136 THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
hairs, spreading or recurved, and hooked at the tip; these
probably serve to anchor the fallen seeds to rootlets or algal
threads on the tidal mud which they frequent.
In the allied Salt-wort (Salsola Kali L.) the seed is adherent
to the pericarp and is shed while enclosed in the much enlarged
perianth which is stellately five-winged. In Sea-Blite (Suaeda
maritima) the dark horizontal shining seed is either shed by
itself or enclosed in the almost membranous unwinged perianth.
We are told that the name of the true Samphire, or "Sampier"
as it used to be called, is derived from the French "Saint Pierre,"
Italian "San Pietro"; it was dedicated to Saint Peter, the
fisherman's saint, from its growing on sea cliffs.
THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB—REPORTS OF
MEETINGS.
AN AFTERNOON TOUR OF WEST HAM
(715TH MEETING).
SATURDAY, 8TH APRIL, 1933.
Gloriously fine sunny weather, more typical of high summer than of
early April, tempted nearly fifty members and friends to participate in
a tour of inspection of some of the buildings in West Ham having historic
interest. The Honorary Secretary acted as Conductor.
Leaving the Essex Museum at 2.15 o'clock precisely, a walk across
West Ham Park brought the party to Upton House (which bears date
1731), the birthplace of the celebrated surgeon, Lord Lister, now the
vicarage of St. Peter's Church, Upton Cross, where the Rev. A. J. Parry
received the visitors and conducted them through the house. The dining
room, where Lister as a small boy narrowly escaped being killed by an
accidental gunshot, the drawing room (since Lister's time made into two
rooms), the study and the kitchen were in turn inspected. In the latter
room a moulded beam running lengthways along the ceiling was, Mr. Parry
conjectured, once part of a rood screen, perhaps from either Barking or
Stratford Langthorne abbeys: an interesting "bygone" in the kitchen,
a ham curer, was pointed out by our host.
Mounting the handsome main staircase, with its spirally twisted
balustrade and panelled dado, the first bedroom visited was the room in
which the future great surgeon first saw the light on April 5th, 1827.
Other bedrooms were in turn inspected, all alike exhibiting characteristic
18th century wall-panelling.
On leaving, our President expressed the thanks of the party to Mr.
Parry for his kind invitation to visit his house and also for his interesting
description of the various rooms inspected.