THE
ESSEX NATURALIST:
BEING THE
Journal of the Essex Field Club.
VOLUME XXVII.
OUR FRONTISPIECE.
THIS peaceful aspect of our Essex coast, as it was in 1892,
shows a condition of things in marked contrast to that
of today. Even before the exigencies of war had converted a
quiet shore into a military camp the growth of bungalows and
beach-huts had swept away the natural quietude and peace
which was the chief charm of a lonely shore, and which, alas, is
unlikely to be recaptured in our time, if, indeed, ever.
The view is of the shore of Mersea Island, with that of St.
Osyth seen across the water, and is taken from a small oil-
painting by the late H. A. Cole, now in the possession of the
Essex Museum, Stratford.