REPORTS OF MEETINGS
115
The Club's copy of Druce's Comital Flora is still being annotated by
Mr. Howard. Very many additional entries of the Essex flora have been
made, including a surprisingly large number of interesting alien species
which have been recorded over many years in the proximity of Essex coastal
or riverside ports.
The indoor meetings of the Club have been held as usual and have been
well attended, as will be seen by reference to the reports in this issue of
our journal. Eight field meetings were held, and members were invited to
a number of meetings of affiliated societies. There were also informal
Thursday afternoon field meetings in most months of the year, when a small
number of members enjoyed short walks in nearby parks and woodlands and
afterwards took tea together.
Finally, with regard to the Library, Mr. Hall Crouch reports that the
number of books borrowed by members was about 130, and that, although
the accessions of bound books were small in number, the runs of periodicals
purchased by the Corporation of West Ham were kept up, and these and
the publications of scientific societies received in exchange were regularly
filed and indexed by the Assistant Librarian. Miss English.
The care of the Pictorial Survey has been taken over by Miss Elsa Hilbert,
who is continuing the work of mounting and tiling the pictures as they are
acquired.
REPORTS OF MEETINGS
Ordinary Meeting (943rd Meeting)
SATURDAY, 26 JANUARY, 1952
This meeting was held at West Ham Municipal College at 3 p.m. The
chair was taken by the President, Mr. Laurence S. Harley, and forty-one
persons were present.
Dr. Curnock showed a lantern slide photograph by Mr. C. B. Pratt of
the recently discovered wall-painting of St. Christopher in Lambourne
Church (see Part 1, p. 82).
Mr. Broughton showed specimens of fibre board suitable for use instead
of the usual cork for lining insect store-boxes. He also showed a collection
of Orthoptera arranged to demonstrate the variation of colour within species
and the consequent unreliability of colour as a means of determination.
Mr. Bernard Ward showed herbarium sheets of two alien plants,
Sisymbrium Loesellii L. and Potentilla intermedia. He also spoke of the
suggested spraying of roadsides with hormone weed killers by local
authorities. If this were carried out, it might result in the loss of valued
wild plants, and be considered that the Club should endeavour to have
certain areas exempted from such treatment.
Mr. Syms showed larvae of the Swallowtail moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria
(L).) on ivy, and also a series of lantern slides illustrating the life history
of this moth.
Mr. Belcher showed a "pooter" of bis own design which incorporated
a filter. This was considered to be an improvement upon well-known types
of this apparatus for collecting small insects.
Mr. Hastings showed a fungus growing on dead willow wood. The
specimen appeared to be a species of Trametes, possibly gibbosa.
The President referred to the recent death of Mrs. Thompson. The wife
of our late Secretary and Curator would be sadly missed after so many
years with the Club as a keen naturalist and a charming and kindly
personality.
Mr. S. T. Jermyn then gave a lecture on the Umbelliferae, during which
he showed many illustrations by means of the episcope and introduced a