61
THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.—REPORTS OF
MEETINGS.
THE 270th ORDINARY MEETING.
Saturday, January 30th, 1909.
This, the third meeting of the Winter Session, was held in the Physical
Lecture Theatre of the Municipal Technical Institute, Stratford, at 6 p.m., Mr.
T. S. Dymond, F.I.C, F.C.S., President, in the chair.
New Members.—The following were elected members of the Club:—
Miss A. S. Shipperbottom, B.Sc., 33, Dyson Road, Wallwood Park,
Leytonstone.
Mr. B. W. F. Starling, 5, Akerman Road, Brixton, S. W.
Letter from Sir Archibald Geikie.—The President read a letter from Sir
A. Geikie, F.R.S., one of the hon. members, returning thanks for the vote of
congratulation on his election as President of the Royal Society, passed at the
meeting on October 31st. Owing to change of residence the letter of congratu-
lation had been overlooked by him.
Exhibits.—Mr. W. Cole exhibited a very large example of the Ringed or
Grass Snake (Tropidonatus natrix), from Forest Gate, which had been brought
into the Museum. Also a Sting Ray, known in Essex as "Fierce Claw" (Trygott
pistinaca) caught off Lowestoft and presented to the Museum by Mr. H. H.
Goodchild. The fish is not uncommon in the estuaries of the Thames and Colne.
Mr. W. Whitaker, F.R.S., exhibited and presented a fine specimen of the
"Green-coated" Flints which are so commonly found at the junction of the
Thanet Sand with the Chalk. The green crust is supposed to be a silicate of
iron.
Papers Read.—Mr. W. H. Dalton, F.G.S., F.C.S., read a paper entitled
"Subsidence of Eastern England and Adjacent Areas."
Mr. Dymond read for Mr. Dalton some remarks by Dr. Henry Laver, F.L.S.,
relating to subsidences in Eastern England, which will be included in the paper
when printed.
Mr. Henry Whitehead (Assistant in the Essex Museum of Natural History)
read, on behalf of himself and Mr. H. H. Goodchild, a paper entitled "Some
Notes on 'Moorlog,' a Peaty Deposit dredged up from the Dogger Bank in
the North Sea."
The paper was illustrated by lantern-slides and specimens of the "Moorlog,"
and of seeds and portions of plants and insects occurring in the deposit. The
names of these had been verified by Mr. Clement Reid, F.R.S., and Mr. G. C.
Champion, F.E.S.
Both papers (which will be published in the Essex Naturalist) were
discussed together, and remarks were made by Mr. Whitaker, F.R.S., Mr.
Shenstone, Mr. E. T. Newton, F.R.S., Mr. F, G. Gould, Mr. French, and
the Chairman. Mr. Hazzledine Warren, F.G.S., made some extended remarks
based on his own observations on the coast of Lincolnshire and elsewhere.
These details will be printed as an addendum to Mr. Dalton's paper.
The authors replied, and hearty votes of thanks w passed to them for
their communications.