72
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
and Fordham near Colchester). A particular abundance occurred
at Bobbingworth where it monopolized several square yards and
was seen with capsules. It also favours the sandy and muddy
banks of ditches and is not uncommon around Navestock Park
and abundant in a ditch near Navestock Heath. It is recorded
also from widely separated areas, Quendon, Newport, by the
Roman River at Birch Hall and at High Woods, Ingatestone. In
view of its present distribution it seems unlikely that it would
have been overlooked in the past, as although it is a rather small
species it has a very distinctive appearance. It is more probably
a newcomer that is spreading in its range. Dr. H. L. K. White-
house records that this species reproduces itself by gemmae as well
as by spores. These gemmae are borne on the rhizoids under-
ground or at the base of the stem, a method of survival of species
that have to withstand dry conditions during the summer months.
Reference
Whitehouse. H. L. K. Trans. British Bryological Soc., 4: 92.
The Dawn Chorus, 1960 and 1961
By M. T. Parker
Members of the Brentwood School Field Club have continued
to keep records of the Dawn Chorus. The records as in previous
years have been made in Hartswood, Brentwood. The records
were made on 29th May 1960 and 14th May 1961. The results
were as follows.
General Observations on These Records
(1) These results show the same general pattern of the Chorus;
and confirm the conclusions reached in 1959.
(2) It was noticed that there were no Nightingales—as in
previous years. Also the extent of song by the Song Thrush was
noticeably less in both these years when compared to years
previous to 1958. There appeared also to be an increase in
Wren song.
Graphical Representation
In order to show the results graphically, the following method
was adopted. A period of 1 hour was divided into 5-minute
intervals, and every bird heard singing in each interval was
noted. The following tables show these results.