THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 27
Mr. J. Chalkley Gould exhibited an exchequer note relating to the pay-
ment of the salaries of the keepers of Epping Forest, which had been pre-
sented to the Epping Forest Museum by Mr. Brown, through Mr. C.
Davies Sherborn. The document was similar to that presented to the Club
by Mr. Gould in March, 1893, and which was printed and described in the
Essex Naturalist for 1896, vol. ix., p. 73. Mr. Gould made some remarks
on this document which are embodied in his notes to be printed in the
Essex Naturalist. Mr. Walter Crouch also made some observations on the
document,
Mr. Sewell exhibited a piece of a tree from the forest, which on being
split open for making firewood, showed the blade of a razor embedded in the
wood.
Mr. Cole said that instances of the kind were not very uncommon, and
referred to the case reported by Mr. C. E. Benham in the Essex Naturalist,
vol. viii., p. 88.
Thanks were voted to the exhibitors, and to Mr. Brown for his gift of the
forest document alluded to above.
In the absence of the author, Mr. W. Cole gave a resume of a paper
entitled "British Well-worms (Phreoryctes) with especial reference to a unique
specimen from Chelmsford," by the Rev Hilderic Friend, Mr. Friend's
paper is printed in the present part of the Essex Naturalist.
Mr. Cole remarked that considering the number of shallow wells in
Essex, there ought to be no difficulty in obtaining further specimens, when
the proper methods of searching for the Phreoryctes had been ascertained.
The President thought that from a sanitary point of view, considering the
dangerous quality of water from most shallow wells, it would be consoling to
know that the Phreoryctean fauna of Essex remained scarce.
The Secretary also gave an abstract of an important paper by the Rev.
T. W. Kenworthy, Vicar of Braintree, entitled "Notes on a Neolithic
'Fascine' Lake Settlement at Skitt's Hill, Braintree, Essex," and exhibited
on behalf of Mr. Kenworthy a selection of the specimens obtained. The
paper will appear in full in the Essex Naturalist.
A discussion ensued, in which the President, Prof. Meldola, Mr. Chalkley
Gould, Mr. T. V. Holmes, and others took part. Cordial recognition of the
interest of Mr. Kenworthy's observations was given by all the speakers.
Mr. T. V. Holmes said that in the case of valley deposits like those in
which the Braintree articles were found it became of the greatest importance
that the exact spot should be registered on a 6-inch Ordnance Map of the
district. For with a little stream like that at Braintree, 50 yards here or
there may imply a totally different age. But when the exact position and
nature of the section in which the objects are found are given, the record of a
find must be valuable whatever alteration in the name given—Neolithic, &c.,
&c.—to denote the age of the specimens, may eventually be resolved upon.
Of course it is comparatively easy to get the specimens themselves determined
by some expert, but unless the geological age of the deposits in which they
are found is also settled, much of their interest is gone. Most cf the endless
and unsatisfactory disputes about objects found in the most recent beds result
from the position being not indicated with sufficient accuracy. Mr. Holmes
concluded by saying that it would be a good thing if we had explorers like