HERTFOBDSHIRE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. Ixv 



Danes, who continually r;iv;i2:o(I the district, or to bo shafts which 

 havi! been sunk in order to extract chalk for agricultural purposes. 

 As the party were assembled around the brink, a beautiful kingfisher 

 which had made its little habitation in the sides flew out, and seemed 

 very much astonished to tiud so many people looking at him. 



Several curious plants were noticed in the park, amongst them 

 a peculiar gelatinous fungus of a bright chrome colour, which was 

 not identified. Mr. Euxton pointed out two patches of the maiden- 

 pink, one of which had been found there and the other brought 

 from Germany ; this and several other of the wild plants were 

 carefully preserved from the rabbits by a ring of netting. 



Tlie party then entered the house, where they were most 

 hospitably entertained by Mrs. T. F. Buxton, at the close of which 

 Mr. E,. B. Croft proposed a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. and Mrs. 

 T. F. Buxton for the cordial way in which they had been wel- 

 comed. They had given them, he said, an opportunity of fraternising 

 with another Society whose aims were the same as those of the 

 Hertfordshire Society. Easneye Park was a place where botanical, 

 zoolojiical, and archasological members could all find objects of 

 interest. Mr. Boulger, the president of the Essex Field Club, in 

 seconding the vote, spoke of the great pleasure it had given the 

 members of the Essex Club to meet the Hertfordshire Society. 

 He looked upon this Society as one of the best of the County 

 Societies in England ; the ' Transactions ' were full of thorough, 

 earnest, and original work, and he was glad to see how thoroughly 

 the county was being mapped out by various workers. They had 

 all had a rich treat in the enjoyable scenery ; perhaps he ought 

 not to say it was more beautiful than the Essex scenery, but at 

 all events it fully equalled it. 



I Several of the members then went to inspect a very good geo- 

 logical collection in the house, and the others walked about the 

 grounds ; some searching in the lake for living objects for the 

 microscope, in which they were rewarded by finding large sponge- 

 like masses of a polyzoon, Alcyonella fungom, adhering to the bars 

 of one of the outlets. The members of the two Societies then left 

 for St. Margaret's Station.*'' 



Field Meetixg, 7th Jijxy, 1883. 

 CASSIOBURY PARK, WATFORD. 



Cassiobuiy Park has frequently been visited by the Society, but 

 in each instance a different route has been taken, and, as the most 

 beautiful and secluded portions of the park, and the .private grounds 

 of the Earl of Essex, have on each of these visits been most kindly 

 thrown open to the members by him, a field meeting in Cassiobuiy 

 Park is always attractive. On this occasion about forty members 

 assembled at the principal entrance to the park, the number being 

 increased to at lea.st fifty before the park was left. 



* I am indebted to Mr. F. W. Phillips for this report. — Ed. 



