220 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
a Reed Bunting nested there. On the pond itself were tame wigeon,
pochard, pintail, mallard and tufted ducks, some of them now nesting :
while in his garden he had, at the time of speaking, nests of blackbird,
chaffinch, hedgesparrow and blue tit, which later on he showed to the
party. He remarked that when he was a boy there were always magpies
and (nesting) kestrels in the neighbourhood ; but magpies were now rare.
He also reminded us of the Honey Buzzard seen by his father, the late Sir
Thomas Fowell Buxton, in the Forest in September, 1881 (as recorded in
the Club's Journ. of Proc. II., 1882, p. lxxii.).
From the Village Hall the visitors proceeded to the Bury, Lord Noel-
Buxton's country seat. Upshire Bury is a mediaeval house, originally
timber-built, which in the early 18th century was faced with brickwork
and modernised : formerly a farmhouse, it has been extended in more
recent times. Internally, the hall has an open ceiling of adzed dark
oak beams, and two rooms have panelled walls.
Rain unhappily made the tour of the garden somewhat uncomfortable,
but the visitors were greatly interested in the sunk garden, the picturesque
pond with its wildfowl and the various nests pointed out by our host.
At about 6 o'clock, leaves were taken, after Lord Noel-Buxton had
been warmly thanked by the Hon. Secretary, on behalf of the party, for
his kindly hospitality and conductorship. The visitors then made their
way along Copt Hall Green and Crown Hill through the Forest to the
main Epping-London road, where omnibuses were taken for home.
FIELD MEETING IN THE ROOTHINGS AND AT GREAT
CANFIELD (687TH MEETING).
SATURDAY, 2ND MAY, 1931.
A party of forty, some travelling by private, motor-coach, others
coming in their own cars, foregathered at the Windmill at Aythorpe
Roding at 11.30 o'clock, where our two conductors for the day, Miss
G. Lister, F.L.S., and Mr. John Salmon, took charge. An inspection of
the mill, which is an interesting example of the Suffolk type of post-mill,
with the later addition of a fantail, and which is still worked by wind, on
occasion, was the first item on the day's programme. The method of
working was described in detail by Mr. Salmon, and the mill was curiously
examined within and without.
Crossing fields gay with cowslips and primroses, Aythorpe Roding
Church, dedicated to St. Mary, was soon reached. Here the party was
met and welcomed by the rector, the Rev. A. R. Thurlow, who pointed
out the salient features of the unpretentious little structure, which dates
from the 13th century ; the plain Early English lancet windows and the
timber supports of the belfry were noted, and some of the party ascended
into the latter to inspect the bells, which are three in number, all cast
in 1540 by John Tonne, they being the only complete ring in Essex by
this founder.
Proceeding by fieldpath and green lane, the visitors proceeded to New
Hall, in High Roding parish, gatherings of the abundant wild flowers
being made on the way. Before reaching there, however, lunch was
despatched, the members of the party precariously perched on field gates