THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
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b. A Scarlet Ibis (Eudocimus ruber), presented as a skin by Miss E. M.
Heath, and set-up in the Museum.
c. A Collection of Phanerogams made by Dr. Anthony Southby (olim
Gapper), of Bridgwater, Somerset, between 1822 and 1837, and
presented by Miss Southby.
d. A number of named Seaweeds from Jersey, and unnamed seaweeds
from Australia, presented by Miss Southby.
e. A living Kestrel $ caught the previous day in a trap in a garden
in Croydon Road, Plaistow : the bird was uninjured, and was liber
ated in the open-air at the close of the meeting.
The President exhibited, and described, a set of photographs of Birch
seeds, some normal and others showing the results of attacks of the gall-
insect Oligotrophus betulae. He also exhibited a number of lichens collected
in Tasmania by Mr. W. A. Weymouth, and based upon them some remarks
on the distribution of lichens in the Arctic, Antarctic and Temperate zones.
Reference was made to Hue's account of the specimens collected by the
Expedition Antarctiquc Francaise in 1903-1905, when large blocks of
rock with lichens growing upon them were collected: from these Hue deter-
mined 111 species that were truly Antarctic forms, of which go were new
species ; hence, it may be concluded that in Antarctica there is a special
lichen-flora. Although there is a great similarity in the lichen-genera
throughout the Temperate Zones, certain genera are specially noticeable
for their abundance in species and in quantity in certain countries ; as, for
example, the genus Sticta in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.
The lichens exhibited were :—
Peltigera polydactyla.
Sticta dissimulata, S. fossulata, S. freycinetii, S. orgamaea, S. rubella,' S.
subcoriacaea, S. variabilis.
Parmelia placortrodioides, P. tenuirima, P. imitatrix.
[Ramalina leiodea, R. pollinaria.
Physcia subexilis.
Stereocaulon ramulosum.
Cladonia aggregata, C. retepora.
Lecidea cinnabarina
Melaspilea lentiginosa.
Caenogonium implexum.
The President called upon Mr. Hugh Boyd Watt, who read a paper on
"The American Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Britain," in illustra-
tion of which museum-specimens of the Grey Squirrel, as well as of the Com-
mon Squirrel and of the Continental race, were exhibited. At the close of
an interesting paper a discussion ensued, in which Messrs. Whitaker, Nichol-
son and Lambert took part. The author replied to questions and the
President expressed the thanks of the Meeting to Mr. Watt for his
communication.
In view of the lateness of the hour the reading of a paper on "A Third
Annotated Copy of Warner's 'Plantae Woodfordienses,' "by the Hon. Sec-
retary, was postponed. Mr. Thompson announced, amidst applause, that
Mr. J. J. Holdsworth had presented his copy of the "Plantae," containing
Benjamin M. Forster's MS. annotations, to the Club's Library.
The meeting was then declared closed.