88
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
The rare moss, Zygodon Forsteri, was seen in two spots, and Webera
albicans was noted, as also were the ferns, Osmunda regalis and Blechnum
spicant.
Several lichens of more than ordinary interest were met with, includ-
ing Cladonia papillaria, C. digitata, C. uncialis, Cetraria glauca, Baeomyces
roseus in abundant fruit, and quite a carpet of Cetraria aculeata. Another
noteworthy find was Chaenotheca melanophaea, which, with its variety
flavocitrina, was found growing on tree trunks in the Wake Valley
district.
The headquarters were, as usual, the Roserville Retreat at Highbeach,
and tea was served here at 4.30 o'clock ; following which a meeting of
the Club was held, with the President (Mr. R. Paulson, F.L.S.) in the
chair.
Miss Constance V. Frampton, of 84, Cambridge Road, Seven Kings,
was elected a member, and nominations of three candidates for member-
ship were read.
The President referred to the death yesterday, at the age of 88, of
an original member of the Club, Mr. John Spiller, F.C.S., F.I.C, which
was announced in to-day's newspapers, and spoke of the deceased's
activities in the earlier years of the Club's history ; and Mr. T. C. Dymond
made warm reference to Mr. Spiller's active educational work as a co-opted
member of the Education Committee of the Essex County Council.
The Hon. Secretary thought it would be the wish of those present
that a letter of condolence should be sent, in the name of the Club, to the
surviving relatives of the deceased, and this was cordially agreed.
The President then called upon the several conductors for their reports
on the finds of the day.
Mr. Hall reported that 43 mosses and 2 forms of sphagnum had been
recorded during the foray; and compared the mosses and the myxomycetes
in some detail, both as regards their structure, their food and their life
histories.
Mr. Sherrin said he could add to Mr. Hall's record a list of 12 liverworts,
found to-day. He added that it should be recorded that, at the foray of
last year, he had found a new moss to Essex, Webera proligera, which was
therefore a new record for Epping Forest.
Miss Lorrain Smith said that, not having been with the collecting party,
she had nothing to say on the lichens found during the day, but she made
the interesting statement that, whilst recently examining a lichen sent
from Jamaica, she had seen the algal-cells in that lichen in the act of sporu-
lating, and so was able to add her testimony to the accuracy of our Presi-
dent's recently-published observations.
The President reported that he had noted 25 to 27 lichen-forms during
to-day's foray. He was agreeably surprised, in view of the long drought
of the past summer and autumn, to notice how soon the ground forms had
recovered their activity of growth and how healthy they appeared; he
instanced Baeomyces roseus, which we had seen to-day in copious fruit,
Cetraria aculeata, which was completely carpeting the ground in one spot,
and Lecidea uliginosa, which also had been seen freely fruiting. Mr.
Paulson referred to Dr. Church's recent theory of the origin of lichens
from decorticated marine algae ("skinned seaweeds"), which he was,