NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
25
Henry VIII. two men of war, which afterwards fought against the Armada, were
built upon the spot where H. jenkinsi now flourishes, and for many years vessels
used to go regularly to Countess Weir. Between 1840 and 1855 there was a
trade between St. Petersburg and Finland and Topsham in hemp, tar, and
timber. Sandwich, too, in former times, imported timber from Cronstadt
(whence timber from Finland may also have been shipped), and from several
Swedish and Russian ports. Along the banks of the Thames (where H. jenkinsi
was first observed) timber has been unloaded from most parts of the world, and
certainly largely from Russia and Finland. The only ports then trading
mutually with two of our three English ports are Cronstadt (St. Petersburg) and
some Finnish ports along the Gulf of Bothnia. Though Topsham imported
timber from America, Mr. Adams could not find that Sandwich ever did so.
Sandwich, again, imported timber from Sweden, Norway, and Russia ; but he
could find no record of the same for Topsham. Mr. Adams thus sums up and
concludes from the above : "Now the fact of the same foreign locality exporting
timber to three different English ports (the only known habitats of H. jenkinsi),
and that same foreign locality being the only one, as far as my information goes,
trading mutually with two of the three, seems a curious coincidence, and,
though by no means amounting to anything like a proof, forms a provisional
hypothesis. This hypothesis would be greatly strengthened if the shells were
found in any other of our ports which trade or have traded with Russia or
Finland, e.g., Newhaven and Wisbech, where I would suggest that search should
be made. And, lastly, it would vastly increase its probability if the species were
found to exist in some of the low-lying marshes along the Russian and Finnish
coast, which have been little explored, and are very desolate. . . . It may be
remembered that the habitat of H. jenkinsi is slightly brackish dykes, such as
timber is likely to be stored in while waiting shipment." This species is so very
interesting to Essex naturalists that the above observations will be welcomed ;
and we shall be glad to have any remarks or criticisms on Mr. Adams' hypothesis
(which seems to be a workable one) from our local conchologists.—ED.
Freshwater Molluscs in Brackish Water.—Mr. L. E. Adams remarks
in the "Journal of Conchology" (vol. vii., p. 150, Jan., 1893) that Limnaea peregra
is wall known to exist and thrive in brackish water, and that he had found
Planorbis vortex and Pl. spirorbis in a very salt marsh at Dovercourt, near
Harwich.
Sake's (commonly called "Snake's") Lane, Woodford.—Since my
note on this subject in the preceding number of The Essex Naturalist was
printed (vol. vi., p. 208), I have come on an earlier mention of the Sake family in
a Woodford Court Roll of 5 Henry IV. (1403-4). At that date the wives of
John Sake, senior, and John Sake, junior, are described as being brewers, and
for their shortcomings in that capacity, their respective husbands were mulcted
in 2d. each. John Sake, junior, himself incurred a like penalty, for an unscoured
ditch in Mottes lane ; and he is also charged with carrying off a house (amovebat
unam domum) from the holding, which once belonged to Thomas-in-the-lane,
(Rec. Off. Court Rolls: 174/42.)—W. C. Waller, Loughton.
Correct Spelling of "Fowlness Island."—Some of the good people of
Camden's "Promontory of Birds or Fowls" are very properly protesting against
the official spelling, "Foulness," as being not only derogatory to their native
soil and hurtful to their feelings, but incorrect philologically and historically.