THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
285
Tea was taken at the "Hoy" inn, at South Benfleet. After tea, a
meeting of the Club was held with the President in the chair, when one nomina-
tion for membership was read.
The President referred to the death, a few days before, of one of our
Members of Council, Sir Thomas Barrett-Lennard, Bart., and proposed that
a. letter of condolence be sent to Lady Barrett-Lennard : the suggestion was
adopted unanimously. Thanks were voted also to the conductors.
The President said that the company was honoured with the presence of
Mr. E. E. Green, President of the Entomological Society, and invited that
gentleman to speak on the entomological finds of the day.
Mr. Green was followed by Miss Lister, Miss Hibbert-Ware, and Mr.
Thompson, who each made some remarks on the observations of the excursion.
The more interesting records may be summarised as follows :—
The plants met with on the ''saltings" or in the marsh ditches included :
Spergularia neglecta, Artemisia maritima and its var. gallica, Armeria vulgaris,
Statice Limonium, Salicornia herbacea, Suaeda maritima, Atriplex patula,
A. hastata, A. littoralis, Obione portulacoides, Beta maritima, Triglochin mari-
timum, Juncus compressus var. Gerardi, Juncus maritimus, Scirpus maritimus,
Glyceria maritima, Hordeum maritimum, and Lepturus filiformis. A profusion
of Daucus carota and Helminthia echioides in one field afforded indication of
the high lime-content of the alluvial soil of the island (probably due to com-
minuted shells of Cardium and other molluscs).
Among the birds, Meadow Pipits, Yellowhammers, Curlews, Redshanks,
Peewits, a Stonechat, Mallards, and a Willow Warbler still in full song were
recorded on the excursion, and, in addition, Greater Blackbacked Gulls,
Herring Gulls, Blackheaded Gulls, Common Gulls and King Plovers were
seen feeding on the mud at low tide by members who stayed on the island
for the week-end.
Among the insects noted were a single larva of the Essex Emerald Moth
(Euchloris smaragdaria) feeding on the Sea Wormwood, caterpillars of the
Mother Shipton moth (Euclidia mi) a large swarm of the beetle, Aphodius
contaminatus in and flying over horse droppings on a road, and equally large
swarms of the dipteron Ephydra on Enteromorpha covering one brackish-
water ditch.
Two isopods, Idotea tricuspidata and Sphaeroma rugicauda, were found in
brackish ditches on the island, and large numbers of the ostracod Cyprido-
psis aculeata.
The return journey to town was made by the 6.30 p.m. train from Benfleet.
FUNGUS FORAY, LOUGHTON TO HIGHBEACH
(570TH MEETING).
SATURDAY, 13TH OCTOBER, 1923.
An unexpectedly fine day, following a week of heavy rain, tempted some
130 members and visitors to take part in this annual Foray, which has now
become one of the most popular functions of the Club's year ; for the second
consecutive occasion the Foray was made a joint one of the Club and of the
British Mycological Society.