather prevents them from get-
ting out while the bait is in proper condition. In winter, the bait
will keep on the lines a whole week, but in warm weather, a single
day is enough to damage it.

When the fishing-ground is reached, a large stone is let down with
a small rope fixed to it, to which the line is fastened, and a buoy
floats above it, that they may know where to find it after the lines are
all out. The basket is so put that the end which contains the hooks
rests on the boat's gunwale, and the line is thrown out in regular or-
der by the skipper, while the rest of the crew row the boat with the
necessary speed, and in the right direction. Each man has a line,
and when the first one is nearly out, the next is fastened to it, and
cast out in like manner, and so on till the whole lines are out. A
stone and buoy are put at the end of the last line, as with the first.
The line next the boat to-day is second to-morrow, and so on in rota-
tion, to make the risk equal. The lines, when shot by the oars, as is
the case with cobles, are made to form the figure of an ellipse ; so
that nearly one-half of them are put out in opposite directions. When
the last line is out, they immediately proceed to the first, being di-
rected by the buoy, and forthwith pull them all up in succession,
taking whatever fish happen to be on them ; and then go on shore.
The lines literally fish themselves. When the weather is hazy, and
the buoy cannot be seen, they do not leave the li^st line at all, but
tide their lines, as it is called, that is, they wait till the lines last shot

THE COAST OF BERWICKSHIRE. 226

havo been so long^ in the water as to have time to pick up the fisli on
the grouiicl, and then the lines are drawn in in the reverse order to
what they were put out. In hirgo herring-boats, sucli as those used
at Eyemouth and Burnmouth at the haddock-fishing, as they are not
manageable by oars like small cobles, the lines are shot in one direc-
tion with the sail, and are pulled in in the same manner. The di-
rection which they take is determined by the way in which the wind
is blowing, that they may be able to sail both in shooting and haul-
ing their lines. In such boats the lines are never shot right before
the wind, for the reason assigned. When the wind shifts before they
have secured them all, and blows violently, they frequently lose them,
being unable to get them in.

The skipper or steersman is the person whose office it is to shoot
and haul in the lines. It is a ticklish office for the fingers, as they
come very frequently in contact with the hooks. It belongs to the
man who sits next the skipper to take the fish off the hooks as they
come into the boat. This is very dirty work, and requires consider-
able expertnoss when the fish are abundant.

Cod-fish are taken on the same lines, but when they are plentiful
the fishermen put in stronger haddock-lines, as they easily break the
hooks and wips of the finer lines. Codlings also are taken on the
same lines, but they generally are found much nearer the shore, and
on hard rocky ground. Besides the kind of bait mentioned above
used on these lines, herrings cut into pieces fit for the size of the hook
are found very attractive for the fish ; but they are seldom to be had
at the time of the cod and haddock-fishing.

Another class of lines is in use, of a much stronger description than
the above, for taking cod-fish, ling, halibut, and skate. They are
used in summer, in addition to those already described, and are called
great lines. The hooks are large and strong, and set at a distance of
four fathoms from each other. These lines are not brought on shore
every day, but are baited in the boat, and remain out the whole sea-
son. The bait consists of haddocks cut in two, flounders, and other
small fish.

A great many skate are generally got on these large lines during
the first few days after they are set, till the ground is cleared, and
then they become much less abundant ; a fact which shews that they
are not of a roving disposition. And so prodigious is the power of
these monsters, that, on the occurrence of a storm, which prevents the
lines from being pulled in for a few days after they are first set, they
frequently drag the lines to a considerable distance in their attempts
to disentangle themselves. All the fish have a different tug or pull,
so that the fisherman can distinguish at once if more than one is on the
lino between his hand and the bottom of the sea. The largo fish are
hooked when they reach the surface of the water, and drawn into the

22o REV. R. COWE ON THE WHITE-FISHERY ON

boat by means of a clijypet or larg;e hook fastened to tlie end of a
stick.

In prosecuting the herring-fishing, the fishermen are often directed
by the appearance of whales, solan-geese, gulls, and the oily appear-
ance of the water; but no such indication guides them in the haddock-
fishing. They try here and there till they fall in with them. Some-
times they are very abundant immediately after the herring-fishing
at those spots where the herring-spawn is deposited. The haddocks
and cod eat it voraciously, and are sometimes got on every hook on such
ground while the food lasts, when hardly one is to be got any where
else.

The Berwick boats do not generally go so far out to sea at the
haddock-fishing as the Eyemouth and Burnmouth boats, their market
being so early that they would be too late for supplying it with fresh
fish were they to go very far off. They employ, accordingly, a lighter
and much smaller class of boats than the others, such as they can row
with considerable rapidity in calm weather. The crew consists g-e-
nerally of four men, never more than five. They are a very unsafe
class of boats in stormy weather.

The boats in use at the other places just named, are the same as
those employed at the herring-fishing, and manned by six men.
Though they seldom return earlier than three o'clock in the afternoon,
it is a matter of little moment to the sale of their fish, as most of them
are smoked and sent to the London, Edinburgh, and Glasgow mar-
kets. These boats are frequently taken with very heavy storms at
the distance of twelve or fifteen miles from the land, and are seen
plying to the shore with a head-wind when decked vessels are drift-
ing to leeward. One of them beat the Mermaid Cutter under a reefed
trysail a few years ago. The quantity of water thrown into them at
such times is very great, which the men for safety are constantly em-
ployed in throwing out. Sometimes the yard breaks, sometimes the
mast snaps like a carrot by the violence of the wind, in which cases,
the boat must roll and drift at the mercy of the elements, till a spare
one is put in the place of the broken one. Serious accidents occa-
sionally occur in the hazardous employment. About five years ago,
a Coldingham boat in a dreadful westerly wind went down under
sail, when all hands perished. Many of the other boats despaired of
reaching the shore that day, but they all got in safely with the above
exception, though not without torn sails and broken masts. They
get the haddocks in great numbers, in spring, on banks or shoals
about fifteen miles from the shore ; and the fish taken there are al-
ways larger than those caught nearer the land. A thousand is a
good take ; sometimes two thousand are taken at once ; but this sel-
dom happens.

Three persons are employed at Berwick for every line in use, un-

THE COAST OF BERWICKSHIRE. 227

less when the bait is hired out, and one person undertakes two or
more linos ; in this case, ninepenco is paid for each line every day it
is fresh baited. There is first the fisherman, secondly, a boy or girl
to gather the bait and put it on the line, and, thirdly, a woman to go
to market and sell the fish. Sometimes the whole earnings go to de-
fray the expense of bait. The limpets have become very scarce of late,
from the Eyemouth bait-gatherers coming to the rocks in the neigh-
bourhood of Berwick, and even sometimes to the rocks south of Spit-
tal, and filling their creels with the limpets upon them. The diffi-
culty of procuring necessary bait is from this cause increasing every
year.

It may hero be noticed, that both the herring and haddock fishings
sometimes suffer very considerably from the ravages of dog-fish. These
pirates are seldom abundant when the herrings are in a compact body ;
but not un frequently they occasion great destruction when a shoal is
first drawing in near the land. The havoc they make is such, that
they have been found to consume a dozen of barrels out of one boat's
nets in the course of an hour. They also are very destructive to the
nets when they get entangled. By their efforts to get free, their hard
fins tear the nets : there is reason to think that they also use their
teeth for this purpose. In like manner they make sad work among
the haddocks. Occasionally half of those that take the hook have
only the head left when they reach the boat. Sometimes the tail is
stumped awry ; sometimes a bite is taken out of the belly, and at
other times out of the back. A cod-fish sometimes comes»up a mere
skeleton, stripped to the bone on both sides. They have their tastes,
too, like other creatures. A haddock is preferred by them before a
codling.

3. Turbot. — Turbot is taken with nets. The nets are 150 yards
long, are corked along the ropes, have very large meshes, and are
set on sandy ground, such as the fish is known to frequent. They are
allowed to stand two or three days before being drawn up and taken
on shore. The nets are let down to the bottom, as the turbot, like all
flat fish, swims low, having an anchor or large stone at each end, with
a buoy floating above. The turbot is rolled in the net when taken.
This fish is not abundant about Berwick, but more would be taken if
the price continued good, when brought regularly to market. The
fishermen naturally employ themselves in the way that pays them
best.

4. Lobsters and Crabs — Lobsters and crabs are taken in two ways.
The most common method is to employ a sort of case covered with
net, with a heavy stone in the middle to keep it steady on the ground,
and two round holes at each end. They are generally about three

B. N. C. — NO. VIII. R

228 REV. E. COWE ON THE WHITE-FISHERY.

feet lonpf, and a foot and a half high. These are let down to the bot-
tom, pretty near the shore, with a string" attached to each of them,
which is floated by cork. The bait is put in the middle of the inside,
and the fish enter by the holes at the ends. These creeves or cases
are drawn up once a-day, the fish taken out, and fresh bait put in,
when they are let down again for another take. The fishermen some-
times lose the whole when a storm comes away during night, or so
suddenly that they have not had time to get them ashore . They are
placed so near the land that a high sea almost invariably breaks and
scatters them, when they happen to be in the water at the time.

Lobsters seldom enter a case in which crabs are. The black coats
do not seem fond of the company of the red coats. Perhaps the crabs
eat all up and give them no tithe. They also prefer different food.
The crab likes a showy mess, such as skate-heads and tails, cod-heads
and guts, and gills; but the lobster seems to know that it is not all
gold that glitters : he has a predilection for flounders and haddocks,
and other dainties.

Another way of taking lobsters and crabs is called trunking. A
smaller case than the one described, and with a hole at the top, is
used more especially for lobsters ; or an iron hoop, with a net fastened
to the rim of it, falling down like a land net, and leaving the upper
part open. The bait is fastened in the middle, and after being a half
an hour or so in water, they are quickly drawn up, the fish taken out,
and then let down again. This method is used at night only.

The crat) and lobster fishing has been much more attended to since
the London market was opened to this part of the coast by steam
communication between London and Berwick. But the lobsters will
soon be harried if the fishermen continue to take them when full of
eggs, as they have been doing for three years past. They should
cease fishing at a certain season, as the Holy Island fishermen do.

List of coleopterotis Insects collected in the neighbourhood of the Pease
Bridge. By Mr James Hardy.

COLEOPTERA.

No. 1. Cli'vdna fossor. No. 10. Pcecilus cupreus.

2. ... collaris. 11. Amara similatal

3. Cychrus rostratus. . 12. Harpalus jpneus.

4. Carabus arvcnsis. 13. Agonum parnmpunctatum.
.5. Helobia brc^^collis. 14. Trechus dorsalis.

C. Stcropus madidus. 15. Anchomenus prasinus.

7. Calathus melanoceplialus. 16. Notiophilus biguttatus.

8. Omascus melanarius. 17- ... aquaticus.
0. Amara tri^^alis. 18. Elaphrus cupreus.

MR JAMES hardy's LIST OF INSECTS.

229

No.

19.

ColymbotGS bipustnlatus.

No. 66.

Hypera polygonL

20.

uliginosus.

56.

Notaris acridulus.

21.

Oyrinus natator.

57.

bimaculatus.

22.

Nocrophorus Immator.

58.

Mcrionus obscums.

23.

Necrophorufi vcspillo.

59.

Otiorynchus noUitu.s.

24.

Byturus tomcntosus.

60.

atcr.

25.

Ips forruginea.

61.

Strophosomus coryli.

26.

Necrodes littoralis.

62.

Sitona canina.

27.

Oiceoptoma rugosa.

63.

Polydrusus undatus.

28.

Silpha atrata.

64.

Phyllobius cajsius.

29.

Byrrlius pilula.

65.

argcntatus.

30.

Byrrhus fasciatus.

66.

Apion ha;matodc8.

31.

Dermestes lardarius.

67.

Deporaus bctuljc.

32.

Hclophorus aquaticus.

68.

Attclabus curculionoides.

33.

Aphodius fimetarius.

69.

Apoderus Avellana) {rare).

34.

tcrrestris.

70.

Luperus flavipes.

35.

rufipes.

71.

Donacia sagittaria?.

36.

luridus.

72.

proteus.

37.

merdarius.

73.

Crioceris cyanella.

38.

inquinatus.

74.

Haltica nemorum.

39.

nigripes.

75.

Phaedon tumidula.

40.

Ptinus germanus.

76.

Vitellinae.

41.

Anobium striatum.

77.

marginella.

42.

Hylurgus angustatus.

78.

polygoni.

43.

Elaterbaltiatus {ncwto BerwicHMre). 79.

fastuosa.

44.

Cataphagus obscurus.

80.

Chrysomela staphylina.

45.

Hypnoidus riparius.

81.

Coccinella variabilis.

46.

Ctcniccrus cuprous.

82.

Endomycus coccineus.

47.

Aplotarsus rufipes.

83.

Tachinus apicalis.

48.

Rhagium indigator.

84.

Creophilus maxillosus.

49.

bifasciatum.

85.

Staphylinus ajncocephalus.

50.

Pogonoccrus nebulosus {rare)

86.

pubescons (rare).

51.

Nocrobia quadra.

87.

Goerius fuscatus \

52.

Ccutorynchus quercus.

88.

Philonthus laminatus.

53.

Nedyus

89.

Othius fulgidus.

54.

Hypera punctata.

90.

Gyrohypnus nifipcnne.
P. J. S.

The Mountain Sparrow, By Mr William Forster.

In the year 1834, I first discovered the Tree Sparrow at Toggle
Hall, being then in company with my friend Mr J. Hancock of New-
castle. Since then I have been almost a constant observer of the
habits of this lively little bird. Tuggle Hall and the village of Tog-
gle were the two places where it generally inhabited ; but since the
proprietor of Tuggle Hall has cut down most of the plantation around
it, there is now only a solitary bird to be seen occasionally. In the
year 1836, I discovered a nest very neatly made in a hole of an ash

250 MR J. P. selby's notice of a curious hybrid.

tree; it was composed of nearly the same materials as that of the
common sjiarrow, but proportionably smaller, as were also the eggs
and the spots upon them. The eg-gs were four in number. During
the period of hatching, the male kept constantly attending upon the
female, chirping, hopping about, and making a variety of motions
nearly the whole of the day.

The tree sparrows commonly associate with the common sparrow,
and may be easily detected from that bird by their mode of flying,
their flight being inrariably lower than that of the other, and accom-
panied by a shrill note. It also differs from the house sparrow in
preferring always the thicket to the open branch or top of the bush
on being approached.

NE^VTON BY THE SeA, Jllli^ 26. 1840.

Notice of a curiotis Hybrid^ killed at Clievington Wood, Northumberland,
By J. P. Selby, Esq. of Twizell-house.

Hybrids, in a wild or natural state, are so rarely met with, that
every well authenticated instance of such an anomaly ought to be re-
corded, not only as a mere curiosity or lusus-naturae, but as tending
to elucidate the laws of reproduction, and shewing to what extent,
under certain circumstances, prolific intercourse is permitted between
beings belonging to different species, genera, or groups of even greater
extent. It is only under adventitious and peculiar circumstances
that we can expect to find &uch anomalies in a natural state, as when
a male or female of any species is left: alone, and unable to find a
mate. In such a case, the individual is inclined or driven to court
the society of some nearly allied species that may chance to haunt
the same neighbourhood, and intercourse, in consequence, sometimes-
takes place. Such, we conceive, to be the case in those well authen-
ticated instances where the grey-backed crow (Corvus comix), has
been known to pair and breed with the common carrion cr&io (Corvus
corone). In a confined or domesticated state, hybridism is more
easily effected, as the subjects of experiment can be kept together^
and separated from all intercourse with other individuals of their re-
spective species, and thus, as it were, compelling an intercourse. In
such experiments, however, it has always been deemed necessary, in
order to insure success, that the intended parents should be nearly
allied, both generically and specifically, as in the case of the wolf
and dog, horse and ass or zebra, among quadrupeds ; the pheasant
and domestic fowl, the Muscovy and common duck, the canary and
other nearly allied finches, among birds. In the present instance,
however, which is that of a hybrid between the black-cock (Tetrao
t/^trix, AueU) and pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), this near aflfinity

MU

J. P. selby's notice of a curious hybrid. 231

18 wanting^ : in fact, according to the views of the first ornithologists
of the day, the respective parents belong not only to different genera,
but to distinct groups of greater value or extent, the one belonging
to the family PavonidcBy Swainson, the other to the TetraorucUB of the
same author ; and we may farther remark, that the habits of the two
differ considerably from each other. This interesting and remarkable
hybrid was shot on the 2d of December, by Lord Howick, at Cheving-
ton Wood, a large cover belonging to Earl Grey, two or three miles
to the oast of Felton. It proved a male, and partakes of the charac-
ters of both parents in nearly an equal degree. Its length, measuring
from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail, is two feet one and a-half
inch in breadth; with wings extended, two feet six and a-half inches.
The tail, which is considerably rounded, is upwards of eight inches
in length. The bill is intermediate in size and form between that of
the black-cock and the pheasant. The upper mandible blackish-horn
colour, the under paler. It possesses the naked papillous skin of the
pheasant around the eye, but not to so great an extent ; and the super-
ciliary comb of the black-cock is fully developed. The tarsi are about
two and three-quarter inches in length, feathered anteriorly like the
black-cock for rather more than half their length. The feet partake
of the character of both parents. The whole of the head and neck
is of a deep purplish-black, with a rich metallic gloss. The breast
, and lower parts black, with several of the feathers upon the breast
and sides shewing, upon being turned up, the arched cross-bar of the
cock pheasant; thighs and legs yellowish-white, barred with black.
The mantle or upper back is of a purplish-brown, the feathers par-
taking of the markings of the pheasant ; the wing-coverts the same.
The lower back is of a rich purplish-black. The tail, which is round-
ed, has the basal part of the feathers marked like those of the phea-
sant ; their tips, with the exception of the two middle feathers, black
for nearly two inches. It has no projecting spurs like the pheasant,
but a scale considerably larger than the rest on each leg, indicates
the place where they project in that bird. Chevington Wood is with-
in a short distance of Aclington Park, where the female hybrid of the
same cross, presented to the Natural History Society, Newcastle, by
the Duke of Northumberland, was killed about sixteen months ago.
In all probability these two birds belonged to the same hatching.
Upon dissection, the lobes covering the nostrils were observed to be
not more than half the size of those of the pheasant; the processes at
the root of the tongue larger than those of the pheasant. The gene-
ral form of the body thicker than that of the pheasant ; the exterior
pectoral muscles much darker in colour than in the pheasant. Length
of the crest or keel of breast-bone in the hybrid four inches and three-
fourths; that of a middle-sized cock pheasant nearly four inches.
Gizzard large; provontriculus thick and slightly corrugated; gizzard'

232 MR R. embleton's notice of the little gull.

filled with pebbles, the shells of nuts, and several seeds of the haw
or holly berry. Testes about the size of a small pea, g'reyish and
reniforin ; eoical appendages two, originating^ about four inches up
the cloaca, sixteen inches in length, and filled with excrementitious
matter

Notice of the Little Gully Larus (Xema) minutus. By Robert Emble-
TON, Surgeon, Embleton.

Of all the gulls which frequent the British shores, the present spe-
cies is by far the smallest, as well as the rarest : nor is it much more
common in the western part of the European continent, its native ha-
bitat being more especially the eastern portions of Russia, Livonia,
Hungary, and the shores of the Black and Caspian Seas ; and although
it has been considered as identical with a species common to America,
we have the best reasons for affirming it to be entirely distinct. It
was first noticed as occurring in our island by Colonel Montagu, since
which period examples have been killed at different times ; and wc
have ourselves had the pleasure of receiving it in a recent state.

Like the other species of the present genus, the Little Gull is a bird
which exhibits a remarkable disparity of colouring in the winter and,
summer states of plumage, as well as from youth to maturity. All
the examples killed in our island have been either in their immature
or winter plumage. In sunmier it is characterized by a black head,
which colouring it loses before the approach of winter ; but in all the
winter-killed specimens we have had an opportunity of examining,
traces of this summer-plumage remained; and in this state an adult
is figured in " Selby's Illustrations," which is represented by the fore-
most bird in the plate. Its flight is as light and buoyant as can
well be imagined, and its general actions and form resemble those
of the rest of the genus.

The colouring of the adults in their winter-plumage is as follows :
The whole of the upper surface is of a beautiful bluish-ash ; the quills
and secondaries tipped with white ; the throat and under surface pure
white, with a slight tinge of rose-colour; bill brownish-red; tarsi
bright red ; irides brown. In summer the whole of the head and up-
per part of the neck become of a brownish-black. The young, when
a year old, resemble the adult in the winter-plumage, with this ex-
ception, that the shoulders, scapulars, quill-feathers, and tip of the
tail, arc deep brownish-black, and that the beak and legs are not so
red. My specimen proved on dissection to be a male, a young bird,
and was shot on the beach at Embleton during the severe weather in
the beginning of the present year, 1838.

( 233 )

A Destriplive Catalogue of the GASTEROPODOUS MOLLUSC A
of BtrwichsJdrc, By George Johnston, M.D., F.R.C.S.E.

Part I.
Class— MOLLUSCA GASTEROPODA.

Obdeb— PECTINIBRANCHIATA.
Division— SIPIIONOSTOMATA.

v4w/>«tf/ tracholii)odo, shelled; the shell spiral or convolute, with the
margin of the aperture channelled or eniarginate at the base.
The genera are all zoophagous, dia^cious, and inhabitants of the
sea.

Synopsis of the Genera.

* Shell turbinate^ ofperculated.

Outer lip much expanded, .... Chenopus.

Outer lip normal, the rim not ribbed.

Siphonal canal elongated, . . . Fusus.

Siphonal canal very short.

Pillar rounded, Buccinum.

Pillar flat, ...... Purpura.

Outer lip with a thick rib or varix, . . . Nassa.

^* Shell convolute^ non-operciilate.
Aperture linear with toothed lips, . . . Cypr^a.

1. CHENOPUS.t PhILIPPI.

Shell turreted; aperture oblong, a shallow canal leading from each
extremity along a produced process or beak ; lip greatly dilated, en-
tire or digitate, with a sinus contiguous to the canals ; operculum
homy.

1. Ch. pes peltcani, shell pale brownish flesh-colour, finely striated
spirally ; the spire tapered, of 10 whorls, raised and nodulous
round the middle ; the body with three nodulous bands, the two
inferior approximate and small ; aperture white ; lip dilated,
sinuated above and below, and furrowed with 4 channels, of
which one is up the spire ; canal short, bent. Length l^^gths;
breadth 1 inch. Philip. Moll. Scil. 214. Hostel laria pes peli-
cani, L^am. Anim. s. vert. viL 193. Flem. Brit. Anim. 359.
Strombus pes pelicani, Linn, Dillw, Rec. Sh. 656.

t It seems to be now agreed that the shell which forms the type of this genus ought
to be separated from the KostcUaria of Lamarck. Mr Swainson gives the new genus
the name of Aphot-ra is, borrowed fi-om Da Costa (Malacology, p. 309) ; but Da Costa a
genus was ill defined, and was rather coequal with Ptcnwcraa of Lamarck than with
Chenopus of Philippi. See his Elem. of Conchology , p. 230.

234 DR JOHNSTON'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OE THE

Uab. Berwick Bay, in deep water, frequent.

AnimiU with two long cylindrical slightly tapered tentacula of a scarlet co-
lour spotted with pale yellow, yellowish on the under side : eyes at the
base, external, prominent, sessile : mouth at the end of a long cylindrical
snout, scarlet, speckled with pale yellow ; the tongue slender, cartilagi-
nous, jointed, invested in a sheath : body whitisli, freckled with scarlet :
margin of the cloak plain, reflected, with a very sliort canal in place of a
syphon : penis placed under the opposite tentaculum, retroflexod, curved,
flattened : rectum opening above the penis with a narrow orifice : foot
somewhat pedunculate, oblong, truncate anteriorly, tapered behind, rather
short, plain, white : operculum fixed on the back of the foot, homy, ellip-
tical, imd rather small. Creeps very slowly, the tentacula being widely
extended, and used as feelers. The fa3ces are in the form of small egg-
shaped pellets, and are deposited in heaps. The interior of the shell is
purplish.

2. Fusus. Lamarck.

Shell fusiform, ventricose at the middle, the spire produced ; aper-
ture oval, with an elongated straig-ht canal ; pillar smooth ; outer
lip even, acute.

1. F. antiquus, shell ovate-fusiform, white, thick, plain, obsoletely
striated in a spiral direction ; whorls nine, rounded and angu-
lated in the middle ; aperture oval, dilated, yellow with a white
rim ; pillar with a thick fold at the base ; canal short. Length
about 6 inches. Lam. Anim. s. vert. vii. 125. Flem. Brit. Anim.
348. Murex antiquus, Linn. Dillw, Rec. Sh. 724.

Uab. Berwick Bay, in deep water, frequent.

I have a specimen of this shell, found near Alemouth, and presented to me
by Miss Is. Forster, which is eight inches in length, and three and a half
in breadth, but it rarely exceeds six inches. It is sometimes partially
covered with the remains of a thin brown epidermis, but more commonly
this is worn off". The body-whorl of the female is more bellied than that
of the male, the shell of the latter being beautifully proportioned. " The
shell, suspended horizontally," says Dr Fleming, " is employed in the
Zetland cottage as a lamp, the cavity containing the oil, and the canal the
wick." I have seen it used in the same manner, and for the same pur-
pose, by the fishermen on this coast.

Animal white : tentacula dorsal, flattened, much dilated at the base, the small
eyes seated in an incisure on their outer edge near the middle : margin of
the cloak plain: syphon canaliculate, plain, speckled with black exterior-
ly : mouth furnished with a long cylindrical exsertile proboscis containing
a slender filiform cartilaginous tongue marked with numerous cross stria%
and surrounded with a sheath of brown muscular fibres : branchiae in two
very unequal plume-like adnate processes laid along the syphonal side of
the branchial cavity, and on the opposite side there is an elevated ridge
produced by the course of the rectum, which opens on the margin of tlie
cavity with a plain orifice ; tlie interior of the intestine yellowish-brown,
imd strongly plaited in a longitudinal direction : penis retroflected, large,
linear, flattetl, obtuse and truncate : foot oval, rugose, straw-coloured :
operculum brown, horny, pyriform. marked with concentric striae.

Tlie nidus of this moUuscura is a very curious object. It is firmly attached
to rocks in deep water by a broad base, and forms an obtuse cone about
three inches high and two in diameter, made up of a number of hirge colls
or pouches joined together by a strong cartilaginous band or skin. Each
roll is shaped something like the human nail, convex outwardly and con-
cave on the inner side, the outer coat strong and ciU'tilaginous, with a slit
on the upper etlge. Within this, and" only loosely connected with it, there

GASTEROPODOUS M0LLU8CA OF BERWICKSHIRE. 235

in a bag of a similar form, but the coat of which is thin and pellucid, and
contains at first a fluid granular matter, clouded at places, and ultimately
from two to four young. Pre\'ious to exclusion these are perfectl}^ form-
ikI : the eyes, tentacula, and operculum of the animal are very (fistinct,
imd the shell, which is of a uniform flesh-colour, has three or four whorls,
jmd is fully four lines in length. They ultimately make their escape by
a dissolution or rupture of the cells, for there is no aperture in the inner
coat, and the slit in the outer one seems intended merely to admit the
water necessary to their airing.

2. F, corrieus, shell fusiform, plain, covered with a brown epidermis,
striated spirally ; whorls nine, somewhat rounded ; aperture ob-
long-, pure white, with smooth lips; canal rather short, bent, wide.
Length 3 ; breadth 1 inch. Ftem. Br. Anim. 348. F. islandicus.
Lam. Anim. s. vert. vii. 126. Murex corneus, Zi«». Dillw. Rec.
Sh. 733.

Ilab. Berwick Bay, in deep water, frequent.

Animal white, unsi^otted ; eyes black and rather large ; foot short, very obtuse
behind, the msirgins plain.

3. jp. BamfiuSy shell fusiform, dirty white, with seven convex whorls
ribbed across; ribs numerous, acute or lamellar; aperture oval,
white, with a bent canal shorter than its length, the outer lip
thickish and everted. Length ^j^ths ; breadth -j'gths. Flem. Br.
Anim. 351. Murex Baniffius, Penn, Brit. Zool. iv. 284, tab. 82,
fig. 5.

Uab. Berwick Bay, in deep water, rare.

4. F. BarvicensiSy shell fusiform, white, with six rounded whorls
separated by a flattened space at the suture, and crossed with
numerous furbelowed ribs; aperture roundish, white, the canal
rather long, slightly ascending; outer lip thin, smooth. Length
/oths ; breadth Aths. Johnston, in Edin. Phil. Journ. xiii. 225.
F. asperrimus. Brown's Conch, pi. 47, fig. 2.

Uab. Berwick Bay, in deep water, rare.

There are thirteen ribs on the body-whorl, finely furbelowed, projecting a lit-
tle at the suture, and terminating on the beak, which is produced and
smooth towards its extremity. In the space between the ribs there are
some obsolete spiral elevations. The ribs do not terminate at the sutures,
but are continued across the flattened space by elevated striae.

Mr J. £. Gray informs me, that this shell is not distinct from the Murex mu-
ricatus of Montagu ; and relative to this opinion, Mr J. Alder of New-
castle has favoured me with some remarks, which I shall give in his own
words. Ho says — " They are very neiurly, if not exactly, similar in form,
but in none of the specimens of F. muricatus, is there any appeiu-ance of
the beautifully imdulating bilaminated ribs which are so conspicuous in
your shell. These may possibly wear ott', like the imbricated scales of
the young Purpura lapillus , but Montagu dretlgetl up M. miuricatus, cover-
ed with an oramge-coloured epidermis or crust, r.nd probjibly fresh ; and
it has been often found t>ince his time, but nobcdy has ever described it
with undulated lamellar ribs, which I think must have been observed had
they existed. The tuberculated appwmmce, from the sti-ong spiral stria?
crossing the ribs, seems to be a general chanu-ter of M. miuricatus, but
can scarcely apply to yours. Indeetl, F. BiU-viccusis cannot properly bo

236 DR JOHNSTON'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE

said to have an^ spiral stria;, as they arc merely undulations of the ribs,
which nejirly disappear in the hollows, and on the left side of the ribs,
the latter lying over in that direction. The stria; of F. niuricatus are
more distinct, numerous, and regular, particularly toward the base of the
shell. The outer lip of F. niuricatus is strongly tuberculated within :
your Berwick shell is smooth in the specimen sent, which however is
young." I may add, that I have now examined six specimens, in all of
which the lips of the aperture are smooth, and two of the specimens at
least appeared to be full-grown.

5. F, Turricula, shell white, turreted with eight gradually decreasing
whorls flattened at the sutures, crossed with many thickish
straight ribs, and spirally striated; aperture oval, with a very
short wide canal. Length j^ths ; breadth |^ths. Flem. Br.
Anim. p. 349. Murex Turricula, Mont. Test. Brit. 262. tab. 9.
fig. 1.

H<ib. Berwick Bay, very rare.

Tliere are fifteen ribs on the body-whorl, which disappear on the back of the
canal. The whorls are flattened, and rise perpendicularly from each other,
becoming suddenly plane on the top, the ribs being continued across this
flattened space.

6. F. linearis, shell fusiform, ribbed transversely and crossed with
elevated striae nodulous on the ribs, the interstices smooth ;
whorls six or seven, convex, the ribs about ten, and the cross lines
eight on the body ; aperture oval, the beak shorter than its length,
straight, the outer lip thickened, the pillar plain. Length -^^^ths.
Flem. Brit. Anim. 350. Murex linearis, Mont. Test. Brit. 261.
t. 9. fig. 4.

Hab. Berwick Bay, in sand, not uncommon.

Our specimens are dead shells, procured from among sea-sand. They are

whitish, with a purplish apex, and marked spirally with reddish-brown

lines, for the spiral stria? are of this colour.

7. F. costatus, shell fusiform, slender, of a yellowish-brown colour,
smooth ; whorls six, transversely ribbed, the ribs nine on the
body, slightly waved, obtuse, continuous ; aperture oval, with a
short wide canal and plain lips. Length ^ijjths ; breadth i\jth.
Flem. Brit. Anim. 349. Murex costatus, Mont. Test. Brit. 265.

llab. In shell sand, very rare.

The apical or primary whorls are not ribbed. The shell is very smooth, and
somewhat glossy.

8. F. nebula. Mont. Test. Brit. 267, pi. 15, fig. 6. F. pijramidatus.
Brown's Conchology, pi. 48, fig. 19, 20.

Hob. Coldingham Bay, Mr Robert Madaiirin, " Found by me at St Abb's
Head," Brown.

Mr Maclaren's specimen is an old and worn one, nine lines in length, and three
in diameter wlicre broadest, of a dull brownisli colour, stained with ex-
traneous matter, opake and thickish, and appetus to have been coated with
a yellowish-brown epidermis, minutely reticulated in its fresh condition.
The description must consequently be imperfect. Shell turreted, with
nine ribbed whorls tai)ering gradually to a point : whorls veiy slightly

GASTEUOPODOUS M0LLU8CA OF BERWICKSHIRE. 237

raised, with nine or ten obtuse smooth ribe, obsolete at the satoro, which
in u diHtinctly iniprossod line. Botly-whorl more tlian twice the breadth
of the second, the lower part not ribbed : aperture oval, with a wide effuse
short ciinul bent to une 8ido, the pillar smooth, the lip thin and even.
The Berwickshire specimen is considerably larg(?r than any seen by Mon-
tagu, but Mr Edward Forbes tells me that he has seen it as large in se-
veral collections. Mr Forbes is of opinion, that Brown's F. fujramulatus
is founded on a worn specimen of this species, — an opinion to which 1
give a willing assent.
Captain Brown, in his Conchology, figures three new species, which, ho says,
were found at Holy Island. These are :

Fusus minimus, pi. 48, fig. 35, 36.

Fusus punctatus, pi. 48, ig. 66, 67.

Murex craticulatus, pi. 48, fig. 60.

3. BUCCINUM. LlNN^US.

Shell ovate, with a produced spire ; aperture oval, effuse at the base,
iiot len<>^hened into a beak ; pillar rounded, smooth ; outer lip plain :
operculum horny.

1. B. tmdaium, shell ovate-conical, thick, white more or less tinged
with brown, marked with spiral ridges and striae, and transverse-
ly ribbed ; ribs waved, oblique, obtuse, crossing only the upper
half of the body; whorls eight, rounded; aperture white, roundish,
the pillar smooth, with a thick fold on the outer side of the short
canal ; outer lip somewhat sinuated, thick. Length 4J ; breadth
2 inches. Linn. Dillw, Rec. Sh. 632. Pen, Brit. Zool. iv. 272.
tab. 76, Mull, Zool. Dan. tab. 50. fig. 1-4.

Var, 2. Shell thin, covered with a horn-coloured rough epidermis,
the spiral ridges and the waved ribs of the body-whorl less dis-
tinct. Length S/gths ; breadth 2 inches. Buc. striatum. Pen.
Brit. Zool. iv. 272. tab. 77. Buc. br. magnum, tenue, leviter
striatum, List. Conch, tab. 962. fig. 15. Tritonium ciliatum,
Fabric. Faun. Grojnl. 401.

Ilah. Berwick Bay, about low-water mark, and in deep water, common.

The throat of some of the immature shells is yellow, >vith the rim thin, cro-
nulate, white or tinged with pink ; and I have seen specimens in our bay
with a dark purplish-brown aperture, which some have suspected to be a
ilistinct species. These varieties were nearly two inches long.

Our var. 2. Lister has described with accuracy in his Hist. Anim. Anglian,
p. 167. tab. 3. fig. 3, where he says it differs from the B. undatum, I.
because it is very thin and smooth, while the latter is strong and heavy;
2. in having a more ample aperture ; and, 3. in the almost total want of
the waved lines or ridges on the larj^^e whorl. These reasons many na-
turalists have considered valid ; jmd it has conse<iuently been introduced
as a ilistinct species into our latest Fauna, under the name of B. AiufUoa'
nitm, which again Dr Fleming considers to bt; identical with the B. //iim-
phreysiawtm of the Zool. Journ. v. i. p. 3U«. Ub. 22. But, as Mr Gray has
very properly reiujirked, " the shells of the Buc. undatum imd B. striatum
of Pennant have no other difference than that the one has been formed
in rough water, and is consequently thick, solid, and heavy ; and the other
in the still water of harbours, where it becomes light, smooth, and often
coloured."

238 DR JOHNSTON'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE

Auiiujil: tentacula two, triangubu*, compressed, non-retractile, lateral and su-
perior, abruptly dilated at the base : eyes two, external, small, on the di-
lated part of the tentacula : proboscis cylindrical, upwjirds of an inch lonp;,
composed of circular fibres, containing a fibro-muscular sheath, within
which lies the filiform rough tongue : margins of the collsir and foot plain :
penis large, club-shaped, compressed, with a subterminal mucro : opercu-
lum oval, corneous, concentrically striated.

The nidus (Alcyonium, seu Vesicaria marina, Ellis, Corall. 84. tab. 32. b. B.),
is composed of numerous cartilaginous vesicles or pouches, united by a
strong ligament into a roundish mass, which, in size and general appear-
ance, may be aptly compared to the nest of the humble bees. The pouches
are essentially the same in structure as those of Fusus antiquus, and each
contains about four young, which, when about to be hatched, have four
whorls, and exhibit all the characters of the shell in perfection. Some
authors have supposed that they constitute the Murex decollalns of Pen-
nant (Br. Zool. iv. 286. tab. 82. fig. 3.) ; but the latter is really the fry of
Fusus antiquus.

At the enthronization feast of William Warham, Archbishop of Canterbury,
on the 9tb of March 1504, there were provided 8000 whelkes, at 5s. per
1000. They are not eaten on this coast, but are still exposed in large
quantities for sale in the markets of the metropolis. Our children amuse
themselves with the shell, which they apply to the ear, and, by attentively
listening to its raurmurings, they tell whether the tide flows or recedes I

" I have seen
A curious child, who dwelt upon a tract
Of inland ground, applying to his ear
The convolutions of a smooth-lipp'd shell ;
To which, in silence hush'd, his very soul
Listen'd intensely, and his countenance soon
Brighten'd with joy ; for murmurings from within
Were heard, — sonorous cadences, whereby,
To his belief, the monitor exprcss'd
Mysterious union with its native sea."

2. Biu;. breve, shell ovate-ventricose, whitish, faintly banded with
reddish-brown, ribbed transversely, and spirally striate; whorls
five, rounded, the three apical smooth, apex obtuse; aperture
oval, the lip plain, the pillar twisted. Adams.

Jlab. In sand. Berwick Bay.

There is a faint brown band on the upper and lower margins of the body-
whorl. The shell resembles the fry of Buc. undatum, but is different ; for
tiiere are five distinct whorls in this, which is not more than a line in
length, whereas there are four only in Buc. undatum, when it is tliree or
four times of greater size. This shell is also more transparent, with the
ribs better marked, and the stria) less so.

4. Nassa. Lamarck.

Shell ovate, with a produced spire; aperture roundish or oval, with
a short canal ; pillar rounded; outer lip thickened with a strong- ex-
ternal rib or varix : operculum horny.

1. N. incrassala, shell ovato-conical, brown, with seven whorls rib-
bed across and spirally grooved ; ribs obtuse ; aperture white, the
pillar concave, outer Up toothed within, canal very short, oblique,
with a black spot at the end, and a furrow between the body and

GA8TER0P0D0US MOLLUSCA OF BERWICKSHIRE. 239

the outer fold of the pilhir. Len^h 1*5 ths. Flem. Brit. Aniiii.
340. Buccinum macula, Dillw, Rec. Sh. 638.

Hal). Berwick Bay, at and within low water mark, frequent

« The 8h(?ll has frequently a rwl band on the centre of the l>ody- whorl ; and a

beautiful variety is sonn'times found entirely red." — AfrJ. Alder.
Animal 8traw-coloiu*ed, speckled with black : tcntacula setaceous, bulged at
the base, the eyes placed half-way up on their outer side : syphon long
brown, speckled and black near the base, either straight and projected, or
retroverted and laid on the back of the shell when in motion : foot and
collar plain : mouth with a long proboscis, thicker towards the apex, and,
as usual, furnished with a filiform striate tongue. The animal is active,
and tolerably quick in progression.

6. Purpura. Lamarck.

Shell oval, thick, ribless ; aperture dilated, ovate, with a short wide
canal ; pillar flattened ; outer lip without a varix : operculum horny.

1, P. Lapillusy shell ovate-acute, white, obsoletely ridged in a spiral
direction ; whorls six, those of the spire small, the suture obscure ;
aperture oval, tinged with purple, the outer lip thick, toothed
within ; pillar plain, with a thick fold at the base. Length
1 j\5ths, breadth ^^ths. Lam. Anim. s. vert. vii. 244. Flem. Brit.
Anim. 341. Buccinum lapillus, Linn. Dillw. Rec. Sh. 613.
Purple Fish, Cole in Phil. Trans, xv. ann. 1685, p. 1278, tab. 3.
fig. 3-8.

Hab. Berwick Bay, between tide marks, abundant.

Immature shells are often marked with bands of brown or yellow, and the spiral
ridges or ribs are roughened with scales, a variety which constitutes the
P. imhricata of Lamarck.

Animal ; tentacula 2, dorsal, tapered, flattish, dilated below the eyes which
are inserted in an incisure near their middle and on the outside : mouth
with a short proboscis : margin of the cloak plain, marked with a brown
band ; foot short, plain, oval, the brown homy operculum placed on its
back ; branchia; in two very unequal pectinated processes adnate to the
syphonal side of the respiratory cavity ; penis flat, curved, retrofloxcd,
obtuse, with a terminal mucro.

The nidus of this animal is very diftcrent from that of Fusus or Buccinum ;
and we may add from the typical Purpune, from which our shell has been
separated by Mr Swtunson, and placed in his new genus Polytrojxu It is
described by Ellis (Coral 1. p. 87. tab. 32. fig. c c.) as an •* Alcyonium, seu
cyathus marinus," and is in the form of a wine-glass or vase, adliering by
a broad base, and hanging in general from the roof of shelving rocks in
considerable clusters. " When they are first taken out of the sea, they are
of a bright semi-transparent yellow colour, of a homy tough nature, con-
taining a viscid substance, with many orange-coloured seed, or egg-liko
particles, in the upper part of each cup," and in which the little shells,
completely formed, are soon to be detected with the magnifier. Each
nidus is distinct or separate, with a short narrow neck, and the upper part
oval, containing the ova or young covered by a convex lid, which at length
opens to admit of their escape.

On the back of the snail there may be observed a pale-coloured vessel wind-
ing obliquely backwanls, and fiUetl with a liquor of the colour and con-
sistence of cream. This liquor aflbrds an indelible dye of a fine puiple
colour, analogous or perhaps identical with the Tyrian purple of antiquity.

240 GASTEROPODOUS MOLLUSCA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

The venerable Beclo, who died A. D. 7^'>i>, mentions tlio fact in a manner
which proves it to have been familiarly known in his time, when, in all
probability, it was really used as a pigment. " There are,'* says he, " on
the English shores an abundance of the Cochlea; which yield a scarlet
dye. Its beautiful tinge neither fades by the heat of the sun nor by the
weather, but the older it is, the more rich and elegant." The knowledge
of the fact appears soon to have become confined to a few individuals who
handed down the manner of marking linen with it as a family secret ;
nor was it again made public until 1684, when Mr William Cole of Bris-
tol, ha^dng been informed that " there was a certain person living by the
seaside, in some port or creek in Ireland, who made considerable gain
by marking with a delicate durable crimson colour, fine linen of ladies,
gentlemen," &c., and which was " taken out of a shell-fish," discovered
after various trials, that it was procured from the P. Lapillus.
The fluid, when in the vessel, as already mentioned, is of the colour and con-
sistence of cream. As soon as it is exposed to the air, it becomes of a
bright yellow, speedily turns to a pale green, and continues to change
imperceptibly, until it assumes a bluish cast, and then a purplish-red.
Without the influence of the solar rays, it will go through all these changes
in the course of two or three hours ; but the process is much accelerated
by exposure to the sun, which also causes the cloth tinted to exhale a
very strong fetid smell, " as if garlic and assafoetida were mixed together."
" We strongly recommend," says Montagu, " the use of this secretion for
the purpose of marking whore an indelible dye is desirable ; letters marked
on linen or other articles of wearing apparel, from the recent animal, ap-
pear indestructible, bidding defiance to chemical process."

6. CyPRiEA. LiNNJEUS.

Shell convolute, ovate, bellied, the spire minute or concealed ; aper-
ture linear, parallel with the length of the shell, effuse at both ends,
toothed on each side, the outer lip thickened and involute.

1. C. europcca^ shell ovato-globose, ash or flesh-coloured, crossed
by numerous smooth ribs ; spire obsolete ; base white ; the aper-
ture linear with equal teeth ; outer lip thickened, rounded.
Leng-th five lines, breadth under three. Dillw. Rec. Sh. 467.
Gray in Zool. Jour. iii. 36G. C. pediculus. Pen. Br. Zool. iv. 252.
tab. 73. fig", sup. C. coccinella. Lam. Anim. s. vert. vii. 404.

Hah. Berwick Bay, at low water mark.

" The variety found on our coast is th-o C. artica of Montagu, Test. Brit. 201."
Mr J, Alder. The shell is frequently cast up in our bay, and gathered by the
children, who call it sea-cradles or blackamoor's teeth.

Animal : tentacula two, filiform or slightly tapered, inferior, orange-yellow
with pale dots, white and incrassated at the base, the eyes being placed
just above and on the outer side of this basilar portion ; mouth furnished
with a ribbon-like membranous tongue roughened with minute prickles set
in close transverse lines ; syphon projected forwards, tubulous, cleft un-
derneath, white tipped with yelloAv ; cloak covering the shell more or less
completely, pellucid, white spotted with yellowish-brown, the edges plain
and spotted with black ; foot oblong, extended beyond the shell when in
progression, broad and truncate in front, produced into two short processes
at the anterior angles, rounded posteriorly, sometimes white tinted with
yellow on the sides, and sometimes entirely orange-yellow. The snail can
withdraw entirely into its shell. It creeps slowly, and exudes a large
quantity of a clear colourless jelly during its progress. When kept in a

MR ROBERT MACLAURIN^S LIST OF SHELLS.

241

glam of sea- Wilier, its favourite position was near the surface at the edge,
round wliich it crawled, with the shell reversed, and the foot fixed ob-
liquely to the glass, pjurtly supported by the pelliclu of jelly it had ex-
creted. The syphon is projecti^ forwards, the tentacula expanded, and
the shell covered with the cloak which, when thus expand(Hl, seems im-
presstKl with stria? like the shell itself. It sometimes left the water alto-
|;ether, and seemed nowise incommoded by the change.
Hie immature shell (Cypnra bullata, Mont Test. Brit. 202. tab. 6. fig. 1.) is
milk-white, smooth, thin and pellucid, with a wide aperture efiuse at the
base, and a small spire projecting at the top, having exactly the form of a
volute. The animal differs from the adult merely in the less evolution
of the cloak.

List ofBivalved Shells found in Coldingham Bay, By Mr Robert

Maclaurin.

Anemia ephippium.
squamula.

Fara. OsTRACEA.

Anomia undulata.

Fam. Pectenidjb.

Pecten maximns {not common)

I opercularis {not common)
lincatus (rare)

Pecten varius (rather common)

obsoletus (very common)

Lima fragilis (rare)

Fam. Arcacea.
Area fusca (very rare) Nucula margaritacea (rommofc)'

Pectunculus pilosus (not rare) —

minuta (twt common)

Fam. Mytilacea.
Mytilus edulis (veiy common) Modiolus vulgaris (common)

var. incurvatus (rare) discors (common)

var. pellucidus (common) discrcpans (rare)

Fam. Conchacea.

Cardium ciliare (not common)

echinatum (common)

laevigatum (not common)

edule (not common)

Donax trunculus (very rare)

nova species 1 (very rare)

Tellina tenuis (common)

solidula (common)

I crassa (very common)

Amphidesma comprcssa (not com.)
Cryptodon flexuosus (very rare)
Lucina radula (very common)

undata (common)

Cyprina islandica (common)
Mactra subtruncata (not common)

elliptic^ (common)

■ solida (very common)

stultomm (very rare)

Kellia suborbicularis (comnum)
Crassina Danmonia (common)

Scotica (common)

sulcata (rare)

Cytherca exolcta (very common)
Cytheretincta (common)

ovata (rare)

Venus cassina (rare)

fasciata (common)

gallina (very common)

virginea (not common)

decussata (not common)

-^^— . perforans (very eommon)
Corbula striata (common)
Lutraria clliptica (verif rare)

hyans (very rare)

Mya trunrata (rare)

aronaria (not eommon)

242 MR ROBERT MACLAURIN'S LIST OF SHELLS.

Sphenia Swainsonii (common) Solen cnsis (common)

Anatina pubescens (very common) pellucidus (rare)

Psnmmobia florida (not common) Hiatella rugosa (not rare)

Ferroensis (common) arctica (not common)

Solen siliqua (commm) Pholas crispata (very rare)

Of the Pholas crispata I have seen a livings specimen, which is now
in the possession of Mr J. Duncan, Eyemouth. The whole of the
shells in the preceding list have been found in a living state, with the
exception of Area fusca, Pectunculus pilosus, Cardium laevi^^atum,
Mactra stultorum, Venus Cassina, and Mya truncata. They have
been procured principally from the fishermen's lines. The coast
where they live is very rugged, and very unfavourable to the growth
of such species as prefer quiet and sheltered sandy shores. We thus
find, that the distribution of the Mollusca is quite characteristic of the
district. Donax trunculus, Tellina tenuis and solidula, Mactra stul-
torum, and Amphidesma compressa, which are abundant on every
sandy beach in the kingdom, are of comparatively rare occurrence
with us. A stripe of sand, a mile from the shore, runs east and west
from St Abbs. This abounds with Mactra solida and elliptica, Cras-
sina compressa, Lucina radula, Tellina crassa, Pecten obsoletus,
Cardium edule, Cytherea exoleta, Solen siliqua and ensis.

Beyond this, and extending many miles in breadth, the bottom of
the sea consists entirely of mud, or of mud and sand. This habitat,
though far from being so rich in species as the former, is preferred by
Venus decussata and perforans, Mya truncata, Lutraria elliptica,
and Modiolus vulgaris, which last obtains a great size, frequently
growing seven inches long.

As we go farther from the shore the mud disappears, and we come
to a rocky bottom which is adjacent to the cod banks. In this situa-
tion we find Cardium echinatum, Cyprina Islandica, Venus cassina,
&c. The cod banks are the abode of Pecten maximus and opercu-
laris, together with many species which abound in the first-men-
tioned bed.

RoTTBOLLiA INCURVATA, vav. Jiliformis. This grass has been
found on the Links beyond Goswick, N. Durham, plentifully, by
Miss E. Bell and Miss Hurten.

ERRATA in last No. of Transactions of Berwickshire Naturalists'

Cluh.

Page 180, line 3 and 4 from top, /or perhaps read particularly
... 187, line 23, /or right read oblique
... 187, line 40, /or chance of obstruction, read chain of obstructions,

( 243 )

Th0 Anniversary Address to the Berwickshire Naturalists* Club, de-
livered at Kelso, Ibth September 1841. By Francis Douglas,
M.D., President.

Gentlemen,

Previous to resigning the honourable situation to which I was elevated
at the last Anniversary Meeting of the Club, I must discharge the
usual duties of your President, by giving an account of the transactions
of the Club, during the year which has now expired.

The 10th anniversary meeting of the Club took place at Holy Island
on the 30th of September, when the following members attended; Dr
Johnston, P. J. Selby, Esq., Dr Clarke, Captain Mitford, Mr Melrose,
and F. J. W. Collingwood, Esq. The Club were honoured with the
company of the Rev. J. Dixon Clarke, Messrs Hubback and Heath,
Barristers, and Mr Alexander Douglas, from Kelso.

After breakiast, a letter addressed to the Secretary of the Club from
Chevalier Michelotti of Turin was read. It conveyed an offer of the Fossils
of Italy, belonging to the Tertiary period. It was a matter of regret
that this handsome offer could not be accepted, in consequence of one
of the fundamental rules of the Club forbidding the acquisition of any
property ; ** but it was a flattering unction to their consequwice and im-
portance to know, that their name and fame had spread beyond the
land of brown heather, and was cherished evett in the land of the vine
and the myrtle.'' The walk of the Club was directed towards the Coves,
where an hour or two was busily devoted in searching out and noting
the various marine animals which lurk beneath the flat stones in ** Coves-
haveny The Coves are excavated in a very picturesque sandstone cliff,
of about 200 yards in length, and 35 feet in height : three of them are
of considerable size and interest ; their walls are covered with a dense
coat of the Polysiphonia stricta^ which gives them the appearance of being
papered with a rich scarlet cloth. In fonner times, they were the re-
sort of numerous flocks of seals, which took, in those cool recesses, their
repose without fear of surprise ; but they have now forsaken their
ancient haunts, expelled by the too frequent visits of lovers of the pictur-
esque or of poaching, and by the revels of pleasure parties and Pick-
wickians. A few rarities were found in the haven, of which the follow-
ing may be specified. — Of Algse, the only one worth notice is Zonaria
deustQy which spreads like a lichen over the rocks in great profusion.
The Millepora lichenoides, the Melobesix, and Corallina oJicinaUs, oc-
curred in every pool ; and it was easy to demonstrate by the different

B. N. c. NO. IX. 8

244 DR Douglas's address.

staged specimens there, that these productions were merely different
states of one species. The Halisarca of Dujardin, perhaps the lowest
of animal organizations, was noticed in much abundance and perfection ;
and we could easily imagine, that, by the addition of siliceous spicula,
immersed and crossed in its texture, it might become the Halichondria
panicea of Fleming, which grew alongside of it in several varieties. — Of
the calcareous sponges, there were met with Grantia coriaceay hotryoides^
foliacta^ and a singular variety of G, dliata. — Of Zoophytes, Coryne
9quammatay Laomedea gelatinosay Sertularia pumila, Lepralia coc-
cinea, Actinea meseinbryanthemumy abounded, and in especial perfec-
tion and beauty.— Of the Echinodermata, no other species than Echinus
esculenttts, Ophiura fragilis and neglectay occurred. The Echinus was
generally hidden by broken pieces of sea- weed, with which it covered its
Bhell.— Of the Mollusca tunicata, there were many species remarkable
for their beauty,, but we can only specify the Ascidia rusticay Phallusia
intestinalisj and Aplidium ficuSy for of the others the names could
not with certainty be determined. The calcareous stones were often
found perforated with Pholas crispatay and one stone was found by
Captain Mitford, with many of the shells still living hidden in their ex-
cavations. In one of these holes, a good specimen of Venus perforans
was found ; and the Sacdcava rugosa was not uncommon. A great
number of specimens of LameUaria tentaculata of Montagu were taken,
shewing that the species is liable to considerable variation in colour, and
in the degree of roughness of the mantle. — Several very minute indi-
viduals of the Doris tuberculata were taken up unnoticed, until after our
return home, and it is remarkable that in these, some of which were
an eighth of an inch in length, there was no appearance of branchiae.
Another member of the family Doridse occurred, which is without ex-
ception the most beautiful naked gasteropode we have seen ; its name
remains for future investigation. .»

Passing from the Haven, the party next crossed over a formation of
limestone^ consisting of three beds, from three to four feet each in
thickness, which, at the point to the eastward of the north sands, assume
a singularly undulated appearance. Mr Skafe has given a very bfief
description of these, and a figure, illustrative of their undulations, in
Raine's History of North Durham, p. 172. Thence we walked to the
Snook, to the spot where Mr Donaldson Selby is boring .for coal. Here
the party separated, one division walking towards the village in as di-
rect a line as possible, that they might have leisure to examine the
Priory ^Church, and Castle ; an other set, bent on the murder of rabbits
and partridges,, wandered over the links and fields in many a devious

DB DOUGLASES ADDRESS. 245

track ; while a third set wandered leisurely round by the loch in search
of rarities in any class or kingdom of aniinality, but they were as
little successful as their murderous or sporting colleagues. At dinner
the party were reunited, and afterwards, as is our wont, the Secre-
tary read the address of the President, who was prevented from at-
tending by absence from home. On the nomination of Mr Selby, Dr
F. Douglas was elected President for the ensuing year. A notice of
the occurrence of the Halicfuerus gryphus on the coast, by Dr Douglas,
was next read, on which Mr Selby was requested to report at the next
meeting. Dr Johnston was appointed Secretary for the year.

At the Winter Meeting at Berwick, held on December 16, the fol-
lowing members attended : Dr Douglas, president ; Dr Johnston, se-
cretary; Rev. Thos. Eiddell, Mr Melrose, Dr Clarke, Mr Selby, Mr
Good, Rev. J. Turnbull, and Mr Langhorne. Mr Tancred, Mr Wm.
Tancred, and Mr Wilkie of Fouldean, attended as visitors. The mem-
bers of the Club having partaken of Dr Johnston's hospitality at break-
fast, the minutes of the last meeting were read and approved of. Mr
Selby then reported that the seal described by Dr Douglas, in a com-
munication read to the Club in September last, was, as Dr Douglas
supposed, the Halichterus gryphuSy and that ho had since procured
three specimens of the heads of the same species from the Fame Island,
where Mr Selby now believes the Phoca barbata, for which the Hali-
chserus had been mistaken, is not to be found.

On the motion of Mr Selby, the Rev. J. D. Clarke, and on the mo-
tion of Mr Riddell, Mr David M*Beatb, were admitted members of the
Club. It was next agreed that the Club should meet in 1841, at the
following places in succession, Ayton, Wooler, Bank House, and Kelso.

Mr Selby presented the Club with a list of the dipterous insects in
the collection ©f Mr Hardy, made in the neighbourhood of the Pease-
bridge, and with a notice of Larus minutuSy killed at Holy Island. Mr
Selby subsequently read an elaborate report on the oraithology of Ber-
wickshire, which was ordered to be printed. Dr Johnston gave in a
few ornithological notices of the occurrence of some rare birds in the
neighbourhood of Berwick.

The Club then took their walk along the sea- banks as far as the
Needle-£ye ; but nothing to attract their special attention occurred,
beyond what arose out of the beauty and picturesqueness of the sea,
and many points in the rocky shore.

After dinner, the party again assembled at Dr Johnston's, who ex-

246 DR DOUGLAS'S ADDRESS.

hibited his collection of British Sponges, and gave a short explanation
of the views of Grant, relating to their physiology and functions, and of
whose correctness and accuracy in observation he has fully satisfied him-
self.

The Spring Meeting of the Club was held at Ayton on the 5th of
May, and was attended by the following members : The President, the
Secretary, P. J. Selby, Esq., Rev. A. Baird, Dr Clarke, Rev. G. Cun-
ningham, and the Rev. J. TurnbuU. The Rev. Mr Tough of Ayton
honoured the Club with his company at dinner.

After breakfast, the party took the usual walk, strolling first through
the grounds in front of Ayton House, and following the course of the
river Eye, until they reached Mill-Bank paper-works, which they were
permitted to examine. From this they traced up a certain length of
the ravine through which the Aleburn winds its tortuous way. During
this walk, nothing new, either to the Fauna or Flora of the district, oc-
curred, and nothing very rare. A few fruit-bearing mosses were pick-
ed up, a few insects captured, and one or two shells, uncommon in the
district, as Bulimus obscurus and Helix pygmceay taken. The walk was,
however, very agreeable ; for, as the day was fine, the glow of spring-
flowers, the rich verdure of the trees, and of the springing grass, the
songs of the birds, and the murmuring of the waters of the stream,
as it trotted over its gravelly bed, and its deep stillness as it lingered at
the foot of precipitous whin- clad rocks, that rose abrupt from the water,
came with a healing power on every heart, filling it with a pure feel-
ing which welled forth in peace, and gaiety, and good will to all men.
Chaucer has aptly painted the scene we walked in, but has apparently
been as much at a loss as ourselves to describe the feelings it calls forth,
just because of their fulness and blended natures.

" Who sawe evir so feyr or so glad a day,

And how sote this seson is entring into May 7

The thrustelis and the thrushis in this glad mornyng,

The ruddok and the goldfynch,

His amerous notis, lo! how he twynith small !

Lo ! how the trees grenyth that nakid wer, and nothing

Bare this month afore'^but their sommer clothing !

Lo ! how Nature makith for them everichone I

And as many as ther be he forgettith none !

Lo ! how the seson of the yere and Averell showris

Doith the bushis burgyn out blossoms and flowris !

Lo ! the prymerosis how fresh they ben to sene !

And many othir flowris among the grassis grene.

Lo ! how they spryng and sprede, and of divers hue !

Beholdith, and seith both rede, white and blue !

That lusty bin and comfortabill for mann'ys sight !

For I sey for myself it makith my hei-t to light 1"

DR DOUGLAS'S ADDRESS, 247

This walk gave us also zest and appetite to enjoy the very good din-
ner that awaited our return to the Tillage ; and, after a talk more
pleasant than wise, we separated in the pleasing hope of meeting again
together at Wooler on the 16th of June, to talk of the beauties of Nature,
and draw, from new and equally agreeable strolls, the best of all argu-
ments of the use of Natural History. At Wooler, accordingly, in
June, the Club met, and the number of members who were present
proved that the place of rendezvous was well chosen. Dr Douglas,
president, Dr Johnston, secretary. Rev. J. Baird, P. J. Selby, Esq.,
Dr Clarke, Rev. T. Knight, Fred. Collingwood, Esq., Mr Melrose, Mr
M'Beatli, and the Rev. J. D. Clarke, attended, and were joined by the
Rev. H, Grey, and H. Knight, Esq., as visitors.

The morning-walk was towards Wooler Common, which was traversed
in different directions ; when the members crossed the moors so as to
come down upon Cold-gate Burn. The course of this sweet trouting
stream was followed until its entrance into the Wooler water, which the
members walked upwards towards Langleyford, loitering away the hours
in the fine valley between that place and Middleton. The Club then
returned by the usual road to Wooler. During the walk, nothing new
for observation was met with. A gentle rain fell during the whole
time ; but any inconvenience to which it put the members was uncom-
plained of, for they were too sensible of its need to the crops of corn,
and too grateful for its certain benefits, to heed a wetting. Many rather
rare plants, which were previously known to be denizens of the district,
were again noticed, such as Listera cordata. Genista anglica, Myosotis
ctBspitosa, &c. and specimens of several mosses, in a remarkably fine con-
dition, were picked. One of these, Bartramia fontana^ attracted general
admiration, from the beautiful softness of its green foliage, and the
elegance of the round apple-like capsule which surmounted the stem*
The insects observed, owing to the unfavourable nature of the day, were
remarkably few. The Ring-ouzel was observed in its breeding ground,
on the sides of the hills rising from tlie Cold-gate Burn.

After dinner, JMlr Collingwood exhibited a piece of animal fat or
adipocere found in a peat4>og near Old Yeavering, about three feet
under the surface. The mass, when found, was 9 inches long, 6 broad,
and 6 deep, with an irregular surface.

On the 28th of July, the Club met at Bank House, when, notwith-
standing the fineness of the weather, there was a very scanty attend-
ance ; the only members present being Dr Douglas, president ; Dr
Johnston, secretary ; and Mr Mehrose. After a comfortable break-

248 DR DOUGLAS'S ADDRESS.

fast, the members sallied forth to take their accustomed walk. The
Pease Bridge and Glen having been visited on former occasions by the
Club, the route taken on this occasion was in the direction of Abbey
St Bathans, over moors the greater part of the way. The waters of
the Eye were traced for some distance ; but their banks proving very
uninteresting, the members proceeded to the extensive moor lying be-
tween the Eye and the Whitadder. The Erica cinerea raised its beau-
tiful bell-shaped blossoms above the surrounding turf, the richness of
its colours putting to the blush many of our highly prized exotics.
The route homewai'ds from Abbey St Bathans was somewhat varied ;
but nothing worthy of notice occuiTed. The members, however, en-
joyed the delight of respiring the fresh air of the hills, and carried on
an unceasing conversation, on a variety of subjects, until their return
to the inn.

After dinner, Dr Johnston communicated to the Club that he had
received the interesting notice of the discovery of Linruea borealis in
Berwickshire, specimens of which were laid on the table. It was dis-
covered seven years ago by Mr Dunn, gardener at Mellerstain ; but
for the notice, the Club is indebted to Mr Hislop, teacher in the Nor-
mal Schools of Glasgow. ** The Linnsea occupies a space of about 160
yards in a fir-wood near Lightfield Farm, Mellerstain." It was, when
Mr Hislop visited the spot, in the middle of July, just going out of
flower ; but several specimens in that state were gathered. The time
of flowering is stated in our British Floras to be in May and June,
but this period would appear to be too early for our district ; " and as
a pilgrimage to the habitat of a plant which commemorates the immortal
name of Linnaeus, " says our worthy Secretary, " seems to be almost a
sacred duty on the part of our Club, I would respectfully suggest the prO"
priety of fixing our next year's June meeting at the village nighest to it."

Such, gentlemen, is an account of the proceedings of the Club during
the eleventh year of its existence, derived chiefly from the minutes kept
by the Secretary. From the preceding report, it would appear that
the past year has not been very prolific in discovery ; yet enough has
been done to shew that even on ground previously and carefully search-
ed, objects have escaped observation which another and more scruti-
nizing visit might bring to light ; and as there are yet many locali-
ties within the limits of the Club unvisited, it may not unreasonably
be expected that new and important discoveries may be made in the
Flora and Fauna of Berwickshire. One very interesting addition to
the former has been very recently made by Mr Marshall, gardener

249

at Cheek-Law, near Dunse, who has drawn from its lurking place in
Dulaw Dean the Hemiaria glahrat a small procumbent plant, not
only new to Berwickshire, but to the Scottish Flora, and equally re-
markable for its occurrence in one solitary spot in England. The
fact that two very interesting additions to the phenogamic Flora of the
district have been made during the last year, is an additional incen-
tive, were any such wanting, for continued exertion, which will doubt-
less not go unrewarded.

That, as a branch of education, Natural History should not be more
taught in our Schools and Academies, is a subject of great regret*
Teachers would find it highly useful in the moral and intellectual train-
ing of children to call their observant faculties into action, and to point
out to their opening minds the beautiful and wonderful adaptation of
means to particular ends, which are constantly to be observed in the
works of creation. It cannot surely be undeserving the attention of
man to investigate and enquire into the nature, and uses of objects,
which the Almighty has in his infinite wisdom thought fit to call into
existence. Habits of observation and discrimination are those which
teachers so constantly labour to instil into their pupils, and from no
study would they derive more assistance in forming their minds than
from Natural History, a science wholly dependent on accuracy of ob-
servation and correctness of discrimination. To many men it has
through life been matter of deep regret, that less attention had been
paid to their early education in this respect. Men are often placed in
circumstances in which such knowledge would not only prove agreeable
but highly advantageous to them ; and had Natural History no other
charm, it tends to raise the thoughts and exalt the mind of man from
grovelling pursuits to a contemplation of the Author, not only of his
own existence, but of the whole material universe.

NoTB — The naked nudibranchial mollusk alluded to in p. 244, k described
in Dr Johnston's MSS. under the name of Polyetra Landis/anUce, but it is pro-
bably a variety of the Polycera crittata of Alder in the Annals of Natural His-
tory, vol. vi. p. 340, pL ix. %. 10, 11 ; the description of which was not pub-
lished at the date of the Club's meeting.

( 250 )

Feport on the Ornithology of Berwickshire, and district within
the limits of the Berwickshire Naturalists'' Club. By P. J.
Selby, Esq. of Twizell- House.

A district so varied as Berwickshire, and those portions of North
Durham and Northumberland included within the limits of our Club,
where a rich productive country, celebrated for the excellence of its
agriculture, is intersected by numerous denes and gills, each containing,
or affording, a channel to a clear and limpid stream of less or greater
magnitude, and having their steep sides sometimes fringed with wood
of ancient or more recent date, at others, clothed with the rich and gol-
den blossoms of the whin and broom, with tangled copse of briar, black-
thorn, and sweetly -scented May ; where extensive woods surround and
beautify the numerous seats dispersed throughout its whole extent, and
whose holms and haughs are intersected hy fair Tweed, the Till, and
the Eye ; whose upland districts are of that wild character which suit
the habits of that truly British species, the Red Grouse, and other al-
pine birds ; whose seaward line, from Berwick to its northernmost ex-
tent, is bounded by bold precipitous cliffs, which reach their highest
altitude at the beetling and far-famed promontory of St Abb's Head,
affording a secure and appropriate breeding retreat to many of our
aquatic summer visitants, while the low and slaky shore that extends
from Berwick Bay to Fenham Flats, becomes the resort of our aquatic
winter visitants ; — may naturally be expected to present a numerous
ornithological list, and to contain a large proportion of the British birds ;
and this we think must be allowed, the annexed list exhibiting a re-
turn of nearly two-thirds of the birds recorded as British.

Upon analyzing the contents of the list, and commencing with the
Raptorial Order, we find twelve species belonging to the Falconidse,
six of which are residents, the remainder coming under the denomina-
tion of occasional visitants ; of the latter, several instances of the cine-
reous or great sea-eagle {Halia'etus albicilla) have occurred within our
precincts. All the examples of this kind that I have seen and exa-
mined have been in immature plumage ; a circumstance, however, not
at all remarkable, as the adults, when once paired, rarely leave the
immediate vicinity of the eyry they have selected, and the young, after
quitting the nest, are always driven from the district in which they
have been bred by the parent birds. The frequent appearance of this
species in lowland districts, as compared with that of the golden eagle
(Aquila Chrysaetos), may be attributed to its maritime and coasting ha-

THE ORNITHOLOGY OF BERWICKSHIRE. 251

bits, the latter affecting the mountainous inland districts, from which
it rarely strays. Of the osprey {Pandion halidetus)^ a species still
more aquatic in its habits, only one instance, within our limits, has yet
occurred : its rarity, however, is suflficiently accounted for from the pau-
city of the bird throughout Britain. The honey buzzard {Pernia api-
varus) Mid ash -coloured harrier {Circus dneracetts) are equally rare; a
single specimen only of the latter has yet occurred. The peregrine
&lcon (Falco peregrinus) is more frequently seen, and one eyry, at
least, is known to most of our members, in the lofty precipice a httle
to the north of St Abb's Head. Of the Strigidse or owls, there ap-
pear to be four species, three of which are resident, and one a peri-
odical winter visitant : of the former, the Otus vulgaris^ long-eared owl,
and Strix flamtnea, barn owl, are both well known and abundant ; the
third, the Ulula stridula, tawny owl, though formerly a common spe-
cies, is now rarely met with. The short-eared owl, Otus brachyotos,
arrives in November, and is frequently met with upon the moors or
open fields in rushy ground, where it roosts concealed during the day,
except in dark foggy weather, when we have frequently seen it hawk-
ing at noon.

Of the Fissirostral tribe, belonging to the order Insessores, the list
contains five periodical summer visitants, and one occasional visitant ;
of the former, four belong to the swallow family, and one to the goat-
suckers. The occasional visitant is the kingfisher, more remarkable for
the richness ^nd beauty of its plumage than the gracefulness of its
form. The window swallow, or, as it is frequently called, the white-
rumped martlet, breeds in great numbers in the rocky precipices north
of Eyemouth, and at St Abb's Head ; these appear to be the natural
breeding situations of the species, the eaves of houses and coroers of
windows being only resorted to where the others are deficient. At
Inchnadamff, in Sutherland, we recollect observing the species breed-
ing in great numbers about the precipitous face of the limestone or
marble mountain of that district.

Of the Dentirostral tribe of the same order, we enumerate fifteen
permanent residents, seventeen periodical summer visitants, two peri-
odical winter visitants, and three occasional visitants. Among the re-
sidents, the missel- thrush, which in our younger days was considered a
very rare bird, has now become common, and during spring and sum-
mer may be heard around every residence uttering its broken lay,
which, though loud and sonorous, is greatly inferior in compass and
sweetness to that of its congener, the gentle mavis.

Among the periodical summer visitants, the Sylvidee, or warbler f»-

252 THE ORNITHOLOGY OP BERWICKSHIRE.

mily, not less interesting for their vocal powers than for their active
and lively habits, occupy a prominent station. Among the rarer spe-
cies we reckon the greater pettychaps {Curruca hortensis), whose notes
are rich and liquid, many of them emulating those of the nightingale ;
the grasshopper warbler {ScUicaria locustella\ and the little pettychaps
(^Sylvia hippolais). Other species also, we have remarked of late years,
do not abound to the extent they formerly used to do : such is the case
with the sedge-warbler (^Scdicaria phragmitis) and white-throat (Cwr-
ruea cinerea)y and the whinchat {Saxicola rubetra). This defalcation we
are inclined to attribute chiefly to the effect of an improved system of
agriculture, which, by draining and reclaiming the marshy spots, and
little tangled thickets of sallow, and other rough and rampant herbage
that used to be so common in many of our fields, and the attention
that is now paid to the cleansing of hedges, which are annually divest-
ed of their weeds, has destroyed the favourite and appropriate breed-
ing-places of these birds, and may probably also, in so doing, hare les-
sened the supply of some peculiar insect food, necessary to their own
economy, or that of their young.

Among the occasional visitants is the Lanius excubitor (great but-
cher bird), which is only seen during the autumnal and winter months ;
and that beautiful member of the Ampelidse, the Bohemian waxwing
(^Bombydlla garruld) : most of our members will recollect the grace-
ful actions and appearance of the beautiful specimen so long alive in
the possession of Dr Johnston. The appearance of this species is very
uncertain, and sometimes many years dapse without the occurrence of
a single individual. Of the Fringillidae, we enumerate nine perma-
nent residents, three periodical winter visitants, and three occasional
visitants. Among the periodical winter visitants, the snow-flake (PZec-
trophanes nivalis) sometimes appears in great numbers, particularly in
the upland districts, where they haunt the open grassy tracts as well as
the oat-stubbles ; in storms of snow they descend towards the coast,
where small flocks of adult males are often seen together, the females
and young birds keeping by themselves, and generally in larger bodies.
The mountain finch {FringiUa montifringilla) is another winter visi-
tant from the Arctic Regions, and in some seasons is very numerous.
It often associates with the chaffinches, to which it is nearly allied ;
but may be distinguished from it by its note, call, and supeiior size.
Of the occasional visitants, the siskin {CardueUs spinits\ an elegant
little bird, is sometimes very abundant during the winter and early
spring months ; it is generally seen where the birch and the alder
sbound, as the seeds of these trees are its favourite food ; on this ac-

THE ORNITHOLOOT Of BERWICKBHIBE. 253

count it is most frequently seen on the banks of our rivers and bums,
where the latter tree usually grows. The crossbill is another bird
whose visits used formerly to be at very uncertain intervals, but which,
of late years, has almost assumed the habits of a permanent resident,
and has been found breeding in the island : this change of habit we at-
tribute to the extensive plantations spread over the kingdom, most of
which contain a large proportion of the fir tribe, the seed of which ii
its chief subsistence.

The only member of the StumidsB* is the common starling, which
we note as a permanent resident, for, though it changes its feeding-
ground according to the seasons, it never appears to be far distant, as
we observe the few pairs that nidificate at Twizell frequently visit their
haunt during winter, and when not engaged in incubation. The mem-
bers of the CorvidsB, or crow family, are eight in number, all of which
are permanent residents, except the royston or grey-backed crow {Cor^
vus camixy, which is here a periodical winter visitant, its summer re-
treat being the northern parts of Scotland, Norway, &c. In its form
and habits it is intermediate between the carrion crow (^C(yr. corone)
and the rook {Cor. frugilegus)^ though, we believe by Dr Fleming, it
is still considered as a m«re variety of the former, an opinion in which,
it is scarcely necessary to say, we do not acquiesce : as a species, it
seems to us as well marked as any in the genus. The jay, one of the
handsomest members of the family, is thinly disseminated in the district,
a few are generally resident in the larger woods, such as those of Detch-
ant, Fenwick, Kyloe, &c. The red-legged chough {Fregilus graculiu)y
another of the family whose distribution is local, and limited to dis-
tricts where high and precipitous rocks abound, finds a congenial re-
treat in the precipices of St Abb's Head and adjoining coast : here it
is not uncommon, but being a bird of a wary habit, it is very difficult
to approach within gunshot, and specimens are not easily obtained.
Of the Scansorial tribe, the Picus major (great spotted woodpecker)
is tlie only species belonging to the Picidee that we venture to insert
in the list, having at different times met with a few individuals, during
the period of their migrations, within the limits of the Club, vis. one
at Haggerstone, and two or three at Twizell. The wry-neck ( Yurus
torquilla) and hoopoe (Jlpupa Epops)^ belonging to the same tribe, are
only admitted as very rare visitants, one of the former having been
killed at Twizell, and two or three specimens of the latter within our
limits. In the numbers of the cuckoo or gowk {Cuculus canortul)
which visit us annually, we think we perceive a great decrease within
the last twenty years ; this we also attribute to the advance of agri-
* Rose-piwtoT, killed at Tweedmouih and Ladythera.

264 THE ORNITHOLOGY OF BERWICKSHIRE.

culture, and to the inclosure of those wastes and open lands which, in
a natural state, produced a more abundant supply of caterpillars, the
favourite food of the cuckoo, than they now do under the system of
husbandry to which they are subjected.

Of the Columbidae belonging to the Rasorial order, we possess two
permanent residents, viz. the ring-dove or cushat {^Columha palumhus')^
a most abundant species ; but from the injury it commits on the young
clovers and the turnip-fields, is held as an enemy, and proscribed by
the farmer ; the other is the rock-pigeon, the original stock of our
dovecot pigeons, which inhabits the cavernous precipices along the coast.
As an occasional visitant we are also able to ^dd the turtle-dove to the
list, a small flock having visited the neighbourhood of Berwick this last
autumn.

Of the Phasianidsa, the only member is a p^manent resident; and
of the Tetraonidse three are permanent residents, and one, the quail,
which we have met with at Cornhill and other parts within our limits,
an occasional visitant.

Of the Otidse, or bustard family, vm have ventured to insert the
Otis tetrax (little bustard), a single specimen having been killed within
half a mile of Twizell.

Of the Ardeadse, or heron group, belonging to the order Grallatores,
•we reckon three species ; one a permanent resident, the other two, viz.
the bittern (Botaurus stellaiis) and the night heron {Nycticorax euro-
fCBus), rare visitants. A fine specimen of the latter was killed some
years ago at the Hirsel, and presented to the Edinburgh museum by
the Earl of Home.

Of the Scolopaceous family, there are two permanent residents, one
periodical summer visitant, seven periodical winter visitants, and seven
occasional visitants. Among the latter we may mention as rare, the
green sandpiper {Tetanus oohropus), the greenshank {Totcunus glottis)^
the solitary snipe {Scolopax major)., the ruff (Machetis pugnax) in its
winter plumage, and generally young birds of the year, and the grey
phalarope {Phalaropus lohatus") ; the only summer visitant of the family
is the Totanxis hypoleucos (common sandpiper), a neat clean looking
bird, well known to the angler, and whose wing-feathers often assist
him in taking his finny prey.

Of the Rallida3 there are five memhers, three of which are periodical
summer visitants, wie a permanent resident, and one a periodical winter
visitant. To Ae first belongs the Corncrake, whose well known grating
•call is first heard towards the end of May, in the meadow-lands, parti-
cularly those adjoining the margins of the Tweed, the Whitadder, and
other streams. Of the Plovers, or family Charadriadse, there are three

THE ORNITHOLOGY OV BBBW1CK8HIRE. 266

permanent residents, one periodical 8un»mer visitant, the well known
green plover or pewit, Vanellut cristatus ; three periodical winter visi-
tants, all of which are shore birds ; and one occasional visitant, the dot-
trel, Charadritis morinelluSy which rests for a few days upon the grounds
around Scremmerston and Unthank, in April or beginning of May,
when passing to its breeding stations in higher latitudes.

Entering upon the order Natatores, we enumerate as members of the
Anatida) three permanent residents, on© periodical summer visitant, the
beautiful piebald sheldrake, which breeds annually in the rabbit-holes
upon the links at Holy Island and Ross ; seven periodical winter visi-
tants, and seven occasional visitants. Among the latter are the two spe-
cies of wild swans {CygnusferuSy and C, Bewickii\ the bernicle or clake-
goose (Bemicla leucopaisj , which I have received from Holy Island ;
also that very rare bird the Anser ruficollisy a specimen having been
shot near Berwick several years ago, which found its way into Bullock's
museum, and from thence, we believe,, into that of St Petersburgh.
The Shoveller (Spathulea clypeataj has also been killed upon the
Tweed.

Of the true divers or Colymbidse, the list contains eight members ;
one of whieh> the little grebe or dabchick (^odtceps minor), though not
numerous, is a permanent resident. Six are periodical winter visitants,
four of which belong to the genus Podiceps,. the other two are the great
northern and red-throated divers {Colymhus glacialis and C. septentrio-
nalis)y both of which frequent the mouth of the Tweed and Berwick
Bay during the winter and early spring months ; the eighth member is
the Colymhus arcticus, black-throated diver, a rare visitant. A fine
specimen, caught in a salmon-net in the Tweed, is now in my possession.

Of the Auk family, Alcadese, there are three periodical summer visi-
tants, all of which breed in great numbers in the precipitous cliffs of St
Abb's Head ; and two occasional winter visitants, viz. the Uria grylls,
black guillemot, and the Mergulus alcCy rotch, a species that breeds in
very high latitudes, and is frequently mentioned in the writings of arctic
navigators.

The Pelicanidse are three in number, twa of which, the common cor-
morant (Phalacroeorax carbo), and the crested shag (P. cnstatus)^ are
permanent residents ; the Sula hassanay solan goose, we may consider
as a periodical summer risitant, as it is to be seen almost daily skimming
along the surface of the water, or precipitating itself upon its prey with-
in our limits, on its flight to and from the isle of Bass, its great breed-
ing station on the eastern coast.

266- THE ORNITHOLOGY OP BERWICKSHIRE.

Of the Laridse, or Gull family, there appears to be only one we can
properly designate a permanent resident, viz. the Laws ridibundus^
black-headed gull. Within our district this species has several breed-
ing stations, the principal of which are the pieces of water at Pallins-
burn, Paston, and Dunse Castle. Six species appear as periodical sum-
mer visitants, four of which belong to the Terns, a genus distinguished
from the gulls by their swallow-like form and a more rapid and power-
ful flight ; the other two are the herring-gull (Larus ar^entatusj, and
lesser black-backed gull {L.fuscus)y the first breeding in great numbei-s
in the sea-cliffs. There is also one periodical winter visitant, the com-
mon gull (i. canus)y and five occasional visitants, among which are the
two large white-winged gulls {L. glaucus and i. islandicus)y and the
Lestris Bichardsoniiy arctic skua, better known, perhaps, by the name
of the dung teazer.

RAPTORES.

Falconidce.

Haliaetus albiciHa. White tailed Sea Eagle. Specimens

killed on the coast, and at Holy Island. Oecas. visit. ^

Pandion Haliaetus. Osprey. Ocoas. visit.

Accipiter fringillarius. Sparrow Hawk. Perman. resid.

Falco peregrinus. Peregrine Faleon. An eyry ai St Abb^s

Head. Perman. resid.

tinnimculus. KestriL Perman. resid.

JEaSsIotl. Merlin. Not uncommon. Perman. resid.

Buteo vulgaris. Common Buzzard. A specimen from

Millerstain. Occas. visit.

lagopus. Rough legged Buzzard. Several killed last

winter within the district. Occas. visit.

Pemis apiv(»TLS. Honey Buzzard. A specimen in my pos-
session killed at Alnwick. Occas. visit,
cyaneus. Hen Harrier. • Perman. resid.
Circus aeruginosus. Moor Harrier Now rare. Perman. resid.
eineraceus. Ash-coloured Harrier. Very rare. A
specimen in my possession, killed near Detchant. Occas. visit.

Strigidoe,
Otus vulgaris. Long Eared Owl. Perman. resid.

Brachyotos. Short Eared Owl. Common during win-
ter months, upon moors, in bushy fields, &c. Period. W. vis.
Strix flammea. White or Bam Owl. Perman. resid.

Ulula stridula. Tawny Owl. Now rare, Perman. resid.

THE ORNITHOLOGY OF BERWICK8HIRK.

257

INSESSORES.

FlBSnUMTRU.

Hirundinice^

Hirundo rustics. Chimney Swallow. Period. S. Visit.

urbica. "Window Swallow or Martlet. Period. S. visit.

riparia. Bank Swallow or Sand Martin. Period. 8. visit.

Cjrpselus murariuB. Swift. Period. S. visit.

Caprimulgidct,
Caprimulgos europeus. Common Goatsucker. Period. S. visit.

Halcy(mid€e^
Alcedo Ispida. Kingfisher. Rare. Oeeas. visit.

Muscicapa grisola.
luctuosa.

Dentisostres.

Mvscicapidcs.
Spotted Flycatcher.
Pied Flycatcher. Rare.

Lcmiados.

Lanios excubit<»r. Great Buteher Bird or Shrike*

Period. S. visit.
Occas. visit.

Oocas. W. visit

Morula viscivora.

pilaris.

Ib'aca.

musica.

vulgaris.

torquata.
Cinclus aquaticus.

Merulid<B.
Missel Thrush.
Fieldfare.
Redwing.
Thrush.
Blackbird.
Ring Oizel.
Dipper, Water Cnwr.

Saxieola (Enanthe.

rubecola.

rubetra.
Erythaca rubecula.
Phoenicura ruticilla.
Salicaria locustella.

Phragmitis.
Curruea atricapilla.

hortensis.

Sylviadig,
Whcatear.
Stonechat.
Whinehat.
Redbreast.

Redstart. Not common.
Grasshi^per Warbler.
Sedge Warbler.
Blackcap.
Greater Pcttychaps.

Perman. resid.
Period. W. vis.
Period. W. vis.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Period. S. visit.
Perman. resid.

Period. S. visit.
Perman. resid.
Period. S. visit.
Perman. resid.
Period. S. visit.
Period. S. visit.
Period. S. visit.
Period. S, visit.
Period. S. visit.

258

THE ORNITHOLOGY OF BERWICKSHIRE.

Curruca cinerea. Whitethroat.

Sylvia hypollais. Lesser Willow Wren. Not common,
sibilatrix. Wood Wren,
trochilus. Willow Wren. Plentiful.
Regulus atricapillus. Golden Crested Regulus-
Farus major. Great Titmouse.
Blue Titmouse.
Marsh Titmouse.
Cole Titmouse.
Long-taUed Titmouse.
Accentor modularis. Hedge Accentor-
Motacilla Yarellii. Pied Wagtail.
Grey Wagtail.
Yellow Wagtail..
Rock Pipit.
Common Pipit.
Tree Pipit.

coeruleus.
palustris.
ater.
caudatu&.

boarula.

flava.
Anthus petrosus.
pratensis.
arboreus.

Period. S. visit.
Period. S. visit.
Period. S. visit.
Period. S. visit.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Period. S. visit.
Period. S. visit.
Period. S. visit.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Period. S. visit.

Bombycilla garrula.

Ampelidoe.
Chatterer, or Bohemian Waxwing.

Fringillidos. .
Alauda arvensis. Skylark.

arborea, Woodlark. A specimen taken at Twizell.
Plectrophanes nivalis. Snowflake.

Com Bunting.
Yellow Bunting.
Reed Bunting.
Common Sparrow.
ChaflEinch.

Emberiza miliaria.

citrineUa.

schoeniculus
Pyrgita domestica.
Fringilla coelebs.

montifringilla. Mountain Finch^
Carduelis spinus. Siskin.

elegans. Goldfinch.

Linaria cannabina. Grey Linnet.

minor. Lesser Redpoll Linnet.
Coccothraustes chloris.
Loxia curvirostris. Crossbill.
Pyrrhula vulgaris. Bullfinch.

Sturnid€e.
Stumiis vulgaris. Common Starling.
Pastor roseus. Rose-coloured Pastor.

Occas. visit.

Perman. resid.
Occas. visit.
Period. W. vis.
Period, resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Period. W. vis.
Occas. W. visit.
Occas. visit.
Perman. resid.
Period. S. visit.
Perman. resid.
Occas. visit.
Perman. resid.

Perman. resid.
Occas. visit.

Corvidce,

Corvus Corax. Raven.

Perman. resid.

THE ORNITHOLOGY OF BKBWICK.8HIRE.

259

Corvus Corone. . Carrion Crow.

comix. Hooded Crow.

frugilegus. Rook.

monedula. Jackdaw.
Pica raelanoleuca. Magpie.
Garulus glandarius. Jay.
Fregilus graculus. Chough.

Perman. resid.
Period. W. visit.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.

SCANSORES.

Picidce.
Picus major. Great spotted Woodpecker. Oocaa. visit.

Certhiadce.

Yunx torquilla. Wryneck. Once near Twizell.. Occas. visit.

Certhia familiaris. Creeper. Perman. resid.

Troglodytes Europaeus. Common Wren. Perman. resid.

Upupa Epops. Hoopoe. Occas. visit.

Ciicullid<E*
Cuculus canorus. Cuckoo. [period. S. visit.

RASORES.

Columbidce.
Columba palumbus. Ringdove.

livia. Rock Pigeon.
Tortur vulgaris. Turtle Dove.

Phasianidce.
Phasianus Colchicus. Common Pheasant.

TetraonidcEL

Tetrao Tetrix. Black Grouse.
Lagopus Scoticus. Red Grouse.
Perdix clnerea. Partridge,
cotumix. Quail.

Otus Tetrax. Little Bustard.

Otidce.
Once near Twizell.

Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Occas. visit.

Perman. resid.

Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Occas. visit.

Ooc^. visit.

GRALLATORES.

Ardeada,
Ardea cinerea. Common Heron.
Botaurus stellaris. Bittern. Now rare.

B. N. C. NO. IX.

Perman. reeid.
Occas. visit.

T

260

THE ORNITHOLOGY OF BERWICKSHIRE.

Nicticorax Europaeus. Night Heron. Rare. A fine spe-
cimen killed at the Hirsel. Occas. visit.

ScolopacidcB,
Numenius arqnatus. Common Curlew.

Phaeopus, Whimbrel. Not common.
Tetanus calidris. Redshank Sandpiper.

ochropus. Green Sandpiper. Rare.
hypoleucos. Common Sandpiper,
glottis. Greenshank. Rare. A specimen
at Holy Island, October 1840.
Limosa rufa. Common Godwit.

melanura. Black- tailed Godwit. Rare,
Great Snipe. Rare.
Common Snipe.
Jack Snipe.
Woodcock.
Ruff. Fenham Slake.
Knot.

Purple or rock Tringa.
Dunlin or Purre.

Grey Phalerope. Very rare.

kiUed

Scolopax major.

Gallinago.
Gallinula.
rusticola.
Machetes pugnax.
Tringa canutus.
maritima.
variabilis.
Phalaropus lobatus

Perman. resid.
Occas. visit.
Period. W. vis.
Occ. vis. in Aut.
Period. S. visit.

Occ. vis. in Aut.
Period. W. vis.
Occas. W. visit.
Occ. vis. in Aut.
Perman. resid.
Period. W. vis.
Period. W. vis.
Occ. vis. in Aut.
Period. W. vis.
Period. W. vis.
Period. W. vis.
Occas. W. vis.

Rallidce.

Rallus aquaticus. Common Rail. Period. W. vi».

Crex pratensis. Meadow Crake. Period. S. visit,

porzana. Spotted Crake. Not common. Period. S. visit.

Gallinula chloropus. Common Gallinule. Perman. resid.

Fulica atra. Common Coot. Period. S. visit.

Charadriadm.
Haematopus ostralegus. Oystercatcher or Seapie.
Strepsilus interpres. Turnstone.
Arenaria calidris. Sanderling.
Vanellus cristatus. Lapwing.
Squaterola cinerea. Grey Plover.
Charadrius pluvialis. Golden Plover.

morinellus. Dottrel. At Un thank and Screm-

erston, in May.
hiaticula. Ring Dottrel.

Anser palustris.

NATATORES.
Anatidce,
Grey Lag- goose.

Perman. resid.
Period. W. vis.
Period. W. vis.
Period. S. visit.
Period. W. vis.
Perman. resid.

Period, occ. vis.
Period, visit.

W. visit.

THE ORNITHOLOGY OF BERWICKSHIRE.

261

Anser segetum or ferus. Bean-goose.

albifrons. White-footed Wildgoose.
Bemicla. Bemiclo or Clake Goose.
Brenta. Brent Bemicle.

ruficollis. Red-breasted Goose. Very rare. A single
specimen shot near Berwick, afterwards in
Bulloch's Museum.
Cygnus fcrus. Whistling Swan or Elk.

Bewickii. Bewick's Swan.
Tadoma vulpanser. Common Sheldrake.
Spatulea cljpeata. Shoveller. Rare upon the Tweed.
Anas Boschas. Wild duck.
Daiila caudacuta. Pintail. Rare. Tweed and Holy Island. Occas. W. vis.

Period. W. vis.
Occas. W. visit.
Oocas. W. visit.
Period. W. vis.

Occas. W. visit.
Occas. W. visit.
Occas. W. visit.
Period. S. visit.
Occas. visit.
Perman. resid.

Perman. resid.
Period. W. vis.
Period. W. vis.
Period. W. vis.
Perman. resid.
Occas. W. vis.
Period. W. vis.
Period. W. vis.
Period. W. vis.
Occas. W. visit.
Period. W. vis.
W. visit.

Querquedula crecca. Teal.
Mareca Penelope. Wigeon.
Oidemia nigra. Black Scoter,
fusca. Velvet Scoter.
Somateria mollissima. Eider Duck.
Fuligula Tirina. Red-headed Pochard.

cristata. Crested Pochard.
Harelda glacialis. Long-tailed Hareld.
Clangula vulgaris. Common Golden-eye Garrot.
Mergus merganser. Gooseander.

serrator. Red-breasted Merganser.

albellus. Smew. Rare.

Colymhidoi.
Podiceps rubricollis. Red-necked Grebe. Rare.

cristatus. Crested Grebe. In the young state,
comutus. Homed Grebe. In the young state,
auritus. Eared Grebe. In the young state.
minor. Little Grebe.
Colymbus glacialis. Northern Diver.

arcticus. Black-throated Diver. Rare. Caught

in a salmon-net in the Tweed,
septentrionalis. Red-throated Diver.

Alcadce,

Uria Troile. Foolish Gullimot. Rocks of St Abbs. Period. S. visit.

Grylle. Black Guillemot. In winter plumage. Oocas. W. visit.

Mergulus melanoleucos. Common Rotch. Rare. Occas. W. visit.

Alca Torda. Razorbill. Rocks St Abbs. Period. S. visit.

Fratercula arctica. Puffin. Period* S. visit.

W. visit
W. visit.
W. visit.
W. visit.
Perman. resid
Period. W. vis.

Occas. W. visit.
Period. W, vis.

262

THE ORNITHOLOGY OF BERWICKSHIRE.

PelecanicUB,
Phalacrocoraz carbo. Cormorant.

cristatus. Crested Cormorant.
Sula bassana. Solan Goose.

LaridcB.
Sterna Boysii. Sandwirfi Tern. On coast.

Dougallii. Roseate Tern. On coast occasionally,
arctica. Arctic Tern. On coast occasionally,
minuta. Little Tern. Breeds near Holy Island.
Larus minutus. Little Gull. Very rare. A specimen killed
at Holy Island, Oct. 1840.
ridibimdus. Black-headed Gull,
canus. Common Gull,
glaucus. Glaucous Gull. Rare,
islandicus. Iceland Gull. Rare,
argentatus. Herring GuU. St. Abb's Head,
fuscus. Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Lestris parasiticus. Arctic Skua. Autumnal visitant.
Thalassidroma pelagica. Stormy PetreL

Perman. resid.
Perman. resid.
Period. S. visit.

S. visit.
S. visit.
S. visit.
S. visit.

Rare occas. vis.
Perman. resid.
W. visit.
Occas. W. visit.
Occas. "W. visit.
S. visit.
S. visit.
Occas. visit.
Occas. visit.

Members Admitted 16th September 1841 : —

Mr RowE, Surgeon, Coldstream.
Mr John Boyd of Cherrytrees..

( 263 )

A Descriptive Catalogue of the GASTEROPODOUS MOLLUSCA
of Berwickshire. By George Johnston, M.D., F.R.C^.E.

Part II.
Ormr— PECTINIBRANCHIATA.
DiviBiow-ASIPHONOBRANCHIATA.

Animal shelled, trachelipode, rarely gasteropode ; the shell spiral,
sometimes patelliform, with the margin of the aperture entire or
continuous all round. — The genera are dioecious, in general pliy-
tophagous, and, with a few exceptions, inhabitants of the sea-
shore.

7. ScALARiA. Lamarck.

Shell turreted, the whorls crossed with elevated subacute ribs ; aper-
ture round, the margin continuous and reflected, the lower part on the
side of the pillar formed into a sort of obsolete canal : operculum homy,
spiral. — Zoophagous.

1. S. Trevelyana^ shell yellowish-bi'own or white, with ten rounded
whorls gradually tapered to a point, crossed by about fifteen thick
plain ribs, interrupted by a separating line, the intermediate spaces
smooth; aperture white, round. Height I'jths ; diameter of
base y'jths. Leach in Raine's Durham, p. 174.

Hab. Berwick Bay, rare : Holy Island.

I have seen only worn specimens, so that the natnral colour remains to be
determined. The shell is strong, and without any gloss in my speci-
mens, and the ribs are obtuse and enlarged at the suture, where, instead
of running in an uninterrupted line, they are a little bent, and fall into
the intermediate spaces. The species is very like, and nearly allied to
Sc, Turtonif but differs from it in being smaller, and in having more nu-
merous ribs.

8. TrOCHUS. LiNNiEUS.

Shell conical, the body- whorl angulated so as to make a flattened
base, on which the shell rests when set on a plane surface ; aperture
transversely depressed, subquadrate, the margins disjoined, silvered in-
teriorly ; pillar arched : ** operculum homy, circular, spiral, with nu-
merous close-set volutions, and having the spiral line external.'* —
Sowerhy.

* Base imperforate.

1. T. zizyphinus^ shell conical, yellowish-brown or flesh-colour, spi-
rally ridged, the ridges flat and smooth ; whorls eight, flat, sepa-
rated by a smooth belt regularly spotted with pink ; apex acute.

264 DR JOHNSTON'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE

purple ; base circularly striate, flattish ; aperture subquadrangu-
lar, the pillar concave, pearly. Height y^ths ; the breadth ^^gths.
IHllw. Rec. Sh. 799.

Hab. Berwick Bay, not common.

The shell is sometimes of a uniform white colour, when it has been described
as a distinct species under the name of " Trochus Lyonsii ;" and besides
this there are in our Bay two varieties ; in one the whorls are slightly
concave, and the base is covered with the circular impressed striae ; in
the other the whorls are even, and there are only two or three striae at
the pillar, and two near the margin, leaving the intermediate space per-
fectly smooth. Operculum thin, round, and circularly striate.

Snail of a more or less deep brown colour, which is often disposed in patches
or irre^lar streaks, covered with small tubercles, and furnished on each
side with four slender retractile filaments, originating from a free mem-
branous border that garnishes the sides, the back concave and smooth :
mouth shortly proboscidiform, furnished with two small corneous jaws :
tongue lon^, linear, armed as usual wifeh minute prickles arranged in
regular series : tentacula setaceous, pale, quadrangular, with a dusky
line along the upper angles, and rough with minute papillae when viewed
through a good magnifier : eyes on distinct pedicles at the external
bases of the tentacula : margin of the collar crenate or sinuate : foot ob-
long, tapered posteriorly, the margin crenulate, the disk straw -yellow,
more or less tinted with red or flesh-colour. The edges of the foot can
be brought together so as entirely to conceal its disk.

** Base umbilicate.

2. Tr. cinerariuSy shell conical, obtuse, yellowish or bluish-grey,
with numerous narrow purplish stripes ; whorls six, flat, spirally
striate ; the base flattish and the umbilicus deep ; aperture white,
perlaceous, subquadrangular. Diam. of base ^^ or xn^^s; height
the same. JDillw. Rec. Sh. 779.

Hah. Between tide marks, very common.

The spire is more or less raised, the suture more or less distinct, the base in
some more 'deeply striated than in others, and the umbilicus in young
shells wider than iu the old, in which it is almost obliterated ; but among
these varieties there are none with characters sufficiently marked to jus-
tify their elevation to the rank of species. Operculum circular, horny,
thin, concentrically striate, with a membranous border.

The body and tentacula of the snail axe finely marked with black transverse
lines, which become reticulated on the sides : tentacula two, slender,
setaceous : eyes on distinct footstalks at the external base of the tenta-
cula : mouth striated with black lines, armed with a pair of oblong
pointed cartilaginous jaws, and a ribbon-like tongue roughened with
acute prickles set in transverse curved lines : sides of the body furnislied
with a ciliated membrane, underneath which protrude several long ten-
tacular filaments, which issue from tubular sheaths, and are retractile :
foot elliptical, yellowish, the margin fringed with very short fleshy fila-
ments, visible only with a magnifier. Our children call the shell Silver-
buckies or Silver- Willies: they do not eat the snail.

During the summer we often find a spawn on the fronds of sea- weed deposi-
ted in the form of a small ring, and of a cream colour. I believe this to
be the spawn of Tr. cinerarius. The ring is gelatinous, firmly adherent,
and contains innumerable ova, each separately laid in the centre of its
own gelatinous vesicle.

OASTEROPODOUS MOLLUSCA OP BERWICKSHIRE. 265

3. 7. tumidust shell conical, obtuse, greyish-white mottled with
darker spots or lines, spirally striated ; whorls six, flattened on
the upper margins, the superior minute ; base convex ; umbiHcus
small ; aperture roundish. Diam. to^hs ; height y'^^ths. Flem,
Brit. Anim. 322. Tr. patholatus, Dillw. Rec. Sh. 776.

Hah. Berwick Bay, roro.

4. T. Margarita^ shell depressed, subglobular, flesh-red and clouded,
iridescent, smooth ; spire lateral, of four whorls, the apex obtuse ;
base rounded ; umbilicus small; aperture round, perlaceous. Diam.
|th. Ghay^ in Zool. Journ. ii. 667. Helix Margarita, LasTcey,
in Wern. Mem. i. 408. tab. 8. fig. 6. Turbo Margarita, Lowe,
in Zool. Journ. ii. 107. tab. 5. fig. 10, 11. Flem, B. Anim. 299.

Hab. On the fronds of sea-weed, not uncommon.

This pretty shell is glossy, and in some lights reflects metallic colours : it is
smooth, or only marked with the striae of growth, but the base has some
faint impressed spiral striaB. Tentacula two, slender, white, setaceous,
with the eyes on a pedicle at their external base : foot ovate with plain
margins : sides furnished with tentacular filaments, four on each side :
margin of the cloak between the tentacula rounded and beautifully cre-
nulate. When the animal is in motion the shell is placed laterally.

The snail is active and quick in its progression, moving by very evident un-
dulations of the foot. It adheres to smooth surfaces less tenaciously
than most snails do, and is easily shook from its hold ; nor does it seem
to be so readily alarmed. When in confinement, it rarely leaves the
water entirely ; and it swims in a reversed position, but seldom, and
with much less than its usual freedom. It lives naturally at low water-
mark, and is usually found among the roots or on the frond of Laminaria
digitata, or perhaps still oftener on the dulse (Bhodomenia palmata),
which is probably a favourite food.

9. Natica. Ad ANSON.

Shell globose, smooth, the body-whorl very large, and the spire
small ; aperture lunated, the pillar-lip oblique, toothless, with a callus
more or less concealing the umbilicus ; outer lip acute, plain ; operculum
homy. — Zoophagous.

1. JV. monili/era, shell subglobular, smooth, greyish tinged with
brown, and a row of brown waved stripes along the tops of the
whorls ; whorls six, the body very large, obscurely angled on the
shoulder ; spire somewhat produced, oblique ; umbilicus deep, open,
obscurely striate. Length l^'Sths; breadth 1 inch. Lani. Anim.
s. Vert. vi. ii. 200. N. glaucina, Flem. Br. Anim. 319. Nerita
glaucina. Fen. Brit. Zool. iv. 344. tab. 90. fig. 1.

Hab. Ross sands.

The waved oblong spots which run up the shell at the base of the sutures are
concealed or obscured in recent specimens by the thin glaucous epider-
moid covering. The umbilicus is not contracted by a deposition of callua,
and is spirally striated ; pillar white, thickened ; outer lip thin, eren.

266 DR JOHNSTON'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE

with a brownish margin ; throat brown. Operculum homy, thin, ear-
shaped, turned spirally at the inferior and inner margin, whence fine
stricp diverge to the circumference.
The animal buries in sand at the very lowest recess of the tide, and is dis-
covered by the little hillocks which it raises above the shell. Dr Gould,
in his valuable and elaborate "Report on the Invertebrate Animals of
Massacliusetts,'* p. 232, asserts that the Naticae are all very voracious,
and play a conspicuous part in devouring the dead fish and other animals
which are thrown up by the tide. The small circular holes with which
bivalve shells are often drilled are also, according to Dr Gould, the work
of these snails, and made by them to gain an entrance to the animal ap-
parently so well secured against such a foe. Then- foot is very large, so
as -completely to envelope the objects on which they prey.

'2. N. Alderi, shell subglobular, smooth, flesh-coloured with a white
^zone at the sutures and base, the body with five rows of arrow-
shaped brown spots, one continued round the base of the lesser
whorls ; spire small, slightly produced ; umbilicus partly covered
by callus and brown. Length ^^gths ; breadth about ^'ot^s. Forbes,
Faun. Mon. 31. Nerita glaucina, var. B. Turt. Conch. Diet. 125.
Hogg, in Lin. Trans, xiv. 320. tab. -9. fig. 3-8.

Hub. Berwick Bay, occasionally found in the refuse of fishing-boats.

Operculum semilunate, horny, with a narrow membranous edge. The white
band on the shoulder of the body -whorl, under the suture, is occasionally
obscure or obsolete. A brown narrow fascia always enters within the
■umbilicus, and the callus, on the pillar above it, is more or less tinted
with the same colour,

S. iV^. helicoides, shell ovato- conical, smooth, white, immaculate,
coated with a yellowish epidermis ; whorls five, rounded, separated
by a channelled suture ; the spire produced, rather obtuse ; aper-
ture pure white with a small fissure on the pillar. Length ^^gths ;
•breadth scarcely Yoths. Lyell in Phil. Mag. for May 1840, p.
a65, fig. 12.

Hah. Berwick Bay, very rare.

This new species was found in the refuse of one of our fishing-boats. "When
the epidermis is removed, the whorls appear to be very finely striolate
in a spiral direction.

This shell, which departs from the normal form of the genus, Mr Lyell finds,
in a fossil state, in the '* Norwich crag," when it appears to have been
much more abundant than in our present sea. Mr Lyell has given an
excellent figure of it, which will correct the faults of our own. In habit
Ihe species is closely allied to the Natica canaliculata of Gould. See his
Report, p. 235, fig. 161.

I found, some time since, among the refuse of a fishing boat, a specimen of a
Natica which appears to be identical with the Natica olaucinoides of
my friend Dr Thomas Thomson (Rec Gen. Science, i, p. 133.), and which
Mr Alder tells me is certainly the Nat. clausa described by Mr Smith
as a fossil found in the pliocene deposits of the British islands. I cannot,
however, affirm that the species still lives in our Bay, for the shell was
dead, and presented the same appearance as the subfoseil specimens.

10. TURRITELLA. LaMARCK.

Shell turreted, tapered, with numerous whorls, the last not much

6ASTEROPODOUS M0LLU8CA OF BERWICKSHIRE. 267

larger than the penultimate ; aperture round, the margin disjoined on
the body-whorl, thin ; operculum circular, homy. — Zoophagous.

1. T. terehra^ shell white or pale brown, spirally ridged with fine
decussated strise in the interstices ; whorls from twelve to sixteen,
rounded, tapered to a point ; aperture round, the outer lip very
thin. Length 1 ^ inch ; breadth ^^ths. Flem. Br. Anim. 302.
Turbo terebra, Linn. — P&nn. Brit. Zool. iv. 308. tab. 84. fig. 4.
Hah, Ben^iek Bay, in deep water.

11. LiTTORINA. FeRUSSAC.

Shell oval, rarely subglobular, thick, the body-whorl occupying at
least one-half of the length, non-umbiKcate ; aperture roundish, the
margin sharp-edged, disjoined on the body ; pillar flattened ; opercu-
lum horny, with iew volutions increasing rapidly in width, its nucleus
lateral.

1. L, littoreay shell ovate -acute, thick, spirally striated, greyish with
numerous brown spiral lines ; whorls six, nearly even, the su-
perior small and ill defined; pillar white, the throat brown.
Length ly^ths; breadth j^^ths. Turbo littoreus, Lin. — Dillw.
Rec. Sh. 817. Flem. Br. Anim. 29a

Hah. Berwick Bay, very common between tide marks.

In our bay L. littorea is subject to very little variety, but it occasionallj oc-
curs of a uniform hyacinth-red colour. The outer lip before maturity is
thin, and marked with dark scores, but it ultimately grows thicker and
white. The operculum is homy, ovate, pointed above, darker coloured
and spirally twisted near the centre, the margin thin and membranous.

The animal is beautifully marked with black spots and lines disposed trans-
versely, and forming a sort of network on the sides. Mouth shortly
proboscidiform, furnished with a pair of triangular thick subcomeous
jaws, and a narrow ribbon-like tongue rolled up spirally, and when ex-
tended upwards of an inch long : it is marked across with numerous
denticulated strise, and has a broad membrane at the base. Tentacula
two, dorsal, tapered, somewhat compressed, contractile, spotted : eyes
small, inserted into an indenture near their dilated bases : cloak with a
plain continuous pale-yellow margin : branchise in a single long pec-
tinate process adnate to the left side : rectum on the opposite side, large,
with a prominent narrow orifice. Sexes separate ; the penis of the male
originating under the right tentaculnra, large, tapering from a broad base
to a point, a little compressed, retroflected. Foot white, oval, short, with
plain maigins. I have seen a specimen in which the tentacula were di-
vided into two branches.

The snail, when washed and boiled, is eaten by children, and sometimes by
the common people. Of late years great numbers have been exported
from our coasts to the London market, where they find a ready sale: —

** The periwhdcUy prawn, the cockle and the shrimp,
For wanton women's taste or for weak stomachs bought !"

Draytox.

2. L. rudisy shell ovate, ventricose, obscurely striated in a spiral
direction ; whorls five, rounded, well defined by the suture ; pillar

268 DR JOHNSTON'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE

and margin of the lip whitish, the throat brown or purple. Length
I'^ths; breadth ^^ths. Turbo rudis, Flem. Br. Anim. 298.

Var. a. Shell of a uniform pale dusky yellow, the spiral striae
impressed. Turbo rudis, Mont, Test. Brit. 304. Maton and
Racket^ in Lin. Trans, viii. 159. tab. 4. fig. 12, 13. Lam,
Anim. s. Vert. vii. 49.

Var. b. Shell a uniform flesh-red, the spiral striae often raised.
Turbo rudissimus.

Var. c. Shell a uniform purplish red, the spiral striae raised
into sharp ridges. Turbo jugosus, Mont. Test. Brit. p. 586.

Var. d. Shell white or with two dusky bands, the spiral striae
elevated into ridges. T. jugosus, var. Mont. loc. cit.

Hah. On rocks at high-water mark or above it, abundant.

This never attains one half the size of the preceding, and is certainly a very
distinct species, clustering in myriads in crevices of rocks at or above
the highest tides, and very rarely descending to the zone of the common
wrack (Fucus vesiculosus), which is the favourite walk of L. littorea.
All the Varieties are to be found intermixed, but many excellent natur-
alists consider those on which the striae rise into ridges as distinct from
the smoother kind, an opinion which I do not adopt, believing that this
character may be dependent partly on age and partly on differences in
the external influences to which they have been exposed. The animal
is not streaked and spotted, but of a uniform colour with a dusky line
along the outer side of the tentacula ; and it is, as Mr Boys first stated,
viviparous, the females carrying their innuiuberable young, immersed in
a cluster of jelly and arranged in transverse rows, within the branchial
cavity, where they may be found at all seasons. The penis of the male
is very large, retroflected, linear-oblong, compressed, serrulate on the
outer side. Copulates in November ; and very small individuals may
be found in sexual union at this period of the year.

3. L. saxatilis, shell subglobose with a small raised spire, regularly
chequered with square spots on a white or yellow ground, spirally
striate or grooved ; whorls four, rounded, the body very large ;
aperture dark purple with a pale margin. Diam. 2 lines. Bean.

Hah. On rocks near low-water mark, which are bare of weed but covered
with Balani.

Captain Brown, in his Illustrations of Conchology, has given, in plate 46,
two figures, No. 7, 8, of a variety of Turbo littoreus, which seem to have
been drawn from specimens of this species, but of a much larger size
than any I have seen. If a variety, it certainly does not belong to the
L. littorea but to L. rudis, with which it is found occasionally inter-
mixed ; but Mr Bean and Mr Alder, both very experienced concholo-
gists, consider it distinct. The latter remarks : — " It is not uncommon
on rocks between high and low water mark, and in (Avhat I take to be)
its full ^own state, has the margin of the aperture nearly continuous,
with a sught depression behind it. There is a black variety of it which
is very similar to T. tenebrosus ; but the latter species, so far as I know,
is never found on rocks, but always in muddy estuaries."

4. L. petrceay shell conical, the body ventricose and larger than the

OASTEROPODOUS MOLLUSCA OF BERWICKSHIRB. 269

pointed spire, glossy-black, smooth ; whorls five, almost even ;
aperture roundish, uniform dark glossy purple, the lip thin, the
pillar rounded below, flat, and brought to an edge. Lengths f^ths ;
breadth j^^ths. Turbo petrseus, Billw, Rec. Sh. 820. Helix
petrsea, Mont. Test. Brit. 403.

JJdb. On rocks at high water mark, not commopi.

The colour of the shell is frequently obscured with extraneous matter, but its
total want of spiral stria; suffices to distingiiish it from all the preceding,
were the other characters less discriminative than they really are, for
this is a very distinct species. The base of the body -whorl is often white.
Snail black with setaceous white tentacula, the eyes at their swollen
bases : mouth proboscidiforra, and, during its progress in water, the ani-
mal is continually protruding and retracting the ton^e ; foot short, broad«
plain, very obtuse behind, pellucid white with a milk-white band across
the front.

5. X. neritoideSf shell subglobular, variously coloured, smooth or very
faintly striated ; whorls five, those of the spire small and depress-
ed ; throat of the aperture brown, the pillar pale. Length j'^ths;
breadth f'oths. Forbes, Faun. Mon. 19. Nerita littoralis, Penn,
Brit. Zool. iv. 346, tab. 90. fig. 3. Dillw, Rec. Sh. 989. Turbo
retusus et neritoides, Lam. Anim. s. Vert. vii. 48.

Hob. Berwick Bay, between tide marks, common.

The colour of the shell is commonly yellowish-brown, olive, or jellow, plain
or banded, but many specimens are purplish-brown and prettily tesselated.
These are reckoned by some to be a distinct species. The animal is
essentially the same with L. littorea, but of a yellowish colour and un-
spotted, excepting a few minute specks on the sides and under the right
tentaculum. Penis with a longish suddenly acuminated point, and the
outer side of the broad part is roughened with granulations arranged in
three rows.

On the 26th of Nov^mbc^ 1835, w hich was a fine day for the season and
rather warm, and which had been preceded by two or three weeks of
wet stormy weather, I visited our shore, and found that the animals were
very active, creeping about with the head and tentacula more than usually
protruded. From their unusual activity, and a certain indescribable bustle
about them, my curiosity was roused to a more attentive examination,
and I soon ascertained that they were busied in the great work of pro-
creating their race. Several pairs were detected in connection, the male
resting on the shell of the female : the yellow were coupled indiscrimi-
nately with yellow or with the olive coloured, and sometimes a small
immature one with one full grown and aged.

This species is oviparous, and the spawn is deposited in spring on sea- weeds,
particularly on Fucus vesiculosus and serratus, in roundish gelatinous
masses about half an inch in diameter, and studded over with the im-
bedded ova. These lie without any certain order in the common mass,
but each has its own separate cell, of a sub-hexangular figure ; and in
the centre of the individual eggs, the young are perceptible, like in every
respect to their parent.

6. L. Ulvay shell conical, rather thick, yellowish-bix>wn, smooth;
whorls seven, nearly flat ; aperture ovate, reflected on the pillar
forming a slight fissure at the b^e. Lenth §ths. Turbo LTlvse,

270 DR JOHNSTON'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE

Penn. Brit. Zool. iv. 299. tab. 89. fig. 7. Cingula Ulva), Flein.
Brit. Anim. 308. Paludina Ulvse, Forbes, Faun. Mon. 18.

Hab, Muddy inlets. Shore below Beal, browsing on the Salicomia. Holy
Island. Near Warren Mill.

The lip is often reflected on the pillar as in some Rissoae. Snail blackish ;
mouth proboscidiform, slightly bilobed ; tentacula tapered with a dark
ring at the tips, the eyes near the thickened base and external ; foot
rather short, raunded behind, truncate in front ; pale with a yellowish
tint, the margins plane. Can float at the surface in a reversed position.

12. Lacuna. Turton.

Shell conoid or somewhat globular, thin ; aperture roundish or oval,
with the lips disjoined ; pillar flattened, with a longitudinal groove ter-
minating at the upper end in an umbilicus : operculum horny, thin.

1, L, pallidula, shell subglobular, ventricose, thin, subpellucid, yel-
lowish horn colour ; whorls four, the spire depressed with minute
but w«ll-defined whorls ; aperture wide, lunate, the pillar white,
and the umbilicus large. Diam. ^I'^o^hs. Turton in Zool. Journ.
iii. 190. Nei'ita pallidula, Dillw. Rec. Sh. 986.

Hab. Berwick Bay, on the leaves of Fuci near low- water mark, frequent.

Animal yellowish, unspotted : tentacula two, setaceous, the eyes at their
outer base, small, prominent : mouth shortly proboscidiform : foot oval,
obtuse posteriorly, plain : operculum homy, lunate, spiral at the base.

2. L. vincta, shell ovato-conical, subpellucid, smooth, with six round-
ed whorls, the lower faintly striated and marked with four brown
bands, two of which are continued up the spire ; aperture subor-
bicular, the pillar rounded, with a narrow groove and perforation.
Length ii^^ths, breadth ^'gths. Turton in Zool. Journ. iii. 192.
Turbo vinctus, Mont. Test. Brit. 307, tab. 29. fig. 3.

Hab. On the leaves of Fuci about low-water mark, common.
The following varieties have occuned in our bay : —

(a) Shell thickish, the spire depressed, the body with only two narrow dis-
tant bands.

(b) Shell with the spire depressed, and three bands of a pine r«d colour on
the body, the middle one broad. These two varieties belong to the L.
quadiifasciata of Turton, or Turbo quadrifasciatus of Montagu, Test Brit
328, tab. 20, fig. 7-

•<o) Shell of a very pale rose colour without bands.
\d) Shell of a uniform yellowish-horn colour.
In all the body-whorl is obscurely angulated near the base, and at the suture,
which is made more obvious by a whitish band winding up the spire.
The snail is of a pale flesh colour, the proboscidiform mouth reddish-
orange, the sides, and sometimes the head, dusky or black : tentacula
setaceous, contractile, the eyes on short pedicles at their base : foot oval,
rounded at both ends, widest behind, the anterior end capable of being
extended considerably beyond the head, the margins plain, but there are
two very short filaments between the hinder part and operculum. It
swims on the surface in a reversed position, and it frequently leaves the
water to settle on the surface of fuci exposed to the atmosphere.

6ASTER0P0D0U8 MOLLUSCA OF BERWICKSHIRE. 271

3. L. crassioTy shell conical, thickish, covered with a yellowish epi-
dermis raised into numerous transverse plaits ; whorls six, round-
ed, angulated at the suture and at the base of the body ; aperture
white, the pillar narrow, with a slight perforation. Length /oths ;
breadth nearly ^'{(ths. Turton in Zool. Journ. iii. 192. Turbo
crassior, Dillw. Rec. Sh. 820. Flem, Brit. Anim. p. 299.

Hab, Berwick Bay, rare.

13. BissoA. Freminvillb.

Shell conical or turreted, the body-whorl larger than the succeeding ;
aperture round or oval, the margin even, continued round the body-
whorl ; operculum horny.

1. R. striata^ shell cylindraceous, obtusely pointed, light brown, with
six rounded whorls strongly striated in a spiral direction ; aper-
ture suborbicular, pointed above. Length Jth. Turbo striatus,
Adams y in Lin. Trans, iii. 66. tab. 13. fig. 25. 26. Mont. Test.
Brit. 312. Cingula striata, Flem. Br. Anim. 307. R. communis,
Forbes, Faun. Mon. 17.

Hab. On Fuci between tide marks, frequent.

Snail with white filiform tentacula, the eyes sessile at their base ; foot linear-
oblong, with plain margins. There are often one or two pale yellowish
spiral bands on the body of the shell ; and the whorls are frequently
nbbed across, the ribs on the body disappearing before they reach the
middle, and sometimes only to be traced in a nodulous line along the
suture. Worn specimens from shell-sand are smooth and white, with
the yellowish bands more distinctly visible.

2. B. interruptay shell conical, pellucid, smooth, with five flattish
whorls marked with oblong brown spots crossing the upper half,
and a spiral band at the base of the body ; aperture suborbicular.
Length |th. Turbo interruptus, Mont. Test. Brit. 329. tab. 20.
fig. 8. Cingula interrupta, Flein. Br. Anim. 308.

Hab. Very common between tide marks.

There is a variety of this shell without any spots, but with a white band in
the middle of the body-whorl and winding up the spire, though less dis-
tinct there. The snail is an active creature, and can swim on the surface
of the water in a reversed position like the aquatic pulmoniferous mol-
lusca. The tentacula are long, filiform, white, the eyes at their base and
sessile ; head bilobate ; foot white, linear-oblong, plain, free anteriorly,
and capable of considerable elongation, the anterior portion divided from
the posterior b^ a band distinguished by a difierence in its colour, and
on each side of it there is a sort of fin or fold of an oblong shape.

3. R. semistriatay shell conical, pellucid, white, with two rows of
brown spots on the rounded whorls, which are spirally striate ;
whorls six ; aperture suborbicular. Length ^^oth. Turbo semi-

i72 DR Johnston's descriptive catalogue of the

striatus, Mont. Test. Brit. Sup. 136. Cingula pulchra, Johnston
in Edin. New Phil. Journ. Juno 1828, p. 80.

Hab. Berwick Bay, very rare.

This differs from the preceding in being broader in proportion to its length,
in having two rows of oblong spots on the body and second whorls, in
being marked spirally with faint impressed spiral stria?, and in the whorls
being divided by a deeper suture. I have referred the species to the
Turbo semistriatus of Montagu on the authority of my valued friend
Mr Alder.

4. R. parva^ shell conical, light-brown, with six rounded whorls
ribbed across, the ribs smooth, obtuse, and rather numerous ;
aperture roundish, with thin and slightly reflected lips. Length
two lines. Turbo parvus, Mont. Test. Brit. 310. Cingula parva,
Flem. Brit. Anim. 306.

Hab. Berwick Bay, rare.

The ribs are strong, equidistant, and scarcely interrupted at the suture, but
they terminate abruptljr on the body-whorl in a faint spiral ridge. The
lower half of the body is smooth, and marked with a brown band.

6. It. alba, shell conical, whitish, banded with brown, smooth, glossy,

ribbed across the whorls, of which there are six, the apical ones

plain ; aperture roundish-oval with a slightly everted lip. Length

^i^th. Forbes y Faun. Mon. 16. Cingula alba, Flem. Br. Anim.

309.

Hab. Berwick Bay, rare.

Mr Forbes remarks that this is probably a variety of K. parva.

6. R. subulata, shell subulate, very smooth, white, with two brown
bands on the body winding up the spire at the suture ; whorls
nine or ten, flat, scarcely defined ; aperture ovate, pointed above,
white with a pellucid rim. Length /jjths. Turbo subulatus,
Dillw. Rec. Sh. 881. Phasianella subulata, Flem. Br. Anim.
301. Melania Donovani, Forbes y Faun. Mon. 15.

Hab. Berwick Bay, rare.

Besides the two bands about the middle of the body, the base is tinted with

the same colour. The inner lip is reflected on the pillar, and continued

round to the outer, as in other Kissoac.

7. R. reticulata, shell conical, strong, opake, yellowish blotched
with brown, cancellated with spiral and transverse striae ; whorls
six, rounded, defined by a deep suture, the apical ones smooth ;
aperture round with a slight perforation behind the pillar, the
lips plain, thickish. Length y^th, breadth one half the length.
Turbo reticulatus, Mont. Test. Br. 322. pi. 21. fig. 1. Cingula
reticulata, Flem, Br. Anim. 306.

Hab. In shell sand, rare.

GA8TER0P0D0US MOLLVSCA OF BERWICKSHIRE. 273

8. i?. costata, shell conical, white with a brown tinge, thick, with
six rounded whorls strongly striate in a spiral direction and ribbed
across, the ribs strong, many, somewhat wared ; aperture round-
ish, with a thick reflected crenulate rim, and a groove behind the
pillar. Length ^th. Turbo costatus, Mont. Test. Brit. 311.
tab. 10. fig. 6. Cingula costata, Flem. Br. Anim. 305.

Hab, Berwick Bay, rare.

14. Odostomia. Fleming.

" Shell conical ; aperture ovate ; peristome incomplete retrally, and
furnished with a tooth on the pillar." — Fleming.

1. 0. spiralis, " whorls five, the lower part of the largest striated
spirally ; the remainder of the shell ribbed transversely." Flem.
Brit. Anim. 310.

Hab. In shell sand from Ej^eniouth.

Shell conical, white, pellucid, the whorls five, flat, divided by a deep and
rather broad suture, transversely ribbed ; the body-whorl angulatcd to-
wards the base and marked with spiral ridges, the upper half crossed
with numerous plain fiattish ribs. Length one line ; breadth half its
length.

15. Skenea. Fleming.

Shell discoid, smooth, the whorls rounded ; aperture circular, the
margin united all round ; operculum circular, homy. Littoral.

1. S. depressa, shell depressed, corneous, flat above, widely umbili-
cate beneath ; whorls four, wrinkled across ; aperture circular, the
margins free. Diam. one line. Flem. Brit. Anim. 313. Helix
depressa, Mont. Test. Brit. 439. tab. 13. fig. 15.

Hab. On flat rocks between tide marks in Berwick Bay, in great profusion.

The shell is blackish when alive : operculum homy. Tentacula two, filiform,
white, rather short, the eyes at their external base, sessile ; mouth pro-
boscidiform ; foot short, tapered posteriorly, with plain margins. The
animal swims with great facility in a reversed position ; and in structure
appears to be almost identical with Kissoa.

16. VaLVATA. MiiLLER.

Shell spiral, horny, the spire discoidal or only slightly elevated, with
rounded volutions; aperture circular, with a continuous sharp-edged
rim ; operculum horny, spiral, its volutions numerous and close-set
Fluviatile.

1. V. piscinalis, shell globular with an elevated obtuse spire, cor-
neous ; the whorls four, rounded, finely wrinkled across ; aperture
circular, the margins free ; umbilicus deep. Diam. nearly fths.
Flem. Brit. Anim. 286. Turbo thcrmalis, Dillw. Rec. Sh. 852.

274 DR johnston''s descriptive catalogue of the

Hab. Slow streams and ponds. In the Tweed and Whiteadder near Berwick,
plentiful.

This shell is plentiful in the marl dug out of peat bogs. When living it is
of a pale-greenish horn colour, transparent and marked with a few dark
lines which shew the course of the intestine. The animal is white and
vivaceous, gliding along the bottom with its tentacula widely spread, the
posterior one projecting from under the upper angle of the aperture, or
swimming with ease in a reversed position on the surface. Mouth pro-
boscidiform, darker : tentacula three, setaceous, lateral : eyes sessile,
superior, at the base of the anterior tentacula ; near the posterior tenta-
culum there is occasionally extruded an elegant plumose appendage sup-
posed to be subservient to respiration : foot transparent white, oblong,
wider and rounded behind, in front produced on each side into an acutely
triangular process. Operculum horny, with circular striae.

2. F. criMata, shell depressed, corneous, with four whorls flat above,
the base widely and deeply umbilicate exposing the rounded whorls ;
aperture circular. Diam. 2 lines. Flem, Brit. Anim. 286. Turbo
cristatus, Dilhv. Bee. Sh. 883.

Hab. Ponds. In the Whiteadder near Berwick.

The animal is strictly aquatic, and never leaves the water even when con-
fined to a small vessel. It can creep along the surface with the shell
reversed. Behind the two anterior tentacula is a third, as in the pre-
ceding species, but the plumose appendage I have not seen, though the
animaJ has been kept for several days together to allow repeated exami-
nations. Eyes at the base of the anterior tentacula, rather prominent,
with a light areola. Foot bilobed in front, the lobes becoming triangu-
lar when fully extended, posteriorly rounded.

The Paludina achatina I have occasionally found on the shores of our
bay, having been brought in ballast from the Thames.

17. TORNATELLA. LaMARCK,

Shell oval or oblong, with a short rather obtuse spire ; aperture lon-
gitudinal, elongated, contracted above and widened below; outer lip
simple, acute ; pillar with one or more plaits.

1. T.fasciata, shell ovate, pale-purplish red, the body marked with
two distant white bands and spirally striated ; spire small, coni-
cal, of six whorls ; aperture white, the pillar with an oblique fold.
Length ^^ths ; breadth ^%ths. Lam. Anim. s. Vert. vi. ii. 220.
T. tornatilis, Flem. Br. Anim. 336. Voluta tornatilis, Billw.
Rec. Sh. 503.

Hab. Berwick Bay, very rare.

The striae are much stronger and wider apart at the base of the shell.

18. Stylifer. Broderip.

Shell thin and transparent, spiral with a produced apex ; aperture
somewhat ovate, narrowed above, with an acute sinuated lip : no oper-
culum.— Zoophagous.

GASTEROPODOUS MOLLUSCA OF BERWICKSHIRE. 275

1. S. globosuSy shell globose, yellowish horn-colour, transparent, quite

smooth ; whorls five ; the two lower ones very tumid, the three

terminal ones abruptly minute, produced. Length 1 line. Pha-

sianella stylifera, Turton in Zool. Journ. ii. 367- tab. 13. fig. 11.

llah. Berwick Bay, attached to the spines of Echinus escolentos, very rare.

19. Velutina. Fleming.
Shell subgloboso, covered with a distinct epidermis, the body-whorl
very large and the spire small, lateral ; aperture large, no pillar, the
margins acute, entire : no operculum. — ZoophagousP

1. V. liBvigata, sheW ampuUaceous, horn-coloured, roughish, spirally
striate, thin and subpellucid ; body-whorl very large, ventricose,
the aperture roundish ; spire depressed, of three minute whorls.
Length ^^jjths ; diam. nearly ^'^ths. V. vulgaris, Fleming in
Edinburgh Encyclop. xiv. 625. V. laevigata, Flern. Brit. Anim.
326. CrowZ<i'.» Report, p. 241, fig. 159. Helix laevigata, Dillw,
Rec. Sh. 971.

Uab. Beep water, not uncommon.

The shell is covered with a rough epidermis, and the striae constitute pro-
perly fine ridges which are crossed by others less distinct ; but when
the epidermis is removed by tossing on the shore, the surface becomes
smooth or faintly striolate, and the shell itself is then either pure white,
or pale rose-colour.

The animal is white and entirely fills the shell : tentacula two, tapered, short ;
eyes on an enlarged sjjace at the external base of the tentacula ; foot
oblong, short, with plain margins : cloak plain, entire ; above the cuter
tentaculum the male organ appears in the shape of a short thick obtuse
process.

20. Coriocella. Blainville.
Animal naked, gasteropodous ; cloak shield-like, sinuated in front,
overlapping and concealing the body ; head quadrangular and depressed
with the tentacula produced from the outer and anterior angles ; tenta-
cula two, conical ; the eyes sessile at their external bases ; penis ex-
trusile from the left side behind the tentaculum ; foot triangulate, trun-
cate in front, the margins plain. Shell earshaped, white, patulous.
1. C. tentaculata^ ** tentacula produced, filiform; the foot pointed
behind." Lamellaria tentaculata, Montagu in Lin. Trans, xi,
186, pi. 12, figs. 5, 6. Sigaratus tentaculatus, Flem. Brit.
Anim. 360.

Uab. In deep water among corallines, and under stones at low-water mark.
It is not uncommon on the shores of Holy-Island, and in autumn of
1840 was found in abundance in the Coves-Haven.

The »luff, when extended, is about three quarters of an inch long, of a circu-
lar or oval form, the back convex, roughish or granulous, of a wood-

B. N. C. NO. IX. U

276 GASTEROPODOUS MOLLUSCA OF BERWICKSHIRE.

brown colour, speckled with a few irregular reddish and yellow dots,
duskier in the centre, the margin of the cloak widely overlapping the
foot, deeply sinuated in front, and with an obscure emargination behind
The head is truncate with two white awl-shaped tentacula, which are
contractile and originate in the anterior angles, having the eyes, which
arc black and very distinct, at their external bases. The mouth is ter-
minal, furnished within the fleshy lip with small cartilaginous jaws, and
a long, narrow, linear, or riband-shaped tongue, roughened with spinules
arranged in regular series. Above the head, and under the cloak, there
is a large slit which leads to the branchial cavity, and the water of re-
spiration is conducted to this wide orifice by a short canal formed by a
fold of the cloak ; and it is this fold which produces the frontal sinuation,
for there is really no interruption in the margin of the cloak. Within
the cavity there lies retroflected the male organ of generation, which
seems very large in proportion to the animal : it is somewhat compressed,
obtuse, with a long point directed backwards. Foot oblong, truncate in
front, where it is opaque millf -white, the rest of it being watery white.
The space between it and the cloak is more or less tinted with black or
violet.

The shell is concealed and embedded in the cloak, occupying a dorsal and
central position. It is three lines broad and about five long, ear-shaped,
convex, milk'White, even and apparently smooth ; but, when looked at
through the ma^ifier, it is seen to be wrinkled by the lines of growth ;
spire depressed, small, consisting of a single whorl ; aperture very patu-
lous, oblong, the inferior margin someAvhat truncate, the pillar lip flat-
tened, and continued in a spiral form within the shell.

The creature creeps very slowly, and, when in progression, raises itself on the
foot, while, at the same time, the tentacula are extended to the utmost,
and protrude beyond the margin of the cloak : when at rest, they are kept
concealed under this their penthouse. It swims easily in a reversed
position at the surface, the foot being then made slightly concave. The
form of the foot is variable ; for sometimes the animal will expand it
until it becomes almost circular, or extend it until it forms an oblong
square obtusely pointed behind. When alarmed, the body is contracted
so that the edges of the cloak meet together on the ventral aspect, and
the foot is greatly narrowed. The eyes are proportion ably large, and are
visible from below, shining through the transpai-ent skin.

INDEX.

Abbey St Bathans, meteorological obser-
vations at, 126, 159, 169, 194.
Aconitum napellus, 157.
Actiniae or animal flowers, 8.
Amethyst, brown, 40.
Arvicola pratensis, 140,

■ riparia, 214.
Aspidium Thelypteris, 10.
A triplex erecta, 177.

rosea, 177.

Aurora borealis, 46, 127.

Babington, C. C, his additions to the
Flora, 176-178 ; his list of Insects,
81-82.

Baird, Rev. A., his address, 12-18 { on
the formation of Fairy-stones, 73-77 ;
on a Searbeach near Dunglass, 152-
154.

Baird, Rev. J., his annual address, 137-
144.

Baird, W., on Aurora borealis, 46-50,
and 127-131 ; on the Entomostraca of
Berwickshire, 95-100 ; on the Gordius
aquaticus, 23 ; on the Sea-tree, 115.

Balanus punctatus, 195.

Ball, the game of, 44.

Berwickshire Naturalists' Club, mem-
bers of, 2, 33, (]9, 106, 144 ; rules of, 3.

Berwickshire White-fisheries, 219-228.

Birds, notices of, 4-6, 14, 18-20, 66,
250-202.

Brown, Thos., on the Game of Ball, 44-
46.

Cephalopoda of Berwickshire, 107-200.
Chenopodium botryoides, 178.
Cinclus aquaticus, 20.
Cirrhipeda of Berwickshire, 63-64.
Clarke, Dr, his annual address, 161-168 ;

on Holy Island Priory, 111-114.
Comatula rosacea, 216.
Conchiferaof Berwickshire, 77-144, 213,

241-242.
Cowe, Rev. R., on the White-fisheries of

Berwickshire, 219-226.

Deilephila gallii, 40.

Donaldson, J. S., on remains of Red

Peer, 91 ; on a Tumolus at Cheswtck,

92.
Douglas, Dr, on cessation of flow of the

Teviot, 184-188.
Douglas, Dr F., his annual address, 243-
• 249 ; contributions to the Flora, 132-

133.

Entomostraca of Berwickshire, 95-100.

Embleton, R., his annual address, 6.'>-69 ;
notice of Larus minutus, 232 ; cata-
logue of Malacostraca podophthalma,
69-72 ; notice of Trigla laevis, 22-23.

Fairy-stones, an account of, 73.

Falco peregrinus, 21.

Fishes of Berwickshire, 6-7, 170-6.

Fleminia muricata, 15.

Flora of Berwickshire, contributions to,

9-10, 16, 29-32, 55-63, 68, 72-73,

132-133, 138, 140, 142-144, 145-161,

206-210.
Forster, W., on the Mountain Sparrow,

229.
Fuller's-earth from Maxton, 167.

Gasterosteus spinachia, 200.
Gordius aquaticus, 23.
Gull, little, 232, 245.
Gurnard, smooth, 22.

Haddock-fishery, 223.

Halichserus gryphus, 245.

Hardy, James, his contributions to the

. Flora, 206-210 ; his Coleoptera, 228-
229 ; on the Popular Rhymes of Ber-
wickshire, 21 7. N, B. — This paper is,
by mistake, ascribed to Mr Henderson.

Henderson, G., on the Proverbs and Po-
pular Sayings of Berwickshire, 119-
123 ; on its Popular Rhymes, 145 ;
on the Effects of Monkshood, 157.

Herling, the, 50.

Hemlaria glabra, 249.

Herring-fishery, 219.

Hirundo urbica, 18.

Holy Island Priory, Ul.

Hybrid, curious, 290.

278

INDEX.

Insects, notices of, 7-8, 66, 81, 93-94,
140-141, 180-181, 228-229.

Jardine, Sir "VV., his annual address, 101-
106 ; on the Herling, 60-52 ; on the
Parr, 82-84.

Johnston, Dr, his annual address, 4-12 ;
catalogue of Cirrhipeda, 63-64 ; of
Cephalopoda, 197-200 ; of Conchifera,
77-81 ; of Gasteropodous Mollusca,
233-241 ; and 263-276 ; of the Fishes
of Berwickshire, 170-176 ; of Pulmo-
niferous Mollusca, 154-156 ; of Zoo-
phytes, 107-108 ; his notice of the
Eagle Ray, 205 ; of Gasterosteus spi-
nachia, 200 ; of Natica helicoides, 69 ;
of Roman or rather British urns, 53-
55.

Knight, Rev. T.. his annual address, 179-
. 184.

Larus canuB, 19.

minutus, 232.

Larva of Blaps in the nose, 204.

curious aquatic, 202.

Lepidoptera nocturnal, 160.
Lestris Richardsonii, 34.
Linnsea borealis, 248.
tiithomarge, 158.
Lobster and Crab fishery, 227.

Maclaurin, R., on the Bivalved Shells of

Coldingham Bay, 241-242.
Mitchel, And., case of, 293.
James, on the Brown Amethyst,

40 ; on Shell-marl, 41.
MoUusca conchifera, 77, 144, 213, 241-

242.

gasteropoda, 233, 263.

pulmonifera, 154-156.

Myliobatis aquila, 205.

Natica helicoides, 69.

Oenanthe crocata, 55.
Ornithology of Berwickshire, 250.

Papilionidae, 8, 182.
Parr, the, 82.
Pemis apivorus, 109.
Pholas crispata, 140, 160.
Pinguicula vulgaris, 10.
Plumularia Catharina, 16.
Potamogeton plantagineus, 178.
Proverbs and Popular Sayings, 119, 123.

Reptiles of Berwickshire, 6.

Riddell, Rev. Thomas, his annual address.

211 ; on Metamorphoses of the Bdlan-
us, 195-197. d

Rhymes, Popular, l45, 210.

Rottbolia incurvata, 242.

Sandstell-fishery, 124.

Saxifraga hirculus, 9.

Scolopax major, 160.

Sea-beach near Dunglass, 152.

Sea^Tree, 115.

Selby, P. J., his annual address, 33-39 ;
on the Birds of St Abb's, 18-20 ; no-
tice of Deilephila gfdlii, 40 ; of the
Water-hen, 84 ; of Honey Buzzard,
109-110; of Scolopax major, 160; of
a curious Larva, 202-203 5 of Andrew
Mitchell, 203-204 ; of a hybrid be-
tween the black-cock and pheasant,
230-232 ; his Fauna of Twizel, 133-
1.36, 160 ; on the winter of 1 838, 188^
193 ; his Ornithology of Berwiclishire,
260-262.

Shells, bivalve, lists of, 77, 144,213, 241,

Sileue noctiflora, 178.

Sison amomum, 9.

Sparrow Mountain, 229.

Stickleback, 16-spined,200.

Teviot, cessation of its flow, 184, 20l.

Thomson, Dr R. D., on a mineral from
the Tweed, 26-27 ; the Eccles Regis-
ter, 27-28 ; on Tormentilla officinalis,
42-43 ; on the Strata of Berwickshire
and N. Durham, 85-90; analysis of
Fuller 's-earth from Max ton, 157 ; of
Lithomarge, 158.

Tormentilla officinalis, 42-43.

Trigla laevis, 22-23.

Turbot-fishery, 227.

Tusk, the, 214.

Twizel, Fauna of, 133-136.

Urns, Roman ? 63.
Villarsia nymphaeoides, 215.

Wallace, Rev. J., his Barometrical, &c.

observations, 126, 159, 1G9, 194-195.
Waite, W., on Sandstell-fishery, 124-

125.
Water-hen, 84.

White-fishery of Benvickshire, 219.
Winter, 1838, its effects upon animal

and vegetable life, 188.
Wryneck, the, 1 10.

Yunx torquilla, 110,
Zoophytes, Berwickshire

Vc-bV-'T/r/

108.