REPORTS OF MEETINGS
223
the parties concluded their collecting by bringing their specimens to the
Gardener's Arms at Loughton where, in the tea room, Mr. and Mrs.
Boardman had prepared tables for the exhibition of the various species.
The summer had been a particularly wet one and the Forest was as
wet as anyone could remember seeing it. The horse chestnuts were
clad in their autumn gold, a few beeches were beginning to colour and
the rose and hawthorn bushes were laden with a heavy crop of ripe
fruits. We were particularly fortunate in the day's weather for the
sun shone brightly and, although rain fell in nearby areas, not one
of the collecting parties had to get out the mackintoshes which most
rucksacks held.
In the tea room Professor Ingold, Mrs. Boardman and Miss Roberts
sat at the receiving table and named the specimens presented by the
collectors. These were then laid out in the spaces appropriate to each
genus and species. Mr. Ward similarly laid out the Mycetozoa. After
an hour or so spent in studying the specimens a very welcome and en-
joyable tea was taken by about fifty members and friends. After the meal
a pleasant little ceremony took place, it being Heather Boardman's
11th birthday. Her parents had provided a birthday cake decorated with
ornamental red fungi and the appropriate number of candles. Heather
cut the cake to the strains of "Happy Birthday to You" sung by the
members and then rendered thanks in a charming little speech.
With Professor Ingold in the chair, apologies for absence from
Professor Gregory, Professor Hora and Mrs. Balfour Brown were
read and then the following were elected to membership of the Club:—
Mrs. Evelyn and Miss Mary Emeney, of School House, Little
Dunmow.
Mr. Peter M. Hammond, of 211, Beehive Lane, Chelmsford.
Mr. David R. Scott, of 110, Forest Edge, Buckhurst Hill.
Professor Ingold then spoke of the day's collecting. The outstanding
feature had been the great profusion of specimens seen and their fine
condition. Particularly was there great abundance of Russula and Lac-
tarius species, while groups of Collybia maculata were everywhere in
evidence. The number of different species, however, was not much
greater than in other years. Somewhat surprisingly there was a scarcity
of Armillaria mellea and Amanita muscaria.
Mrs. Boardman thanked the leaders of the various collecting parties
and said that 110 species had been named and another six or so re-
mained for later determination. She also described the manner in which
she was compiling, as Recorder for the Club, an up-to-date index
of fungi of Epping Forest. This she was basing on A. A. Pearson's
List of the Fungi of Epping Forest (1938) and W. D. Graddon's list
of 1925, supplemented by other records from The Essex Naturalist and
from her own lists. She mentioned that she would welcome additional
records from members and others and would like a suitable person
to take in hand the recording of the Ascomycetes.