THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 193 



The shelly clays of the Woolwich series, and the Oldhaven pebble beds, 

 are, however, better seen on the steep face at the east side of the hill, where 

 they abound in fossil shells. These are mostly in fragments, but by careful 

 search good specimens may be found. The most plentiful fossils in the 

 Woolwich beds are two species of Cyi'ena (C. cordata and C. cuneiformis), and 

 the turreted Gasteropod, Melania inquinata; another similar shell, Cerithium 

 funatum ; and a large species of Oyster (0. bellovacina) are also found. The 

 Oldhaven beds yield the same species, and some others, as Peotunculus plum- 

 stcadensis, and the Gasteropods, Melanopsis, Neritina, and Biiccinmn. 



A substantial tea at Old Charlton village formed a welcome termination 

 to the day ; some members of the party afterwards walked across the park to 

 Greenwich, under Mr. T. V. Holmes' guidance and hospitality. In the park 

 specimens of a dark race of Fallow Deer were much noticed, and reminded 

 the Essex visitors of the well-known deer of the Epping woods. 



VISIT TO FOWLNESS ISLAND, ESSEX. 



Saturday, July 22nd, 1899. 



Conductors : — W. H. Dalton, Esq , F G.S., Rev. R. H. Marsh, M.A., and 



the Hon. Secretaries. 



The Meeting was arranged to allow of Members visiting a very curious 

 district of the " Dane-land " of Essex, which is interesting from several points 

 of view. Fowlness Island is, however, difficult of access, and our arrange- 

 ments necessitated leaving home early in the morning in order to catch the 

 tide ; the members travelling down by the train arriving at Burnham at ten 

 o'clock. As the train approached North Fambridge, the sight of many 

 hundreds of acres of arable land under water, enabled the members to realize 

 the disastrous permanent effect of the great tide of November 29th, 1897. 



The early arrival enabled the visitors to spend some time in exploring 

 this pretty river-side village, so well known to yachtsman for the safe anchor- 

 age in the Crouch. Its pleasantness it may be feared is threatened by the 

 mistaken policy of the railway company in running excursion trains at 

 ridiculously cheap fares, and so bringing into the place people apparently 

 incapable of appreciating its quaintness and quietude. 



At about high tide {12 o'clock) the party embarked on the sailing boat 

 "Volunteer," and we steered for the Quay at Fowlness. It had been in- 

 tended to take a sail in the Crouch Estuary, but the absence of a favourable 

 wind forbade. 



Any dredging in the river was, of course, out of the question. A good 

 account (and probably the only one yet published) of the marine zoology of 

 the Crouch River is that given in the two papers by Messrs. E. A. Fitch and 

 Walter Crouch in the Essex Naturalist (vol. v., pp. 145-152, and vol. vi., 

 pp. Si-92). At Burnham, on the sea-wall, the large Isopod, Ligia oceanica, L. 

 was fairly common, but owing to its quickness in darting into the crevises of 

 the blocks of Kentish ragstone with which the wall is faced, it was difficult to 

 procure specimens At the Quay on Fowlness, a hunt was made amongst the 

 rejeitamenta on the edge of the tide for specimens of small molluscs, Melampus 

 (Coiioviiliis) sp. which Mr. Dalton reported as having been common when he 

 collected on the island some years ago, and a few specimens were obtained. 



An excellent cold luncheon had been carried in the boat from the " Royal 

 Hotel " — and was served in a very al fresco manner on temporary tables set up 

 by the waiters on the sea-wall ! 



