376
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
list of 150 common unrecorded species has paid dividends and 20
of these species were found during the year.
The annual foray was held in the Epping Forest area and was,
as usual, very well supported. The species were identified by Mr
T. Eagles, Miss I. Finch and Mrs D. Boardman. By conserving
the unidentified species and sending them to the British Museum
for identification, we were able to add several new species to the
list which recorded 104 species.
The Recorder's meeting produced some good records, amongst
them Clavaria pistillaris, Craterellus sinuosus, Amanita inaurata
and nine species of Russula.
I am grateful to Miss I. Finch for her list of finds and several
individuals who have sent me records; I could do with a lot more.
I was specially pleased to receive a list from British Mycological
Society and London Natural History Society after their joint foray
in the forest. This included Collybia cookei, Amanita porphyria
and Inocybe napipes.
I have also received from Mr Bill Lawes a list of fungi from
the Southend area, including such interesting finds as Amanita
virosa, Clavaria juncea and Mycena clavularis. On the strength
of this, we have decided to hold the 1966 foray in the Southend
area.
Notes
Hand-reared Swallow
On September 30, 1965, it rained all day and with a cold east
wind blowing it was difficult for the Swallows to feed the young
still in the nests. My friend, Mr Dewick of Bradwell, found that
a brood of Swallows, nearly full-fledged, had fallen out of their
nest in his packing shed. Two were dead on the cement floor but
the third bird seemed alive. He took it into his house and as it
was obvious that it had had no food for some hours he gave it
food in the form of common moths from his light trap.
After about thirty minutes the young bird accepted food from
tweezers and in no time was taking all the moth bodies offered
to it; up to seventy per day. Day by day it gained confidence in
its "foster mother" and within two weeks it could fly round the
room and settle on Mr Dewick's head, shoulder or hand.
With infinite patience and regular feeding, Mr Dewick kept the
bird alive all through the winter of 1965-66 and in the spring he
had it in a large greenhouse and wire-covered annexe. The sky-
light was open wide for the bird to have its liberty if it so desired,
but it refused to join its own kind flying to and fro overhead. Its
diet consisted of housefly pupae and hard-boiled eggs. It would
help itself to the pupae and also drink water from a small cup. It
settled on Mr Dewick's hand to be fed with egg.