252 THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 



Mr. W. Cole said that the remarkable point about Mr. Massee's discovery 

 was, that this conspicuous fungus should have escaped the notice of all the 

 acute botanists who had for 21 years attended the Annual Fungus Forays of 

 the Club. It was possible that the recent extensive thinnings in the Forest 

 had somewhat altered the character of the soil, and that the resulting 

 conditions had proved more favourable for the Amanita than those previously 

 obtaining. 



The President, in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr. Massee, alluded to 

 the hypothesis of the deferred germination of the buried seeds of plants, as 

 being possibly analogous to the case of the Hymenomycete. 



The vote of thanks was carried unanimously. 



Mr. Charles H. Read, F.S.A. (Keeper of the Department of British and 

 Mediaeval Antiquities, British Museum) then gave a most interesting and 

 instructive Address on the subject of Local Archaeological Investigation He 

 urged the importance of such a society as the Essex Field Club making a 

 careful examination of the numerous prehistoric sites in the county. But in 

 conducting such explorations great caution was necessary. An earthwork 

 should be explored only by persons acquainted with the right methods of 

 working and the varied knowledge of the geologist, antiquary and ethnologist 

 was often necessary to conduct the enquiry on right lines and to correctly 

 interpret the results obtained. He advised the making of an archaeological 

 survey of the county, plotted down on a large scale map, as being one piece of 

 work well within the power of a local society. On it all barrows, mounds and 

 other indications of prehistoric occupation should be carefully marked down. 

 Then should these sites be threatened by the interference of the owners of land 

 or other persons, the opportunity should be taken by the Club, to make 

 explorations carefully and scientifically, so as to prevent the misfortune which 

 they had so often to lament of the destruction of prehistoric monuments with 

 no record of evidence from which their nature or period could be inferred. 



The lecturer alluded to the very interesting "Red Hills" of the Essex 

 Estuary lands, from which the series of specimens in the Museum had been 

 obtained by Mr. Cole. He thought that these remains should be investigated, 

 and suggested that the Society of Antiquaries might possibly make a grant to 

 the Club towards the expenses of exploration. 



Mr. Read referred to the great want of exact knowledge of the sequence 

 of the " Bronze Age " and the importance of gathering all the evidence possible 

 before it was too late to do so. Although he recognised the great value of 

 local Museums, he deprecated the establishment of a large number, because he 

 feared the interest in them would thereby be lessened by the diffusion of 

 objects which were best studied and appreciated when gathered together in 

 large collections. He also pointed out that it was not conducive to the 

 promotion of archaeological knowledge to keep in local Museums objects of 

 extreme rarity which had no relation whatever to other exhibits, it was 

 much better to send these to the National Museums, where perhaps such an 

 object would find a place among the larger series of antiquties, and even fill a 

 gap in a world-wide collection. 



The President, in proposing that the thanks of the Club should be given to 

 Mr. Read for his valuable and suggestive address, pointed out that historical 

 records, of the nature of local tradil ions, very often clung with great persistence 



