THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
131
the diminution in the total membership of the Club, and the Council
reiterates the necessity, then urged, for each existing member to introduce
new recruits in order to compensate losses from death and resignation.
The Council proposes to add the names of Miss E. L. Turner, Dr.
W. T. Caiman, Dr. J. W. Gregory, Dr. D. H. Scott, and Dr. A. B. Rendle
to the list of honorary members, in recognition of their eminent services
to natural science.
Two Parts of the Essex Naturalist have been issued during the
year, and the quality of the communications published has, the Editor
ventures to think, been maintained at the customary high level.
The work of the Club's two Museums has progressed satisfactorily.
The Stratford Museum has received many donations of specimens,
among which may specially be mentioned Mr. G. J. B. Fox's large collection
of prehistoric implements, which is still in process of reception, and Miss
Lister's donation of the collection of flowering plants made by the late
Lord Lister in 1844-48. The West Ham Corporation has generously
voted the necessary funds for providing table-cases and cabinets to ac-
commodate these collections, and they are now being constructed. Other
valuable accessions are eleven set-up specimens of birds (originally from
Henry Doubleday's collection), given by Miss R. Christy, and a number
of polished sections of tree-trunks presented by Mr. Walter Fox and
Mr. J. H. McCurdy. Your Council wishes to record its grateful thanks
to these and other donors of specimens, books, or photographs to the
Museum or its Library.
The Club's Library has been enriched by many accessions during the
year, and 87 volumes have been bound : the number of bound volumes
in the Library now totals 5089, an increase of 149 during the past twelve
months.
The Photographic Survey of the County has unfortunately not been
favoured by many gifts from members of late, and the Curator appeals
for more donations of prints, photographs, or topographical illustrations
relating to Essex.
The Forest Museum at Chingford has been overhauled and is now
in satisfactory condition.
By resolution of October 25th, 1924, your Council decided to
appropriate the unexpended balance of the Cole Pension Fund, amounting
to nearly £200, to a Forest Museum Maintenance Fund, and to this a
further sum of £10 10s. has been donated by an old member of the Club,
Mr. Robert Lodge ; with the interest of this fund it is hoped gradually
to bring about improvements in the character of the exhibited objects,
as well as to pay for occasional breakages and other unavoidable
out-goings.
Your Council has accordingly appointed a small Committee of workers
to look after the little Museum, in co-operation with Miss Oxley, and a
Guide to Queen Elizabeth's Lodge and to the Museum has been published
and is now on sale to visitors. A meeting of the Club was held at the
Museum on February 14th last, for the purpose of inspecting the recent