REPORT OF COUNCIL 47
Buckinghamshire. The Fungus Foray was organised in two parties with the
object of covering a larger area than usual. Informal Thursday afternoon
meetings were held on six occasions; these, together with meetings arranged
by affiliated societies, gave members the opportunity of seventeen field meetings
between April and November. The success of the meetings was once again
due to the assiduous efforts of our Field Meeting Secretaries, Mr. and Mrs.
Richard Ward.
It is much regretted that no change can be reported with regard to the
Museum at West Ham. It remains closed to the public. Mr. E. E. Syms con-
tinued loyally throughout the year to be in attendance on Tuesday mornings
and Thursday evenings when the College was open and also on numerous
other occasions when required, but he reports that there were few visitors. In
addition to maintenance work a case was kept provided with specimens to
illustrate current B.B.C. talks to schools on Nature Study. Few schools, how-
ever, availed themselves of the opportunity of visiting the Museum to see the
exhibits.
The Club was invited by the Wanstead Festival Committee to provide an
exhibit illustrating its activities at Wanstead House Community Centre. Mr.
Syms organised a representative display of local birds, insects and plants, to-
gether with examples of the Club's publications. Messrs. Howard, Pratt and
Waller respectively exhibited fresh wild flowers, excerpts from The Essex
Naturalist and the Wanstead sycamore fungus disease, while Dr. Rudge pro-
vided photographs of the stones of the neolithic flint trade way. The display was
open to visitors on a Thursday, Friday and Saturday in July, and members in
attendance had the pleasure of meeting a good number of interested visitors.
The Curator of the Epping Forest Museum, Mr. Bernard Ward has con-
tinued to work indefatigably as will be seen from his report: The flow of
visitors has increased during the past year and particularly on Sundays the
attendant has counted in over 500 persons when weather conditions have been
favourable. It has been found that the visitors' book is not a reliable source of
attendance figures, many visitors preferring not to sign. With the extremely
wet weather of the winter of 1950-1 a number of cases of ornithological speci-
mens suffered through damp, and the position was not improved through the
heater being in need of repair. The subsequent wet summer has added to the
difficulties and it has been necessary to remake many of the cases to prevent
further damage. Unfortunately about three cases—the property of the City
Corporation—will have to be destroyed because of moth damage sustained
while the cases were open through damp. The work of repairing cases con-
tinues at the expense of other work equally desirable. Once again Mr. Ross
has supplied the Museum with a constant exhibit of Forest wild flowers which
have occasioned much favourable comment from visitors. A start has been
made with the task of re-organising the collection of birds' eggs and consider-
able progress was made until the need to revert to work on the cases became a
matter of urgency. Following the use of the building by some visitors as a
public convenience a strong protest was registered with the Borough Council
and it is learned that a new convenience is shortly to be erected in the vicinity
of the Museum so it is hoped that there will be no further cases of defiling the
building. It has also been necessary to exclude children unless accompanied by
an adult and since this has been put into operation the number of breakages
has been reduced. Nevertheless one substantial adult succeeded in falling
through a forty-inch square of glass and caused some little damage to the
exhibits beneath.
A further annual part of The Essex Naturalist was distributed to members in
the spring; this part completed Volume 28 of our Journal. An index to the
volume has been prepared and will be sent out with the first part of Volume 29
in the spring of 1952. At the request of the County Librarian arrangements
have been made to supply in future thirteen copies of each annual issue so that
The Essex Naturalist will be available at each of the Essex County Branch