100
THE COMING OF AGE OF
sports, customs, beliefs and industries are worthy of record from
the anthropological point of view and many such contributions
have, appeared in our pages. I give a selection of the more
prominent communications :—
Mr. Joseph Clarke's paper in 1887 on the Saffron Plant in
connection with the name of Saffron Walden (Essex Natural-
ist I., 9) relates to an extinct industry. Mr. Harting's paper on
"Wild-fowl Decoys in Essex" relates to a sport and an industry
which is in its last stage in this country. An ancient sport is
dealt with in Mr. Harting's paper on "Hawks and Hounds in
Essex in the Olden Time" (Ibid. III., 189) while the "Maze"
at Saffron Walden described by Mr. G. N. Maynard in 1889
(Ibid. 244), is of unknown origin and purpose. In ancient
histories of Essex many of the towns are described as being
celebrated for "Bays and Says." References to this extinct
manufacture are given by Major Bale for Colchester (Ibid. VI.,
141) and the old "Bay and Say" mill at Dedham visited by the
Club in 1893 is figured in the account of that meeting (Ibid.
VII., 111) Accounts of extinct industries are contained also in
Mr. Laver's paper on "Potash-making in Essex" (Ibid. IX., 119),
in Mr. Lovett's papers on wooden fish-hooks (Ibid. X., 300 ;
XII., 28) .which relate to the survival of an ancient industry, in
Mr. Miller Christy's paper on "Essex as a Wine-producing
County" (Ibid. XL, 34) and in Mr. Littler's "Notes on the
Hand-printing Silk Works at Waltham Abbey and West
Ham" brought under our notice last year (Ibid. XII., 43).
V.—METEOROLOGY.
Although weather reports have from time to time been
recorded in our pages the Club has never attempted systematic
observations. In view of the activity and efficiency of such
central organizations as those established by the late Mr. G. J.
Symons and by the Meteorological Office it may fairly be doubted
whether local societies should be called upon to burden the
pages of their journals and to incur the expense of printing long
tables of readings of meteorological instruments. The most use-
ful work that such societies can do in connection with this
subject would rather appear to be the stimulation of local
observers and the establishment of local stations where required
for the purpose of supplying records to the central organization.
An excellent address having this object in view was delivered at