THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB. 229
G. fornicatus Fries. The outer peridium splits into two layers, an
outer cup-shaped layer which remains in the ground, and an inner leathery
layer, which divides into four or five long reflexed lobes, attached by their
tips to the outer layer; inner peridium small, dark brown, opening by a
conical mouth.
In pastures, heaths and under firs. The specimen exhibited was from a
garden at Hitchin.
Miss Edith Prince exhibited and presented to the Museum a specimen
of Geaster Bryantii Berk., found by her last September, on sandy soil, be-
tween Chingford and High Beach. Some specimens found on the occasion
were already expanded, others were entire, and might almost have been
mistaken for small pebbles at a casual glance. This species differs from
the preceding by the inner peridium being stalked, and the stalk surrounded
above and below by a prominent collar ; the inner peridium, which is mottled
grey and buff, opens by a conical deeply-furrowed mouth. This appears
to be the first record of an Earth Star from the Epping Forest district.
Mr. Nicholson also exhibited and presented a Geaster from Norfolk.
In connection with these exhibits, Mr. Hugh Main mentioned that
in September last he had seen hundreds of Earth Stars in the South of
France, in the dried-up portion of a river-bed.
Miss Lister also exhibited two large mycetozoans, Lindbladia effusa from
Oxshott, and Brefeldia maxima which had appeared spontaneously in her
own garden at Leytonstone.
Mr. Hugh Main exhibited various living insects from the South of France,
including the Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa), the spiders Lycosa nar-
bonnensis, with young clustered on the parent's back, and Clotha durandi,
the small black scorpion (Scorpio europaeus), a larger yellow scorpion (Buthus
occitanus) and a small lizard ; and also the Giant Shore Earwig (Labidura
riparia) from the shore at Bournemouth.
The Curator exhibited six specimen-drawers from the large Cabinet
of British Lepidoptera, bequeathed to the Stratford Museum by the late
Mr. William Cole, also an oil-painting by Mr. H. A. Cole, representing his
brothers and others "sugaring" for night-flying moths in Lords Bushes,
Epping Forest, about 1885; and a home-made "sugaring" lantern made
by Mr. H. A. Cole, both of which latter had been given by Mr. Cole to the
Museum.
Mr. Mera read a report which he had prepared ou the Cole Collection of
Lepidoptera (printed ante, p. 172).
The thanks of the meeting were given to Mr. Mera for his report, and to
the several exhibitors and donors.
Mr. T. A. Dymes, F.L.S., then read a paper "On Collecting and Curating
Fruits and Seeds for the Study of Local Dispersal," illustrating same by
the exhibition of an extensive collection of preserved fruits and seeds. At
the conclusion of the paper, the President referred appreciatively to Mr.
Dymes's collection which, to his knowledge, had been very many years in
the making, and commented on the carefully thought-out manner in which
it was arranged to economise space. Miss Lister, Mr. Whitaker and the
Hon. Secretary also spoke with appreciation of Mr. Dymes's method, and
a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the author.
In expressing thanks for his cordial reception, Mr. Dymes called atten-