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THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
living Pseudamesomphalus Thoreyi, a small beetle from Brazil, imported
in banana-crates ; several tortoise-beetles, Aspidomorpha sanctae-crucis,
from Elephanta, to illustrate the retention, after many years' preserva-
tion in formalin, of the natural metallic tints ; larvae of a British tortoise-
beetle, Cassida viridis: also Phyllotoma aceris, a small sawfly which lays its
eggs and passes its larval life in the leaves of Sycamore.
Mr. Scourfield exhibited under microscopes a minute blue-green alga,
Microcystis aeruginosa, also ephippia (resting-eggs) of Daphnia longispina,
all from the Eagle Pond at Snaresbrook.
Mr. Ward gave a description, illustrated by lantern-views, of the
Luxborough Sewage Farm, Chigwell, where, during the past few years, he
and a colleague had recorded ninety-four species of birds, of some of which
he gave an interesting account of the mode of occurrence.
Mr. Sims showed specimens of a beetle, Endomychus coccineus, found
by him in large numbers beneath the bark of trees in Epping Forest, and
exhibited lantern-photographs of its eggs, larvae and pupae.
Mr. Heeley showed a perfect cast skin of a large Bird-catching Spider
found in banana-crates, together with the living spider, and described his
observation of the process of moulting, which took five hours to complete.
The Curator, on behalf of Mr. Owen, exhibited a Wasp's Nest which
had been raided and damaged by a badger and afterwards partially repaired
by the wasps ; also a Rabbit skull with malformed incisors.
A series of photographs of old houses in East Ham, nearly all of which
have now been destroyed, was shown from the Pictorial Survey collection.
The meeting closed at 4.55 o'clock.
CRYPTOGAMIC FORAY (767TH MEETING).
SATURDAY, 14TH NOVEMBER, 1936.
A morning of torrential rain, following a week of almost constant wet,
did not promise a delightful day in Epping Forest. Yet a small party, just
over a score individuals, ventured to start from home in these dismal
conditions and were justified of their optimism when, before eleven o'clock,
the gloom and rain suddenly disappeared, the sun shone out and a lovely
day rewarded the hardy few who attended the Foray.
After some five hours spent in searching for the small plants—algae,
mosses, hepatics, lichens or myxomycetes—favoured by individual
members of the party, tea was taken at the Roserville Retreat at Highbeach
soon after 4 o'clock.
A short meeting of the Club was held, with Mr. D. J. Scourfield, I.S.O.,
one of the Permanent Vice-Presidents of the Club, in the chair, when the
several conductors reported on the results of the day's researches.
Mr. Sherrin was quite satisfied with his record of 35 mosses, which
included Barbula revoluta, B. rubella and Eurhynchium tenellum, and also
seven species of liverworts: he considered this a good result.
Mr. Ross had but poor results to report, the heavy rains having washed
away the delicate myxies wherever exposed: he said that for this reason
no specimens had been found on fallen holly-leaves, which usually yield a
good harvest. Only nine species had been found that day, all of them
common forms.