THE ESSEX FII-.EU CLUB. 293 



THE ANNUAL CRYPTOGAMIC MEETING AND 



196TH ORDINARY MEETING. 



Saturday, October 6th, igoo. 



The " Fungus Foray" was held on this day in Epping Forest and was 

 very numerously attended. The meeting was an all-day one, and the Head- 

 quarters were established at the " Kings Oak " Hotel, High Beach. 



The Referees for Botany were Dr. M. C. Cooke, Mr. George Massee, 

 F.L.S., and Mr. R. Paulson. The arrangements were quite as usual at these 

 annual assemblies. A large well-lighted room at the Hotel with abundance 

 of table-space was reserved for the exhibition of specimens, and as a meeting- 

 place all day. The only innovation was one intended to give employment for 

 non-botanical attendants at the meeting. It was suggested that some atten- 

 tion should be paid to the species of Spiders occurring in the woods, and Mr. 

 F. O Pickard-Cambridge and Mr. Frank P. Smith (author of the e.xcellent 

 papers on the group now appearing in Science Gossip), kindly promised their 

 valuable aid. It was hoped that some members might be induced to take up 

 this very promising field of study. The only paper hitherto published by the 

 Club, is that in Vol. IV. of the Transactions (pp. 41-49), " A Contribution to 

 the Knowledge of the Arachnida of Epping Forest," by the Rev. O. Pickard- 

 Cambridge, M.A., F.L.S. A supply of small bottles and tubes, with spirits, 

 &c., was provided in the meeting room, and several persons, including Mr. 

 W. M. Webb, Mr. VV. Cole, Mr. Hildyard, with Mr. Pickard-Cambridge and 

 Mr. Smith, worked hard during the day to procure specimens, not without 

 success as the Report in the present part on the Spiders observed will show. 



The first party reached Loughton Station at 12 o'clock, and others 

 arrived throughout the afternoon, making their way to the woods in Honey 

 Lane Quarters and to Monk Woods, &c. Several members of the Selbourne 

 Society honoured us by attending the Meeting. 



Fungi were not very numerous in individuals, but as Mr. Massee's 

 report indicates, the gatherings, especially among the smaller species, 

 were unusually interesting. Some of the hunters were delighted to find the 

 pretty "Birds-nest Fungus" (Cyathus veinicosus) very commonly on twigs 

 among the fallen leaves in the woods in Honey Lane Quarters. 



At about six o'clock the party which had then greatly increased in 

 numbers, sat down to tea, the President, Mr. David Howard in the chair. 

 Among those present were Prof. Sylvanus Thompson, F.R.S., Mr. Horace T. 

 Brown, F.R.S., and Prof Meldola, F.R.S.. and Mr. John Spiller, F.C.S. 



After tea, the party moved into the exhibition room, and the Ordinary 

 Meeting (igGTH) was held, the President in the chair. 



The following were elected members of the Club: — Rev. A. F, Hunt, 

 M.A., and Mr. Tyndale ^'^'hite. J. P. 



The Secretary announced that the Essex Museum of Natural History at 

 Stratford would be opened by the Countess of Warwick on Thursday, 

 October i8th, and that the winter evening meetings of the Club would be 

 resumed at the Technical Institute, adjoining the Museum, on Saturday, 

 October 27th. 



