306
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
was set through the part of the Forest known as St. Thomas's Quarters,
which led to the green lane north of Woodredon Farm. Plenty of birds were
heard along this lane and leisurely progress was made until, after turning
right, the road was gained at Copthall Green. Magpies were seen here and
a sheltered and sunny spot was found for a picnic lunch.
After lunch, the Green was crossed and Copped Hall Park was entered by
the western gates. Near this entrance are the kitchen gardens, and availing
themselves of the permission granted by the Agent and the ready co-operation
of the Head Gardener, members made a thorough inspection of the green-
houses growing crops of peaches, grapes, tomatoes, and cucumbers and the
rest of these well-kept walled gardens.
A gate in the wall gave access to the ornamental grounds of Copped
Hall. For some years it has been possible to give only a minimum of care
to these grounds, but in spite of this necessity, a large number of exotic trees
and flowering shrubs still provided much of interest to the party. Viburnum
Carlesii, Kerria japonica, various Magnolias, Choisya ternata, and many
other shrubs were in full flower among the terraces, while the long-neglected
conservatory of the burnt-out Hall surprisingly held a fine show of magnificent
Camellias. Here in the gardens the songs of many birds were to be heard,
and it was with some difficulty that the party was persuaded to leave the
pleasant surroundings of the sheltered walks and terraces.
In front of the Hall a meadow was occupied by a flock of sheep with many
new-born lambs, and circling this meadow the lake was reached. Here a
rookery of sixty-one nests was seen and several grass snakes, some of con-
siderable size, were disturbed near the water. One of these took to the lake
and was watched swimming. Members then made for the drive leading
toward Epping, and it was with considerable pleasure that a good example
of a cut and laid hedge was seen. Such good craftsmanship is all too
uncommon nowadays.
The Bell Inn, Epping, was reached in good time for tea at 4.30 p.m., and
all sat down to an enjoyable repast.
After the meal, a formal meeting was held, with Mr. Joseph Ross in the
chair. The Chairman began by welcoming the visitors and expressed his
pleasure at the presence of a number of members of our affiliated club—the
Essex Institute of Agriculture Students Field Club—from Writtle.
Three nominations for membership were read and then various members
were called upon to comment on the day's observations. Mr. Pratt spoke of the
birds and mentioned that twenty-seven species had been recorded during the
day. The only summer migrants which had been seen were Willow-Warbler,
Chiffchaff, Cuckoo, and Tree-Pipit. Mr. Downs, of the Essex Institute
of Agriculture, then spoke on the plants, including in his remarks some account
of the exotic flowers seen at Copped Hall. He also made some interesting
comments on the agricultural and ecological aspects of some of the wild
flowers seen. A number of specimens were named and laid out for the inspect-
ion of members.
The meeting was brought to a close by a short speech by Mr. Farmer,
also from the Essex Institute of Agriculture, who expressed the pleasure of
the students at this, their first meeting of the Club, and their hope that more
meetings of a similar sort would often take place.
Mr. Howard reports that thirty-five species of plants were recorded in
flower, and specially worthy of notice were Water Crowfoot (Ranunculus
heterophyllus Weber), Tuberous Bitter Vetch (Lathyrus montanus Bernh.),
Crab-apple (Malus pumila Mill.), Primrose (Primula vulgaris Huds.),
and Cowslip (Primula veris L.), the two last-mentioned tending to become
rare in the area.