11 



Report of the Oxshott Field Meeting, May i8th, 1901. 



By W. J. Lucas, B.A., F.E.S. Read June \ith. 



On Saturday, May i8th, took place the first field meeting of the 

 new season, when twenty-seven members and friends visited the fir 

 woods near Oxshott. On former excursions to Oxshott the weather 

 has not always been everything that one might desire, but on that occa- 

 sion, at any rate, no complaint could fairly be raised against it. Still, 

 owing no doubt to the season being a backward one, insects and 

 other objects of quest were by no means numerous. But whether 

 insects were numerous or not, a ramble through the fir woods in May 

 cannot fail to be a source of delight, if only to find our inner being 

 in the fresh spring-time beating in unison with the pulsations of 

 Nature when rousing herself in all the youthful vigour of another 

 year. For there does seem to be some subtle influence pervading 

 Nature at that season which makes itself felt, though we may not be 

 able to analyse it or trace it to its source. This experience I hope 

 we were able to secure, although we may have taken but little to fill 

 our boxes and enrich our cabinets. 



As some of our members were new to the district it was agreed 

 that the Black Pond should be the limit of our rambles, and accord- 

 ingly by various routes most of the party made for that well-known 

 hunting ground, where Mr. Enock and others who had come down 

 much earlier in the day had been working with great success for 

 some hours. On leaving the pond a slightly different route was 

 taken back to Oxshott, and a move was at once made to the village 

 to discuss the all-important matter of tea. 



Amongst the plants noticed in flower one of the most interesting 

 was an American weed — Claytonia perfoliata — found on a bank close 

 to Oxshott station. This plant with its curious perfoliate leaves, 

 which has already a trivial name — the American chickweed, — seems 

 to have come to stay. Viola palustris was nicely in blossom at the 

 Black Pond, and V. sylvatica elsewhere. Myosotis versicolor was 

 abundant by the road-sides. Other flowers were Scilla nuta?is (the 

 bluebell), Genista anglica (the badge of the Plantagenets), Saro- 

 thamnits scoparius (the broom), Ulex europccus (the furze). Gera- 

 nium ?nolle, Erodium cicutariutn, Anthriscus sylvesfris, Lysiniachia 

 ?iet?wruni (one of the creeping moneyworts). Anemone nemorosa, 

 Lychnis vespertina (which smells so sweet at night), Nepeta glechoma 

 (ground-ivy). Prunella vulgaris, and Stellaria grafninea. Erio- 

 phorum polystachyon (the cotton-sedge) was coming into blossom at 

 the margin of the Black Pond and elsewhere, and of it Mr. Step 

 obtained a very good photograph. Of the may {Crafcegus oxy- 

 acantha), which seems to have borne very few blossoms this year, a 



