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THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
Provided sufficient funds are supplied, the temporary fitting up and arrange-
ment of the contents of the Museum will soon be completed, and the Curator is
convinced that collections of great interest and considerable scientific importance
will rapidly be gathered together. Already some collections of value have been
received, and the thanks of the Council are especially due to the following
gentlemen for the donations indicated. Mr. Hope's contributions are of great
interest—the Marine Algae have already been catalogued by Mr. Batters, and the
Crag fossils will be examined and arranged by an expert as soon as possible :
Principal Donations to the Museum since last Report:
Mr. E. A. Fitch.—Large number of specimens of Galls, in illustration of his
paper on the "Galls of Essex," in vol. ii. of the "Transactions" of the Club.
Mr. C. Oldham.—Specimens of Lepidoptera from Epping Forest.
Mr. Chalkley Gould.—Collection of specimens of Woods of the Forest trees.
Mr. W. Cole.—Collection of Galls from the Forest district, preserved by the
late J. L. English. Also numerous specimens of Essex Plants and Mollusca.
Mr G. P. Hope.—The whole of his collection of Red-Crag Fossils, con-
sisting of several thousand specimens—mostly collected by himself. Also his
Herbarium of Marine Algae from the Harwich district. This collection has been
examined and catalogued by Mr. Batters (see ante, p. i.).
Also some Mammalian fossils from Walton-Naze, and Bronze Celts from
Havering.
Dr. Laver.—As representative of the defunct Colchester Natural History
Society, and from himself personally. About 50 cases of birds and animals,
mostly from Essex.
Mr. T. Hay Wilson.—Specimens of fragments of glacial rocks from the gravels
of the Forest, in illustration of his paper in The Essex Naturalist, vol.
vii., p. 75.
The Council most strongly urges every member, and, indeed, everyone in-
terested in local museums, to aid the Curator by the donation of specimens and
the systematic gathering of local forms in their own neighbourhoods. A circular,
with directions and information for those proposing to collect, will shortly be
issued, and it is hoped that the response to the appeal will be enthusiastic, and,
above all, that the efforts of local collectors will be sustained and methodical.
The Curator will gladly give all the information in his power to those willing to
work in this direction, and in no way can an accurate knowledge of some
branches of natural history be acquired than in collecting with judgment and
with a definite object in view. In this way not only will the collector be bene-
fited, but the Museum will acquire authentic Essex collections, which in the
aggregate will soon be of great interest and importance.
As mentioned above with respect to the Library, as soon as the collections at
present in hand are catalogued, the Curator will present to the members a
detailed report on the Museum, with an account of the work done and to be
accomplished.
Epping Forest Branch Museum.—This project, which has so long been
in the minds of members of the Club, has now been energetically taken up by a
local Committee, under the direct sanction of the Council, and there appears to
be every probability that it will be carried out to a successful issue. In actively
promoting this scheme, the Council and Curator have been actuated not only
with the desire of establishing a local collection of more than usual educational
importance, but also in the interests of the Club, and the interests of our metro-