158
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Report of the Council of the Essex Field Club—1974
Council
The Council of the Club met six times during the year and are very
pleased to report a most successful year of activity.
At the Annual General Meeting on 23rd March 1974 Mr K. Hoy, Mr J.
Tollfree and Mr E. Hooper retired from Council, their places being taken
by Miss S. Harrison, Mrs M. Tollfree and Mr D. Brown. During the year
Mrs H. Morris, Mr P. Allen and Mr T. Lording were nominated as
Representatives of the Botany, Geology and Mammal Groups respectively.
Membership
On the 31st December 1974 Membership stood at 362 this being a very
welcome increase of 41 gained over the year.
It is with regret that the Council report the death of Dr John Rams-
bottom, O.B.E., a Vice-President of the Club. His obituary has appeared in
the Club's publications.
Meetings
A total of 36 Meetings were held during the year including 12 General
Meetings and 24 Informal Meetings. These were held as follows.
General Meetings at West Ham (including the Annual General Meeting)
three, at Chelmsford one, at Brentwood one, with seven being held in the
Field.
Informal Meetings were devoted to the following disciplines:
Botany five, Geology five, Ornithology two, Mammals four, General
Natural History four.
There were also three Group Annual Meetings and one Group Annual
Dinner.
Several of the informal meetings were organised jointly with the Writtle
Agricultural College Natural History Society, the Colchester Natural
History Society and the London Natural History Society.
The Mammal Group have had a successful year with a number of well
attended Meetings. At their Annual General Meeting at the Suntrap Field
Centre, High Beech, the Mammal Jug was awarded to the winner of a
Mammal Photographic competition, Brian Eastcott being awarded the
prize for his photograph of a Fallow Deer taken near Brentwood. The
Field Meetings of the Group were to localities of Conservation interest
with respect to new roads and the proposed Maplin airport.
The Botany Group held their Annual General Meeting at the Epping
Forest Conservation Centre where a number of members presented Colour
Slides of botanical interest. Their informal meetings included a Moss Hunt
in Hatfield Forest and a Plant ramble in Wall Wood, Hatfield Forest, along