88 
THE ESSEX NATURALIST. 
The rare moss, Zygodon Forsteri, was seen in two spots, and Webera 
albicans was noted, as also were the ferns, Osmunda regalis and Blechnum 
spicant. 
Several lichens of more than ordinary interest were met with, includ¬ 
ing Cladonia papillaria, C. digitata, C. uncialis, Cetraria glauca, Bcsomyces 
roseus in abundant fruit, and quite a carpet of Cetraria aculeata. Another 
noteworthy find was Chaenotheca melanophaea, which, with its variety 
flavocitrina, was found growing on tree trunks in the Wake Valley 
district. 
The headquarters were, as usual, the Roserville Retreat at Highbeach, 
and tea was served here at 4.30 o'clock ; following which a meeting of 
the Club was held, with the President (Mr. R. Paulson, F.L.S.) in the 
chair. 
Miss Constance V. Frampton, of 84, Cambridge Road, Seven Kings t 
was elected a member, and nominations of three candidates for member¬ 
ship were read. 
The President referred to the death yesterday, at the age of 88, of 
an original member of the Club, Mr. John Spiller, F.C.S., F.I.C., which 
was announced in to-day’s .newspapers, and spoke of the deceased’s 
activities in the earlier years of the Club’s history ; and Mr. T. C. Dymond 
made warm reference to Mr. Spiller’s active educational work as a co-opted 
member of the Education Committee of the Essex County Council. 
The Hon. Secretary thought it would be the wish of those present 
that a letter of condolence should be sent, in the name of the Club, to the 
surviving relatives of the deceased, and this was cordially agreed. 
The President then called upon the several conductors for their reports 
on the finds of the day. 
Mr. Hall reported that 43 mosses and 2 forms of sphagnum had been 
recorded during the foray ; and compared the mosses and the myxomycetes 
in some detail, both as regards their structure, their food and their life 
histories. 
Mr. Sherrin said he could add to Mr. Hall’s record a list of 12 liverworts, 
found to-day. He added that it should be recorded that, at the foray of 
last year, he had found a new moss to Essex, Webera proligera, which was 
therefore a new record for Epping Forest. 
Miss Lorrain Smith said that, not having been with the collecting party, 
she had nothing to say on the lichens found during the day, but she made 
the interesting statement that, whilst recently examining a lichen sent 
from Jamaica, she had seen the algal-cells in that lichen in the act of sporu- 
lating, and so was able to add her testimony to the accuracy of our Presi¬ 
dent’s recently-published observations. 
The President reported that he had noted 25 to 27 lichen-forms during 
to-day’s foray. He was agreeably surprised, in view of the long drought 
of the past summer and autumn, to notice how soon the ground forms had 
recovered their activity of growth and how healthy they appeared ; he 
instanced Bcsomyces roseus, which we had seen to-day in copious fruit, 
Cetraria aculeata, which was completely carpeting the ground in one spot, 
and Lecidea uliginosa, which also had been seen freely fruiting. Mr. 
Paulson referred to Dr. Church’s recent theory of the origin of lichens 
from decorticated marine algae (“ skinned seaweeds ”), which he was, 
