THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
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and six young ones, only three days' old, which had been born in a hay shed
at Whipp's Cross during 1920. An interesting discussion ensued on the
habits of hedgehogs, in which Miss Willmott, Sir R. Armstrong-Jones,
Mr. Miller Christy and Mr. Thorrington, took part; and a cordial vote of
thanks was passed to Miss Lister for her communication.
The President then called upon Mr. Miller Christy, who gave "A chat
on some Cornish Gardens," which he had recently visited, illustrating the
subject by a series of lantern photographs and by a selection of living plants
which had been sent up specially by Miss K. Skinner, from Cornwall. After
the lecture, Miss E. Willmott read some interesting notes on the history
of the principal Cornish gardens, with anecdotes of their owners.
The cordial thanks of the meeting were accorded to Mr. Miller Christy,
to Miss Willmott, and to Miss Skinner, and the hour being now late, the
meeting terminated.
VISIT TO THE BOTANICAL, DEPARTMENT,
BRITISH MUSEUM (525th Meeting).
Saturday, 12TH February, 1921.
Some 40 members and friends attended this meeting, which was
arranged in response to a kind invitation from Dr. A. B. Rendle, M.A.,
F.R.S., F.L.S., the keeper of the Department of Botany.
Assembled at 2.30 o'clock at the entrance to the Department, the visi-
tors were received by Dr. Rendle, who, in welcoming the party, called
attention to the two-fold work of his department in catering for the "man
in the street," and also for the informed student of botany.
The President (Mr. R. Paulson, F.L.S.), in reply, thanked Dr. Rendle
for his kindly reception of the Club.
The visitors were then conducted to the British and European Her-
barium, where Mr. A. J. Wilmott, B.A., F.L.S., exhibited various speci-
mens of dried plants from Philip Miller's Herbarium, from Forster's
Herbarium, some as yet undetermined plants from Macedonia, and the
collection of plant-seeds which he is in process of forming. He also showed
some of James Sowerby's original drawings for English Botany, 1790-
1814, upwards of 2500 of which were purchased by the Museum in 1859-
1862.
The size of the party rendered it desirable to split up into two groups,
one of which continued under the conductorship of Mr. Wilmott, making
its way through the public gallery into the Library. Here, Mr. Wilmott
exhibited Fuchs'.. Brunfels' and Gerarde's Herbals, and also the Sloane
Herbarium with Sloane's careful collating of his specimens with John
Ray's Historia Plantarum, 1688, by means of cross-references.
Ettingshausen's volume of nature prints of plants was curiously exam-
ined ; and general admiration was aroused by the beautifully finished draw-
ings of F. P. Nodder, James Miller and other artists commissioned by
Sir James Banks to elaborate the sketches, made by S. Parkinson, of the
plants collected during Captain Cook's first voyage, 1768-71, of which
sketches the Museum possesses no less than nineteen volumes.