THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
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E. confertum, Plagiothecium undulatum, Hypnum aduncum, H. fluitans,
Barbula rubella, Dicranella cerviculata, and Sphagnum subsecundum.
Of the hepatics, ten species had been recorded, including Metzgeria
furcata, a species which seemed to be much rarer in the Forest of late years.
Mr. Sherrin referred to an old-time record of Bryum alpinum, which
was gathered some 130 years ago at High Beach, by Edward Forster, and
which was still in the Forster Collection in the British Museum : he de-
scribed it as a very dingy specimen but undoubtedly alpinum.
Mr. Thorrington said that five different ferns had been noted during
the ramble, viz,, Bracken, Broad Buckler, Hartstongue, Male, and
Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes).
Mr. Paulson reported a total of twenty-one lichens as his contribution
to the day's finds, as follows :—
Parmelia physodes, P. sulcata.
Cetraria glauca.
C. aculeata.
Physcia orbicularis var. virella.
Candelariella vitellina.
Lecanora varia.
,, galactina.
Baeomyces roseus.
Cladonia pyxidata, C. squamosa, C. macilenta.
C. Floerkeana.
Lecidea coarctata, L. granulosa, L. uliginosa.
Buellia myriocarpa.
Rhizocarpon petraeum, R. confervoides.
Verrucaria viridula.
V. nigrescens.
Rear Admiral Axford, who was present as a visitor, was invited by
the President to make some remarks on the fungi noticed during the
ramble. He reported that although no rarities had been seen, yet
representatives of some twenty genera had been noted, in spite of the
unfavourable season.
The President, in the absence of Dr. Carter, made some remarks on
the vivid green unicellular alga (Pleurococcus) which occurs encrusting
tree trunks : he said that this alga seemed to be an illustration of
reversion to an unicellular type from an earlier multicellular form. He
noted also that Volvox had been found that day in a pond at Highbeach,
and remarked that he still regarded this as an alga, although it is often
included in zoological text books as being a protozoan.
Thanks to the several referees were heartily accorded and closed the
proceedings.
In the course of the walk through the woodlands, attention was called
to the numerous examples of beech leaves which lay thickly on the ground,
many of which exhibited localised patches of still green chlorophyll, whilst
the rest of the leaf was brown and withered.
The Hon. Secretary said that this was a very common phenomenon
each autumn, which, however, seemed to have been passed over by
writers. On examination of the leaves it would be seen that practically
in all cases there was an evident close relation between the green portions