52 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
Our conductor, Mr. J. Salmon, read an illuminating account he had
prepared of the Chapel and its history : and the Rev. Herbert Brown,
rector of the adjoining parish of St. Lawrence and author of the History
of Bradwell, who was of the party, added some further observations.
After an inspection of this venerable building inside and out, the visitors
examined the still-remaining fragment, some 60 feet in length and 12 feet
thick, of the south wall of the Roman fort; this is built of layers of Septaria
from the London Clay and of squared blocks of stone, alternating with
triple bonding-courses of the characteristic Roman bricks ; but it is now
much obscured by nettles. The fortress of Othona was built during
the later part of the Roman occupation of this country as one of a chain
of forts designed to protect the coast from the increasing inroads of Saxon
raiders, and covered some 6 acres of ground ; a large proportion of the site
has since been destroyed by the sea. On the surface of the field adjoining
the Chapel seawards, many fragments of Romano-British pottery, rims
and bases of dark-grey ware and fragments of "false Samian" ware,
including one figured piece, were picked up by the visitors.
Lunch was taken at this juncture, the party, seated on the sea-wall,
watching the incoming tide slowly creeping along the fleets and submerging
the broad stretch of saltings beyond the wall.
From here, a walk was taken northwards and westwards along the
sea-wall to a point near Weymarks farm : the day being fine, good views
were obtained across the estuary of the Blackwater to the opposite coast of
Mersea Island, and of the more distant coast-line to Brightlingsea and be-
yond. A picturesque, but saddening element in the view was the long line
of ocean-going steamers along the estuary, quite a score in number, laid-up
owing to the slump in our foreign trade. It was a relief to see one of these
get up steam and put out to sea—an omen, let us hope, of our returning
shipping prosperity.
This coast walk afforded opportunities for collecting the many and
various nature-objects which a beach offers. Dead shells of the oyster-
scourge, Crepidula fornicata (the Slipper Limpet), were to be seen in thou-
sands where tidal-eddies had massed them together in such numbers that
the farmer uses the shells to ballast his farm-road. Specimens of Mya
arenaria, Tellina balthica, and such "common objects of the sea-shore,"
gave opportunity for various informal talks to less-informed members of
the party. Inside the sea-wall plants of Erodium cicutarium, Draba verna,
Myosotis collina, Veronica Buxbaumii and Vicia lathyroides were seen in
flower, and during the ramble of 33/4 miles some 45 wild plants,actually in
flower, were noted, of which the more interesting were Sherardia arvensis,
Cochlearia officinalis, Viola arvensis and Arum maculatum.
The. abundant occurrence of the Shrubby Sea-blite, Sueda fruticosa,
along the seaward face of the wall, was noteworthy, as this species is not
common on our Essex coast as a rule.
Masses of Sea Purslane, Honckenya peploides, grew on sandy patches of
beach ; where dead Zostera had been piled up by the sea and covered the
beach, the Honckenya was drawn-up and etiolated beneath the thick
covering of Zostera, so as to resemble yellow flowers rathe'.' than leaves.
Several of the visitors paid particular attention to the birds seen or
heard during the ramble, resulting in thirty-five species being recorded ;
these included redshank, sheldrake, dunlin, herring-gull, blackheaded gull,