i8o 



THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 



The Crvptogamic and Botanical Meeting and Ordinaky Meeting. 

 Saturda}', November 4th, 1893. 



The usual " Fungus Foray" of the Club was held on this day, the headquarters 

 being the saloon at the King's Plead Hotel, High Beach, Epping Forest. 



The Hon. Secretaries were earl}- on the ground, and met Dr. Cooke at the 

 (hingford Station at 11 o'clock. The weather was changeable, although fine in 

 the afternoon. Members and friends were met wilh a two-horse drag on arrival 

 of the trains at Loughton, and specimens and micr«iscopes were taken up to the 

 inn. Probably fifty members and friends attendeJ the meeting. The saloon 

 formed an excellent exhibition room, and the tables were well filled with interest- 

 ing specimens. Rut fungi were exceedingly scarce, and the exertions of the 

 numerous collectors furnished but few specimens of fresh fungi for exhibition. The 

 late droughts and some recent sharp frosts had been most detrimental to the 

 growth and development of these delicate plants. But very few species of interest 

 were obtained, the credit of the day being only saved by the discovery by Dr. 

 Cooke of one species new to the Forest list, viz., Agariciis corticola^ which occurred 

 on trunks of trees in Monk's Wood. Mr. Barnard, of Woodford, brought up a 

 species foimd growing on rotten wood at that place, which Dr. Cooke subsecjuently 

 identified as Formes roseits, Fr., a plant not onlj^ new to the Forest but to Bri'ain. 

 Other species observed hardly call for special notice, and the specimens were in 

 most cases badly grown and damaged 1 13' the frosts. By persistent exertions, how- 

 ever, the numerous collecting parties working in Woodford, Fair Mead, High 

 Beacli, Loughton Woods, Monk Woods, etc., gathered a sufficient number ol' 

 species to form a fair show, and Dr. Cooke, Dr. Wharton, and other fungologist? 

 present gave much information to those willing to learn. 



Several large tables were well filled with speciniens of tioianical interest. 

 Among them may be noticed the following : — 



Messrs. H. and J. Groves showed a series of dried specimens of British 

 Umbelliferfe ; a noticeable feature was the way in which the larger specimens 

 were motmted on two or more ordinary herbarium sheets so as to piece together 

 into one, and thus give an adequate idea of the plants. The Essex rarities were 

 conspicuous — Bupleurtim falcatum^ Peuct'dauiim officinale., and Tordylium maximum. 



The veiy fine Herbarium of Marine Algoe of the Harwich district, presented to 

 the Club by Mr. G. P. Hope, of Upminster Hall. 



Mr. y. T. Powell — His herbarium of species of Rubi or Brambles, from Epping 

 Forest 



Dr. M. C. Cooke — Original drawings, bj' himself, of the British Desmids, after- 

 wards altered in size and arrangement and published in Cooke's " British Des- 

 mids " ; also a set of coloured plates illustrative of Cooke's " British Fresh-water 

 Algae." 



.1/;-. 11'. Cole — Specimens of some of the more uncommon plants of Essex, 

 presented manj^ years ago to the Museum by the late G. S. Gibson, author of the 

 " Flof'a of Essex "' ; also several small old herbaria from the Museum, containing 

 many rare species of British plants. 



Examples of the methods of putting up type-specimens of plants and animals 

 for instruction in village classes and for the educational series in the Club's 

 Museum. Prepared under the direction of Mr. David Houston, F.L.S. 



Mr. Sause and Mr. Oldham showed several cases of Insects of various orders, 

 many from the Forest districts. 



