188 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
the well known local botanist, whose collection of lichens, and whose
annotated floras, are in the Club's Museum at Stratford.
Two small roundels of Flemish painted glass, which have just been
given to the Church by a former vicar, the Rev. E. F. Hay, and which
it is intended to insert in the Vestry window, were shown to the party.
Leaving the church, and taking farewell of Mr. Croft, the visitors
proceeded northward to Felix Hall, at present unoccupied, which was
viewed from the park; Early Purple Orchis was found in the park itself,
and a fine clump of trees of Bird Cherry (Prunus padus) was admired in
one of the bordering copses. Many other beautiful, but common,
spring flowers were noted in the course of a 3-mile circular tour.
In Kelvedon itself, the birth place of the celebrated nonconformist
preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who was born here on June 19th,
1834, was viewed with interest. The house, once the "Wheat Sheaf"
Inn, and now subdivided into three cottages, lies on the north side of
the High Street.
Tea was taken in the drawing-room at "Dowches," by kind invitation
of Miss Layard, at 5.30 o'clock.
After tea a formal meeting of the Club was held. In the absence
of a Vice-president, Mr. Stephen J. Barns, a member of the Council, was
voted to the chair, and Miss Dorothy Pollard, of 221, Winchester Road,
Hale End, E.4, was elected a member of the Club.
The Chairman, in well-chosen phrases, proposed the cordial thanks
of the party to Miss Layard and Miss Outram for their kindly hospitality,
and to Mr. Farran for his leadership during the afternoon ramble. Miss
Layard suitably replied for herself and for Miss Ontram, and Mr. Farran
also replied.
For some three-quarters of an hour longer the visitors wandered about
the garden, or revisited the museum, but finally leaves were taken, and the
7.35 o'clock train for town caught at Kelvedon station, after a most
memorable day's visit.
At leaving, Miss Layard kindly handed to the Hon. Secretary several
duplicate implements, and also a, reprint of a paper by herself on the
discovery of finger-grips on certain implements, as a donation to the
Club's museum.
VISIT TO HATFIELD FOREST (598TH MEETING).
SATURDAY, 27TH JUNE, 1925.
A second visit to this, the third Essex Forest acquired for the enjoyment
of the people by the generosity of the late Mr. E. N. Buxton, was arranged
on the above date. Since the former visit of the Club, on June 28th,
1924, a. further 320 acres has been secured from the same generous source
and handed over to the National Trust, making a grand total of 920 acres
of Forest now open for public use.
The party of some 30 persons travelled from London by train to
Bishop's Stortford, reaching there at 12.35 o'clock. A motor char-a-banc,
which had been engaged to convey it to the Forest, failed through a
breakdown to materialise, and as no substitute was obtainable (it being