30
In the afternoon the party went down onto Rainham Marshes.
I was rather disappointed as it was now very difficult to
get down to the riverside as the level of the marshes is
being raised by dumping silt from the river mouth on them.
But we were compensated by finding many salt-loving plants
which had grown where the mud had dried out, so altogether
a satisfactory day.
MAUREEN TOLLFREE
N.B. The Editor was pleased to record the finding of the
uncommon grass Puccinellia rupestris at this meeting.
---oOo---
Meeting Report AUGUST 24 1980 GENERAL MEETING
POND DIPPING & REPTILES
Thirty-one members met at Ingatestone Station and drove
to Coptfold Hall, where cars were parked in the old yard.
From here, the Keeper, Mr. Morgan White led us on a
tour of the woods and ponds to the east side of the estate.
We walked through King Wood and dipped two ponds just over
the Writtle road.
The most northern of the two showed little sign of life,
being very dark and full of decaying leaves, the other just
level with the bottom of King Wood and on the east side of
the road was more hopeful. Here we netted numerous water
boatmen, caddis larvae and one small water stick insect.
Returning up the track beside Park Lodge a male common lizard
was seen and caught as it lay in the sun on a heap of slabs
near the Duck Pond. When back at Coptfold Hall we had a
break for lunch and then looked at the Lily Pond nearby;
this was full of newts when examined in 1975, but unfortun-
ately now was dried up presumably having sprung a leak.
Moving west we examined a sunny area near a pond above the
kitchen garden. Here under some sheets of tin two grass snakes
were found, one about two years old and the other about three.
Both were in the process of sloughing their skin. Nearby
also under debris and in a rubbish heap we found four slow