188
NOTES.
and the gravel and other material rests directly on the Chalk. It is
evident that in the deposits lying in this eroded hollow we have beds
which are much more like those at the subsidences than any others of
the district, and there can be little doubt (I think) that they should be
grouped together. And, as the section in the great Chalk-pit makes
manifest, they mark the former course of an ancient river represent-
ing the existing Mardyke, but which flowed at a considerably higher
level than the present stream. But instead of turning westward
about Stifford, as the Mardyke now does, the ancient river's course
was from north to south, from Stifford down to Grays. In short,
below Stifford it preserved the same general direction it had above
that place, just as the stream which enters the Thames near Rain-
ham now does, and did not, like the Mardyke, make a sudden
westerly turn at Stifford and fall into the Thames at Purfleet.
Vanessa antiopa in Essex.—Mr. G. C. Frindell, 20, Wellesley Road,
Leytonstone, records the capture (Entom : xxii, p. 257) on September 4th, 1889,
of a fine specimen of V. antiopa in a garden in Wallwood Road, Leytonstone.
Great Weever hooked in the Blackwater.—When spruling (line fishing) in
the Blackwater, between Stansgate Abbey and Osey Island, on October 17th, Mr.
J. C. Freeman caught a great weever fish (Trachinus draco, L.) with the ordinary
log-worm bait. Its length was ten inches, and it weighed three ounces. Its
colours were beautiful while alive in the bucket, and it ate very well the next
morning. I believe it is unusual to hook this venomous, but pretty fish ; our ex-
perienced fisherman (John Basham) had never known an instance before. It was
about eight years ago that Mr. John Freeman hooked the only Red-Gurnard
(Trigla cuculus, L.) that I ever saw caught in the Blackwater, and this from the
same hole in which we caught the weever.—Edward A. Fitch, Maldon.
Another Essex Gullery (E.N. ii. 193).—On June 8th we had a splendid
sail down the Blackwater, and landed at Colne Point, St. Osyth. Noticing several
gulls about the saltings, screaming at our approach, we suspected a gullery, and
eventually found it with the help of Mr. Cross. We found between thirty and
forty nests of the black-headed gull (Larus ribibundus). They scarcely deserved
the name of nests, the eggs being laid on the bare saltings, occasionally a few
brown stalks marking the site. The "nests" mostly contained three eggs; one
or two had four, and one was found with five eggs. The eggs, as usual, were very
variable in colour, but all harmonised well with the surroundings. The greater
number appeared to be incubated, but we did not find a single young bird. We
saw at least 200 old gulls; all were nesting—a few at some distance from the
larger colony. Mr. Cross told us that five years ago (in 1884) he found three
nests, and that the number had steadily increased, although many had been de-
stroyed. The locality is not easily approached, and the ground is protected, as far
as possible, by Mr. Cross, so that we may hope this interesting colony will be free
from molestation. On the same ground we found two wild ducks' nests, one
containing ten eggs, the other six. We heard of the sea-swallows and stone-run-
ners, and of them we shall probably be enabled to give some information next year.
Miss Edith Freeman gathered a large armful of Glaucium luteum flowers, which
were especially fine, and on the shore I picked some nice blooms from large plants
of Cakile maritima. In the pools on the shingly beach, Mr. Walter Crouch
found a beautiful sea-slug (Bolt's coronata, Forbes).—Edward A. Fitch,
Maldon.