THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 149
Boyles Court is a comparatively modern mansion with recent additions,
pleasantly situated, with charming views across the valley of the Weald Brook to
Weald Park, Rochetts, and Dagnams. Here they were most cordially received
by Mr. and Mrs. Lescher, who had kindly provided light refreshments, which were
very welcome ; and claret cup, tea, fruit, etc., were well discussed, before the more
scientific work was commenced.
Mineral Spring on Tyler's Common. From a Drawing by H. A. Cole, June 21st, 1890.
Passing up into the Museum, where the collection is now very nicely dis-
played, an inspection of the birds was made, and then Mr. J. E, Harting, F.L.S.,
editor of the "Zoologist," gave a short account of the late Mr. Hoy, and, walking
round the cases, pointed out the more interesting specimens, making observations
upon them and their habits.
Mr. J. D. Hoy, by whom this very fine and interesting collection of birds was
formed, was born in 1797, and resided at Stoke Priory, Stoke-by-Nayland, which
(though close to the Essex border) is in Suffolk. He was a first-rate shot and a
skilled bird-preserver. Dr. Bree has declared that "as a working naturalist he
was almost unequalled in his day in this country." He collected chiefly upon
the coasts of Norfolk and Suffolk, and his collection therefore contains few or no
Essex specimens of importance. During the latter part of his life he paid many
visits to Holland and Germany. It was during one of these expeditions, when
collecting mainly among swamps and marshes, that he laid the foundation of the
illness of which, at the early age of forty-two, he died on October 15th, 1839. He
published little beyond a few notes in various natural history periodicals, but
Hewitson, Yarrell, and other writers in the early part of the century received
much valuable assistance from him. On his death his collection passed into the
possession of his sister, the late Mrs. Lescher, of Boyles Court, mother of Mr. J.
F. Lescher. It is contained in 269 separate cases, which were in the entrance
hall, but have been re-arranged this year in the museum on the first floor, open-
ing into the conservatory.
Although very few of the specimens are local, many of them are of consider-
able historic interest. The gem of the collection is, of course, the Great Auk,
one of the seventy-nine specimens known to exist, of which only twenty-two are