40 THF ESSRX FIELD CLUB. 



through the decease of his revered Mother. The members of the Chib desire 

 to make known to His Royal Highness that they, in common with all Her 

 Majesty's subjects, share in the universal grief which the demise of their 

 beloved Sovereign has caused throughout the British Empire." — January 26tlt, 

 igoi. 



The vote of condolence was seconded by Mr. Walter Crouch, F.Z.S., 

 Vice-President, and passed unanimously by the Meeting in respectful silence. 



The following were elected members of the Club : Mr. H. W. Lee and 

 Mr. Ernest Linder, B.Sc. 



Mr. F. C. Clark exhibited a small clay lamp, apparently of Roman make, 

 which had been found in a garden at Woodford. 



In the discussion that ensued it was affirmed that no evidence of Roman 

 occupation had yet been found at Woodford. Mr. Crouch referred to the 

 Roman remains at Wanstead. which had been described in the Archaologia. 



Mr. W. Cole exhibited a fine specimen of the true "Old English" 

 Pheasant, shot in the Forest by Mr Maitland, Jun., and kindly presented in 

 the flesh to the Museum by the Rev. J. Whitaker Maitland, Rector of Lough- 

 ton. Mr. Cole alluded to the rarity of this form of a well-known bird The 

 usually occurring pheasant of our coverts was generally considered to be a 

 hybrid between the true pheasant (such as the Loughton specimen) and the 

 Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant {Phasiantis torquatus). 



Mr. Cole also exhibited specimens of a dark variety of the Common 

 Brown Rat [Mus decnmanus) which had occurred very rarely in one set of out- 

 houses at Buckhurst Hill. It appeared to approach very nearly the form 

 described many years ago by Thompson as the Irish Rat [Mus hibernicus), but 

 which the best authorities now held to be simply a local melanic form 

 of the Brown Rat [M . decumanus). Mr. Cole showed specimens of the Brown 

 Rat, and the true Black Rat {Mus nittus) for comparison, and said that he 

 hoped to obtain more information and additional specimens of all the forms, 

 so as to be enabled to place a good series in the Club's Museum. 



Prof. Meldola, in presenting on behalf of the authors a copy of Prof. 

 Miall and Mr. Hammond's book on the Harlequin Fly, said that in 1897 

 at the Toronto meeting of the British Association he had had a most 

 interesting conversation with Prof. Miall on the subject of the study of the 

 life-histories of British insects. As this seemed a subject eminently fitted for 

 individual observers in local Societies, Prof. Miall had, at his request, brought 

 the matter before the Conference of Delegates of Corresponding Societies, 

 and his remarks had been published in the Report of the Conference for 

 that year. The monograph now laid upon the table was an excellent 

 example of the kind of work that was so much needed in this country, 

 and he (Prof. Meldola) hoped that the appearance of the book would 

 have the effect that its authors desired of stimulating research in a much 

 neglected field. 



Mr. J. P. Johnson read a paper entitled " Notes on Palaeolithic Imple- 

 ments from the Uphall Brickyard, Ilford, Essex." Mr Johnson exhibited 

 and presented to the Club's Museum the specimens referred to in the paper 

 (printed in present part, pp. 52-57). 



