THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 273 



Yorkshire. To commemorate this fall an obelisk was put up on the spot, with 



the following inscription : — 



" Here, on this spot, December 13th, 17 >5, fell from the atmosphere an 

 extraordinary stone, in breadth 2S inches, in length 30 inches, and whose weight 

 was 56 pounds. This column in memory of it was erected by Edward Topham, 



I/99-" 1 



Plusia Moneta in Essex. — Mr. W. Cole exhibited a series of this beautiful 

 moth from his garden at Buckhurst Hill. The moth first appeared in England in 

 1890, and it was one of the most remarkable instances of a species spreading 

 across Europe on a southern migration. In about 50 years it has spread from 

 Russia across Central Europe to Holland, and then to England. It bids fair to 

 become common in south eastern Britain. 



Neolith from Pleshey. — Mr. Miller Christy exhibited, on behalf of 

 Alderman R. W. Christy, an exceptionally fine polished Neolithic Celt, found 

 by a shepherd boy at Pleshey. This implement will be described and figured in 

 the next part of the Essex Naturalist. 



Fire-steel. — Mr. Mothersole sent up for exhibition a "steel " of the " flint 

 and steel " period, of unusual shape, and noteworthy in the peculiar way in 

 which it had been worn from use. Mr. Christy made some remarks on this 

 specimen. 



Wooden " Smoother." — Mr. Mothersole also sent a curious wooden 

 object, concerning the nature and use of which some discussion arose. Mr. 

 Walter Crouch suggested that it was an implement formerly used in smoothing 

 down the flanges of lead in the old-fashioned leaden window-casements after 

 insertion of the quirries of glass. Mr. Hogg thought that it was either Scottish 

 or Scandinavian in origin, and that it was used by glovers and other leather- 

 workers for smoothing down the joints of the leathers after they had been sown 

 together. He put the date at the end of the 17 th or beginning of the 

 1 8th century. 



Human Skin on Church Door, — Mr. Guy Maynard exhibited a portion of 

 human skin taken from the door of Hadstock Church in 1791, and made some 

 remarks thereon. 2 



Object of Sandstone. — Mr. Guy Maynard also exhibited a curiously grooved 

 object of sandstone found with an urn, apparently of the Bronze Age, at Wendon, 

 Essex, the purpose and use of which was very obscure. Several suggestions 

 were made, but none seemed in any way satisfactory. The specimen is in the 

 Saffron Walden Museum. 



Paper Read.— Air. F. W. Rudler, F.G.S., read his report as delegate at 

 the meeting of the British, at York, (ante, p. 237-8). 



A vote of thanks was passed to Air. Rudler for his services in representing 

 the Club at the Conference and for his report. The meeting then closed. 



1 This meteorite is in the collection of the British Museum, No. 179 (Pane 4b. of Case). 

 —Ed. 



2 A paper by the late Mr. G. N. Maynard giving some very curious details of this 

 gruesome subject will be found in the Essex Naturalist, Vol. III., pp. 292-95, under the 

 title of " Human Skin Nailed upon Church Doors at Hadstock, Copford, and elsewhere." 

 See also Essex Naturalist, Vol. II., p. 124.— Ed, 



