THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
39
NATURALIST, but the Council takes this opportunity of acknowledging the great
assistance received at the Field Meetings from the following :—
Rev. C. L. Acland, Mr. G. F. Beaumont, Mr. G. H. Birch, Mr. J. Britten, Mr.
C. Browne, Mr. W. Carruthers, Messrs. Christy, Son and Norris, Mr. R. T. Cobbold,
Dr. M. C. Cooke, Mr. Walter Crouch, Mr. W. H. Dalton, Mr. E. A. Fitch, Mr.
G. W. Hewitson, Mr. E. M. Holmes, Mr. T. V. Holmes, Rev. H. J. Kenworthy,
Dr. H. Laver, Mr. G. Massee, Prof. Meldola, Col. W. H. Noble. Mr. J. N.
Paxman, Mr. G. E. Pritchett, Lord Rayleigh, Mr. J. C. Shenstone, Dr. J. E.
Taylor, Prof. Silvanus Thompson, Mr. W. Whitaker, and others.
The Field Meeting Committee was not re-appointed last season, and the
Secretaries do not propose to ask for its renewal, at any rate for the present. The
business at the Field Meetings is often so closely interwoven with the ordinary
routine of the Club, and with the preparation of the circulars and editing of the
journal, that anything like a dual control was not found to work well. The
better plan appears to be for the Conductors at each meeting to work with the
Secretaries in arranging the details of such meeting. This was the method
pursued last season, and its success was most encouraging. In this connection
the Secretaries have to thank Mr. Walter Crouch, Mr. Shenstone, Mr. Beaumont
Mr. Pritchett, Dr. Laver, and Mr. W. H. Dalton, for most useful assistance.
The second volume of the Club's "Special Memoirs" under the arrangement
with the author alluded to in last year's report was published early in the year.
The book has been reviewed most favourably by the press, and it is likely to be
exceedingly useful to ornithologists, both local and general The Council has to
thank Mr. A. P. Wire for the great care taken by him as publisher of the book on
behalf of the Club.
The Library has steadily increased, but the large arrears of books needing
binding still remains a serious difficulty. A considerable number of local books
and pamphlets have been purchased, but the much-needed sets of standard works
on Natural Science are still among the things hoped for. Pending the proposed
amalgamation of the Libraries of the Essex Field Club and the Chelmsford
Museum, it is still a moot point whether the catalogue should be printed yet.
The Editor has almost completed the preparation of the MS. of Pt. 2, vol. iv. of
the old "Proceedings," and a plan for its publication will be shortly brought forward.
Four parts of the Essex Naturalist have been published within the year,
comprising 282 pages, many of small type. The last part of vol. iv. is now being
printed, and the Editor then proposes to issue a part comprising the numbers for
January-April, 1891, after which the monthly issue will be resumed as an experi-
ment until the end of the year. The Council and Editor are persuaded that this
step will much increase the interest and usefulness of the NATURALIST, but the
permanent continuance of a monthly publication must necessarily depend upon
the amount of support (in subscriptions and in literary and scientific aid) accorded
to the Council and Editor in their efforts for the benefit of the Club.
A considerable amount of attention has been given by the Council to schemes
for the compilation of a "Bibliography" of Essex, a work much needed. When
the plans are matured, an announcement on the subject will be made to the
members and the public.
The coming year will, in all probability, be an eventful one in the history of
the Club. A great amount of labour has been bestowed on the preparation and
carrying on of the schemes for enlarging its sphere of work. But the Council is
confident that the time and labour will be well spent if the result is the establish-
ment of the Club on a firm basis as a county institution.