120
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Visit to Althorne (949th Meeting)
SATURDAY, 11 JUNE, 1952
This meeting was held in conjunction with the Botanical Section of the
London Natural History Society, and some members of the South Essex
Natural History Society also attended. The party totalled thirty-five.
Meeting at Althorne Station at 10.50 a.m., the party made its way down
to the sea-wall; here small groups worked over the locality until lunch time,
when all gathered for the usual picnic meal.
Although threatening clouds appeared from time to time, the weather
kept fine and warm, and an enjoyable time was spent amongst the many
interesting plants and insects of the saltings and the adjacent lands. A
fully-grown and a young Water Vole were watched for some time feeding
on water plants in a fresh-water ditch. No less than forty-seven nests of
the House-Martin were counted under the eaves of a cottage near the road
to North Fambridge, and the entomologists examined a colony of the Five-
Spot Burnet moth, in which were seen larva? and pupa? as well as the
perfect insects.
The whole party met for tea at the Ridge Guest House, and after the
meal a formal meeting was held with the President in the chair.
The following were elected to membership of the Club : —
Miss G. M. Chisholm, of 6, First Avenue, Chelmsford.
Mr. J. M. Larkin, of 31, Axminster Road, Holloway, N.7.
Mr. R. H. Mays, of 5, Goldings Road, Loughton.
Mr. H. G. Rains, b.sc, of 35, Hillcrest Road, Loughton.
The various aspects of the day's work were reported ou by Mr. Howard
for Botany, Mr. Tutt for Ornithology, and Mr. E. F.' Williams for
Entomology.
Mr. Howard reports that one hundred and two species were observed in
flowers, including: Hairy Crowfoot (Ranunculus sardous Crantz), Sea
Trefoil (Trifolium squamosum L.), Strawberry-headed Clover (Trifolium
fragiferum L.), Sea Wormwood (Artemisia maritima L.), Pinnatifid
Self-heal (Prunella laciniata L.), Sea Purslane (Obione portulacoides
(L.) Moq.). Glasswort (Salicornia perennis (Crouan) Mill.), Sea Blite
(Suaeda maritima (L.) Dum.), Procumbent Glyceria (Glyceria procumbens
Dum.) and Sea Barley (Hordeum marinum Huds.)
Mr. Williams reports that, in addition to the Five-Spot Burnet men-
tioned above, the Large Skipper was common, the Meadow Brown in small
numbers was just emerging, and the Dragonfly Libellula depressa was seen.
Visit to Wicken Bonhunt (950th Meeting)
SUNDAY, 13 JULY, 1952
Twenty-seven members travelled by coach from Wanstead Station.
Leaving at 9.15 a.m., the coach ran via Epping and Bishops Stortford and
arrived at Wicken Bonhunt about 10.45 a.m. Arrangements had been made
to visit Wicken House, the Essex Education Committee's Residential Youth
Centre and, having been joined by nine members who had travelled by
car, the party was welcomed by the Warden, Mr. G. C. Johnson, and very
soon all were enjoying coffee in the Common Room.
At 11.15 a.m. the members gathered in the Lecture Room, and a lecture
illustrated by lantern slides and maps was given by Dr. Clifford, of the
Cambridge Board for Extra Mural Studies. It was soon evident that the
lecturer was a master of the subject—the ecology of the neighbourhood—
and his delivery was such that the audience was kept intensely interested
during the whole of the lecture. The geology of the district was first ex-
plained, and the illustrations gave point to Dr. Clifford's description of
the area, later to be inspected, as a subdued version of a chalk landscape.
Other pictures depicted the colonisation by plants of chalk-land formerly
grazed by sheep. The effect of the local geology on the works of man in