THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
17
mously agreed, on Mr. Avery's motion, that a cordial message of sym-
pathy be sent to Mr. Whitaker, with the expression of the Club's wish for
his speedy recovery to health.
VISIT TO THE BRITISH MUSEUM (NATURAL HISTORY).
(574th MEETING).
SATURDAY, 12TH JANUARY, 1924.
This visit was arranged, at the invitation of our President, for the
purpose of studying, under his guidance, the specimens exhibited in the
Geological Galleries which are under his direction.
The party, over 30 in number, assembled in the Large Central Hall at
2 o'clock, and were welcomed by the President, who led the way to the
Geological Galleries.
Among the many interesting objects pointed out by Dr. Smith Wood-
ward were the celebrated Piltdown skull and the implements found in
association with it, a very large St. Acheul implement from Maidenhead
weighing 61bs. 2oz., and measuring 13ins. by 7ins., the fine series of Pleisto-
cene mammals from the Thames Valley and elsewhere, a fossil Ostrich egg
from the banks of the Yellow River, China, and a number of large reptilian
remains from the Wealden, Jurassic and Liassic rocks of this country and
from the Cretaceous of North America.
A block of Rhynie chert from the Old Red Sandstone of Aberdeen,
which has so greatly increased our knowledge of fossil plants in recent
years, was exhibited to the visitors, and Mr. D. J. Scourfield, who was of
the party, referred to the recent discovery of arachnids in this chert, and
mentioned that he himself was working at a new form of crustacean, allied
to the Phyllopods, which had been found in this old-time peat.
Specimens of Glossopteris and other ferns probably of Permo-Carboni-
ferous age, which were collected by the ill-fated Scott Expedition in the
Antarctic and found in the tent together with the bodies of the unfortun-
ate explorers, were shown to the visitors.
At the conclusion of Dr. Woodward's remarks, Mr. Paulson expressed
the warm thanks of the party to our President for his most interesting and
instructive demonstration.
Mr. Paulson also referred to the death, a few days before, of one of the
original members of the Club, Mr. E. N. Buxton, whose funeral at Buck-
hurst Hill was being attended that afternoon by Mr. John Avery and Mr.
Percy Thompson as representatives of the Club.
ORDINARY MEETING (575th MEETING).
SATURDAY, 26TH JANUARY, 1924.
The Third Winter Meeting was held at 3 o'clock on the above after-
noon, in the Physical Lecture Theatre of the Municipal College, Romford
Road, Stratford, the President, Dr. A. Smith Woodward, F.R.S., etc.,
in the chair. Thirty-nine members attended, notwithstanding the railway
strike which was then raging.
B