NOTES — ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. 25 



Henry VIII. two men of war, which afterwards fought against the Armada, were 

 built upon the spot where H. jenkinsl now flourishes, and for many years vessels 

 used to go regularly to Countess Weir. Between 1840 and 1855 there was a 

 trade between St. Petersburg and Finland and Topsham in hemp, tar, and 

 timber. Sandwich, too, in former times, imported timber from Cronstadt 

 (whence timber from Finland may also have been shipped), and from several 

 Swedish and Russian ports. Along the banks of the Thames (where H.jenkinsi 

 was first observed) timber has been unloaded from most parts of the world, and 

 certainly largely from Russia and Finland. The only ports then trading 

 mutually with two of our three English ports are Cronstadt (St. Petersburg) and 

 some Finnish ports along the Gulf of Bothnia. Though Topsham imported 

 timber from America, Mr. Adams could not find that Sandwich ever did so. 

 Sandwich, again, imported timber from Sweden, Norway, and Russia ; but he 

 could find no record of the same for Topsham. Mr. Adams thus sums up and 

 concludes from the above : " Now- the fact of the same foreign locality exporting 

 timber to three different English ports (the only known habitats of H. jenkinsiy 

 and that same foreign locality being the only one, as far as my information goes, 

 trading mutually with two of the three, seems a curious coincidence, and, 

 though by no means amounting to anything like a proof, forms a provisional 

 hypothesis. This hypothesis would be greatly strengthened if the shells were 

 found in any other of our ports which trade or have traded with Russia or 

 Finland, e.g.^ Newhaven and Wisbech, where I would suggest that search should 

 be made. And, lastly, it would vastly increase its probability if the species were 

 found to exist in some of the low-lying marshes along the Russian and Finnish 

 coast, which have been little explored, and are very desolate. ... It may be 

 remembered that the habitat of H. jenkinsi is slightly brackish dykes, such as 

 timber is likely to be stored in while waiting shipment." This species is so very 

 interesting to Essex naturalists that the above observations will be welcomed ; 

 and we shall be glad to have any remarks or criticisms on Mr. Adams' hypothesis 

 (which seems to be a workable one) from our local conchologists. — Ed. 



Freshwater Molluscs in Brackish Water.— Mr. L. E. Adams remarks 

 in the "Journal of Conchology" (vol. vii., p. 150, Jan., 1893) that Limncea peregra 

 is well known to exist and thrive in brackish water, and that he had found 

 Planorbis vortex and PL spiroybis in a very salt marsh at Dovercourt, near 

 Harwich. 



Sake's (commonly called "Snake's") Lane, Woodford. — Since my 

 note on this subject in the preceding number of The Essex Naturalist was 

 printed (vol. vi., p. 208), I have come on an earlier mention of the Sake family in 

 a Woodford Court Roll of 5 Henry IV. (1403-4). At that date the wives of 

 John Sake, senior, and John Sake, junior, are described as being brewers, and 

 for their shortcomings in that capacity, their respective husbands were mulcted 

 in 2d. each. John Sake, junior, himself incurred a like penalty, for an unscoured 

 ditch in Mottes lane ; and he is also charged with carrying off a house (amoveba/ 

 una;« domuwz) from the holding, which once belonged to Thomas-in-the-lane. 

 {^Rec. Off. Ccurt Rolls : 174/42.) — AV. C. Waller, Loughton. 



Correct Spelling of " Fowlness Island." — Some of the good people of 

 Camden's " Promontory of Birds or Fowls " are \ery properly protesting against 

 the official spelling, " Foulness," as being not only derogatory to their native 

 soil and hurtful to their feelings, but incorrect philologically and historically. 



