140
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
Miss A. Hibbert-Ware, F.L.S., then read an interesting paper entitled
"Field-Notes on Some Birds of Essex," which she illustrated by a number
of lantern-photographs and by an exhibition of skins of some of the birds
referred to. After the reading of the paper, Miss Hibbert-Ware answered
various questions addressed to her, and a hearty vote of thanks was
accorded to her.
Before the conclusion of the meeting, the Hon. Secretary announced
that the Club's Forest Museum at Queen Elizabeth's Lodge, Chingford,
had been honoured by a visit from H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught on
July 21st last. In connection with this visit, the Council had voted its
special thanks to Mrs. Vera Oxley and to Miss Elsie Greaves, and also to
Miss Dofort and other lady members, her colleagues, for voluntary work
most kindly undertaken in arranging the wild-flower and other botanical
exhibits at the museum.
The action of the Council was warmly endorsed by the meeting.
CRYPTOGAMIC FORAY IN EPPING FOREST.
(678TH MEETING).
SATURDAY, 15TH NOVEMBER, 1930.
Our Cryptogamic Foray, which is always looked forward to with plea-
surable anticipation by our botanist-members, was this year considerably
marred by heavy rain which, coming as it did after a fortnight's "Indian
Summer," was all the more regrettable. Over forty members and visitors
assembled at Theydon Bois station at 10.52 o'clock and proceeded through
the village to the Forest at Oak Hill. Collecting was assiduously carried on
throughout the morning, as the threatening rain did not actually materia-
lise until lunch-time; but the downpour which came later effectually pre-
vented further research during the afternoon. For this reason the yield
of the Foray was numerically small; but the enthusiasm of our conductors
and the keen interest displayed by their followers, which was most marked,
did much to compensate for the adverse conditions of weather.
Tea at the headquarters, the Roserville Retreat at Highbeach, was
followed by the usual remarks by the conductors on the results of the day's
work. In the absence of the President, Mr. D.J. Scourfield was voted to
the Chair and, in the name of the Club, welcomed Professor John MacLuckie
of Sydney University, Australia, who with Mrs. MacLuckie took an in-
terested part in the day's expedition.
At the invitation of the Chairman, Mr. W. R. Sherrin made his report
on the mosses and liverworts found. He said that forty species of mosses
had been noted during the day and the total included Eurhynchium tenellum
which he thought had not previously been recorded from Epping Forest.
Fontinalis antipyretica was another interesting species gathered that
day. Only eight hepatics had been noted, but these included Ricciocarpus
natans, which was again a new record for the Forest, Riccia fluitans, and
Ptilidium pulcherrimum, a northern subalpine form which somewhat un-
accountably occurs rarely in one or two known stations in Epping Forest.
Mr. R. Paulson reported that, of the eleven species of lichens which he
had gathered, the most interesting were Cladonia digitata, Boeomyces roseus