THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
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demands of the tired party. But all were soon rambling about this quaint village—
the smugglers' home in the old days—with its antique cottages and curious sign-
boards, and visiting the 15th century church of St. Mary, a stately structure,
mainly Perpendicular, containing much old and interesting work, its low massive
tower, partly Norman, and timber porch, one of the finest in Essex, with richly
carved spandrels and embattled beams of Tudor age, being very noteworthy
features. From the tower, the ascent of which was a somewhat difficult feat, a
very fine view was obtained, albeit somewhat obscured by the gathering shades of
evening.
The church contains memorials of a Christian hero, the Rev. J. A. Cook, who
after surviving extraordinary risks and hardships during the cholera of 1854, laid
down his life in visiting those sick of an epidemic fever in 1859. In the church-
yard may be found the following characteristic epitaph :—
" Sixty-three years our Hoyman sail'd merrily round
Forty-four liv'd parishioner where he's aground,
Five wives bear him thirty-three children, enough,
Land another as honest before he gets off."
As "good-bye" was said at the Railway Station, we could not help admiring
how the light of the setting sun lit up the pink flowers of Ononis repens, locally
known as "Hard-hack," covering a bank by the side of the line.
A stroll on the 14th in the opposite direction from Southend, along the cliff's to
Southchurch and Shoebury Common, proved almost as productive as the walk of
the previous day. A pretty white variety of Epilobium hirsutum was grow-
ing with the ordinary form, and Equisitum maximum under the cliffs at
Southchurch, and Scabiosa arvensis, Cichorium intybus and Lychnis githago in
the cornfields above. On Shoebury Common the President detected Medicago
minima, Mr. Wright called attention to Potentilla argentea, Smyrnium olusatrum,
and Apium graveolens, and Mr. Porter found Cynoglossum, which we had seen at
Hadleigh the day before. Onopordum, sparsely represented at the Crowstone,
was here almost as luxuriant as at Hadleigh ; Glaucium occurred again on the
sand ; and among interesting novelties we noted Carduus nutans, Euonymus
europaeus, stunted plants of Solanum dulcamara, and abundance of Allium vineale.
At the back of the Common, passing quantities of bracken and of Ammophila
arundinacea, we came upon a plant of Hyoscyamus and an interesting small-leaved
elm (Ulmus campestris), identical with a fruiting specimen in Parsons' herbarium
at the Southend Institute. On the Common were also noticed Phleum arenarium,
Eryngium maritimum, and other interesting plants.
Mr. Wright and Prof. Boulger were conducted on the Monday by Dr. Murie
to Canvey Island, crossing Hadleigh Ray by boat to the east point of the island,
and then walking across the island, between the showers of rain, to Benfleet.
The birds, Mr Wright writes, were very interesting, but time did not permit of any
lengthened note-taking. Besides the numerous flocks of gulls and waders, they
noticed a flight of wild duck. A man at one of the farms said that he had never
known so many ducks stay to breed as in that year.
On the saltings on both sides of the bay Statice limonium occurred but sparingly ;
but off the island Aster tripolium covers acres, and there is abundance of Salicornia
herbacea, and the shore species of Atriplex, all of which are probably known by the
name of "Crab-weed," though it perhaps appertains more especially to A.