lOO THE COMING OF AGE OF 



sports, customs, beliefs and industries are worthy of record from 

 the anthropological point of view and many such contributions 

 have appeared in our pages. I give a selection of the more 

 prominent communications : — 



Mr. Joseph Clarke's paper in 1887 on the Saffron Plant in 

 connection with the name of Saffron Walden (Essex Natural- 

 ist I., 5) relates to an extinct industry. Mr. Harting's paper on 

 " Wild-fowl Decoys in Essex" relates to a sport and an industry 

 which is in its last stage in this country. An ancient sport is 

 dealt with in Mr. Harting's paper on " Hawks and Hounds in 

 Essex in the Olden Time" [Ihid. HI., 189) while the " Maze " 

 at Saffron Walden described by Mr. G. N. Maynard in 1889 

 {Ibid. 244), is of unknown origin and purpose. In ancient 

 histories of Essex many of the towns are described as being 

 celebrated for " Bays and Says." References to this extinct 

 manufacture are given by Major Bale for Colchester [Ibid. VI., 

 141) and the old " Bay and Say" mill at Dedham visited by the 

 Club in 1893 is figured in the account of that meeting {Ibid. 

 VII., III.) Accounts of extinct industries are contained also in 

 Mr. Laver's paper on " Potash-making in Essex " {Ibid. IX., ng), 

 in Mr. Lovett's papers on wooden fish-hooks {Ibid. X., 300 ; 

 XII., 28) which relate to the survival of an ancient industry, in 

 Mr. Miller Christy's paper on " Essex as a Wine-producing 

 County" {Ibid. XL, 34) and in Mr. Littler's "Notes on the 

 Hand-printing Silk Works at Waltham Abbey and West 

 Ham " brought under our notice last year [Ibid. XII., 43). 



v.— METEOROLOGY. 

 Although weather reports have from time to time been 

 recorded in our pages the Club has never attempted systematic 

 observations. In view of the activity and efficiency of such 

 central organizations as those established by the late Mr. G. J. 

 Symons and by the Meteorological Office it may fairly be doubted 

 whether local societies should be called upon to burden the 

 pages of their journals and to incur the expense of printing long 

 tables of readings of meteorological instruments. The most use- 

 ful work that such societies can do in connection with this 

 subject would rather appear to be the stimulation of local 

 observers and the establishment of local stations where required 

 for the purpose of supplying records to the central organization. 

 An excellent address having this object in view was delivered at 



