196
THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
The Secretary exhibited the plans and drawings of the cases and other
fittings for the Essex Museum of Natural History, to be purchased out of the
munificent donation of Mr. Passmore Edwards, who had presented the
Museum with £1,000 for this purpose, which was in addition to the £3,000
already given by him towards the erection of the building.
Dr. M. C. Cooke then gave his usual report on the observations of the
day, and in doing so, emphasised the fact of the marvellous abundance of
Fungi this autumn ; such a good season had not occurred in his experience for
10 years past. The list of the species observed that day numbered 134, many
of them usually by no means common. [Dr. Cooke has since prepared a com-
plete list of the species gathered, which will be kept in the library for future
reference and comparison.] Dr. Cooke also referred to the abundance of the
common mushrooms ; they had been extraordinarily plentiful in most parts of
the country, and fine gatherings had been sold in London for 4d. per lb., a
price quite unprecedented.
Dr. Cooke concluded by reading one of his partly humorous and partly
pathetic "copy of verses" descriptive of the adventures and delights of
previous "Fungus Forays" with the Woolhope Club, and with many
allusions to deceased botanists and the plants that puzzled them in days gone
by:—
"An old man sate on his study stool,
Hey ninny, nonny.
And considered himself a confounded fool,
Hey ninny, nonny,
For he dreamt of the past, in years that are gone,
When friendships were many, and enemies none,
'Till now he sits perched on his stool all alone;
Hey ninny, nonny,
"Of rambles and forays, and dinner at six,
Hey ninny nonny.
Of bushels of toadstools and pustules on sticks,
Hey ninny, nonny.
Of scrambles up Dinedor, or down by the Wye,
Through Heywood, or Dinmore or Ludlow or nigh,
By Downton, Stoke Edith, or———only a sigh,
For Hey, ninny nonny !"
*****
Mr. Massee followed with an interesting address on the study of Crypto-
gamic plants, and especially recommended intending workers to take up the
less-known minute forms. He offered to give all the assistance in his power,
and proposed that a few meetings for the observation of leaf-fungi and other
like forms should be held next season, not only in the autumn but also in the
spring and summer months. Some of Mr. Massee's observations on this
occasion are embodied in his report before referred to.
The President most heartily thanked Dr. Cooke in the name of the Club
for his kind and valuable services given at these Fungus Meetings since the
first one in October, 1880 (see Journal of Proceedings, vol. i., pp. xlviii-liii) and
continued almost without break until that present day. The vote was passed
by acclamation.
Votes of thanks were also passed to Mr. Massee and Prof. Boulger for
their valuable assistance.