NOTES.
281
During November the desirability of resuming the winter meetings
was realised. A special "reunion meeting" was arranged for the after-
noon of December 2nd to be held in the Small Lecture Hall of the Woodford
Congregational Church, this being a convenient central assembly place
for various districts. This meeting proved a great success; thirty-five
members attended, and a full programme of interesting exhibits was
carried out.
Other similar meetings are proposed to be held during the remaining
winter months, and it is confidently anticipated that, with the coming
of Spring, some at least of the Club's field meetings will be held : arrange-
ments for these are already being put in hand by Mr. Salmon.
So far, then, good! But the future of the Club is naturally wholly
dependent upon the loyalty of its individual members in continuing their
membership and in paying with promptitude their annual subscriptions.
It is hoped, and assumed, that this loyalty will not be lacking.
NOTES : ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
Occurrence of the Grasshopper Warbler in West Essex.—In
view of the scarcity of records of this species in our county, it is worth
recording that in July, 1939, I both saw and heard singing a Grasshopper
Warbler in the neighbourhood of Roydon. The locality is a very suitable
one for this species, and it is more than probable that it had nested
there this summer.
G. Dent.
The Comma Butterfly.—This butterfly is now well established in
Essex, and I see specimens every autumn in some numbers on my Michael-
mas daisies.
G. Dent.
The Red Squirrel and the Dormouse.—It is pleasing to report
that red squirrels have reappeared in this district (Parndon) and have been
increasing during the last few years, after having become almost extinct
for a number of years. I wish the same could be said of the Dormouse,
which I believe to be extinct hereabouts ; it was common about Epping
thirty years ago.
It would be interesting to know if it still occurs anywhere in Essex.
G. Dent.
Black Kite at Stratford.—Mr. Percy W. Horn, of the Stepney
Museum, records in British Birds for December, 1939, that he twice saw
a Kite, which appeared to be a Black Kite (Milvus migrans migrans), flying
over Stratford on October 24th, 1939. This was probably one of several
specimens of this species, which had recently been released from the Zoo.
Editor.
Cormorants Inland in Essex.—On September 23rd, 1939, from
the top of Yardley Hill, Chingford, I observed a flight of eleven Cormorants,
Phalacrocorax c. carbo (L.) over King George Reservoir, Chingford. They
circled, and settled on the north basin. In his History of the Birds of