NOTES.
73
He said that a very considerable sum of money would be required to place the
Institution on a firm footing, and to keep it going, but with the energy of the
Club, and the generous appreciation of the inhabitants of the county and of
Chelmsford, he had every hope of success.
Mr. F. Marriage, in seconding the resolution, said that if technical education
could be taken into the villages it would be worth all the money they could raise.
Subscriptions to such an institution as that proposed should be regarded as
investments, and a well-to do man who invested £50, or a comparatively poor
man who invested £10, would, through the work of such an institution, reap
advantages for himself or confer them upon others, which might fairly be looked
upon as worth far more than merely getting a miserable five per cent. for the money
Mr. A. C. Freeman, of Maldon, supported the motion, and said he had been
requested by the Mayor of that "plucky and fightable little town" to state that
he would be glad to help the movement in every way he could, not only because
he believed in it, but because the president of the Field Club, Mr. Fitch, was one
of the most respected and beloved inhabitants of the borough. (Applause.)
This motion was also unanimously carried.
On the motion of Mr. Fitch, seconded by Professor Flower, a vote of thanks
was passed to Mr. Biadel for presiding, and with a few words from that
gentleman a very successful and enthusiastic meeting came to an end.
[The members and friends of the two Institutions took tea together at the
"Saracen's Head" before the meeting, and several of the members and visitors
were most hospitably received by local members.]
Sea-gulls in London.—During the past Arctic winter one of the sights of
London was the large number of gulls flying over the Thames and settling on the
blocks of ice. Near Battersea some hundreds were seen, and Mr. F. J. Chopin,
the Superintendent of Battersea Park, wrote as follows to the "Standard," under
date December 8th : "It has occurred to me that it might be interesting to some
of the readers of your paper to mention the unusual arrival of a large number of
sea-gulls during the last few days to the lake in this park. It has been usual in
past winters for one or two to visit the lake, but this morning I myself counted
one hundred and fifty swimming in one drove, and quite another fifty were
flying round. I am inclined to think that their appearance in such numbers is
a sign that more severe weather is not far distant."
Otters and Kingfishers in the Chelmer.—On February 28th a female Otter
with two young ones was taken alive in the Chelmer at Camsix Farm, Felstead.
The mother has since escaped, and the young ones have been returned to the hole
in the tree from which they were taken, in the hope that she may find and feed
them. The reaches of the Chelmer are here exceedingly secluded, and it is not
improbable that others may remain long unobserved in the neighbourhood. As an
instance of the seclusion I may mention that last summer my boys found a King-
fisher's nest with five young birds. These young birds were very handsome and
perfectly clean in their plumage, in a nest and surroundings very disgusting.
Their great beauty, apart from any considerations of humanity, was a sufficient
appeal to us to allow them to retain their liberty, although, I may add, they were
all caught and handled, and much resented that treatment.—J. FRENCH, Felstead,
March, 1891.