26o THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 



The Secretary gave notice, on behalf of the Council, that on and after the 

 1st of May next, the Head Quarters and Publishing Office of the Club 

 would be at the " Essex Local and Educational Museum of Natural History of 

 the Essex Field Club" {Passniote Edimrds Museum) The Romford High 

 Road, Stratford, Essex. 



The Meeting then broke up, and some Members of the party went to 

 Theydon Station, while others walked through the forest roads to Loughton. 



JOINT MEETING ON THE FOREST WITH THE 

 CROYDON NATURAL HISTORY CLUB. 



Saturday, May iqth, 1900. 



The main " idea " of this meeting was not onlv to welcome our friends of 

 the Croydon Club (of which our esteemed Hon. Member, Mr. W. Whitaker, 

 F. R.S., is President, and with whom we had a ramble last year in their own 

 County at Charlton), but also to make a commencement of the observation of 

 the Micro-fungi of the County, in accordance with the suggestions made by 

 Dr. Cooke in his paper, " Suggestions on the Collecting and Study of the 

 Minute Fungi of Essex " (Essex Naturalist, Vol. IV. pp. 28 — 39), and more 

 particularly by Mr. Massee at our last Fungus Foray (E.N. XI. pp. 166 and 

 196, where a list of suitable books tor the student was given). Mr. Massee 

 very kindly undertook to aid the observations of those Members wishful to 

 take up the study of these exceedingly interesting plants. Preliminary lists 

 will be found in former volumes ot our journal :— Ustilaginei and ^Ecidiomy- 

 cetes (by Dr. Cooke) in Vol I., pp. 184 — 186 ; Cryptogamic Flora of Kelvedon 

 (by Dr. Varenne) Vol. V. pp, 20 — 24 ; and the Discomycetes known to occur 

 were listed by Dr. Cooke in Vol. II., pp. i8g — 192. 



Mr. Massee acted as Referee on this occasion, and Mr. N. F. Robarts 

 and Mr. F. J. Tovvnend represented the officials of the Croydon Society. 



The large party met at Loughton Station at about 3 o'clock, and at once 

 started on an extended ramble through some of the most beautiful parts of the 

 Forest. It is unnecessary to describe the ramble, which was similar to many 

 others undertaken by the Club. The woods were most inviting in the fresh 

 loveliness of the Spring, and strangers to the forest were loud in their ex- 

 pressions of surprise and pleasure at the wildness and charm of a district so 

 near London. Collecting of botanical and microscopical specimens was 

 carried out during the afternoon. 



Mr. Massee reports that the species of Microscopical Fungi obser\-ed 

 during the afternoon were as follows . — 



Cenangium palveraceunt , Fries. On holly. 

 Ascobohis aenigineus, Fries. On horse-dung. 

 Ascophanus argentens, Bond. On cow-dung. 

 Pseudopeziza tri/olli^ Fckl. On living clo\er leaves. 

 Mollisia cinerea^ Karst. On dead wood. 

 Erinella nylanderi, Kehm. On dead nettle stems. 

 Dasyscyf'ha bicolor, Fckl. On dead branches of hornbeam, 

 D. nivea. -Massee, On dead v.ood. 



