of North Durham," it must be evident that it would be unpardonable to occupy time with what has been so well done by others.

In the church, which was first inspected, the only important additions since the Club's last visit, are two memorial windows in the chancel. One of these was erected by Mrs Jerningham to her former husband, Mr Mather of Longridge. The other is a tribute by Lady Marjoribanks of Ladykirk, to the memory of the noble Lord, whose death, within a few days of his elevation to the Peerage, created so painful a sensation in the County of Berwick, of which he was the Lord Lieutenant and Parliamentary representative. Within an inclosure in the church yard are some sculptured stones, which formed part of the older fabric. These are described by Mr Langlands in his Address (vol iv. of our Proceedings, p. 121), and lithographic sketches of them are contained in a subsequent part of the same volume. They are also noticed by our distinguished colleague, Dr John Stuart, in his magnificent work on the "Sculptured Stones of Scotland," (vol. ii., p. 20). And as the book is not generally accessible, I may be permitted to transcribe what he says regarding them. After stating that the church was founded by Egfrid or Ecgred, Bishop of Lindisfarne, from 830 to 845, who dedicated it to St. Peter, St. Cuthbert, and St. Ceolwulf, and that hither the bones of the last, who renounced the throne of Northumberland and became a Monk, were removed from Lindisfarne, Dr Stuart goes on

"Of the original church of Ecgred, or rather of its ornaments, there have been discovered at different periods in the church yard and adjacent grounds, some interesting remains. The greater part of these were found in 1833, in investigating the foundations of a building in the church yard, a few paces from the east end of the present fabric. They are now arranged in a sort of pyramid in the church yard, and the greater part of them seem to be fragments of broken crosses. They are of the same style of art as the fragments at Lindisfarne, and must be referred to Saxon times. In Dr Raine's

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opinion (p. 261) they are of the same date as the cross at Bewcastle." Dr Stuart continues, quoting from Raine's North Durham" (p. 259), "In addition to these valuable specimens of ancient art, Mr Lambe, a late vicar of Norham, discovered in his day among the same rudera at the east end of the church, a fragment of a stone (now lost), but belonging to the same period, on which, as he says, were cut the effigies of the three patrons of Norham church, St. Peter with the keys, St. Cuthbert, and St. Ceolwulf with a sceptre in his hand; each of these saints hath his head covered with a monk's cowl or hood (Flodden Field), p. 149, ed. 1809." "Mr Lambe," Dr Raine goes on to say, "must have been a fanciful antiquary. Hutchinson (Northumberland, ii., 25) gives a drawing of this stone, which completely disproves his statement. There are six heads in all, and the upper (Lambe's St. Peter with his keys) appears to be the Virgin with braided hair. The two below, instead of being clad in cowls, are each under a deep nimbus, and the inscription, IHS NAZARAIOS, which Hutchinson has incorrectly copied and was unable to decipher, still more clearly proves the mistake into which Mr Lambe has fallen." Of sixteen of these stones engraved for Dr Stuart's work, two only contain figures of human heads, and other two of animals.

In visiting the vicarage, great regret was felt at the absence on a continental tour of the accomplished vicar, who is one of our members. In the grounds are a wide-spreading walnut tree, and a Wellingtonia gigantea of remarkable size and symmetry. At Rosebank, the residence of the Misses Dickinson, much pleasure was derived from an inspection of the extensive collection of paintings of wild flowers, beautifully executed by Miss Margaret R. Dickinson, one of our honorary members. The same accomplished lady, having been at Holy Island two days previously, had discovered on the Ragwort caterpillars of the Cinnabar Moth (Callimorpha Jacobea), and had painted a specimen of them.

The route was next taken to the castle, where extensive repairs are in course of execution by the proprietor, Mr

Jerningham, with a laudable anxiety to arrest the progress of decay, without impairing the venerable appearance of the fabric. Round the base of the ruin were growing the gay Viper's Bugloss, the Plantago media, and the Scots Thistle. At the door of the keeper's house were several balls both of iron and stone, said to have been fired from cannon in the days of old. One of the stone balls, measuring about 18 inches in diameter, and asserted to have been discharged from the celebrated Mons Meg, was conjectured by a sceptical member of the party, to have formed, at no distant date, the topstone of a gate pillar. The "Monk's Well," at the foot of the rock on which the castle stands, afforded a refreshing drink of water. Further down the river, on the Scotch side, is another sacred spring called Holywell, which gives its name to an adjacent fishing shield. The walk along the banks of the stream was most enjoyable. The rocks are of Tuedian sandstone, of which there is an extensive quarry a little below the castle. Fine examples of false bedding occur among the seams occasioned during deposition by cross currents. These were, by not a few of the party, mistaken for real strata. Great profusion of the Common Tansy grows on the river banks, and in the river itself were many water plants, amongst which were several forms of Ranunculus fuitans; Potamogetons, nitens, lucens, pectinatus, and others; Anacharis Alsinastrum, &c. Skimming the surface of the water were two black-headed gulls.

Horncliffe Dean, the woodcut representation of which, in Johnston's "Botany of the Eastern Borders," is well known to botanists, was explored by some of the more active of the party. One of them thus describes it :-"The Dean is truly a delightful retreat. A deep and romantic dell is fringed on one side with grass and brakens (Pteris Aquilina), and on the steep bank to the right is covered with woody copses and many fine trees. A brook, which reminds one of Tennyson's poem, winds at the bottom of the hollow, laving the fronds of the ferns and the leaves of the luxuriant Eupatorium cannabinum, or hemp agrimony, with its pellucid

waters. The mass of vegetation is very rank, and the trees in some places are very much crowded; so much so that in one or two places we noticed young firs, fifteen and sixteen feet in height, standing leafless and bare, having died in the struggle for air and room, while their more fortunate neighbours were pushing a-head. On coming in sight of the old mill the scene was positively charming, so much of nature on every side. On our right is a gravelly scaur, on which is a rich growth of hazel, thorn, sloe, wild roses; and depending over the face of the precipice were festoons of ivy, flowering honeysuckle, and brambles, the line extending to the old mill, which is picturesquely situated between two treetopped rocks, suggestive of the happy line in Virgil's Bucolics

'Hinc altâ sub rupe canet frondator ad auras.'

On the left is a grassy brae, and a rocky precipice, on which is situated a farm steading--a corn stack just peering over the ledge. Above us is a magnificent elm, with beautiful spreading branches, and before us the stream murmurs down the valley, a silver thread in an emerald lawn. Passing the romantic-looking mill, which leaves only about four feet to spare to walk upon, a little cascade meets our view; and ascending the rock the mill pond lies before us, its banks fringed by a lavish profusion of summer verdure."

In boats, kindly placed at their disposal by Mr George Young, of Berwick, the members crossed the Tweed, and visited the old church yard at Fishwick. It is somewhat inappropriately planted up, to a considerable extent, with ordinary forest trees, and contains, besides some ancient tombstones, with the usual quaintly-spelt inscriptions, a mortuary chapel erected about the year 1835, as a family burial place, by the late Mr Macbraire, of Broadmeadows. While in the boats, attention was directed to the abundance of Anacharis Alsinastrum, which grew in the water. Mr Young informed us that within a few years this plant had increased to a great extent, having advanced up the Tweed at the rate of a mile in a year. When allowed to grow, it

obstructs the fishing, in consequence of which it is cut four times a year. A quantity of silt accumulates wherever the plant becomes established; and thereby places that once had a firm bottom are rendered treacherous and uncertain. Horses are very fond of it for food, and wade into the water as deep as the neck to feed on the plant.

Returning to England, the party made for Horncliffe House, the beautiful residence of Mr Thomas Allan, by whom they were most hospitably entertained at dinner. The following papers were either read, or received for insertion in the Club's Proceedings:-1. Vindication of Bishop Bek's disposition of Alnwick barony, by the Rev. Canon Procter, Doddington; 2. On ancient Fishwick, by Mr. Hardy; 3. On Horncliffe, by the same; 4. On the appearance of large numbers of the Manks Shearwater in the Frith of Forth, and the Ornithology of the Isle of May, by Mr Robert Gray. Some rare plants were exhibited. Mr Edward Allen showed some extraordinary long and densely fibrous rootlets of ash, which had penetrated and choked the water pipes at Alnwick. Mr J. B. Kerr exhibited an interesting collection of plants and other curiosities from Kerguelen's land and Magellan Straits, which had been sent by Dr. Alexander Crosbie, of H.M.S. "Challenger." A feature in the collection was the night butterfly caterpillar, the Arveto or Hotote of the Maories of New Zealand. The eggs are deposited in the wood of the hardest trees (iron-wood), and are hatched. The caterpillars on attaining maturity leave the wood, and bury themselves in the earth, previous to changing into the chrysalis state. The specimens were affected by the Sphærii Robertsiü, which grows from the anterior end. The natives eat the caterpillar, which is that of a moth, Charagria virescens.

The following new members were proposed :-Mr William Lyall, Librarian of the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle; William Topley, F.G.S., Government Geological Surveyor of Northumberland, Alnwick; Hubert E. W. Jerningham, Esq., of Longridge Towers; Dr Alexander Crosbie,