THE ESSEX FIELD CHJB. 73 



Prof. Meldola said that the}- could not allow Mr. Fitch to retire from the 

 Presidential chair which he had so admirably filled for four years without 

 expressing their hearty appreciation of his services. Mr. Fitch had done his best 

 to make their Club a county club, and they had been more widelj' recognised 

 during his presidency than at an}' other period during the twelve years' life of 

 the Club. There were many points in Mr. Fitch "s remarks about which he should 

 like to speak, particularly the burning question of technical instruction, but 

 remembering the peculiar position of the Club with regard to that most important 

 matter he thougiit it would be best to imitate Mr. Fitch's reticence. Prof. 

 Meldola concluded by proposing a very hearty vote of thanks to the retiring 

 President for his constant and successful efforts to advance the interests of the 

 Club during his four years of office. 



The vote was carried amid hearty applause. 



Mr. Fitch thanked the members, and said, although he hoped that the past 

 four years had been years of progress, he looked upon the Club as being only in 

 a transitional stage, and he anticipated that further advance would soon be made. 



An Ordjnary Meeting (the 131st) was then held, Prof. R. Meldola, 

 F.R.S., Vice-Frcside7it^ in the chair. 



Dr. Lewis Jones, Mr. D. A. Pelly, and Mr. C. F. Rea, B.A., B.Sc, were elected 

 members of the Club. 



Mr. Wire read the list of additions to the Library, and asked for help by 

 means of donations of books and money. He stated that the library was already 

 of considerable value, that many books were awaiting binding, and the rapidly 

 accumulating pamphlets should be classified, and put into pamphlet cases. 



Mr. Walter Crouch e.xhibited two shells of a handsome scallop from Mauritius, 

 which has recently been described as a new species under the name of Pectm 

 crouchi, by Mr. Edgar A. Smith, F.Z.S. (An. and Mag. Nat. Hist., March, 1892). 

 The type which is in the British Museum Collection is somewhat smaller than 

 one of the specimens in Mr. Crouch's cabinet. This brightly coloured bivalve is 

 esfiecially remarkable for the deep ribs and delicate tubular structure of the 

 external surface of the shell. 



Mr. Crouch also exhibited, on behalf of Mr. W. Allen, a series of shells of 

 Helix virgata from Southend, and two shells of Limnwa aurjcularia, which were 

 taken in a pond at High Beach last year by Mr. G. K. Guch. 



He also exhibited a pair of claws, a portion of the vestigial hind limbs of the 

 Indian Python moliirus, taken by Mr. Allen from one of the eight specimens 

 found on the fith December in a ditch close by the Becklon Road Board School. 

 These pythons measured in length from si.x to eight feet. How they came there 

 is unknown, but Mr. Crouch opined that they had either escaped, or, being found 

 dead, had been thrown overboard from some vessel on her way up to the docks, 

 and had then been washed into the ditches. 



Mr. Walter Crouch, F.Z.S., read a paper entitled "Notes on Two Days' 

 Trawling and Dredging on the River Crouch." The paper was fully illustrated 

 by preserved specimens of the species observed, and by numerous drawings 

 and diagrams. [See p. 81.] 



In proposing a vote of thanks for the paper, Prof. Meldola said that such 

 work was very valuable as showing the extent of the riches of the marine fauna 

 of our coast and estuaries. It was remarkable that very little had been done in 

 this way by local societies. In this the F.ssex Field Club was setting an exaniplci 



