Octavius Pickard-Cambridge, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.S. OF THE DORSET MTQR&If HISTORY AND (From MAY, 1916, to MAY, 1917). EDITED BT J. M. J. FLETCHER. VOLUME XXXVIII. Dorchester : PRINTED AT THE "DORSET COUNTY CHRONICLE" OFFICE. 1918 CONTENTS. PAQB List of O fficers of the Club since the Inauguration ... ... v. Rules of the Club ... ... ... ... ... vi. List of Officers and Committees ... ... ... ... 3ci» List of Members ... ... ... ... ... acii. List of New Members elected since the Publication of Volume XXXVII. xxiii. Publications of the Club, and Societies and Institutions in Corres- pondence with the Club ... ... xxiv. THE PROCEEDINGS or THE CLUB from May, 1916, to May, 1917 : — FIBST WINTEB MEETING ... ... ... ... xxv. SECOND WINTER MEETING ... ... ... xxix ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING ... ... ... ... xxxv. The Hpn. Treasurer's Financial Statement ... ... ... xl. In Memoriam, The Late Rev. O. Pickard -Cambridge, M.A. ... xlu Anniversary Address of the President ... ... ... 1 The Walks and Avenues of Dorchester, by Alfred Pope, F.S .A. ... 23 Dorset Soldiers of the Tudor and Early Stuart Periods, by F. J. Pope, F.R. Hist. S. ... ... ... ... 34 The Portland Reeve Staff and Court Leet, by Captain John E. Acland, F.S.A. ... ... ... ... ... 53 Wessex Minsters, by the Rev. A. C. Almack, M.A. ... ... 69 Leaden Coffin found at Cann, by H. St. George Gray ... ... 68 Opening of the Round Barrow at Melcombe Bingham, by Major C. Ashburnham ... ... ... ... ... 74 Returns of Rainfall in Dorset in 1916, by the Rev. H. H. Tilney Bassett, R.D. ... ... ... ... ... 81 A Dorset Royal Peculiar, by the Rev. Canon J. M. J. Fletcher, M.A., R.D. ... ... ... ... ... 93 Dorset Children's Doggerel Rhymes, by the Rev. Herbert Pentin, M.A. ... 112 Phonological Report on First Appearances of Birds, Beasts, Insects, &c.,and the first Flowering of Plants in Dorset during 1916, by W. Parkinson Curtis, F.E.S. ... ... ... 133 Index to Volume XXXVIII. 233 IV. INDEX TO PLATES AND ENGRAVINGS. PAQE OB TO FACE PAGE. The Rev. O. Pickard -Cambridge, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.S. ... Frontispiece THE WALKS AND AVENUES OF Done HESTER — South Walks, Dorchester ... ... ... ... 23 From Taylor' s" Map of Dorsetshire," 1795 ... ... 28 Roman Amphitheatre, Dorchester (from Grosse's " Dorset- shire") ... ... ... ... 29 Simpson's Map of the Manor of Fordington, 1779 ... ... 30 Map from the Court Rolls of the Manor of Fordington, 1 7 46 ... 31 Portland Reeve Staffs, Dorset County Museum ... ... 56 Leaden Coffin Found at Cann ... ... ... ... 69 OPENING OF ROUND BABBOW, MELCOMBE BINGHAM — Primary Interment in Barrow (Photo) ... ... ... 74 Section of Barrow with interments plotted ... ... 76 Ground Plan of Cutting in Barrow ... ... ... 78 v. ITbe Dorset IRatural Ibistorp anfc Bntiquarian ffielfc Club* INAUGUEATED MABCH 26iH, 1875. Presidents : 1875-1902— J. C. Hansel- Pleydell, Esq., B.A., F.G.S., F.L.S. 1902-1904— The Lord Eustace Cecil, F.R.G.S. 1904 * Nelson M. Eichardson, Esq., B.A. Vice -Presidents : 1875-1882— The Rev. H. H. Wood, M.A., F.G.S. 1875-1884— Professor James Buckman, F.S.A., F.G.S., F.L.S. 1880-1900— The Rev. Canon Sir Talbot Baker, Bart., M.A. 1880-1900— General Pitt-Rivers, F.R.S. 1880-1917— The Rev. O. Pickard-Cambridge, M.A., F.R.S., F.Z.S. 1885 * The Earl of Moray, M.A., F.S.A. Scot., F.G.S. 1892-1904— Nelson M. Richardson, Esq., B.A. 1904~19°2 } * The Lord Eustace Cecil> F.R.G.S. 1900-1909— W. H. Hudleston, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., F.G.S., F.L.S., Past Pres. Geol. Society. 1900-1904— Vaughan Cornish, Esq., D.Sc., F.C.S., F.R.G.S. 1900 * Captain G. R. Elwes. 1902-1916— H. Colley March, Esq., M.D., F.S.A. 1904 * The Rev. Herbert Pentin, M.A. 1904-1916— The Rev. W. Miles Barnes, B.A. 1904 * The Rev. Canon J. C. M. Mansel- Pleydell, M.A. 1904-1908— R. Bosworth Smith, Esq., M.A. 1908-1909— Henry Storks Eaton, Esq., M.A., Past Pres. Roy. Met. Society. 1909 * The Rev. Canon C. H. Mayo, M.A., Dorset Editor of "Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries." 1909 * E. R. Sykes, Esq., B.A., F.Z.S., Past Pres. Malacological Society. 1911-1912— The Rev. C. W. H. Dicker, R.D. 1912 * Alfred Pope, Esq., F.S.A. 1913 * Henry Symonds, Esq., F.S.A. 1913 * His Honour J. S. Udal, F.S.A. 1915 * Captain John E. Acland. M.A., F.S.A. 1916 * Sir Daniel Morris, K.C.M.G., D.Sc., D.C.L., F.L.S. Hon. Secretaries : 1875-1884— Professor James Buckman, F.S.A., F.G.S., F.L.S. 1885-1892— The Earl of Moray, M.A., F.S.A. Scot., F.G.S. 1892-1902— Nelson M. Richardson, Esq., B.A. 1902-1904— H. Colley March, Esq., M.D., F.S.A. 1904 * The Rev. Herbert Pentin, M.A. Hon. Treasurers : 1875-1882— The Rev. H. H. Wood, M.A., F.G.S. 1882-1900— The Rev. O. Pickard-Cambridge, M.A., F.R.S. , F.Z.S. 1901-1910— Captain G. R. Elwes. 1910-1915— The Rev. Canon J. C. M. Mansel-Pleydell, M.A. 1915 * Captain John E. Acland, M.A., F.S.A. Hon. Editors : 1875-1884— Professor James Buckman, F.S.A., F.G.S., F.L.S. 1885-1892— The Earl of Moray, M.A., F.S.A. Scot., F.G.S. 1892-1901— Nelson M. Richardson, Esq., B.A. 1901-1906— The Rev. W. Miles Barnes, B.A. 1906-1909— The Rev. Herbert Pentin, M.A. 1909-1912— The Rev. C. W. H. Dicker, R.D. 1912-1917— Henry Symonds, Esq., F.S.A. 1917 * The Rev. Canon J. M. J. Fletcher, M.A. * The asterisk indicates the present officials of the Club. VI. RULES OF THE DORSET NATURAL HISTORY AND ANTIQUARIAN FIELD CLUB. OBJECT AND CONSTITUTION. 1. — The Club shall be called The Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club, and shall have for a short title The Dorset Field Club. The object of the Club is to promote and encourage an interest in the study of the Physical Sciences and Archaeology generally, especially the Natural History of the County of Dorset and its Antiquities, Prehistoric records, and Ethnology. It shall use its influence to prevent, as far as possible, the extirpation of rare plants and animals, and to promote the preservation of the Antiquities of the County. 2. — The Club shall consist of (i.) three Officers, President, Honorary Secretary, and Honorary Treasurer, who shall be elected annually, and shall form the Executive body for its management ; (ii.) Vice -Presidents, of -whom the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer shall be two, ex officio ; (iii.) The Honorary Editor of the Annual Volume of Proceedings ; (iv.) Ordinary Members ; (v.) Honorary Members. The President, Vice -Presidents, and Editor shall form a Council to decide questions referred to them by the Executive and to elect Honorary Members. The Editor shall be nominated by one of the incoming Executive and elected at the Annual Meeting. There may also be one or more Honorary Assistant Secretaries, who shall be nominated by the Honorary Secretary, seconded by the President or Treasurer, and elected by the Members at the Annual Meeting. Members may be appointed by the remaining Officers to fill interim vacancies in the Executive Body until the following Annual Meeting. • The number of the Club shall be limited to 400, power being reserved to the Council to select from the list of candidates persons, whose membership they may consider to be advantageous to the interests of the Club, to be additional Members. PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS. 3.— The President shall take the chair at all Meetings, and have an original and a casting vote on all questions before the Meeting. In addition to the two ex-ojficio Vice -Presidents, at least three others shall be nominated by the President, or, in his absence, by the Chairman, and elected at the Annual Meeting. VII. HON. SECEETAEY. 4.— The Secretary shall perform all the usual secretarial work ; cause a programme of each Meeting to be sent to every Member seven days at least before such Meeting ; make all preparations for carrying out Meetings and, with or without the help of a paid Assistant Secretary or others, conduct all Field Meetings. On any question arising between the Secretary (or Acting Secretary) and a Member at a Field Meeting, the decision of the Secretary shall be final. The Secretary shall receive from each Member his or her share of the day's expenses, and thereout defray all incidental costs and charges of the Meeting, rendering an account of the same before the Annual Meeting to the Treasurer ; any surplus of such collection shall form part of the General Fund, and any deficit be defrayed out of that Fund. HON. TEEASUBEB. 5. — The Treasurer shall keep an account of Subscriptions and all other moneys of the Club received and of all Disbursements, rendering at the Annual General Meeting a balance sheet of the same, as well as a general statement of the Club's finances. He shall send copies of the Annual Volume of Proceedings for each year to Ordinary Members who have paid their subscriptions for that year (as nearly as may be possible, in the order of such payment), to Honorary Member s> and to such Societies and individuals as the Club may, from time to time, appoint to receive them. He shall also furnish a list at each Annual Meeting, containing the names of all Members in arrear, with the amount of their indebtedness to the Club. He shall also give notice of their election to all New Members. OEDINAEY MEMBEBS. 6.— Ordinary Members are entitled to be present and take part in the Club's proceedings at all Meetings, and to receive the published " Proceedings " of the Club, when issued, for the year for which their subscription has been paid. 7.— Every candidate for admission shall be nominated in writing by one Member and seconded by another, to both of whom he must be personally known. He may be proposed at any Meeting, and his name shall appear in the programme of the first following Meeting at which a Ballot is held, when he shall be elected by ballot, one black ball in six to exclude. Twelve Members shall form a quorum for the purpose of election. A Ballot shall be held at the Annual and Winter Meetings, and may be held at any other Meeting, should the Executive so decide, notice being given in the programme. In the event of the number of vacancies being less than the number of candidates at four successive Meetings, the names of any candidates proposed at the first of such Meetings who have not been elected at one of them shall be withdrawn, and shall not be eligible to be again proposed for election for at least a year after such withdrawal. Provided that if at any Meeting there shall be no vacancies available, it shall not be counted in estimating the above named four Meetings. vm. 8.— The Annual Subscription shall be 10s., which shall become due and payable in advance on the 1st of January in each year. Subscriptions paid on election after September in each year shall be considered as subscriptions for the following year, unless otherwise agreed upon by such Member and the Treasurer. Every Member shall pay immediately after his election the sum of ten shillings as Entrance Fee, in addition to his first Annual Subscription. 9. — No person elected a Member shall be entitled to exercise any privilege as such until he has paid his Entrance Fee and first Subscription, and no Member shall be entitled to receive a copy of the "Proceedings" for any year until his Subscription for that year has been paid. 10. — A registered letter shall be sent by the Hon. Treasurer to any Member whose Subscription is in arrear at the date of any Annual Meeting, demanding payment within 28 days, failing which he shall cease to be a Member of the Club, but shall, nevertheless, be liable for the arrears then due. 11. — Members desiring to leave the Club shall give notice of the same in writing to the Treasurer (or Secretary), but, unless such notice is given before the end of January in any year, they shall be Liable to pay the Annual Subscription due to the Club on and after January 1st in that year. HONORARY MEMBERS. 12. — Honorary Members shall consist of persons eminent for scientific or natural history attainments, and shall be elected by the Council. They pay no subscription, and have all the privileges of Ordinary Members, except voting. MEETINGS. 13. — The Annual General Meeting shall be held as near the first week in May as may be convenient ; to receive the outgoing President's Address (if any) and the Treasurer's financial report ; to elect the Officers and Editor for the ensuing year ; to determine the number (which shall usually be three or four), dates, and places of Field Meetings during the ensuing summer, and for general purposes. 14. — Two "Winter Meetings shall usually be held in or about the months of December and February for the exhibition of Objects of Interest (to which not more than one hour of the time before the reading of the Papers shall be devoted), for the reading and discussion of Papers, and for general purposes. The Dates and Places of the Winter and Annual Meetings shall be decided by the Executive. 15.— A Member may bring Friends to the Meetings subject to the following restrictions : — No person (except the husband, wife, or child of a Member), may attend the Meeting unaccompanied by the Member introducing him, unless such Member be prevented from attending by illness, and no Member may take with him to a Field Meeting more than one Friend, whose name and address must be submitted to the Hon. Secretary and approved by him or the Executive. The above restrictions do not apply to the Executive or to the Acting Secretary at the Meeting. IX. 16.— Members must give due notice (with prepayment of expenses) to the Hon. Secretary of their intention to be present, with or without a Friend, at any Field Meeting, in return for which the Secretary shall send to the Member a card of admission to the Meeting, to be produced when required. Any Member who, having given such notice, fails to attend, will be liable only for any expenses actually incurred on his account, and any balance will be returned to him on application. The sum of Is., or such other amount as the Hon. Secretary may consider necessary, shall be charged to each person attending a Field Meeting, for Incidental Expenses. 17. — The Executive may at any time call a Special General Meeting of the Members upon their own initiative or upon a written requisition (signed by Eight Members) being sent to the Honorary Secretary. Any proposition to be submitted shall be stated in the Notice, which shall be sent to each Member of the Club not later than seven days before the Meeting. PAPERS. 18. — Notice shall be given to the Secretary, a convenient time before each Meeting, of any motion to be made or any Paper or communication desired to be read, with its title and a short sketch of its scope or contents. The insertion of these in the Programme is subject to the consent of the Executive. 19. — The Publications of the Club shall be in the hands of the Executive, who shall appoint annually Three or more Ordinary Members to form with them and the Editor a Publication Committee for the purpose of deciding upon the contents of the Annual Volume. These contents shall consist of original papers and communications written for the Club, and either read, or accepted as read, at a General Meeting ; also of the Secretary's Reports of Meetings, the Treasurer's Financial Statement and Balance Sheet, a list to date of all Members of the Club, and of those elected in the current or previous year, with the names of their proposers and seconders. The Annual Volume shall be edited by the Editor subject to the direction of the Publication Committee. 20. — Twenty -five copies of his paper shall be presented to each author whose communication shall appear in the volume as a separate article, on notice being given by him to the Publisher to that effect. THE AFFILIATION OF SOCIETIES AND LIBRARIES TO THE CLUB. 21. — Any Natural History or Antiquarian Society in the County may be affiliated to the Dorset Field Club on payment of an annual fee of Ten Shillings, in return for which the annual volume of the Proceedings of the Field Club shall be sent to such Society. Every affiliated Society shall send the programme of its Meetings to the Hon. Secretary of the Field Club, and shall also report any discoveries of exceptional interest. And the Field Club shall send its programme to the Hon. Secretary of each affiliated Society. The Members of the Field Club shall not be eligible, ipso facto, to attend any Meetings of affiliated Societies, and the Members of any affiliated Society shall not be eligible, ipso facto, to attend any Meetings of the Field Club. But any Member of an affiliated Society shall be eligible to read a paper or make an exhibit at the Winter Meetings of the Field Club at Dorchester. Any Public Library, or Club, or School or College Library, in England or elsewhere, may be affiliated to the Dorset Field Club on payment of an annual fee of Ten Shillings, in return for which the annual volume of the Proceedings of the Field Club shall be sent to such Library. SECTIONAL COMMITTEES. 22. — Small Committees may be appointed at the Annual General Meeting to report to the Club any interesting facts or discoveries relating to the various sections which they represent ; and the Committee of each section may elect one of their Members as a Corresponding Secretary. NEW KULES. 23. — No alteration in or addition to these Rules shall be made except with the consent of a majority of three -fourths of the Members present at the Annual General Meeting, full notice of the proposed alteration or addition having been given both in the current Programme and in that of the previous Meeting. XI. ZTbe Dorset IRatural HMstors anfc Hntiquarian jfielfc Club* INAUGURATED MARCH 26th, 1875. President : NELSON M. RICHARDSON, Esa., B.A. Vice- Presidents : THE LOED EUSTACE CECIL, F.E.G.S. (Past President}. THE EEV. HEEBEET PENTIN, M.A. (Hon. Secretary}. CAPTAIN JOHN E. ACLAND, M.A., F.S.A. (Hon. Treasurer}. CAPTAIN G. E. ELWES, J.P. THE EEV. CANON J. C. M. HANSEL -PLEYDELL, M.A. THE EEV. CANON MAYO, M.A. (Dorset Editor of "Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries"}. THE EARL OF MOEAY. M.A., F.S.A. Scot., F.G.S. SIB DANIEL MOEEIS, K.C.M.G., D.Sc., D.C.L., E.L.S. ALFEED POPE, ESQ., F.S.A. E. E. SYKES, Esq.,.B.A., F.Z.S. (Past Pres. Malacological Society}. HENEY SYMONDS, ESQ., F.S.A. His HONOUR J. S. TIDAL, F.S.A. Executive Body : NELSON M. EICHARDSON, Esq., B.A. (President). The Eev. HERBERT PENTIN, M.A. (Hon. Secretary}, St. Peter's Vicarage, Portland Captain JOHN E. ACLAND, M.A., F.S.A. (Hon. Treasurer}, Wollaston House, Dorchester. Hon. Editor: The Eev. Canon J. M. J. FLETCHER, M.A., The Vicarage, Wimborne Minster. Publication Committee: The EXECUTIVE, The HON. EDITOR, H. B. MIDDLETON, Esq., and E. E. SYKES, Esq. Sectional Committees : Dorset Photographic Survey — The MEMBERS of the EXECUTIVE BODY ex officio C. J. CORNISH BROWNE, Esq. Colonel and Mrs. W. D. DICKSON (Hon. Directors) The Eev. S. E. V. FILLEUL, M.A. Dr. E. K. LE FLEMING C. H. MATE, Esq. A. D. MOULLIN, Esq. Miss HILDA POPE The Eev. J. EIDLEY Earthworks — Captain J. E.' ACLAND (Chairman) CHAS. S. PRIDEAUX, Esq. (Corres- ponding Secretary) The PRESIDENT F. E. ABBOTT, Esq. J. G. N. CLIFT, Esq. The Eev. W. O. COCKRAFT, B.A. Lieut. -Colonel F. G. L. MAINWABINO VERE L. OLIVER, Esq. ALFRED POPE, Esq., F.S.A. W. DE C. PRIDEAUX, Esq., F.S.A. The Eev. W. EHYDDERCH Miss E. E. WOODHOUSE Numismatic — H. SYMONDS, Esq., F.S.A. (Corres- ponding Secretary) Captain JOHN E. ACLAND, F.S.A. Captain G. E. ELWES Lieut. -Colonel F. G. L. MAIN WARING Canon J. C. M. MANSEL-PLEYDELL, M.A. W. DE C. PRIDEAUX, Esq., F.S.A. H. F. EAYMOND, Esq. Restored Churches — The Eev. A. C. ALMACK, M.A. (Corresponding Secretary) J. ALLNER, Esq., A.E.I.B.A. R. BARROW, Esq. H. W. CRICKMAY, Esq. The Eev. JAMES CROSS, M.A. Rev. Canon FLETCHER, M.A., R.D. G. W. FLOYER, Esq. The Eev. H. HAWKINS R. HINE, Esq. The Rev. Canon MAYO, M.A. W. B. WILDMAN, Esq., M.A. The Rev. A. C. WOODHOUSE Xll. 3£tst of Jttembers OF THE Corset JUatural Sjistarp ant) Antiquarian Jfieifc Club FOR THE YEAR 1917. Honorary Mertibers: Fear of Election. (The initials "0.31." signify " Original Member.'") O.M. W. CARRTJTHERS, Esq., Ph.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., F.L.S., British Museum (Nat. Hist.), South Kensington. 1889 A. M. WALLIS, Esq., 29, Mallams, Portland. 1900 A. SMITH WOODWARD, Esq., LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., British Museum (Nat. Hist.), South Kensington, London. 1904 Sir WM. THISELTON DYEE, K.C.M.G., C.I.E., LL.D., Sc.D., Ph.D., F.R.S., The Ferns, Witcombe, Gloucester. 1904 Sir FREDERICK TREVES, Bart., G.C.V.O., C.B., LL.D., Thatched House Lodge, Richmond Park, Kingston-on-Thames. 1908 THOMAS HARDY, Esq., O.M., D. Litt., LL.D., Max Gate, Dorchester. Members : 1903 The Most Hon. the Marquis of Salisbury, M.A., C.B. The Manor House, Cranborne 1903 The Most Hon. the Marchioness of Salisbury The Manor House, Cranborne O.M. The Right Hon. the Earl of Moray, M.A., F.S.A. Scot., F.G.S. (Vice -President} Kinfauns Castle, Perth, N.B xm. 1911 The Eight Hon. the Earl of Ilchester 1902 The Eight Hon. the Earl of Shaftesbury, K.C.V.O. 1884 The Eight Hon. Lord Eustace Cecil, F.E.G.S. ( Vice -President) 1903 The Eight Hon. Lady Eustace Cecil 1904 The Eight Eev. the Lord Bishop of Durham, D.D. 1892 The Eight Eev. the Lord Bishop of Worcester, D.D., F.S.A. 1889 The Eight Hon. Lord Digby 1907 The Eight Hon. Lord Wynford 1907 The Eight Hon. Lady Wynford 1910 Abbott, F. E., Esq. 1893 Acland, Captain John E., M.A., F.S. A. ( Vice-President and Hon. Treasurer) 1892 Acton, Eev. Edward, M.A. 1907 Allner, Mrs. George 1908 Almack, Eev. A. C., M.A. 1907 Atkinson, George T., Esq., M.A. 1902 Baker, Sir Eandolf L., Bart., M.P. 1912 Baker, Eev. E. W., B.A. 1906 Bankes, Mrs. 1912 Bankes, Jerome N., Esq., F.S.A. 1902 Barkworth, Edmund, Esq. 1904 Barlow, Major C. M. 1894 Barnes, Mrs. John lies 1917 Barrett, W. E. Cowdell, Esq., M.A., LL.M. 1906 Barrow, Eichard, Esq. 1895 Bartelot, Eev. E. Grosvenor, M.A. 1904 Baskett, Mrs. S. E. 1913 Bassett, Eev. H. H. Tilney, E.D. (Hon. Editor of the Dorset Rainfall Reports) 1917 Beament, W. O., Esq., B.A. Melbury, Dorchester St. Giles. Wimborne Lytchett Heath, Poole Lytchett Heath, Poole Auckland Castle, Bishop's Auckland Hartlebury Castle, Kidderminster Minterne, Dorchester Warmwell House, Dorchester Warmwell House, Dorchester Shortwood, Christchurch, Hants Wollaston House, Dorchester Wolverton Eectory, Basingstoke National Provincial Bank, Sturminster Newton The Eectory, Blandford St. Mary Durlston Court, Swanage Eanston, Blandford The Eectory, Witchampton Kingston Lacy, Wimborne 63, Eedcliffe Gardens, London, S. W. Hillymead, Seaton Southcot, Charminster Blandford The Cottage, Weymouth Sorrento House, Sandecotes, Parkstone Fordington St. George Vicarage, Dorchester Southfield, Alexandra Eoad, Wey- mouth. Whitchurch, Vicarage, Blandford Beaminster XIV. 1888 Beckford, F. J., Esq. 1908 Benett-Stanford, Major J., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S. 1910 Blackett, Eev. J. C., B.A. 1917 Blathwayt, Eev. F. L., M.A., M.B.O.U. 1903 Bond, Gerald Denis, Esq. 1906 Bond, Nigel de M., Esq., M.A. 1903 Bond, Wm. Ralph G-., Esq. 1913 Bone, Clement G., Esq., M.A. 1889 Bower, H. Syndercombe, Esq. 1900 Bower, Rev. Charles H. S., M.A. 1898 Brandreth, Rev. F. W., M.A. 1901 Brennand, John, Esq. 1895 Brymer, Rev. J. G., M.A. 1907 Bulfin, Ignatius, Esq., B.A. 1900 BuUen, Colonel John Bullen 1907 Bury, Mrs. Henry 1905 Busk, W. G., Esq. 1905 Busk, Mrs. W. G. 1903 Butler-Bowden, Mrs. Bruno 1911 Butlin, M. C., Esq., M.A. 1891 Carter, William, Esq. 1905 Chadwyck-Healey, Sir C. E. H. M.A., K.C., K.C.B., F.S.A. 1913 Champ, Miss Edith 1894 Church, Colonel Arthur 1904 Clapcott, Miss 1905 Clark, Mrs. E. S. 1895 Clarke, R. Stanley, Esq. 1912 Clift, J. G. Neilson, Esq. 1883 Colfox, Miss A. L. Witley, Parkstone Hatch House, Tisbury, Wilts Compton Rectory, Winchester Melbury Osmond Rectory, Dorchester Holme, Wareham Hasler House, Crowborough, Sussex Tyneham, Wareham 6, Lennox Street, Wey mouth Fontmell Parva, Shilhngstone, Bland- ford Childe Okeford Rectory, Shillingstoner Dorset Buckland Newton, Dorchester Innisf alien, Rossmore Avenue, Park- stone Ilsington House, Puddletown The Den, Knole Road, Bournemouth Catherston Leweston, near Charmouth Mayfield House, Farnham, Surrey Wraxall Manor, Cattistock, Dor- chester Wraxall Manor, Cattistock, Dor- chester Upwey House, Upwey 7, Westerhall Road, Weymouth The Hermitage, Parkstone Wyphurst, Cranleigh, Surrey St. Katherine's, Bridport St. Alban's, Rodwell, Weymouth The Cottage, Bradford Peverell, Dor- Chester St. Aldhelm's, Wareham Trobridge House, Crediton, Devon 8, Prince's Street, Westminster, S.W. Westmead, Bndport XV. 1878 Colfox, Colonel T. A. 1905 Collins, Sir Stephen, M.P. 1904 Collins, Wm. W., Esq., K.I. 1905 Colville, H. K., Esq. 1912 Cooke, Bev. J. H., M.A., LL.D. 1903 Cornish -Browne, C. J., Esq. 1891 Cother, Bev. P. L., M.A. 1909 Crickmay, Harry W., Esq. 1884 Cross, Bev. James, M.A. 1914 Cross, Miss Florence 1885 Curme, Decimus, M.E.C.S. Esq., 1896 Curtis, C. H., Esq. 1897 Curtis, Wilfrid Parkinson, Esq., F.E.S. (Hon. Editor of the Dorset Phenological Report) 1903 Dacombe, J. M. J., Esq. 1914 Dalton, Mrs. E. E. 1907 Daniell, G. H. S., Esq., M.B. 1904 Davies, Bev. Canon S. E., M.A. 1894 Davis, Geo., Esq. 1904 Deane, Mrs. A. M. 1910 Devenish, Major J. H. C. 1907 Dicker, Miss Eleanor H. 1912 Dickson, Colonel W. D. 1912 Dickson, Mrs. W. D. 1911 Dillon -Trenchard, Miss Margaret 1908 Dominy, G. H., Esq., M.B.C.S., L.B.C.P. 1912 Dru Drury, G., Esq., M.B.C.S., L.B.C.P. 1904 Dugdale, J. B., Esq. 1905 Duke, Mrs. Henry 1907 Duke, Miss M. Constance 1908 Duke, Mrs. E. Barnaby 1896 Dundas, Ven. Archdeacon, M.A. 191C Eaton, Bev. A. E., M.A., F.E.S. Coneygar, Bridport Elm House, Tring, Hertfordshire Stoborough Croft, "Wareham North Cerney House, Cirencester Shillingstone Bectory Cory ton Park, Axminster 1, Clearmount, Weymouth 49, St. Mary Street, Weymouth Baillie House, Sturminster Marshall, Wimborne Stock Gaylard Bectory, Sturminster Newton Balma Howe, Terrace Mount, Bourne- mouth Blandford Aysgarth, Longfleet, Poole 27, Holdenhurst Boad, Bournemouth Cerne Abbas, Dorchester Brentry, Blandford Wyke Begis Bectory, Weymouth West Lodge, Icen Way, Dorchester Badbury, Park Boad, Bournemouth Springfield, Weymouth Brook House, Upwey, Dorchester Southill, Dean Park, Bournemouth Southill, Dean Park, Bournemouth The Bidge, Durlston Park Boad, Swanage Milton Abbas, Blandford Corfe Castle, Wareham Sandford, Wareham Manor House, Godmanstone, Dor- chester The Limes, Dorchester Maen, Dorchester The Canonry, Salisbury Kichmond Villa, Northam, North Devon XVI. 1913 Edwards, Aubrey, Esq. 1916 Edwards, The Kev. R. D. St. G., M.A. 1913 Ellis, Henry, Esq., F.R.A.S. 1885 Elwes, Captain G. R. (Vice- President} 1913 Facey, C. S./Esq., M.B. 1886 Falkner, C. G., Esq., M.A. 1884 Parley, Rev. H., M.A. 1903 Fairer, Colonel Philip 1912 Ferguson, Miss E. M. 1912 Ferguson, Miss Constance 1904 Ffooks, Mrs. E. Archdall 1904 Fielding, Thos., Esq., M.D. 1892 FiUeul, Rev. S. E. V., M.A. 1896 Filliter, Rev. W. D., M.A. 1910 Filliter, Mrs. W. D. 1911 Fisher, Rev. J. Martyn, M.A. 1890 Fletcher, W. H. B., Esq. 1907 Fletcher, Rev. Canon J. M. J., M.A., R.D. (Hon. Editor J 1914 Fletcher, Walter T., Esq. 1885 Floyer, G. W., Esq., B.A. 1895 Forbes, Mrs. 1897 Forde, Henry, Esq. 1910 Forder, B. C., Esq. 1893 Forrester, Mrs. James 1910 Freame, Major B. E. 1895 Fry, Edward Alexander, Esq. 1903 Fry, George S., Esq. 1896 George, Mrs. 1916 Gill, Macdonald, Esq. 1890 Glyn, Captain Carr Stuart 1912 Glyn, Mrs. Carr O.M. Glyn, Sir R. G., Bart. 1895 Godman, F. du Cane, Esq., F.R.S. The Pinetum, Wellington Road, Park- stone Longbredy Rectory, Dorchester Boat Close, Lyme Regis Bossington, Bournemouth The Elms, Chickerell, near Wey- mouth Ireton Bank, Rusholme, Manchester Overbury Road, Parks tone Binnegar Hall, Wareham Elwell Lea, Upwey, Dorchester Elwell Lea, Upwey, Dorchester Kingscote, Dorchester Halford House, West Hill Road, Bournemouth All Saints' Rectory, Dorchester East Lulworth Vicarage, Wareham East Lulworth Vicarage, Wareham St. Paul's Vicarage, Weymouth Aldwick Manor, Bognor, Sussex The Vicarage, Wimborne Minster Icen Way, Dorchester West Stafford, Dorchester Culverhayes, Shillingstone, Bland- ford Luscombe, Parkstone Whatcombe, Blandford Westport, Wareham The Chantry, Gilliiigham Thornhill, Kenley, Surrey Chesham, The Grove, Nether Street, Finchley, London, N. Fleet House, near Weymouth Tonerspuddle Wood Leaze, Wimborne Wood Leaze, Wimborne Gaunts House, Wimborne Lower Beeding, Horsham XV11. 1906 Gowring, Mrs. B. W. 1888 Greves, Hyla, Esq., M.D. 1904 Groves, Major Herbert J., 1906 Groves, Miss S. J. 1912 Groves, Miss 1906 Gundry, Joseph, Esq. 1896 Haggard, Eev. H. A., M.A. 1912 Haines, F. H., Esq., M.E.C.S., L.E.C.P. 1903 Hambro, Sir Everard, K.C.V.O. 1913 Hamilton, Miss 1893 Hankey, Eev. Canon, M.A. 1910 Harbin, Eev. Prebendary E. H. Bates, M.A. 1894 Hawkins, W., Esq., M.E.C.S. 1903 Hawkins, Miss Isabel 1908 Hawkins, Eev. H. 1893 Hayne, E., Esq. 1905 Heath, F. E., Esq. 1911 Hellins, Eev. E. W. J., M.A., LL.B. 1911 Hellins, Mrs. E. W. J. 1899 Henning, Mrs. 1910 Hewgill, Chas. W., Esq. 1912 Hichens, Mrs. T. S. 1910 Hill, Miss Pearson 1902 Hine, E., Esq. 1902 Homer, Miss E. C. Wood 1907 Homer, Mrs. G. Wood 1888 Huntley, H. E., Esq. 1903 Jenkins, Eev. T. Leonard, M.A. 1912 Jordan, Miss 1915 Kentish, G. C. A., Esq. 1895 Lafontame, A. C. de, Esq., F.S.A. 1876 Langford, Eev. Canon, M.A. 1907 Lees, Eear- Admiral Edgar, E.N. 1907 Lees, Mrs. Edgar 1910 Le Fleming, E. K., Esq., B.A., M.B. 1900 Legge, Miss Jane 1902 Lewis, Eev. A., M.A. 49, High West Street, Dorchester Eodney House, Bournemouth Clif ton, Weymouth Thickthorne, Broadwey, Dorset Blackdown, Weymouth Eed House, Queen's Avenue, Dor- chester Molash Vicarage, Canterbury Winfrith, Dorchester Milton Abbey, Dorset Affpuddle Vicarage, Dorchester Lambert House, Dorchester Newton Surmaville, Yeovil Hillfield, Broadwey, Dorchester Eyme, Elwell Street, TTpwey 1, Westerhall, Weymouth Spring Bottom, Osmington The Woodlands, Weymouth Marnhull Eectory, Dorset Marnhull Eectory, Dorset Frome House, Dorchester Encombe, Dorchester Flamberts, Trent, Sherborne Eax, Bridport Beaminster Bardolf Manor, Puddletown Bardolf Manor, Puddletown Charlton House, Blandf ord Leigh Vicarage, Sherborne The Eidge, Durlston Park Eoad, Swanage Longcroft, Windsor Road, Park- stone Athelhampton, Dorchester Southbrook, Starcross, S. Devon White Cross, Wyke Regis White Cross, Wyke Eegis St. Margaret's, Wimborne AUington Villa, Bridport . Chardstock Vicarage, Chard XV111. 1890 Lister, Miss Gulielma, F.L.S. 1905 Llewellin, W., Esq., M.A. 1892 Lock, His Honour Judge B. Fossett 1911 Long, Rev. H. R., B.A. 1910 MacCormick, Rev. F. H. J., F.S.A. Scot., M.R.A.S. 1888 MacDonald, P. W., Esq., M.D. 1902 Mainwaring, Lieut. -Col. F. G. L. 1899 Mansel-Pleydell, Rev. Canon J. C. M., M.A. (Vice- President} 1883 Marriott, Sir W. Smith, Bart. 1904 Marsh, J. L., Esq. 1907 Mate, C. H., Esq. 1879 MaunseU, Rev. F. W., M.A. O.M. Mayo, Rev. Canon, M.A., (Vice -President} 1912 McDowall, A. S., Esq., M.A. 1914 Mead, Colonel o.M. Middleton, H. B., Esq., M.A. 1890 Milne, Rev. Percy H., M.A. 1905 Morgan, Mrs. 1911 Morris, Sir Daniel, K.C.M.G., D.Sc., D.C.L., F.L.S. (Vice- President) 1914 Moule, Rev. A. C., B.A. 1897 Moullin, Arthur D., Esq. 1905 Nicholson, Captain Hugh 1906 Oke, A. W., Esq., B.A., LL.M., F.S.A., F.G.S. 1886 Okeden, Colonel U. E. Parry 1908 Oliver, Vere L., Esq. 1908 Oliver, Mrs. Vere L. 1904 Oliver, Weston, Esq., M.A. 1908 Ord, W. T., Esq., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., F.G.S. 1911 Ouless, W. W., Esq.,R.A. 1911 Ouless, Miss Catherine 1914 Pass, Alfred Douglas, Esq. High Cliff, Lyme Regis Upton House, Poole The Toft, Bridlington, East Yorks Tolpuddle, Dorchester Wrockwardine Wood Rectory, Wei- lington, Salop Qrasmere, Spa Road, Weymouth Wabey House, Upwey 10, Clarence Terrace, Regent's Park, London, N.W. The Down House, Blandf ord White Cliff Mill Street, Blandford Elim, Surrey Road South, Bourne- mouth Lansdowne Villa, Weymouth Gillingham, Dorset Warmwell Mill House, Dorchester Chescombe House, near Blandford Bradford Peverell, Dorchester Hornblotton Rectory, Castle Gary The Vicarage, Yetminster 14, Crabton Close, Boscombe Brent Knoll, Somerset Fermain, Cranbourne Road, Swanage Nettlecombe, Melplash 32, Denmark Villas, Hove, Sussex Turn-worth, Blandford Whitmore Lodge, Sunnmghill, Berks Whitmore Lodge, Sunninghill, Berks Castle House, Weymouth Greensted, 14, Madeira Road, Bourne- mouth 12, Bryanston Square, London, W. 12, Bryanston Square, London, W. Wootton Fitzpaine, Charmouth XIX. 1890 Patey, Miss 1908 Patterson, Mrs. Myles 1907 Paul, Edward Clifford, Esq., M.A. 1894 Payne, Miss Florence O. 1906 Pearce, Mrs. Thos. A. 1909 Pearce, Edwin, Esq. 1901 Peck, Gerald R., Esq. 1894 Penny-Snook, S., Esq., M.E.C.S., L.E.C.P. 1907 Penny-Snook, Mrs. S. 1901 Pentin, Rev. Herbert, M.A. (Vice -President and Son. Secretary) 1894 Peto, Sir Henry, Bart. 1896 Phillips, Miss 1908 Phillips, Rev. C. A., M.A. 1898 Pickard-Cambridge, A. W., Esq., M.A. 1908 Pickard-Cambridge, Miss Catherine 1903 Pike, Leonard G., Esq. 1903 Pitt-Rivers, A. L. Fox, Esq., F.S.A. 1904 Plowman, Rev. L. S. 1896 Pond, S., Esq. 1894 Ponting, Chas. E., Esq., F.S.A. O.M. Pope, Alfred, Esq., F.S.A. ( Vice- President} 1906 Pope, Major Alfred Rolph, M.A. 1906 Pope, Mrs. Alfred Rolph 1909 Pope, Francis J., Esq., F.R.Hist.S. 1914 Powell, H. Holland, Esq., A.M.LC.E. 1896 Prideaux, C. S., Esq., L.D.S. 1900 Prideaux, W. de C., Esq.. L.D.S. , F.S.A., F.R.S.M. 1905 Pringle, Henry T., Esq., M.D. 1905 Pringle, Mrs. Henry T. 1888 Pye, William, Esq. 185, Oakwood Court, Kensington, London, W. Conygar, Broadmayne, Dorchester Eastbrook House, Upwey Rydal, Wimborne Ivythorpe, Dorchester Fore Street, Taunton Muston Manor, Puddletown Netherton House, Weymouth Netherton House, Weymouth St. Peter's Vicarage. Portland Chedington Court, Misterton, Somer- set Walton House, Bournemouth Walton House, Bournemouth St. Catherine's, Headington Hill, Ox- ford Picardy, Rodwell, Weymouth Kingbarrow, Wareham Rushmore, Salisbury Ibberton Rectory, Blandford Blandford Wye House, Marlborough South Court, Dorchester Culliford House, Dorchester Culliford House, Dorchester 17, Holland Road, London, W. Hillsdon, Springfield Road, Parkstone Ermington, Dorchester 12, Frederick Place, Weymouth Ferndown, Wimborne Ferndown, Wimborne Dunmore, Rodwell, Weymouth XX. 1905 Ramsden, Mrs. 1912 Rawlence, E. A., Esq. 1886 Reynolds, Mrs. Arthur 1887 Richardson, N. M., Esq., B.A. (President) 1911 Robsdn, Colonel H. D. 1911 Robson, Mrs. 1886 Rodd, Edward Stanhope, Esq. 1907 Roe, Miss M. M. E. 1909 Roe, Rev. Wilfrid T., M.A. 1912 Romilly, Geo., Esq., M.A. 1907 Roper, Freeman, Esq., F.L.S. 1917 Rumbold, Captain C. E. A. L. 1889 Russell, Colonel C. J., R.E. 1905 Sanderson -Wells, T. H., Esq., M.D. 1905 Saunt, Miss 1910 Schuster, Mrs. W. P. 1904 Seaman, Rev. C. E., M.A., R.D. 1883 Searle, Alan, Esq. 1906 Shephard, Colonel C. S., D.S.O. 1903 Sheridan, Mrs. A. T. Brinsley 1884 Sherren, J. A., Esq., F.R. Hist. S. 1914 Sherring, R. Vowell, Esq., F.L.S. 1913 Shields, Rev. A. J., M.A. 1897 Simpson, Jas., Esq. 1912 Smith, Rev. A. Hippisley 1916 Smith, Rev. Edward, M.A. 1915 Smith, Mrs. Hamblin 1899 Smith, Howard Lyon, Esq., L.R.C.P. 1909 Smith, Nowell C., Esq., M.A. 1908 Smith, Mrs. Spencer 1888 Solly, Rev. H. Shaen, M.A. 1901 Sotheby, Rev. W. E. H., M.A. 1905 Stephens, J. Thompson, Esq. 1908 Stephens, A. N., Esq. 1895 Sturdy, Leonard, Esq. The Dower House, Lew Trenchard, Devon Newlands, Salisbury Wyndcroft, Bridport Montevideo, Chickerell, near Wey- mouth St. Oswald, West Lulworth St. Oswald, West Lulworth Chardstock House, Chard Trent Rectory, Sherborne Trent Rectory, Sherborne The Grange, Marnhull Forde Abbey, Chard Ivers, Marnhull, Sturminster Newton Clavinia, Weymouth 16, Victoria Terrace, Weymouth The Cottage, Upwey Broadstone House, Wimborne Stalbridge Rectory, Blandford Hawkmoor, Paignton, S. Devon Shortlake, Osmington, Weymouth Frampton Court, Dorchester Helmsley, Penn Hill Avenue, Park- stone Hallatrow, Bristol Thornf ord Rectory, Sherborne Minterne Grange, Parkstone Knowlton House, Surrey Road, Bournemouth Hazelbury Bryan Rectory, Blandford Medical Officer's House, The Grove, Portland Mount Pleasant, Inkberrow, Wor- cestershire School House, Sherborne Vine House, Sturminster Newton Southcote, Alexandra Road, Parkstone 92, Banbury Road, Oxford Wanderwell, Bridport Haddon House, West Bay, Bridport Trigon, Wareham XXI. 1896 Sturdy, Philip, Esq. 1907 Sturdy, Alan, Esq. 1905 Sturdy, E. T., Esq. 19U Sturrock, J., Esq., C.I.E. 1898 Sturt, W. Neville, Esq. 1898 Suttill, H. S., Esq. 1905 Suttill, John, Esq. 1913 Swaffield, A. Owen, Esq. 1912 Swinburne -Hanham, J. C., Esq. 1893 Sykes, E. E., Esq., B.A., F.Z.S. (Vice -President} 1889 Symes, Colonel G. P., M.A., B.C.L., M.V.O. 1904 Symonds, Arthur G., Esq. 1904 Symonds, Henry, Esq., F.S.A. ( rice- President} 1912 Symonds, F. G., Esq. 1913 Symonds, Wm. Pope, Esq. 1901 Telfordsmith, Telford, Esq., M.A., M.D. 1906 Thomson, Chas. Bertram, Esq., F.E.C.S. 1907 Towers, Miss 1898 Troy te -Bullock, Mrs. O.M. Udal, His Honour J. S., F.S.A. (Vice -President} 1908 tidal, N. E., Esq., B.A. 1890 Usherwood, Eev. Canon T. E., M.A. 1910 Vivian, S. P., Esq. 1887 Walker, Eev. S. A., M.A. 1916 Ward, The Yen. Algernon, M. A., F.S.A., Scot. 1905 Ward, Samuel, Esq. O.M. Warre, Eev. Canon F., M.A. 1904 Warry, Mrs. King 1904 Warry, Wm., Esq. 1917 Waterston, C., Esq. 1905 Watkins, Wm., Esq., F.E.G.S. The Wick, Branksome, near Bourne- mouth Linden, East Lulworth Norburton, Burton Bradstock, Bridport 12, Greenhill, Weymouth 9, Lansdown Crescent, Bath Pymore, Bridport 24, West Street, Bridport Eodwell Lodge, Weymouth 106, Goldhurst Terrace, N.W. Longthorns, Blandford Monksdene, Dorchester Eoad, Wey- mouth 10, South Street, Dorchester Eoundham, Bridport The Firs, Sturminster Newton Newton House, Sturminster Newton The Knoll, Parkstone Eomansleigh, Wimborne Talbot Cottage, Eoslin Eoad, Bourne- mouth Silton Lodge, Zeals, Bath 2, Marlborough Hill, London, N.W. Gordon College, Khartoum Bagdale, Parkstone 22, Eoyal Avenue, Chelsea, S.W. Charlton Manor, Blandford Sturminster Newton Vicarage Ingleton, Greenhill, Weymouth Bemerton, Salisbury 39, Filey Avenue, Clapton Common, London, N. Westrow, Holwell, Sherborne Bucknowle House, Corfe Castle 62, London Wall, E.G. XX11. 1893 Weaver, Eev. F. W., M.A., F.S.A., F.E.Hist.S. 1908 Whitby, Mrs. J. 1914 Widnell, Edward, Esq., M.A. 1904 Wildman, W. B., Esq., M.A. 1903 Williams, Captain Berkeley C. W. 1884 Williams, Colonel Sir Eobert, Bart., M.P. 1908 Williams, Miss Khoda 1906 Williams, Miss Meta 190G Winwood, T. H. E., Esq., M.A. 1910 Woodd, A. B., Esq., M.A., M.E.I. 1916 Woodd, Eev. C. H. B., M.A. 1913 Woodhouse, Eev. A. C., M.A. 1913 Woodhouse, Mrs. A. C. 1898 Woodhouse, Miss 1903 Woodhouse, Miss Ellen E. 1906 Woodhouse, Frank D., Esq. 1906 Woodhouse, Mrs. Frank D. 1911 Woodhouse, Miss A. M. E. 1902 Wright, Eev. Herbert L., B.A. 1910 Yeatman, H. F., Esq., M.A., B.C.L. Milton Vicarage, Evercreech, Somerset Preston, Yeovil Eoyston, Wimborne The Abbey House, Sherborne Herringston, Dorchester Bridehead, Dorchester Bridehead, Dorchester South Walk, Dorchester Syward Lodge, Dorchester Heckfield, Milford-on-Sea, Hants Toller Vicarage, Dorchester Winterborne Monkton Eectory, Dor- chester Winterborne Monkton Eectory, Dor- chester Chilmore, Ansty, Dorchester Chilmore, Ansty, Dorchester Old Ford House, Blandford St. Mary Old Ford House, Blandford St. Mary Norden, Blandford Church Knowle Eectory, Corfe Castle 28, Cecil Court, Hollywood Eoad, London, S.W. AFFILIATED LIBEAEIBS (Eule XXI.). 1911 Central Public Library Bournemouth 1915 Sherborne School Library Sherborne The foregoing list includes the New Members elected up to and including the May meeting of the year 1917. (Any omissions or errors should be notified to the Hon. Secretary.) xxm. Jlleto Jttembers ELECTED SINCE THE PUBLICATION OF THE LIST CONTAINED IN VOL. XXXVII. PROPOSED DECEMBER 12TH, 1916. Nominee. W. O. Beament, Esq., B.A., of Beaminster, Dorset W. E. Cowdell Barrett, Esq. M.A., LL.M., of The Cottage, Wey mouth The Rev. F. L. Blathwayt, M.A., M.B.O.U., of Mel- bury Osmund Rectory, Dorchester C. Waterston, Esq., of Buc- knowlo House, Corfe Castle Proposer. Seconder. R. Hino, Esq. The Hon. Treasurer The President The Hon. Secretary The Hon. Secretary The Hon. Treasurer (the late) Arthur B. Clement Reid, Esq. Esq. Woodd, PROPOSED FEBRUARY 20TH, 1917. Nominee. Proposer. Seconder. Captain C. E. A. L. Rumbold, Mr. George Romilly The Rev. E. W. J. of Ivers, Mamhull, Sturrr.ins- Hellins ter Newton PROPOSED MAY 9TH, 1917. Nominee. Mr. Macdonald Gill, of Toners puddle, Dorchester Proposer. Rev. H. R. Long Seconder. Miss F. Hamilton XXIV. PUBLICATIONS. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club. Vols. I.— XXXVII. Price 10s. 6d. each volume, post free. General Index to the Proceedings. Vols. I.— XXVI. Price (3d., by post Id. The Church Bells of Dorset. By the Eev. Canon EAVEN, D.D., F.S.A. Price (in parts, as issued), 6s. Cd., post free. By the late J. C. MANSEL-PLEYDELL, B.A., F.G.S., F.L.S. The Flora of Dorset. 2nd Edition. Price 12s. The Birds of Dorset. Price 5s. The Mollusca of Dorset. Price 5s. By the late Eev. O. PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE. M.A., F.E.S., F.Z.S. Spiders of Dorset. 2 vols. Price 25s., post free. The British Phalangidea, or Harvest Men. Price 5s., post free. British Chernetidea, or False Scorpions. Price 3s., post free. By the PEESIDENT : Second Supplement to the Lepidoptera of the Isle of Purbeck. Compiled from the notes of Eustace E. Bankes, M.A., F.E.S. Price Is. The Volumes of Proceedings can be obtained from the Hon. Treasurer (Captain John E. Acland, Dorset County Museum) ; Mr. Mansel-Pley dell's works, from the Curator of the Dorset County Museum, Dorchester ; the Lepidoptera of the Isle of Purbeck, from the President ; and the General Index, from the Assistant- Secretary (Mr. H. Pouncy, Dorset County Chronicle Office, Dorchester). SOCIETIES & INSTITUTIONS IN CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE FIELD CLUB. BODLEIAN LIBRARY, OXFORD. BOURNEMOUTH NATURAL SCIENCE SOCIETY, MUNICIPAL TECHNICAL AND ART SCHOOL, BOURNEMOUTH. BRISTOL AND GLOUCESTERSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, GLOUCESTER. BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON. BRITISH MUSEUM or NATURAL HISTORY, SOUTH KENSINGTON, LONDON. BRITISH ASSOCIATION, BURLINGTON HOUSE, LONDON. CAMBRIDGE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, CAMBRIDGE. DEVONSHIRE ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE, LITERATURE. AND ART (THE HON. GENERAL SECRETARY, CARE OF MESSRS. W. BRENDON AND SON, PLYMOUTH). ESSEX MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, STRATFORD, ESSEX. GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, LONDON. HAMPSHIRE FIELD CLUB (CARE OF MESSRS. GILBERT, SOUTHAMPTON). NATIONAL LIBRARY OF WALES (LLYFRQELL GENEDLAETHOL CYMKU), ABERYSTWYTH. ROYAL SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, DUBLIN, IRELAND. SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES, LONDON. SOMERSET ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, TAUNTON CASTLE, TAUNTON. UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, CAMBRIDGE. WILTSHIRE ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, DEVIZES. jflatural Sjistarp aiiti ;3tntiquanan jfieii Club. (FROM MAY, 1916, TO MAY, 1917.) WINTER SESSION, 1916-1917. Owing to the continuance of the War, with the sorrow which it has brought, and is bringing, into so many homes, together with the uncertainty as to what railway facilities might at any time be obtainable, and the probable difficulties which might arise in arranging about other means of transit, it was decided that all the summer excursions during the past season should be abandoned. Consequently, the only meetings which have been held during the year have been the two in the winter and the general meeting in May. FIRST WINTER MEETING. Tuesday, December 12th, 1916. The opening meeting of the session was held in the Reading Room of the County Museum at Dorchester. The President (Mr. Nelson M. Richardson) occupied the chair, and was supported by Sir Daniel Morris, the Rev. Herbert Pentin, Captain Acland, Mr. Alfred Pope, and Mr. Henry Symonds. Twenty-nine members of the Club were present. XX Vi. FIRST WINTER MEETING. Loss of a Distinguished Honorary Member. — The PRESIDENT, before the business of the meeting commenced, referred with deep regret to the death of Mr. Clement Reid, F.R.S., F.L.S., F.G.S., of Milford-on-Sea, who was an honorary member of the Club. Through his death the club, as well as the cause of geology, would suffer a great loss. Mr. Clement Reid was present at the excavation of the Dewlish elephant trench in 1914, and did very good work for the Club. (Proceedings, Vol. XXXVI., pages 209, 212-218.) On the proposition of Sir DANIEL MORRIS it was resolved that a message of sym- pathy should be sent to Mrs. Clement Reid. The Membership. — One new member was elected, and the SECRETARY announced the nomination of four candidates for election as members of the Club. Report of the Delegate to the Meetings of the British Associa- tion.— Sir DANIEL MORRIS, who, in the absence of Mr. Alfred Pope, had been present as a delegate from the club, gave a report of the meetings of the British Association at Newcastle- on-Tyne. As bearing on Mr. Le Bore's recommendation of the systematic study of zones of strata and their fossil remains, Sir Daniel stated that the Bournemouth Natural Science Society was about to have a series of lectures on the Kimmeridge shales ; and it was hoped that these shales might prove a profitable source of oil and of sulphate of ammonia, notwithstanding the drawback that they contained rather too large a proportion of sulphur. It was proposed that the study of science should be promoted by means of popular lectures ; the war having proved the immense value of all branches of science. The coming of the British Association to Bournemouth during the next year was calculated to stimulate scientific study, and to assist the development of various industries in the district ; and he hoped that the club would co-operate in the endeavour to make the meetings of the Association a success.* The President would be Sir *In consequence of the war, the British Association decided to forego the meeting which was to have been held at Bournemouth this year. FIRST WINTER MEETING. XXV11. Charles Parsons, the inventor of the turbine, whose address was expected to be of great value. Captain ACLAND stated that the Plesiosaurus macromerus, the chief treasure of the County Museum, was found by the late Mr. J. C. Mansel-Pleydell in the Kimmeridge shale ; and, if the shales of Kimmeridge were further exploited, it was possible that other remains of Plesiosauri might be found sufficient for a complete restoration to be made. The PRESIDENT remarked that the club had been fortunate in having representatives to the British Association so able as Mr. Alfred Pope and Sir Daniel Morris. Doubtless one good result arising from the war would be that people would have learned the necessity of paying more attention to science. Ruins at Portland. — The HON. SECRETARY reported that in September he wrote to Mr. Henry Sansom, of Pennsylvania Castle, Portland, begging that, if possible, the ruined walls of the pre -Reformation chapel near the Castle Gates, which were endangered by the quarrying operations in the immediate vicinity, should not be allowed to be disturbed, and that Mr. Sansom had kindly promised to give the matter his personal attention. Discovery of Roman Coins at Portland. — Mr. HENRY SYMONDS stated that Mr. Pentin had handed to him a few Roman coins which had been found by Mr. John Pearce, of Wakeham. They were a first bronze of Hadrian, a coin of Diocletian, another of Maximian, others of the two Licinii, and a silver denarius of the Republican period, though he had not yet been able to discover the gens or family to which it belonged. Discovery of Ancient Coffins at Poundbury. — On the presentation of the report of the Earthworks Committee of the Congress of Archaeological Societies, Captain ACLAND mentioned that two ancient stone coffins and a lead coffin had been found on the site of the internment camp at Poundbury ; but that no trace of pottery had been discovered. The stone coffins were still left under ground with their skeletons, to await a propitious time for their excavation. XXViii. FIRST WINTER MEETING. EXHIBITS. Major C. ASHBURNHAM exhibited the fine cinerary urn which had recently been found in the Bronze -Age Barrow at Melcombe Bingham. The paper which he read descriptive of the opening of the Barrow is printed in the present volume. Major Ashburnham presented the urn to the Dorset County Museum. Captain ACL AND, in thanking Major Ashburnham, on behalf of the Council of the Museum, for his much valued gift, said that this new specimen, distinguished as it was by careful design, would in all probability be the best Bronze Age urn which they would have in the Museum, although it was celebrated for its collection of Bronze-Age pottery. The PRESIDENT exhibited a leaden bulla of Pope Innocent IV., 1243-54, and a volume of woodcut initial letters cut out (though, it was unnecessary for him to say, not by himself) from early books. Mr. HENRY SYMONDS exhibited a volume entitled " Manual Exercises for the Dorsetshire Regiment of Militia," dated 1759, and printed by J. Hughs. It is a detailed and exhaustive manual of arms drill for the old flint-lock muskets. PAPERS. The following papers were read : — (i). The " Walks and Avenues of Dorchester," by Mr. Alfred Pope, (ii). " Old Portland," by the Rev. Herbert Pentin. (iii). " The Old Dorset Soldier," by Mr. F. J. Pope. The first and third of these papers will be found printed on subsequent pages of this volume ; Mr. Pentin 's paper on " Old Portland " was printed in the Volume of last year's Proceedings. (Volume XXXVII., pages 228-253.) SECOND WINTER MEETING. XXIX. SECOND WINTER MEETING. Tuesday, February 20^, 1917. The chair was taken by the President, Mr. Nelson M. Richardson, and amongst those present were the Rev. H. Pentin, Captain Acland, Mr. Alfred Pope, and Sir Daniel Morris. Four candidates, who had been proposed at the previous meeting, were balloted for and declared to be elected. One nomination for membership was announced. The PRESIDENT referred to the delay in the issue of the annual volume of Proceedings which should have been issued to the members in July, 1916. He understood that the absence of so many of the printing staff on military service had necessarily hindered the progress of the work. The ASSISTANT SECRETARY, at the President's request, explained the special difficulties, due to the war, which had caused the delay in the printing of the volume ; but expressed the hope that it would be ready before the annual meeting. Upon the Report, of the Committee on Ancient Earthworks of the Congress of Archaeological Societies being presented, the Rev. A. C. ALMACK enquired of Captain Acland (the Curator of the County Museum) whether he was communi- cating with the Royal Engineers of the different military camps, as several ancient interments had been disturbed on Blandford Downs and the remains had been carefully reburied. Captain ACLAND replied that he had been in communication with the military authorities with a view to the careful preservation of all objects of antiquarian interest. The Restored Churches Committee. — The Rev. A. C. ALMACK, the Hon. Secretary of this sectional committee, said that, acting under the instructions of the club, a considerable XXX. SECOND WINTER MEETING. amount of information about various churches which had been restored had been collected and the MSS. had been forwarded to Canon Mayo, who was of the opinion that all the papers were worth preserving. Canon Mayo said .that he was still willing to receive such information ; but that he had no idea of editing it, or of reporting upon it. EXHIBITS. The PRESIDENT exhibited two fine copies out of a collection of Prayer Books of the 17th and 18th centuries, illustrated with copper plates, called " Historical cuts," and read the following note about them : — A number of editions of these Prayer Books were printed, of which I have a small collection of about a dozen. My earliest one is dated 1667, and my latest 1771. The number of " cuts " is usually about 50, and they are, so far as I have seen, very similar in the different editions. One of the most striking is that of an eye looking down upon Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators, illustrating the service for November 5th ; and there are pictures of the Restoration, and of the Beheading of Charles I, and of the Apostles opposite to the collects for their festivals. Sometimes these cuts are coloured, as in the edition of 1711 exhibited. The rare service " At the Healing," which refers to the touching by the monarch for King's Evil, occurs in this edition, and also in another of Queen Anne's reign (1713) in my possession. A New Testament is bound up with the 1667 edition, and the "Companion to the Altar " and " Metrical Psalter " are frequently added. Mr. H. SYMONDS observed that the practice of monarchs of exercising healing power began, he believed, in the reign of Henry VII., and was continued by our Sovereigns right through the Tudor and Stuart dynasties ; but came to an end with Queen Anne, the last of the Stuarts. The PRESIDENT also exhibited a brass bleeding bowl (probably 18th century) and a blood letting machine, with 12 knives which are set with a lever and can be adjusted so as to cut to a depth of 3-16ths of an inch. The machine is placed flat upon the arm, and by pressing a knob the knives SECOND WINTER MEETING. XXXI. spring back and make cuts in the skin — doubtless very effective ones when the knives are set to the full depth. The bowl was held with the scooped -out part against the arm so as to catch the blood. Dr. MAC!)ONALD observed that not so very long a time had elapsed since blood letting machines had been in use, and that he knew an elderly medical man who formerly used one. In many cases they did good. The HON. SECRETARY remarked that a bleeding bowl of pewter, with the handle missing, is used as the alms dish at Halwell Church, Devon, and that a seventeenth century bleeding bowl with pierced handle of silver is used at Shebbear Church in the same county ; but he knew of none so used in Dorset. The PRESIDENT also exhibited two straw-ornamented boxes — the smaller one bearing inside the date 1793. These boxes, with various other things, are said to have been made by French prisoners in England about a hundred years ago ; but probably this applies only to some of the specimens. Several are very elaborate, being decorated with patterns and pictures. Miss DICKER produced a number of children's books, with quaint a^nd interesting woodcuts, printed about a hundred years ago, and also a horn book. Canon FLETCHER exhibited the earliest of the parchment rolls of Churchwardens' Accounts, dated 1403, which he had discovered amongst the old documents at Wimborne Minster. He read the following notes upon it :— While engaged in collecting materials for the account of Anthony Ettrick which was read at the meeting of our club on December 7th, 1915 (Proceedings, Vol. XXXVII., pages 24—39), I noticed in the pages of our local historian that a namesake of his, another Anthony Ettrick, had been " presented " before the Ecclesiastical Court at Wimborne, in 1611, for absenting himself from the Holy Communion. Knowing that there was a bundle of papers labelled " Presentments " in one of the chests full of documents which are in the Library at the Minster, I had the curiosity to open the bundle to look for the Ettrick presentment. To my surprise and delight, I found that, instead of containing 17th century presentments, the bundle consisted of a XXxii. SECOND WINTER MEETING. number of compotus rolls, or churchwardens' accounts, dating from quite early in the fifteenth century. It is well known that, at Wim- borne, we are so fortunate as to possess an almost complete set of churchwardens' accounts, dating from 1475 until the present day. The county historian, in the appendix to the account of Wimborne Minster (in the last edition, Hutchins's History of Dorset, Vol. III., page 255), speaking of the churchwardens' accounts, says " Hutchins mentions a more ancient account book, beginning 1413, which is now missing." His reference is to the second edition of Hutchins, or, which is the same thing, to RusseWs Vindogladia. The accounts which came to light 15 months ago are a collection of parchment rolls, about 40 in number, containing the Minster churchwardens' accounts, written in Latin, and dating back to the year 1403. They are not complete ; but they cover about two -thirds of the years between 1403 and 1475. The roll which is brought for your inspection to-day, with a Latin transcript and an English translation, is not by any means the most interesting or the fullest of the series ; but it is exhibited because it is the most ancient. It is entitled " Wymbon Mynstr. The account of John Swanhanger and Roger Forester, Guardians of the Fabric of the church from the feast of Saint Michael in the fourth year of the reign of King Henry the Fourth after the Conquest up to the same feast of Saint Michael thence next ensuing in the fifth year of the afore- said King Henry for one whole year." The receipts arose from monies handed over by the wardens of the previous year ; from rents of assize ; from oblations, e.g., offerings before the head (image) of St. Cuthberga, at the feast of St. Stephen 12s., at Easter 18s., and on the morrow of Pentecost 13s. ; in the box (in pixide) was found 6s. 8d. ; and two women, the wives of Hugh Smyth and Henry Chynne, each gave the sum of 3s. 4d., presumably for the obits of their deceased husbands. The sale of stock brought in a certain amount ; and the prices realised are interesting as showing the difference in the cost of animals — or, perhaps it would be more correct to say, the difference in the purchasing value of money — five centuries ago as compared with what it was in the first decade of the present century, before prices were so much inflated as they are now in consequence of the war. The churchwardens were paid 13s. for a bull ; a heifer produced 6s. ; four sheep were sold for 4s. 8d. ; the hide of a cow was worth 12d. ; two calves brought 8s. ; a quantity of coarse wool was sold for 8s. ; and of new wool for 10s. " Church Ales " were a regular source of revenue ; in addition to which brewing " leads " were owned by the wardens and in later years let out for hire. During this year the number of such utensils for brewing, in the possession of the church authorities, was increased from three and a half to eight : — Bequests of such brewing utensils having been received from Nicholas Bere, Henry Codde, the SECOND WINTER MEETING. XXX111. mother of Henry Codde, the wife of Renand, &c. Bequests in kind indeed were more numerous than legacies of money ; and, in addition to " brewing leads," included a brass pot, cattle, sheep, &c. The latter were not disposed of at once, but were put out to pasture, and the wool of the sheep was sold. Consequently farming may be said to have been one of the duties of the churchwardens ; for there is a record of money having been expended upon the purchase of sheep and cattle and upon their pasture. Other payments made were for the remaking of three bells called " lichebell ; " for a chalice 7s. ; for the repair of the windows in the church and belfry ; for paving the church ; to the helier for covering tiles over the " charnel ; " for repairing a place called Calys, and for repairing divers defects both within and outside the church ; for making a lamp for St. Mary the Virgin ; for chains for the censers ; for five pairs of woollen garments* purchased for the family of William Loryng 5s. 6d. (et in V paribus caligarum emptis pro familia Willielmi Loryng Vs. VId.) ; for the wages of a clerk for writing the accounts for the inspection of the dean 6d. The parch- ment for the roll now exhibited cost 2d. ; and the writer was paid 12d. ; the other expenses connected with making the account (possibly the cost of refreshments) were 2d. The total receipts in money for the year were £12 13s. 7d., and the expenditure amoimted to £6 11s. 8d. On the other side of the roll is a statement of the stock held by the wardens — cattle, sheep, wool, brewing leads, brass pots, &c., showing what had been handed over to them at the commencement of their year of office ; what had been acquired by gift or otherwise during the year ; what had been disposed of ; and what balance they had at the close of the period. William Loryng (probably the one above mentioned) was a Pre- bendary of Wymborne Minster, from 1386 until his death in 1415. He is said to have been brother to the celebrated Sir Neil, or Nigel, Loring. The following extract from the Patent Rolls refers to his connection with Wimborne : — " 10 Richard II. Oct. 16 (1386). Ratifi- cation of William Loryng as prebendary of prebends (sic) in the free- chapel of Wynbornmynstre," &c. In his will, which is to be found amongst the Lambeth Wills (Chichele 1. fo. 290b. and 291), and was proved at Lambeth by Robert Brown, Canon of Salisbury, 14 Dec. 1415, he left a vestment and a large missal to Wimborne Minster, and gave directions that he was to be buried in the cemetery of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of New Sarum on the West side, before the image of the B.V.M. at the west door, near his kinsman John Payne. * Par Caligarum — pair of woollen cloth Venetians, which were a peculiar fashion of hose or breeches, originally introduced from Venice. XXXIV. SECOND WINTER MEETING. He left numerous bequests to monasteries, and to Merton College, Oxford. The following extract from the will refers to his bequests to Wimborne : — " Item lego ecclesiae collegiatae de Wynborn Mynster unum magnum missale cuius secundum fo. post Kalendar' incipit ' inana et pro papa', et unum vestimentum cum tribus capis de panno albo cerico et deaurato quod modo ibidem est." The Rev. HERBERT PENTIN said he supposed that this roll of 1403 was one of the earliest churchwardens' accounts extant in England. Canon FLETCHER replied that if Dr. Cox's list given in his book on Churchwardens' Accounts was comprehensive, the Wimborne Compotus Rolls appeared to come sixth in actual order of age, although in all probability they were the most complete. The earlier ones were those of St. Michael's, Bath, which dated back to 1349 ; the fragmentary accounts of the three churches in Hedon, in the East Riding of Yorkshire — St. James, 1350, St. Augustine, 1370, and St. Nicholas, 1379 ; and those of Tavistock, 1385. The recently transcribed rolls belonging to the interesting old church with its Saxon tower — St. Michael's, Oxford — commence in the same year as the Wimborne ones, viz., 1403. The PRESIDENT, in the name of the club, congratulated Canon Fletcher on his fortunate discovery. Captain ACLAND exhibited two Portland reeve-staves, and read a descriptive paper which will be found printed in this volume. The Rev. C. H. WOODD exhibited a copy of one of the earliest editions of the " Authorised " Version of the Holy Bible. PAPERS. The following papers were read : — (i.) — " A Leaden Coffin of the Roman period, found at Cann, near Shaftesbury," by Mr. H. St. George Gray (Printed), (ii.) — " Notes and Queries on the Minsters of Wessex," by the Rev. A. C. Almack (Printed), (iii.)— " A Commercial Day Book (1697-1702) of Mr. John Richards, of Warmwell," by Mr. W. Neville Sturt (Read in Mr. Sturt's absence by the Hon. Secretary). ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. XXXV. ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. Tuesday, May 8th, 1917. The meeting was held at the County Museum, Dorchester, the President, Mr. Nelson M. Richardson, taking the chair at 12.45 p.m. He was supported by the Rev. Herbert Pentin, Captain Acland, Captain Elwes, Mr. Alfred Pope, &c., and in spite of the distractions of war time there was a fair number of members present. New Members. — One candidate for membership was elected by ballot, and one additional candidate was nominated. Mr. RICHARDSON gave his presidential address, the thirteenth which he has delivered from the chair. Mr. ALFRED POPE, as an original member of the club, proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the President for his admirable address — not the least interesting of the many, covering a wide range of subjects, delivered since Mr. Richardson was elected president 13 years ago. All appre- ciated the erudition and persevering research which the President had brought to bear upon his task ; and they hoped that he would be spared to give the club 13 more such addresses. The vote was seconded by Colonel MAIN WARING and Captain ELWES, and carried with applause. Referring to the President's remarks on the influence of the pituitary gland on growth, and the possibility of this being the clue to a race of giants in the future, Captain PITT OWEN stated that there was in the Australian camp a man whose height was no less than 7 feet and 4 inches. The Cecil Medal— Warrant Officer W. Leeming, A.I.F., the winner of the Cecil medal and prize of £10, read his essay on " The more recent applications of electricity in the present war, especially in the treatment of diseases and wounds XXXVi. ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. arising therefrom." The PRESIDENT said that the examining body (consisting of Lord Eustace Cecil and the other two trustees, with the electrical expert to whose judgment the essays had been submitted) were unanimous in their opinion that W.O. Leeming's paper was the best. With hearty congratulations he presented the medal and prize. Colonel SPENCER- BROWNE, Commandant A.I.F., Montevideo, spoke of the pleasure and pride which the success of an Australian had given in the camp. The HON. TREASURER, Captain ACLAND, presented his statement of accounts for the year ending 31st December, 1916. The amount received during the year had been £193 ; and, owing to the Proceedings not having been yet published, there had been practically no expenditure. The HON. SECRETARY, the Rev. HERBERT PENTIN, read his report, which was as follows : — Owing to there having been no summer meetings there is not much to report and there are no secretarial accounts to present. The winter meetings have been attended quite as well as could be expected under war conditions. Several members, when sending in their resignations, have added that they will join the club again after the war. The chances are that they will profit nothing by this course. For when they join again they will have to pay the entrance fee anew, and there will be a missing volume or two in their set of the Proceedings, which, if they wish to obtain, they will have to pay a full year's subscription to the club for each volume. In the absence of the Hon. Editor, Mr. H. Symonds, it was stated that the Volume of Proceedings for 1916, which, owing to the shortage of labour caused by the war, had been so long delayed, was almost ready, and would be very shortly issued to the members. Captain ACLAND, as Curator of the Dorset County Museum, read the following report of acquisitions made by the Museum during the twelve months which had elapsed since the last annual business meeting of the club (May, 1916 — May, 1917) :- I propose to refer to-day to a few of the chief acquisitions during the last 12 months, but not to attempt a description of all the specimens ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. XXXVll. added to the various collections, which, although most acceptable as Museum exhibits, are not of sufficient importance to occupy our time now. I consider the most interesting acquisition is the fine cinerary urn found by Major Ashburnham in a barrow at Melcombe Bingham in September, 1916, and exhibited at the Field Club meeting in December. The exhibit was accompanied by a carefully written description of the excavation which will no doubt appear in the Volume of Proceedings. I need only remark now, that both the excavator and the Museum are most fortunate owing to the fact that this beautiful specimen of Bronze Age work was recovered, undamaged in any way, from its long resting place. Another relic of the same period, a good bronze dagger -blade, was found by an intelligent lad in a chalk bank by the side of the Dorchester - Weymouth road, on Ridgway. It has still 2 of the 3 rivets in situ, and the patina is extremely bright. Associated with the dagger were portions of a human jaw ; so we may safely infer that the cutting was through, or close to, a barrow. One other acquisition I refer to with some regret. A bittern, which had taken refuge in a field called " Chapel Meadow," at Nottington, was shot on the 9th February, 1917 — " accidentally," so I was told. What exactly was meant by that expression I do not quite know. Perhaps the kindest view to take of this unfortunate act is that the bird was mistaken for a heron ; but even so we may be sorry that its life was not spared. I now pass to acquisitions of a very different character, and I believe it is the third time that I have had the privilege of announcing that original MSS. of William Barnes have been entrusted to the County Museum. The " Hand-writs " of our Dorset Poet could indeed find no more honoured home. The Barnes MSS. previously acquired are " Edge Tools in Early Britain," or (as the author might have described them) " Stonen Tools," and " Dorset Dialogues," referred to in Lucy Baxter's life of her father, as " Hand-writs not printed, one up-sewing." These are on loan from the Rev. Arthur Barnes, acting as executor to his father, the Rev. W. Miles Barnes, in whose possession the poet's papers were left. The " Dialogues " are imaginary conversations of two farm hands enjoying a friendly chat in the midst of their work, as might frequently be observed at the present day. They are of course full of Dorset expressions, some of which must have now passed out of use, just as some of the subjects they deal with are " by-gones " of previous generations. There are nine Dialogues bearing the following titles : — 1. About a fish or two. 2. About a barrel. 3. Mowing. 4. About hedging. 5. Ploughing. 6. The Bark ripper. 7. The Cider XXXV111. ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. press. 8. Gwain to pits. 9. The Butcher. But to-day I am able to report an acquisition (also on loan) of still greater interest and value, for, as it seems to me, it is none other than the original copy, probably the very first commitment to paper, of Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect. They are contained in seven different MSS. books, copy book size, and comprise nearly 200 poems, about half of which I have traced in the printed volume published by Kegan Paul. They are full of corrections of all sorts, expressions altered, lines scored out, and even verses rearranged differently from the original order. Some of the poems are marked " printed," others Macmillari's Magazine, others again Dorset County Chronicle, with the date of publication. To those of us who still feel an affection for the glimpses of rural life revealed in the Poems it is indeed a privilege to get them direct from the author's own hand. We may feel, as he says himself in a letter to his daughter, " I wrote them as if I could not help it. The writing of them was not work, but like the playing of music, the refreshment of the mind from care or irksomeness." Restored Churches' Committee. — The Rev. A. C. ALMACK, the Hon. Secretary of this Committee, reported as follows : — The Committee met at Wimborne Vicarage in August, 1916, and reviewed the work done. Some 30 papers of replies to inquiries had been sent in and about 10 more have since been received. Among them are some very interesting and careful details supplied by Mr. R. Hine and Mr. H. Syndercombe Bower ; and in some cases very interest- ing information has come from builders employed in the restorations. The Secretary hopes that during the summer months, by the help of certain other members of the Committee, he may be able to prepare a digest of the various facts which have so far been ascertained, and that ho may be able to present it at the meeting of the club in December, 1917. Election of Officers and Committees. — Captain ELWES proposed the re-election of Mr. Nelson M. Richardson as President. This was seconded by Canon FLETCHER, who said that it seemed as if Mr. Richardson's whole life had been a period -of preparation for the presidency of the club which he filled so ably and so acceptably. The resolution was unanimously adopted. The Rev. Herbert Pentin was, on the proposition of Canon FLETCHER, re-elected Honorary Secretary, and he nominated Mr. H. Pouncy again as his Assistant Secretary. ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. XXXIX. Captain Acland was re-elected to the post of Honorary Treasurer. Mr. H. Symonds having resigned the Editorship of the Proceedings, Canon Fletcher (who had been nominated by the President in accordance with Rule 2) was elected Honorary Editor, on the proposition of Captain ELWES. The PRESIDENT nominated, for the ensuing year, the retiring Vice-Preside nts. The Sectional Committees. — The Earthworks Committee, the Numismatic Committee, the Directors of the Dorset Photographic Survey, and the Restored Churches' Committee were all re-elected. Medal Competition. — It was announced that the Mansel- Pleydell Medal and Prize of £10 would be awarded in May, 1918, for the best paper on " The Kimmeridge Clay of Dorset, and its industrial uses, past, present, and future." xl. r^ O « o * TJ • H PH 0) g 5 | 3 S : :|: § S . g> B aS . I I ^§ :!-t:l :•§ : S II I 3 2 Hi |S. 5a -S^'Sb 43 O -M J - 1 5^0 ^a$g «•£ -i l^w^^jy^y! S ^£°l ;0> 000 01 O In JEemo riant THE LATE REV. 0. PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE, M.A, By his Son, ARTHUR WALLACE PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE. QCTAVIUS PICKARD was born at Bloxworth on the 3rd of November, 1828. He was the fifth son of the Reverend George Pickard, Rector and Squire of Bloxworth, who in 1848, with his family, took the additional name of Cambridge on succeeding to the property of his cousin, Charles Owen Cambridge, of Whit minster. He failed (owing to the death of one of his sup- porters among the Fellows) to obtain entrance to Winchester College, and in the middle forties he was for two years the pupil of the Rev. William Barnes, the Dorset poet, for whom he always retained the warmest respect and affection, and of whom he wrote an eloquent memoir in these Proceedings (Vol VIII., xlii. IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICK ARD- CAMBRIDGE. xv. — xxxiii.). While learning Latin and Greek from Mr. Barnes, he was also learning the violin from Mr. Sidney Smith, and his fondness for music outlasted his taste for the classics ; but at one time he must have read and enjoyed a good deal of Virgil and Horace, and to the end of his life he would sometimes bring in an apt quotation from them. Apart from these studies, he lived the usual life of the son of a country-house, enjoying plenty of shooting, and beginning the formation of his fine collection of stuffed birds, which in time included many rare species, but was unfortunately allowed to perish through the carelessness of the managers of an exhibition to which he lent it. He was also in these days a keen beekeeper and gardener. In 1849 he went to London to study for the Bar; but neither the work nor the life in London suited him, and after two years he gave up the study. In 1855 he entered University College, Durham, where he took the degrees of B.A. in 1858, and M.A. in 1859. At Durham he entered fully into the life of the University ; we find him acting as steward at steeple- chases, as President of the Choral Society of his College (he had a fine voice of wide range), and as the donor of a challenge cup to his College Boat Club. In 1858 he was ordained Deacon, and in 1859 Priest, by the Bishop of Chester, and for two years held the curacy of Scarisbrick in Lancashire, residing at Southport. He was already a keen naturalist. His early pursuits were mostly ornithological ; but his entomological career began with the capture of Colias Hyale in 1835, and about the middle of the " fifties " he was attracted to the study of the Arachnida by the writings of John Blackwall, to whom he was introduced by Mr. R. H. Meade, of Bradford, then a well-known naturalist. He was keenly interested in the problems which Darwin attempted to solve in the Origin of Species, and he welcomed Darwin's theories, and thereby got into bad odour with some of his brother clergy in Lancashire, who preferred denouncing Darwin to reading him. It was while he was in Lancashire that his first published writings on Spiders appeared, in the form of IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICK ARD- CAMBRIDGE. xllii. papers on Spiders taken in Dorset and Hampshire, and a List of Southport Spiders, " with remarks on uniformity of use and meaning of words in Natural History " — one of those of matters of method which always had an interest for his orderly mind. In 1860 he left Lancashire to become Curate of Bloxworth and Winterbourne Tomson, under his father, and the light work of the two villages gave him plenty of time for entomology and for visits to Wales and Scotland, where he collected both spiders and Lepidoptera energetically. One of the results of his visit to Blackwall at Llanrwst in 1860 was that he undertook to see Blackwall's great work on British and Irish Spiders through the Press, the author having got into great difficulties over its publication. Black- wall's work was a landmark in the study of the subject, and my father's own terminology and descriptive methods were for many years based on those of Blackwall, though he gradually became independent of him, and came more closely into touch with the leading continental Arachnolo gists. After Blackwall's death the series of types which he had used for his work came into my father's possession, and greatly enhanced the value of his own collection. The years 1864 and 1865 were mainly passed in travel. Several months were spent in Egypt and Corfu, and in Austria (chiefly at Ischl) in 1864 ; and in 1865 my father made a long tour in Palestine, visiting also various parts of Greece, Asia Minor, and Italy, and returning home through Austria (where again he spent many weeks), and through Germany, where (at Nuremberg) he made the acquaintance of Dr. Ludwig Koch, then one of the foremost Arachnologists in the world. In all these countries he collected spiders and insects, and in Egypt he and his party shot 139 species of birds, many of them little known at the time. In Egypt and in Palestine he obtained a number of new species of Lepidoptera, which were described at his request by Zeller, Lederer, and Stainton, as well as a great number of new spiders, of which he published a full account a few years later. xllV. IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICK ARD- CAMBRIDGE. These travels were something more than a passing phase in his life. He never forgot his pleasure in them, and used often to turn over his foreign sketch books and recount anecdotes from his experiences ; and these travels gave a reality and an interest to his life -long correspondence with foreign naturalists and his continual work at exotic collections sent to him by them and others. In 1866 he was married at Oxford to Miss Rose Wallace, whom he had met while abroad ; and in 1868 his father died, and he succeeded to the two Rectories of Bloxworth and Winterbourne Tomson. The latter parish, two miles from Bloxworth, consisted in its best days of about 20 souls ; and my father reckoned that he had walked over 7,000 miles in all weathers between Bloxworth and Tomson to do his duty to his little flock, before (about 1890) the church at Tomson was closed with the consent of the Bishop, and the parishioners were recommended to attend one of the two churches in the adjoining fields. One who knew him well thirty years ago writes : " There are certain bits of landscape I can only picture with your father in them. Tomson Park requires him with his big stride and his coat-tails fluttering in the wind. I think of him as the ideal parson of a small country parish." The last sentence is in many respects no more than the truth. My father did not indeed in his later years keep pace with the newer movements in Church life, but he knew his rustic parishioners thoroughly ; they loved and trusted him, and he never spared any pains to help the young people to make a success of their lives. Even when old age prevented him from going far beyond his door, they came to him, as ever, in every trouble and for advice one very subject ; and the affection with which he was regarded in return was strikingly shoAvn in the letters which some of those who joined the Army in 1914 and 1915 wrote to him from France and Mesopotamia. It was no wonder that one of the older farm- labourers — a man not much given to expressing emotion — should have said, when my father passed away, " There, 'tis the end of all things to we." Indeed, it is almost true IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICKARD- CAMBRIDGE. xlv. that his death marks the passing of an epoch in village life. The relations between him and his parishioners were in some degree hereditary ; they were based on the feeling, natural in the days of patriarchal government, of the poorer parishioners towards " the family ; " and he himself belonged to the time when government by the squire and parson was accepted by all as natural. It was often a good government ; it was founded on the recognition of class distinctions arising from differences of birth and education, but also on the full recognition by the better educated of their duties towards their humbler neighbours. The differences in education are no longer so sharp, and the element of patron- age inherent in the old-fashioned benevolence has become distasteful to those who used to accept it with honest gratitude. The change is a wholesome one in its ultimate tendency ; but it is impossible not to regret in some measure the passing of the older relations between the different elements in village-life — relations which, so far as my father and his parishioners were concerned, subsisted in spirit until his death. My father conferred visible benefits upon his parish in the rebuilding of the Chancel of his Church, the building of the Village School, and (many years later) the reseating of the Nave of the Church. At the Rectory he practised an old- fashioned hospitality, and year by year welcomed his parishioners to the celebration there of old Christmas customs which have died out in so many other places, and the singing of the old carols which were traditional in the village. In his parish work he had the constant help of my mother, who for over forty years, without a thought of self, gave herself up to the good of those about her — taught in the Sunday School, played the organ in Church, ministered to everybody's needs, and did all the manifold duties which in many parishes are shared by a number of workers. From 1871 to 1889 my father was a member of the Salisbury Diocesan Synod, at which he occasionally spoke ; and for a few years he acted as Diocesan Inspector of Schools. xlvi. IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICK ARD- CAMBRIDGE. He was an enthusiastic musician, and was a well-known figure, with his violin, at orchestral concerts in Dorchester and Wey mouth. At his death he had been for many years President of the Dorset Orchestral Association ; and he had always tried to encourage a taste for the great music of the classical composers of the continent, or of the finest English writers of glees and madrigals. Not only town audiences, but audiences in many villages also, were found to appreciate good music at least as warmly as trumpery. For a great number of years he was a constant performer with voice and violin at village concerts in Bloxworth and the neighbourhood, and took endless pains over practice and rehearsals. On one occasion he varied music with drama. In 1885 some ambitious spirits at Bere Regis gave a performance of " The Rivals," and his energetic impersonation of Sir Anthony Absolute cannot have been forgotten by those who witnessed it. It was no mean service, to have helped and encouraged wholesome entertainments in villages, where entertainments of any land are but few, for so many years. He was a very loyal son of Dorset. His earliest venture into print was an appeal (in the Dorset County Chronicle in 1855) to the people of Dorset to make the Dorchester Museum worthy of the County ; he was one of the founders of the Dorset Field Club at the first meeting at Sher borne in 1875, and one of its most energetic members as long as his powers lasted ; he was its Treasurer from 1882 to 1900, and remained one of its Vice -Presidents until his death. He will be well remembered as the organizer of many of the field- meetings ; and with his long beard and white puggaree he was always one of the most conspicuous figures at these meetings, at which, in the absence of the Secretary, he generally acted as whipper-in of the straggling pack. It was characteristic of him that his chief work on British Spiders should have taken shape as " The Spiders of Dorset" and that species not found in the County should have been banished to an appendix ; and equally characteristic, that much of his best work should have been published in the IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICK ARD -CAMBRIDGE, xlvii. Proceedings of the Club. I remember that, when I and my brothers were boys, we learned to regard the capture of a species " new to Dorset " as an event of almost as great importance as the discovery of one " new to Britain " or " new to science. " Quite apart from his personal loyalty, he believed strongly in the thorough working of definite areas by collectors; and all through his life, but especially in his late years, when he was debarred from active collecting, he was always ready to help in working out local lists of species from whatever part of the country ; and many " County Histories, " and " County Natural Histories, " contain careful contributions from his pen. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1887, and was, of course, a member or honorary member of many other scientific societies at home and abroad. His principal work lay always in the study of the Arachnida, upon which he was for many years one of the chief authorities in the world ; probably only two or three others now living can claim the same rank. Of these the foremost, Mons. Eugene Simon, of Paris, came to England as a refugee after the taking of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War, and, after meeting my father then, maintained a constant friendship and correspondence with him afterwards. My father's collection of Spiders grew rapidly with his own collecting and the large contribu- tions made to it by other collectors in all parts of the world. At his death it was contained in about 5,000 bottles of all sizes — many of them holding from two to twenty separate tubes of specimens in spirit ; and it included the type- specimens of about 1,000 species, of which 800 or more had been described as new by himself. His principal work, apart from the Spiders of Dorset, was his large contribution to the Biologia Centrali- Americana, which occupied much of his time from 1883 to 1902. Among other works of some extent were the descriptions of species on Moggridge's Harvesting Ants and Trapdoor Spiders (1873-4), the article Arachnida in the ninth edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1875), and the account of the Spiders taken in xlviii. IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICK ARD- CAMBRIDGE. the course of the second Yarkand Mission (1885). But the greater part of his work was contained in papers published at first in the Zoologist and occasionally in the Transactions of the Linncean Society, but mainly in the Annuals and Magazine of Natural History, the Proceedings of the Zoological Society, and the Proceedings of the Dorset Field Club. He wrote altogether (in addition to his larger works, reviews of books, and short notes in various periodicals) about 130 of these descriptive and faunistic papers on Spiders between 1859 and 1914, nearly all illustrated by the clear, accurate, and artistic drawings which were so useful a feature in his work. In recent years some of his discriminations of species have been revised by younger students, and he always warmly encouraged and welcomed such revision, even when it led to the setting aside of some of his own results ; but very little of his work in Arachnology has been or is likely to be undone. His Monographs on the British Phalangidea (Harvestmen) and Chernetidea (False Scorpions) were the first works of their kind in this country, and, like the Spiders of Dorset, have been the necessary starting point for all subsequent work. But his scientific interests were far from being confined to Arachnology. He was a first -rate all-round Naturalist, and there are many contributions from his pen in the Zoologist and other periodicals upon Birds and Animals of all kinds, while his little monograph on the Reptiles of Dorset is probably familiar to many members of the Field Club. He was always an ardent collector of Lepidoptera ; and between 1835 and 1916 (when he set his last specimens) many rare and interesting species fell into his hands. He was a frequent contributor to the Entomologist and other journals of the same kind ; and the Proceedings of the Field Club contain several papers by him on new or rare Butterflies and Moths. Of other orders of Insects he took whatever came in his way, without making any special search for them ; but the result was a not inconsiderable collection of all orders, including many varieties. But whatever he studied, he was always thorough IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICKARD- CAMBRIDGE, xlix. and scientific. He was no mere collector of Macro-lepidoptera and showy species, and sometimes spoke with amusement of the " Diurnal and macrolepidopterous frame of mind " of those whom he termed " goodness -gracious naturalists ; " and though for many years he pursued the " macros " with all the arts of the hunter by day and night, and bred them in large numbers, his chief delight — certainly from the early eighties onwards— was in the smallest moths, for which he worked untiringly, often in company with Mr. Nelson M. Richardson or Mr. Eustace Bankes, whose friendship added greatly to the pleasure of his pursuits, and took the place of his older association with Mr. Frederick Bond and other famous naturalists of the middle of the century, of whom he gave an amusing account in the Entomologist (Vol. XXIX.) entitled " Brockenhurst revisited." He collected, of course, mainly at Bloxworth and in the neighbourhood, which offers a singular variety of localities from its situation at the junction of the heath, the clay, and the chalk. There can be few finer hunting grounds in this County than Bere Wood, Morden Park, and the glorious expanse of Bloxworth Heath. He also worked much at Weymouth and Portland, and in 1895 revisited with great delight the haunts in the New Forest where he had frequently worked forty years before with Mr. Bond. No words can describe the delight fulness of his companionship in a collecting ramble : his always boyish enthusiasm, his knowledge of every kind of bird, beast, and creeping thing, his unselfishness and unfailing fun, made him unlike anyone else. It was always a pleasure to him to give help and en- couragement to younger collectors ; and though he would never have anything to do with exchange of the half- commercial kind which so often prevails among naturalists, he was always ready to give to others, and to work hard to get specimens to give, long after his own set was complete, and it is right to say that many others were equally generous towards him. \ He always kept up his interest in the group of problems associated with the names of Darwin and Wallace, with 1. IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICK AKD- CAMBRIDGE. both of whom he frequently corresponded on these subjects, and both of whom consulted him upon a number of important points ; and by getting to know everything that was to be known, not only about his particular subject, but also about his district and its fauna, he was able to contribute something to those who were seeking the solution of the wider biological questions which lie in the background of Natural History. It is indeed idle to ask what is the value of a life devoted to Natural History. The value to the naturalist himself is beyond dispute. There can be few better or purer pleasures than those which arise from a knowledge of Nature, growing daily, and daily sought with greater patience, surer confidence, and increasing hopefulness — sought, moreover, largely in the open air, in the woods or on the downs or the heath, among ever-changing sights and sounds of beauty, in little things no less than in great. But, apart from this, the only answer to the question is that in one sense everyone knows the value of such a life, for all knowledge has a value unique in kind, and not measurable by other standards ; and in another sense no one knows, for no one can foresee what, in the lifetime of the naturalist or afterwards, will be the larger result of facts carefully collected on a wide scale and minutely studied. The moment when they will be of use for the solution or illumination of large problems may be long delayed, or it may come soon ; but the advance of science consists in no small degree in the discovery — often the sudden discovery — of the meaning of some great accumulation of data patiently made by workers who sought for no reward beyond the satisfaction of adding to the sum of human knowledge, and rinding their own happiness in a pure and enlightening pursuit. His great collection of Arachnida has found a new home, as he desired, in the University Museum at Oxford ; and there, together with his fine library of Arachnological literature, it will always be accessible to students. The Hope Professor of Zoology, on the occasion of the acceptance of the bequest by the University, described it without exaggeration as the greatest contribution to IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICK ARD- CAMBRIDGE. H. systematic Zoology that the University had ever received by one gift. It is time to close this account of my father's life and work, though of some aspects of it nothing has been said — of his strong antiquarian interests, especially in con- nection with Roman or British remains in the County, and with Church-architecture ; of his political activities, which from time to time occupied no little of his energies ; of his lectures at Public Schools and elsewhere on subjects in Natural History, and of much beside. It was not until about the turn of the century, when he was a year or two over 70 years old, that he began to feel his age at all seriously. Then began a series of attacks of illness, which greatly crippled him, and at last confined him almost entirely to his Rectory, though his hand and eye remained as keen as ever, and he worked almost every day at the table in the window of his " Den," sorting and describing spiders from many parts of the world, and setting such insects as were sent to him or imprudently visited his window, which was a perfect insect-trap. From 1908 onwards he was unable to undertake the services in his Church, though he attended to all parochial business and saw his parishioners constantly. In 1910 a heavy blow fell upon him in my mother's death, after a year of painful illness ; but twice in 1912 and 1913 he was cheered by having all his five sons round him. The years 1914 and 1915 brought a variety of minor troubles which told on him a good deal, and during 1916 he began to fail more rapidly, and at last resigned the attempt to keep up with the various kinds of business which he had done with so much ease during most of his life. On October 7th he visited his " Den " for the last time, and on the 19th made the last entry in the Diary which he had kept without a break nearly all his life. From this time onwards he rapidly became more helpless, and on March 9th, 1917, passed peacefully away, in his 89th year. His was a good life to look back upon, full of keen and varied interest. Until the last year or two he never seemed to grow old in mind, but remained, as ever, enthusiastic, lil. IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE. warm-hearted, outspoken, full of fun and life, delighting to share his fun with others, and always ready to help or to give pleasure in whatever way he could. He was staunchly loyal to what he regarded as the fundamental principles of Churchmanship and Conservatism ; but though he sometimes spoke strongly about those who held other opinions on these and other subjects, there was no malice in him. He took strong views, and did not give them up easily ; but anything that might seem dogmatic in his manner was not more than superficial, and he ordinarily displayed a fine old-world kindliness and courtesy, while his unfailing sense of humour always prevented him from taking differences too seriously. He died beloved by young and old. The spirit in which he lived can best be summed up in the words of a cutting pasted inside the cover of the Prayer Book which lay on his writing desk : — " Look at your mercies with both eyes, at your troubles with only one ; study contentment ; keep always at some useful work ; let your heart's window be always open towards Heaven." of ti)e By NELSON MOORE RICHARDSON, Esq., B.A. (Read May 8th, 1917.) HOPE that the fact that this is my 13th Annual Address to you as your President will not be looked upon as unlucky, either for myself or the Club, though the year has been clouded by the misfortune of War, in which many of our Members have lost relatives and friends. I would offer to them in the first place our deep sympathy. We have again held only our three indoor meetings, and the British Association, which has much resem- blance to a Field Club, though on a larger scale, has this year decided to entirely forego its Meeting, which was to have been held at Bournemouth. I some time ago suggested that our Club should also lie dormant during the war, but the plan did not commend itself to the majority of those present at the meeting at which I spoke of it. I regret to say that we have lost by death 8 of our members, as well as one Honorary Member. Amongst them are two of our few remaining original members, Rev. Octavius Pickard-Cambridge and Dr. John Moor head. Mr. Cambridge was a Fellow of the Royal Society and one of our most distinguished members. There is hardly a volume amongst the 37 of our Proceedings that does not bear testimony to what he has done for the Club, and for science generally, and this is not confined to his numerous and valuable papers on his special subject of spiders, on which he wras one of the greatest living authorities, but we find also papers from his pen upon Botanical, Zoologi- cal, Archaeological, and other matters. He acted as Treasurer for many years, at a time when the Club managed to exist and flourish without any printed rules, and it was owing to his initiative that those we at present possess came into existence. I could not possibly do justice to him here, but must refer you to a notice of him which will appear elsewhere in this volume. He was one of my oldest friends in Dorset, and I have many pleasant memories to look back upon in connection with him. Dr. Moorhead, another old friend, was more connected with the Club in its earlier days. He was much interested in Geology, especially that of the neighbour- hood of Weymouth, but his life was such a busy one in regard to his profession, that he had but little time to cultivate his favourite science. His long and successful connection with the Weymouth Royal Hospital is well known. Of the others whose loss I have to record, Lady Williams is the oldest member, having joined in 1884. She and her husband have always taken great interest in the Field Club and in the Dorset County Museum, which owes much to his help and support. Many of those present will remember our Meetings at Bridehead, and the kind hospitality shown to us by our hosts. Mr. George Clavell Filliter, who joined in 1889, was very helpful when the Club visited Wareham, which it has PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 3 done on several occasions. To Rev. William Miles Barnes, the son of the Dorset Poet, the Club is deeply indebted, both for his papers on various Archaeological subjects, especially ancient records connected with Dorset and Church Bells, and for his work as Editor of the Proceedings during several years. The splendid series of photographs contained in the volumes of the Dorset Photographic Survey, are due mainly to his initiative and energy. A notice of his life and work will be found in the last volume of our Proceedings, so that I will not attempt to say more here. Mr. A. T. Manger joined in 1890, and Mr. Thomas Shepheard in 1896. .Rev. William Floyer Cornish often attended the meetings of the Club and took much interest in its Proceedings. I have lost another old friend in our distinguished Honorary Member, Mr. Clement Reid, F.R.S., who has been more amongst us than most of our Hon. Members, and whose inteiest in our Club is shown by more than one Paper in our volumes. He was, in the first place, a geologist, and has done much work in Dorset and elsewhere as a member of the Geological Survey. He was the leading authority on fossil seeds and their evidence of former climatic conditions, and is the author of numerous scientific books and papers. His last work for the Club was in connection with the Elephant Trench at Dewlish and its excavation, on which he contributed a report to our Proceedings. He was one of those valuable men who have travelled a little outside the beaten paths of Geology, and investigated many subjects lying on its borders which are usually neglected. He was elected in 1900. ZOOLOGY. The discovery of a rare slug (Limax tenellus) in a Scotch pine forest in numbers, after it had been lost sight of for 56 years, and its subsequent occurrence in other pine forests, is a striking proof of the fact that animals are often looked upon as rare from ignorance of their habits, and when these 4 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. are known, they may be found to be in reality extremely common. Another slug, the shell-bearing and carnivorous Testacella Maugei, which occurs in Dorset arid was described and figured in an early volume of our Proceedings (v., p. 136), has been found in South Africa, but it seems probable that it was introduced by man's agency. The Report of the Danish Ingolf Expedition on the Crustacea Malacostraca of the deep sea round Greenland, Iceland, and the Faroe Isles has lately been published, and describes a large number of new species, with much general information about the family. Migrations of insects are not often observed in this country, though many individuals do come over from the Continent, judging from the numbers that sometimes appear here ; but in North America huge swarms of butterflies, dragonflies, and fli3S appear to move southwards in the autumn. These migrations also take place elsewhere ; e.g., in the Report of the South African Museum for 1915, lately issued, is an account of an immense swarm of moths containing at least 20 different species of Noctuidse, which appeared suddenly on a wide sand belt and passed quickly on. The object or advantage of these insect migrations seems difficult to determine. Experiments with birds in South Africa show that they will eat, when hungry, nauseous insects, which they would not otherwise touch, so that the gaudy colours which give warning of the nauseous taste of some insects seem to afford only partial protection. Hunger undoubtedly as a rule alters one's views as to what is edible, though in the case of many caterpillars, they will die rather than eat the leaves of any plant which is not their usual food, though one can hardly think that it would really be poisonous to them in most instances. Much consideration has been lately given to the best means of extending our shore fisheries, which produce such large quantities of valuable food. The transplantation of shell fish, such as mussels, has also been encouraged, as it has under certain conditions a wonderful fattening effect ; and if reared in sewage -polluted feeding grounds, they can be easily cleansed and rendered innocuous by a short sojourn PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 5 in uncontaminated waters. This appears also to be a very profitable business, as well as a source of food supply. It is found that the growth of plaice is much quicker upon such parts as the Dogger bank than in shore, and if they could be similarly transplanted, good results might be expected. An interesting and successful feat is the rearing of a second generation of plaice in captivity at the Port Erin Biological Station. About 18 plaice were reared from eggs produced and hatched in the tanks in 1914, and these, about lOJin. long, have now spawned, the eggs being a little small, but developing normal embryos and larvae. The catalogue of African fresh water fish recently issued by the British Museum of Natural History includes no less than 1,425 species, as well as much general information on the subject. Some of these fish are well protected by their appearance and form in their larval stages. In one species (Hemiramphus caldbaricus] the young fish resemble bits of weed and float about in a rigid condition when alarmed. In many fish the young are very transparent and inconspicuous. I suppose that this is the proper place to mention the sea serpent observed on June 14th, 1916, by Major O. Smith and others near Stockholm. It had a serpent like head, larger than a man's head, and a serpent -like body about 25 metres in length, with 10 or more waves or humps. It swam at a speed of about 2 knots and was visible for more than a minute. Much evidence exists about sea serpents which would, in connection with other things, be looked upon as reliable, and it is therefore difficult to regard them as altogether mythical, though we may be uncertain as to their exact form. Turning to birds, a swallow which was marked with a leg-ring in Lancashire on July 3, 1915, was captured in S.E. Africa near Grahamstown on Feb. 6, 1916. This is the third swallow marked in England in the summer which has been found in S. Africa in the following winter, shewing that a certain number of English swallows make this long migration. Whether in the ordinary course they ever re-visit England remains to be proved. A treaty has been entered into between the 6 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. American and British Governments for the protection of birds migrating from the United States to Canada, which applies chiefly to insect -eating and game birds. A new bird to the Irish list is the Blackeared Wheatear, a specimen of which has occurred at Wexford. One of our Honorary Members, Sir Frederick Treves, has called attention to the serious damage which is being done in the neighbour- hood of Richmond Park, by the American grey squirrels acclimatised there, to the fruit and shoots. They have already made their way into the open country of Surrey, and unless checked may prove as great a nuisance as the rabbits in Australia. They are, however, being destroyed by order of the Office of Works. Some interesting features of jungle life in Brazil are published by an American Natur- alist. He notes the abundance of species and the fewness of individuals met with in the jungle. This I have noticed with regard to moths in the New Forest. As a rule, one meets with odd specimens of a good many species, but with but few of any particular species, in a day's collecting, though there are exceptions. He also says that a bag of jungle earth taken away and examined gradually yielded a rich harvest of small life, such as small insects, &c. The Presidential Addresses in the Zoological and Physiological Sections of the British Association dealt with the subjects of Heredity, and the Analysis of Living Matter through its reactions to Poisons, and both, being of rather an abstruse natur?, should be studied in the original by those interested. The secretion of the pituitary gland is known to have an effect in promoting the growth of the body, and it is stated that a Calif ornian Professor has now succeeded in isolating from it a substance which has a definite power in this respect. We may yet live to see a race of giants ! It has been shown from statistics that the average length of life has greatly increased in this country in the last 70 years 01 so. Whereas the estimated average duration of lifa of males was in 1840 27.15 years, in 1870 it was 28.35, and in 1900 33.63 years, and of females a little higher in each case. The chief causes PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 7 are considered to be greater care of infant life, better sanita- tion, temperance, general prosperity leading to more abundant and wholesome nutrition, and perhaps also more attention to athletics and ablutions. Sine 3 our supplies have been seriously threatened by submarines, much has been written about the sustaining qualities of different foods, and many lists of economical meals have been published. There are some obscure substances which are developed in plants, called vitamines, which have hitherto, I believe, eluded the skill of chemists, but are well known by their effects, and certain foods when deprived of them by over heating or otherwise are insufficient to sustain life, though no chemical change may be perceptible. This difficulty may, however, be overcome by the addition of a small quantity of some other food containing them, so that the question becomes compli- cated. BOTANY AND AGRICULTURE. In my address a year ago I spoke of Agriculture as being then the most important of the two heads of this section, and it would have been well for the country if some of the stringent measures which have been taken lately to increase our most important crops had been taken a year before. But it is easy to criticise, and far more difficult to plan successfully, especially in a complicated matter like this in which so many opposite interests are involved. The claims of farm labour in opposition to those of th.3 Army, the encouragement of farmers on the one side, and a moderate price for bread and other farm products on the other, as well as many other points, require to b3 balanced with great discrimination, whilst the scarcity of artificial manures makes furth3r difficulties. Peat treated in certain ways and other substitutes have been proposed, and I believe used, with more or less success, and it would seem that thsre are large deposits in Naw Zealand of a mica schist containing potash, which may be valuable for the future when it can 8 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. be brought here, but are not available in the present emergency. Much grass land coulcl be ploughed up for wheat growing and motors could be used to save labour. Germany has, I regret to say, outstripped us in agriculture as in many other things, which will, let us hope, be set right after the war, and is said to be able to feed 70 people from each 100 acres of cultivated land, whereas we can only feed 45. This is to a great extent due to her more extensive and discreet use of artificial manures. Another great loss is through various plant diseases, which require much scientific experiment to combat them successfully. It had been thought that radium had a beneficial effect on the growth of plants, but recent experiments have shown this belief to have no foundation. We have Agricultural Colleges where scientific research is carried on, and recently a Market Garden Research station has been founded in the Lea Valley which makes experiments with the produce grown by market gardeners, in which last year tomato and cucumber growing were prominent. A better yield of cucumbers was obtained in the cooler than the warmer portion of a greenhouse in all the 4 houses which were used for these trials. Finally I would call attention to the value of nettles as vegetables. From personal experience I can state that the younger portions, treated like spinach, look and taste very like it when served up, and they are, I believe, quite as wholesome, and are easily picked with gloves, or cut down when about a foot high. They are said also to make good fodder when dried, and are being used for fibre in the scarcity of cotton in Switzerland, the 2nd growth being the best for this purpose. GEOLOGY. An eruption of Mauna Loa began on May 19, 1916, the smoke column being first seen at 7 a.m. and continuing until noon, reaching a height of 20,000 feet. It was accompanied by a flow of lava, which was repeated on May 21. The PRESIDENT S ADDRESS. crater of Katmai volcano in Alaska, where an eruption occurred in June, 1912, is described by a recent explorer as being one of the largest in the world, having a diameter of some miles and extending down thousands of feet to a blue- green lake. The Address of the President of the Geological Section of the British Association dealt with the desirability of submitting all mining plans, especially those which are required to be furnished to the Home Office, to a Geological expert, so that accuracy might be ensured, and the importance of keeping a record of all boreholes of more than a certain depth. The subjects of coal and petroleum were also included. Though there would probably be an increased production of the latter for some time to come, it is deemed probable that the supply would be exhausted, according to one authority, within 100 years. A fuel oil is now being made from peat which is likely to cause a serious depletion of our peat deposits. The manufacture of fuel oil from Kimmeridge shale does not yet seem to have reached a satisfactory stage. Coal still holds its own as regards most purposes and new coal- fields are still being discovered. One recently found on Bear Island, near Spitzbergen, is being worked, and another, of Cretaceous age, exists in the very different climate of Southern Nigeria, and will doubtless prove of great value to our South African Colonies. As regards minerals, it is to our discredit that before the war we exported much of our lead and zinc ores to be smelted in Germany and Belgium, and imported the metals from thence for our use. This caused us a shortage of zinc for brass in the early days of the war. Of tin we produce about half the total world production, and are able to export the greater portion. The mining of wolfram, from which is produced the valuable metal tungsten, which forms 18 to 20 p.c. of the modern high speed cutting too.1, has been lately much developed in Cornwall. Turning to fossils, a large number of fossil insects have been obtained from several strata in Australia of Triassic, Jurassic, and Tertiary age. These include insects belonging to new genera of the orders of Blattoidea, Protorthoptera, 10 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. Coleoptera, Hemiptera, and others, as well as the wing of a doubtful Lepidopt^ron. One huge Protorthopteron has a wing measuring 9in. by 3in., and was, I suppose, a sort of gigantic locust. There is also a fossil Tiiassic dragonfly. A third species of tsetse-fly, beautifully preserved, has also been found in Miocene shales in Colorado, where I believe many fossil insects have occurred. Either the quality of the rock, or the circumstances under which it was laid down, makes these delicate fossils rare in most strata. A new Dinosaur (Struthiomimus) has been received by the American Museum of Natural History from the Cretaceous beds of Alberta. It has a small head, toothless jaws, sheathed doubtless in narrow beaks, a long neck, and a backbone 13 feet long, short fore and long hind limbs, and probably somewhat resembled an ostrich in its mode of life, though it was not a bird. Another Dinosaur ( Corythosaurus casuarius) from the same source has also been added to the same Museum. This is about 20 feet long, and has a high, rounded bony crest on its head and its skin covered with tubercles. Some portions of the jaws and head of a mammal (Eodelphis Browni) from the same source and in the same museum, though very fragmentary, form the most complete Cretaceous mammalian remains yet discovered. It seems a pity that these interesting fossils from British territory should not find a home in a British Museum. Now that the conquest of German East Africa is practically complete, it is to be hoped that our museums will before long acquire some of the wonderful fossils found in that region. ASTRONOMY. A work of much interest to Astronomers has lately been published, viz. : Ptolemy's Catalogue of Stars in his Almagest written about 100 A.D. For this Edition numerous MSS. have been consulted, so that it is probably a fairly correct PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 11 representation of the original work. It is specially valuable as showing the different positions of stars 1800 years ago, though doubtless with much less accuracy than at present. Both rotation and variability in the brightness of different portions have been observed in certain nebulae, but a satisfactory theory of the cause of the latter phenomenon is still wanting. The actual distance of a certain nebula (N.G.C. 7662) has been calculated to be 140 light years, which, turned into miles, represents a distance almost too great to realise and requires about 15 figures. The star having the greatest known proper motion, which amounts to 10" per annum, has been found to be a small one of the llth magnitude. Its motion is shown by numerous photo- graphic plates, dating from 1888. Variations in the solar rotation, chiefly periodic, have been observed, and in the early part of February, 1917, one of the largest groups of spots ever recorded was visible. Other large spots occurred at the <-nd of May, 1916. On December 26th, 1915, a small spot appeared in lat. 59.6° S., the highest position ever noticed, the highest hitherto having been only 50.4° in 1846. An unusually fine prominence was seen on May 26th, 1916, which reached to a height of 18' or about 500,000 miles. It has been found that as a rule the melting of the polar caps of Mars is most rapid at timss of great sunspot development, when also solar radiation has been shown to be most intense. The 9th satellite of Jupiter is found to be from 11 to 17 miles in diameter, the 7th and 8th baing 17.5 and 18 miles in diameter respectively. Photometric observations of Uranus have revealed a variation in its light to the extent of about .15 magnitude in the course of .451 of a day. This is supposed to be due to its rotation presenting sides of different brightness, as the period agrees fairly well with that derived from other considerations. Many theories which have been accepted as undoubtedly true seem to be in a state of change or modification owing to recent discoveries, and ther? is some reason to think that the Newtonian theory of gravity itself may have to be modified in some respects. Certain 12 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. delicate experiments have tended to show that when a large mass attracts a small one, the gravitative force between them increases slightly as the temperature of the large mass rises, to the extent of about twelve millionths of itself for each degree centigrade. Also that there is a slight alteration in the force of gravity when the bodies are in rapid motion. These alterations, though slight, would make a considerable difference where astronomical bodies are concerned, if con- firmed. A further suggestion is as to the slight bending of a ray of light by gravity, but this seems at present to rest on an insecure foundation. Several meteors have been recorded. On May 20th, 1916, a fine green meteor moving from over the S.E. coast of Ireland to the English Channel, S. of Devon- shire ; one of the size of Venus on July 8th, seen at Bristol ; a meteor shower, in which a hundred were counted between 11 and 12 p.m. on June 28th, seen at Birmingham, and else- where, being the richest shower recorded since 1903, a very brilliant one on October 3rd, seen in Devon and Cornwall, and also as far north as Huddersfield. Two were seen on October 20th, in Surrey and Hertfordshire ; one on December 19th, in Montgomeryshire ; one on January 4th, seen from London and Liverpool, and several on March 14th, 15th, 19th, and 27th. A meteorite, the half of which, weighing 3 Jib., fell in Egypt in August, 1916, making a loud whizzing noise, is an amorphous silicate, grey in colour, and contains microscopic particles of iron, which affect a magnet. A catalogue has lately been published of the Chicago collection of meteorites, which is now the finest in the world, containing representatives of 657 falls, and a total weight of 7J tons of meteoric matter, the largest mass being the Quinn Canon (Nevada) iron of rather more than 1J ton. A very fine telescope is in course of construction at Victoria, British Columbia, with a mirror of 73 inches in diameter, and most elaborate and easily working moving machinery in spite of its great weight, which amounts to about 45 tons. It is hoped that the telescope will be in working order by the ensuing summer. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 13 METEOROLOGY. The year 1916 was, generally speaking, a wet one in this country, the rainfall being far in excess of the average at most stations, and slightly below it at only a few. The excess occurred chiefly in the S. of England, the centre of Scotland, and the S.W., N.W., and E. of Ireland. The fall at Monte- video, Chickerell, in 1916, was 34.10in., being 1.62in. less than in 1915, but 4.47in. above the average for 18 years, which was 29.63in. at that station. It is remarkable that the two highest falls in 24 hours during 19 years' observations should have been recorded there in the same year, viz., one of 2.52in. on August 29, and one of 2.00in. on December 20th, 1916. Before that, the highest fall was 1.98in. on October 23rd, 1915. June was an unusually cold month, and with the exception of June 19th, 1903, the Greenwich records show no June day colder than June 12th, 1916, for 75 years, the thermometer not having exceeded 50°. The early part of the year 1917 has also been cold, with long continued frost, and very low temperatures from 2° upwards were recorded in different parts of England. Frost occurred on 52 nights in the 3 first months, as well as often in April. Some interesting aeroplane observations on clouds tend to show that cirrus and cirro-stratus consist of thin snow. When cumuli attain a height of 6,000— 10,000 feet from top to bottom, they develop into thunder- storms. The war has given much opportunity of studying the propagation of sound in the atmosphere. The noise of the firing has been heard at great distances, the highest I have seen recorded being the firing in the Somme valley, which is stated to have been heard at Winchester and Ringwood (200 miles) and at Wendling in Norfolk (220 miles). The spring and summer are the best seasons for transmitting sound, the winter the worst. There appears to be generally an area of irregular shape, over which the sound is audible, surrounded by a silent ring-shaped area, outside which latter the sound is again audible. This " silent region " varies in its distance from the source, but at the 14 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. siege of Antwerp on October 8th, 1914, extended between about 60 and 100 miles from the source of sound. Further than 100 miles off, the sound was again audible. Sometimes the " silent region " consists of patches only. In the great London explosion of January 19th last, the sound areas were very irregular in shape, the distance of the inner margin of the silent region varying from 12 to 65 miles, and being from 16 to 54 miles broad. The greatest distance at which the sound was heard was 121 miles. Displays of Aurora borealis were observed in Scotland on August 22nd -23rd, 1916, at Bristol on August 27th, and at Waterford, Edinburgh, Bristol, and Oxford on January 4th, 1917. ELECTRICITY. The subject for the Cecil medal which is awarded this year, viz. : " The more recent applications of Electricity in the present war, especially in the treatment of diseases and wounds arising therefrom," has brought much interesting information in the papers submitted for the competition, shewing the great part played by electricity in the war. There are also many developments of it which it is important to keep secret, so that competitors who happen to be acquainted with thorn through their official connection with war work are debarred from referring to them. With regard to other matters, a recent publication of the Survey Department of Egypt gives particulars of a magnetic survey which has been carried out in that country since 1908. The first direct determination of the longitude of Washington, referred to Paris, has been made by wireless between the two places, situated 3,840 rn^es apart, the result differing from the accepted longitude by about six hundredths of a second only. The signals received at Paris are stated to have been much clearer than those reaching America. In connection with the electrification of the N.E. Railway the trials have been satisfactory, a goods train of 1,400 tons attaining a PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 15 speed on the level of 26 miles an hour, with other rates en gradients. More experiments of the effect of electricity on crops have been made, one on an oat crop, with the striking effect of an increase of 30 per cent, in grain and 58 per cent, in straw in the part electrified. It has been discovered that there exists in the atmosphere, entering it from above, a radiation which has several times the penetrating power of that given off by radio-active substances. We shall, however, doubtless hear more of this later on, after th<3 war, which has at present prevented further investigation. CHEMISTRY. Chemistry has also played a great part in the war, from the gas which was introduced by the Germans and its antidote used in the gas helmets, to the materials used for explosives. Also in the invention and manufacture of things hitherto made and imported from abroad, such as certain dyes and medical preparations, artificial silk made from cellulose, synthetic or artificially made perfumes, camphor, rubber, and many other substances in which Nature has been success- fully imitated. Synthetic indigo, to take one instance, has almost ousted the natural vegetable product from the market, though I believe that the latter has some superior qualities. Another industry rather specially called out by the scarcity and high prices caused by the war, is the utilization of waste products ; for instance, it is stated that 1,000 tons of glycerine, which is in great demand for the manufacture of explosives, are obtained from the fat in the food remains from military camps, which used to be given away or wasted or sold for a small sum. This amount would be sufficient for nc less than 12 J millions of 18-pounder shells. Some accurate experiments to determine the freezing point of mercury gave the result as — 38.873° Cent. A process, which would if successful be of considerable importance to Dorset, is a new method of deodorising the oil obtained from Kimmeridge shale, by getting rid of the suphur, but further experience is necessary. 16 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. ENGINEERING. Aeroplanes have been so much used in the present war, that much must have been learnt about them by practical experiment, but any knowledge acquired in this or other ways would necessarily be kept carefully secret. They seem to have become much more stable than formerly, and can be ussd in ways which would have been impossible a few years ago . There is still, however, much room for improvements. We have fortunately had an opportunity of studying at leisure the make of the Zeppelins brought down during the raids. These enormous airships, some 680 feet long, can hardly be said to have proved a success in war, and, considering their cost, have done but little actual damage, though for " fright- fulness " they take a high rank. With regard to sea-ships, it has been attempted to construct one of concrete with steel framing, but I do not know whether it has met with much success. Barges have been made of this material and have been regularly used, but it would seem unsuitable for a large ship. A bridge over a river has lately been completed on the Great Central Railway, having a Scherzar rolling -lift opening span, weighing 2,900 tons, probably the largest in the world, giving an open waterway 150 feet wide. It can be opened or closed in 3 minutes by two electric motors of 115 hoise power each. A new and very valuable article of equipment in the war is the helmet now worn by our troops. It is made of steel, and, with its inside padding of felt and wadding with rubber studs, weighs 21bs. An exhibition of glass, held at Sheffield last December, called attention to the great development of glass making, especially glass for optical and other scientific purposes, in this country, since the beginning of the war. Much of this was previously imported from Germany, but we shall in future be able to supply ourselves with this important article. British sands have been discovered which are nearly if not quite equal to that from Fontainebleau for glass making for all except optical glass. In view of the scarcity and the restrictions on the PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 17 use of petrol for motors, various other substances have been partly substituted for it with success. Experiments have been made to test the value of dry powder fire-extinguishers in putting out such fires as are likely to be caused by bombs. The powders used generally contained a large proportion of sodium bicarbonate, and the result arrived at was that water was a much more reliable extinguisher, the powders being very limited in their action. Water also wetted the surrounding material and tended to prevent it from catching fire. GEOGRAPHY. The President's Address in the Geographical Section of the British Association was on the subject of surveying. He estimated that at the present time one-seventh of the land surface of the globe had been accurately surveyed, as com- pared with one-thirtieth in 1860, and that only one-seventh now remained entirely unsurveyed and unmapped, whereas in 1860 one -half of the land world was in this state. The rest is mapped, but not with accuracy. The Royal Geographical Society has contributed much to this result by the loan of instruments to 331 expeditions, and instruction in their use, as well as by grants of money and general assistance and encouragement. On April 15th, 1916, 27 members of Sir Ernest Shackleton's party arrived at Elephant Island in Lat. 61° 10' S., their ship the Endurance having been crushed in the ice and sunk. As provisions were short, he left in the ship's boat with 4 others to obtain help, and the party were fortunately rescued on August 30th. About 200 miles of new coast were discovered, but the full results of the expedition are not yet published. The Aurora, the other ship connected with this expedition, has returned safely, but with the loss of some of the members. I should like here to mention that I have had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of an Antarctic explorer, Lieutenant Kennedy, who was attached as magnetic observer to the Australian 18 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. Mawson expedition, which returned early in 1914. He has given me a great deal of interesting information about life in the Antarctic regions, one of the chief, and I should think most unpleasant, features being the tremendous force of the wind, which much surpasses anything we get in this country. The compass, which is weighted to keep it horizontal, tends to lie if left to itself so nearly in a vertical position that its horizontal pull towards the magnetic pole is very slight. The result is that a very small cause deflects it, and when near the pole it varies extremely in its direction, and does not seem to b^ of much use as a guide. Lieutenant Kennedy reached Australia just in time to take part in the war, with the result that he has been in the Montevideo Australian Convalescent Camp opposite my house for some time past, where we have made so many pleasant and interesting friends, amongst both officers and men. Turning now to the Arctic circle, a large tract in Alaska has during the past six years been carefully mapped and described, under great difficulties of climate, by the U.S. Geological Survey. It is stated that the temperature ranges from 96° Fahr. to — 76°, that the earth becomes frozen to a depth in places of 300 feet, a few feet at the surface only thawing in the short summer. Yet gardening is successfully done. Mining is, however, the chief industry, especially gold, silver, lead, antimony and tin. Land north of Alaska has been mapped by the Stefansson expedition, who have discovered large copper fields. In Central Asia many writings on wood of the 3rd Century A.D. have been found in a sand-burisd site, and the old Chinese route, by which they brought their silks to Central Asia and the Mediterranean, has been traced by the copper coins and bronze arrow-heads found. Some of these wood slips, nearly 2,000 years old, were found in rubbish heaps, preserved under only a few inches of gravel or debris owing to the extreme dryness of the climate. An expedition to Easter Island has measured and described some of the stone terraces on which stood the gigantic stone statues, weighing from 10 to 40 tons, now all thrown down. Two of these PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 19 are in the British Museum. It also collected information from the inhabitants ; but the ancient writing, of which about 15 specimens on wooden slabs are known to exist, has not yet been interpreted. The whole social condition of the island was permanently upset by a Chilian slave raid about 1862, which carried off half the native population, and many of the old customs and ways are now hardly known. ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY. The fossil human skull found at Talgai, Queensland, has been cleaned from a hard mineral incrustation, and is con- sidered to be that of a boy of about 16 years of age. It nearly resembles in general conformation some types of modern Australian aboriginal skulls ; but in the great develop- ment of the front portion of the jaw and the size of the teeth it is more primitive and apelike than any other known skull except the Piltdown. The capacity of the brain (about 1,300 c.c.) does not, however, differ from that of many modern Australian aboriginals. Portions of a second skull of Eanihropus Dawsoni were found in the Piltdown gravel by ths late Mr. Dawson, and have been presented to the British Museum (Nat. Hist.) by our Member, Mr. F. Du Cane Godman. The Address of the President of the British Association (Sir Arthur Evans) deals with the origins of European civilization, and includes an account of the wonder- ful discoveries of Palaeolithic paintings found in caves in Spain, where, besides animals, human figures occur in abundance. Bands of archers opposed to each other, women clad in gowns and sashes, uniting in a dance, bowmen with plumed head-dresses also dancing, hunters with dogs or jackals, are pourtrayed. Many of these things we should be inclined to refer to a much more advanced period, but they are said to be undoubtedly of Palaeolithic date, to which the only garments previously attributed would probably be skins. The chief colours used were charcoal and red and yellow 20 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. ochre. In some cases the paintings are on the roof of the cave and must have been done by artificial light, in further evidence of which stone lamps have been found. The discovery of five money cowries, pierced for stringing, in an ancient burial mound on the Tennessee River in Alabama, has given rise to much speculation as to their origin, the placing them in graves being an old-world custom and the shells themselves being confined to the old-world hemisphere. It has been suggested that the mound is later than the date of the discovery of America by Columbus, in which case no difficulty presents itself, but this seems uncertain. The report of the Yale University expedition to Peru has lately been published, and describes the wonderful remains which have been found in the burial mounds and caves. Most of the mummies were placed in a contracted sitting position. The pottery, imitating many natural objects in shape, is well known, but the textiles of similar date, perhaps somewhat before the commencement of our era, are less familiar. These rival the Coptic cloths in colours and manufacture, and are found in the greatest variety. They are made of llama's wool and of vegetable fibre, just as the early Coptic cloths of a little later date are made of wool and flax. The absence of any kind of writing amongst the Peruvian remains makes it diificult to decide the date with any accuracy. The massive and splendid buildings of early Peruvian times are also described. Terrace cultivation and irrigation were carried out on an extensive scale in Peru in the Inca period. GENERAL. The advantages which Germany has gained in the present war through attention to science and scientific research, and the importance which these subjects have attained amongst us in connection both with the war and industrial matters, have led to the foundation by the Government of a department of Scientific and Industrial Research for Great PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. 21 Britain and Ireland, which is to be supplied with large sums of money for carrying out its objects. Scientific Research has been hitherto so little valued in this country that it has been left almost entirely to voluntary effort, and it is only comparatively few who could afford to devote to it the energy and time it requires. It is to be hoped that the lesson of the war will remain with us, and that Research will never be allowed to sink into its former condition. The results of Research are, in their nature, necessarily uncertain, and many of the investigations undertaken are apparently un- productive, but a certain small proportion are of such immense value as fully to justify the whole. Many of the great companies in America support a large Research laboratory, but in England they have been very few up to the present. They will doubtless, however, now increase in numbers and efficiency. Science is also becoming more prominent in school work, which will in time cause its true value to be more generally appreciated, and, it may be hoped, diminish the short-sighted policy of obstruction to Research amongst Labour organizations, which often proves a hindrance to progress. The metric and decimal systems have been adopted by various firms in America with a view to facilitating the supply of goods to France and other countries whers they are used, and the same thing seems to be on the increase in this country. Much as we may dislike the idea of parting with our old-established yards and inches, it would probably make a considerable difference in our trade if we were to make up our minds to do so. It would probably be long before the old measures absolutely died out, for, as has lately been pointed out, even in France the old Paris inch is pre- served in the sizes of stockings, the width of cloths, and elsewhere. A step in another direction is the establishment of a School of Oriental Studies, which will doubtless serve to bind us more closely to our vast Asiatic possessions and to our talented Eastern Ally, Japan. In this connection it is interesting to note the preparation of a series of gramo- phone records of several Indian languages, by order of the 22 PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS. Indian Government. I do not know whether any accurate experiments have been made, or have even been possible, as to the gain or otherwise from the Sunday labour which has been in so many cases carried on during the present war, as regards the industrial fatigue and capacity of the worker, though the subject has been much considered ; but a case has been cited of many years ago when, in surveying the boundary line between the United States and Canada, work was some- times carried on for several weeks without any Sunday stoppage, and it was possible to measure accurately the work done in foot-pounds. It was found that the actual amount of work done when the men worked only for six days in the week was practically the same as when they worked for seven days. For the men themselves, the rest day would un- doubtedly be an advantage. In my address last year I spoke of the visit to Australia of the British Association. This year Australia is with us under very different circum- stances, and many thousands of her sons have been successively my nearest neighbours. I have to-day one more pleasure to add to the great gratification and interest that I have derived from them during the last two years, in congratulating one of their number, Warrant Officer W. Leeming, in charge of the Massage and Electrical Treatment Hut in Montevideo Camp, on his success in having secured the Cecil Medal and Prize by an excellent essay on the subject of " The more recent applications of electricity in the present war, especially in the treatment of diseases and wounds arising therefrom." I should like to mention that the medal and prize of £10 were awarded to him by the unanimous verdict of Lord Eustace Cecil and the Trustees, as well as by the Electiical Expert to whom the papers were submitted. I am myself very much pleased that this medal should go to Australia, where it will form a small memento of their visit to England, and I hope also a bond of sympathy with the Dorset Field Club. anli ^benues of WHEN AND BY WHOM PLANTED By ALFRED POPE, F.S.A. (Read December 12th, 1916.) jORCHESTER, the Durnovaria of the Romans, was during the 16th and 17th centuries surrounded on the South, East and West sides, and partly on the North side, by the remains of her old Roman wall, flanked by deep ditches and valla after the manner of many Romano -British towns. The walls at that time formed part of the borough of Dorchester, and were claimed by the Mayor and Corporation for her inhabitants. The ditches, being outside the borough, formed part of the Manor of Fordington, and were claimed by the Duchy of Cornwall as part of the possessions of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Lord of the Manor of Fordington. Many conflicts arose as to the respective rights of the townspeople of Dorchester and the tenants of the Manor over the " ditches " 24 WALKS AND AVENUES OF DORCHESTER. and with regard to the boundaries of the Manor, as evidenced by the town records and the Court rolls of the Manor. The walls, being of no further use for defensive purposes, were allowed to go into decay, and were eventually, by degrees, demolished, the stone being absorbed into other buildings ; and the ditches, or some of them, were, with the consent of the Duchy of Cornwall, levelled down and used as " Walks " and recreation grounds by the town's 'folk, and at length, by some happy inspiration, they were planted with trees. Hence arose those beautiful walks and avenues of Dorchester as we now see them, which are the pride of the inhabitants and the admiration of the many visitors to the town. Sir Frederick Treves, in his " Highways and Byways in Dorset," writes : — " One of the most beautiful features of Dorchester is its ceinture of green ; for on three sides it is surrounded by avenues of trees — of sycamores, limes, and chestnuts. On the fourth side runs the river Frome through reedy meadows." Mr. Thomas Hardy, O.M., makes one of his Wessex heroines say of the town : — " What an old-fashioned place it seems to be. It is huddled all together ; and it is shut in by a square wall of trees, like a plot of garden-ground by a box-edging." And other writers, visitors to Dorchester, have been no less lavish in their praise of our beautiful avenues. The archaeological features of the " walls " and " ditches " have been ably treated on by other members of the Dorset Field Club, namely, by the late Rev. W. M. Barnes, in his paper on " Roman Fortification, with special reference to the Roman Defences of Dorchester " (Vol. XII., page 135, of the " Proceedings "), by the late Mr. H. J. Moule in " Notes on the Walls and Gates of Durnovaria " (Vol. XIV., page 44), and by Captain J. E. Acland, F.S.A., in " Notes on Excava- tions at Dorchester on the site of the Roman Defences " (Vol. XXXVI., page 1) ; but the much- vexed question of— when and by whom the Dorchester " Walks," and the other fine avenues leading to and from the town, were planted seems still to rest in doubt ; and I hope to be able, as the WALKS AND AVENUES OF DOECHESTEE. 25 result of a lengthy research among the town records of Dorchester, the Court rolls of the Manor of Fordington, old maps and plans, and other documents bearing on the subject, to clear this question up to the satisfaction of the members of the club and others. Taking the " Walks " in the order in which they were planted, we come first to the " Bowling Alley " Walk, which, together with the West and the North or Colliton Walk, was planted between the years 1702 and 1723. At a Court Baron of the Manor of Fordington holden in June, 1723, the following presentment was made by the Homage : — " We present that the Corporation of Dorchester have made several encroachments on the lands belonging to this Manor, particularly by planting on and inclosing two several pieces of land on the North side of the Town of Dorchester and on the West side of the said town opposite to a close of pasture called Miller's Close, containing three acres (be the same more or less), and also by making another encroachment on the lands of this Manor by inclosing a par cell of land on the West side of the trees in " Bowling Alley " containing half an acre more or less, and also by makeing another encroachment by inclosing and planting on half an acre of land belonging to the tenement of Mary Winsow, Widdow, lyeing at the South side of the said town and lyeing on the North side of the lands of Thomas Cooper, and also for another encroachment of a piece of land parcell of a copyhold tenement of this Manor in the possession of Mr. Edward Churchill which lyes at the West end of the town of Dorchester called, of late, Alders Sawpitt — Ordered that the several persons to be proceeded against as the law directs." From this presentment it may be gathered that the laying out and planting the Bowling Alley Walk and the West and North Walks was completed previous to June, 1723. Hutchins, the Dorset Historian, in the first edition of his work published in 1774, says these walks were made between the years 1700 and 1712 and planted with rows of limes and sycamore trees, as are the avenues on the South, 26 WALKS AND AVENUES OF DORCHESTER. West, and East. This is confirmed by the Bishop of Durham, who puts the date of completion as 1712, doubtless on the authority of Hut chins. By 1730 the trees must have attained a considerable size, as visitors to the town remarked upon their beauty. These " Walks " extend Westward from the old South Gate of the town 187 yards, thence North- ward to the North- West corner of Colliton, 767 yards, thence Eastward to Gly de-path Hill, 167 yards, giving a total of 1,121 yards. The trees forming these avenues are sycamores, except where they have been replaced, in more modern times, by elms and limes, several of the sycamores measuring over 9 feet in girth, 5 feet from the ground, and 90 to 100 feet in height. The following are the measurements of 6 of these trees taken by Mr. Maltby and myself on 14th November, 1916, namely, 9ft. 9in., 9ft., 9ft., 9ft., 8ft. 9ins., and 8ft. 9ins. respectively. The next in order of planting were the South and East Walks, which were planted shortly previous to 10th October, 1743, as evidenced by the following " Presentment " made at a Court Baron of the Manor of Fordington holden on that date, namely: — "We present that by a voluntary sub- scription of several inhabitants of the town of Dorchester and Forthington there has since the last Court been made a walk and planted with trees from the corner of Grope Lane near the East Gate of the said town of Dorchester to a place called Gallowshill and from thence by the South Walls of the said town of Dorchester to the South Gate of the said town, and that the ground where such walk is made part thereof is the waste belonging to the said town of Dorchester and other part thereof the waste ground belonging to the said Manner of Forthington, and the residue thereof is one acre of arrable land belonging to John Hayne, one of the customary tenants of this Mannor, and parcell of the whole place tenement there, and extending East and West in the ditches there, from the said place called Gallowshill to the South Gate of the said town of Dorchester. We further present WALKS AND AVENUES OF DORCHESTER. 27 that in order to make the said walk complete and to the intent that the same may from henceforth be enjoyed as such, William Churchill Esquire and William Templeman Gentleman, two of the customary tenants of this Mannor, have agreed each of them to give half an acre of land belonging to their respective tenements in Forthington in lieu and by way of exchange for the said John Hayne his said acre of land thus converted into a walk and in order thereto to surrender up by way of exchange two half acres of arrable land, the one belonging to the said Mr. Churchill's half place tenement called Britton, lying in the West Ditches of the town of Dorchester, and the other half acre belonging to the said Mr. Templeman his whole place tenement called Cadrows and lying in the South Ditches of the said town of Dorchester, and for that end and purpose the said John Hayne hath agreed to surrender up his said acre of land belonging to his said whole place tenement unto the said William Churchill and William Templeman by way of exchange for the consideration aforesaid and to be held and enjoyed by the said William Churchill and William Templeman's as parcell of the said William Churchill's whole place tenement in moietys — but nevertheless from henceforth to be used and continued as a walk for the benefit of the inhabitants of the said town of Dorchester and Forthington." By an extract from the Dorchester Town Records, dated 30th March, 1744, it was ordered " that Mr. Cooper, the present Town Steward,* do pay unto John Pitman ten guineas towards the railing out and compleating the new walks." By another extract, dated June 30th, 1783, it was ordered " that the walks belonging to the town be repaired under the direction of Mr. Churchill the Town Steward, and Mr. William Bower." In 1829, £26 16s. was ordered to be laid out in gravel and labour for the East Walk. This, then, fixes the date of the planting of the South and East or Salisbury Walks. These walks extend from the South end of the South Street eastwards to Gallows' Hill, 28 WALKS AND AVENUES OF DORCHESTER. thence northward to the Gas Works, and are 740 yards in extent. The avenues consist of two rows of fine horse chestnut trees (a single row only is shown in Simpson's map of the Manor 1779, on the North side of the South Walks Road, the other row not being with in the Manor), some being over 12 feet in girth, 5 feet from the ground, and at least 100 feet in height. I recently, with the assistance of Mr. F. T. Maltby, surveyor, took the measurements of six of the largest of these trees, and they measured in girth, 5 feet from the ground, 12ft. 9ins., 12ft. Gins., lift., 10ft. Sins., 10ft. Gins., and 10ft. 2ins. respectively. A tree which stood opposite South Lodge, the residence of Dr. Kerr, taken down last winter, measured 9ft. Bins, in circumference, and was over 90 feet in height. The trees are planted in rows 24 feet apart from row to row, with 20 feet from tree to tree1. This disposes of the trees known as the " Walks " planted on the site of the Walls and Ditches of old Dorchester, and of the tradition commonly accepted that they were planted by the French prisoners of the Napoleonic wars, and of the French pennies said to have been dug up from time to time beneath the roots of the old trees now and then removed to make room for new ones. It is just possible, however, that prisoners of war taken during the Duke of Marlborough's campaigns might have had a hand in planting the West Walks, which, as we have seen, were planted early in the 18th century. THE WEYMOUTH ROAD AVENUE, comprising two fine rows of English elm trees planted 36 feet apart and at a distance of 36 feet from tree to tree (from the Station Gate to Maumbury, these distances are 30 feet only), formerly extended along the Weymouth Road, from the South gate of the town to the confines of the Manor of Fordington on the South — as shown on Taylor's map, 1795 ; but when the cutting was made by the Turnpike Trustees in 1803 in order to level up and widen the road at this point, it was found necessary to remove some of the trees. The avenue was 3 3 H G o «5 oo $ *5 v> "S v o ^ Q ^§ 1 fS V) ~n «~o 4 o !>- I £ Q N }^ JJ § to WALKS AND AVENUES OF DORCHESTER. 29 thus shortened at the South end by about 150 yards. A further curtailment on the North End from the South Gate to the entrance to the L. and S.W. Railway station took place in 1876, when the fine old elm trees then standing were replaced by limes, as seen at present. As to the planting of this avenue, the following facts will approximately fix the date. From an old drawing in Grosse's Dorsetshire showing the Roman Amphitheatre and the Roman road which runs thence to Wey mouth, drawn in 1755, the trees in this avenue are not shown, and it may be presumed were not at that date planted. In W. Simpson's map of the Manor of Fordington among the records of the Duchy of Cornwall, made from an actual survey of the Manor in 1779, a double avenue of trees extending 76 chains (say 1,672 yards) from the South Gate is shown. In Taylor's map of Dorset, published in 1795, this double avenue of trees is carried on to the confines of the Manor on the South about another half mile, and it is a curious fact that the trees, which for the first distance are planted 36 feet apart only in the rows, are for the second distance planted 60 feet apart. I think, therefore, it may be presumed that the whole of of the Weymouth avenue was planted prior to 1795, but subsequently to 1755 ; and that the Northern portion was planted before 1779, and according to Hut chins before 1774 ; the Southern part from about the first mile stone being planted subsequently, but prior to 1795. It has been generally accepted that this avenue was planted by Colonel William Bower, of Fordington, who took a prominent part in the defence of the town and county during the threatened invasion by Napoleon. William Bower, brewer, was a copy-holder of the Manor, between the years 1789 (at which date he is stated to have been 40 years of age) and 1798, when he was admitted tenant to the Court House Malt House, and other premises — formerly of William Spearing — " subject to the privilege of the Steward of the Manor or his deputy keeping the courts 30 WALKS AND AVENUES OF DORCHESTER. of the said Manor in the said Court House and providing proper and necessary conveniences for holding the same ; "• and it seems not improbable that the second portion of this avenue above referred to was planted by him, the first portion being of an older date. BRIDPORT AVENUE ROAD. — There can be little doubt that the Eastern end next the town of this avenue to the top of the hill, so far as sycamore trees extend, was planted at the same time with the Bowling Alley and West Walk avenues, the trees being of the same age and species. In Simpson's survey of the Manor, 1779, the double avenue is made to extend thus far. In Taylor's map, published in 1795, the avenue is carried on to Darner's Barn ; and it will be noticed that the trees forming the extension, from a point about opposite the town water works, where the sycamores cease, are English elms of the same kind as those on the Weymouth Road, and it is reasonable to suppose that this extension was made about the same time (i.e., between the years 1779 and 1795) as that on the Weymouth Road. The extension of the avenue from Darner's Barn to the road leading to Winterborne St. Martin was made in 1890 by the Dorchester Avenues Society, to which the late Mr. Henry Symonds was hon. secretary. The trees are Chichester elms, and are doing well considering their very exposed position. It will be noticed that several of the sycamore trees first planted on the North side of the avenue opposite Sydney Terrace, above the Railway Bridge, have been removed. This was done in 1895, by order of Mr. W. Tilley, with the sanction of the Duchy, on the ground that they were dangerous to, and obstructed the light from, the houses in the terrace.* * Since the above was written the Town Council has, with the assistance of German prisoners, ruthlessly pollarded the fine old sycamore trees from the Barrack Keep to the railway bridge on the South side ; those on the North side, being Government property, could not be touched. o en 13 C/D O > 13 b o O B. OP o 4-1 6JO O to o U o IH to WALKS AND AVENUES OF DORCHESTER. 31 LONDON ROAD AVENUE. — A very fine avenue of magnifi- cent elm trees formerly overshadowed this road, but in 1887 they were, by order of the then Duchy Steward, Mr. George Heriot, removed as dangerous, with the exception of seven trees on the north side, which were pollarded and may now be seen as evidence of what the former avenue was like ; the present trees were planted by the Duchy a year later. Prior to 1746, the road from Dorchester to Blandford and London went through Fordington. Passing along Hollo way, leaving St. George's church on the south, it ran through the Ford below the East or Abbey Mill, thence over the " Old Bridge," which stood about 120 yards southward from the present " Grey's " Bridge, as indicated by the grass-grown mounds of debris on the east side of the river there, and joined what is now the new London Road, near where the road from Waterson intersects the same. " Grey's " Bridge, as the date upon it shows, was built in 1747-8, when a new road was made by Mrs. Lora Pitt from the bottom of High East Street to " Stowham " Bridge, thus enabling travellers to Blandford and London to avoid the dangerous and circuitous route through Eordington over the " Old Bridge." An interesting presentment relative to the making of this road was made at a Court Baron of the manor holden the 26th day of February, 1746, when, after reciting that by an Act of Parliament made the nineteenth year of his present Majesty, King George the 2nd, intituled an Act to enable Lora Pitt, widow, to erect a bridge or bridges over the river Frome and to make a causeway over Forthington Moor in the county of Dorset, it was among other things enacted that it should be lawful for the said Lora Pitt, at her own expense, to make a new road or causeway to branch out of the common highway between Stowham bridge and Loudon* bridge within the Manor, over and through part of the meadow ground and other the common cow pasture, belonging to the manor, * Louds Mill and Louds Estate are in this locality. 32 WALKS AND AVENUES OF DORCHESTER. to the town of Dorchester. It was presented and agreed that she, the said Lora Pitt, should pay into the hands of the tenants of the manor the sum of £100 to enable them to bear and pay the charges and expenses of erecting proper wyres and digging trenches, and drains, rendered necessary by the erecting of such causeway, and of maintaining and keeping such wyres, drains, &c., in repair. The new road was made and the bridge built and opened in 1748, but the avenue of trees was not planted until many years later, certainly not until after 1779, as Simpson's map of ths Manor does not show them ; but in Taylor's map of Dorset, 1795, the trees are shown. This avenue, therefore, now replaced by younger trees planted at a much greater distance apart, was doubtless planted between the years 1780 and 1795. A single row of sycamore trees, shown in Simpson's map 1779, formerly extended from the South gate to the old Britannia Inn, now the Great Western Hotel. These, with the clump of trees on Beggars' Knap, where now stands " Mentone Lodge," the residence of Mr. Edwin Pope, were removed in 1876, when the frontage to the Fair Field was let off by the Dorchester Corporation for building purposes, much against the wishes of the townspeople, who memorialised the Corporation that they might be allowed to stand. The facts and the memorial are fully set out in a brochure entitled " A mare's nest discovered in the trees on Beggars' Knap," written by the late Mr. G. J. Andrews, of Dorchester, in 1876. THE WAREHAM ROAD AVENUE. — This avenue is of alternate pink and white horse-chestnut trees, and extends from the bridge over the L. and S.W. Railway to somewhat beyond " Max Gate," the residence of Thomas Hardy, O.M., the Dorset novelist. They were planted in the year 1888, and both the trees and the cost of planting were the gift of the first Lord Alington. THE PRINCE OF WALES' ROAD AND CULLIFORD ROAD were planted in 1876 by Messrs. A. and E. Pope, the joint owners of the Prince of Wales' estate. WALKS AND AVENUES OF DORCHESTER. 33 THE MANOR ROAD, SOUTH COURT, AND HERRINGSTON ROAD AVENUE were planted at the expense of the owner of the South Court Estate (Mr. Alfred Pope) in 1890, and QUEEN'S AVENUE, VICTORIA PARK, was planted in 1891 by the Victoria Park syndicate. The trees in Cornwall Road and Maumbury Way were planted in 1888. This, then, is the true history of the far-famed " Walks " and avenues of Dorchester, as evidenced by the Court rolls of the Manor of Fordington, part of the possessions of the Duchy of Cornwall, the official records and accounts of the town of Dorchester, and the various maps of the town and the locality which have from time to time been published, and I hope it may set at rest the many doubts and surmises as to when and by whom our beautiful avenues were planted. I need hardly add that these walks and avenues are much prized and appreciated by the townspeople of Dorchester. They are justly proud of them, and take great interest in them. Of late years they have been added to and improved, both by private enterprise and the Dorchester Avenue Society ; and it is to be hoped that the mania for cutting down and over -pruning the trees, which some few years ago obtained with the governing body of the borough, will not again be renewed. I have to acknowledge the courtesy received, in my re- searches at the Duchy of Cornwall office, from Mr. Walter Peacock, M.V.O., the secretary, who placed the Court rolls of the Manor of Fordington and ancient maps and plans relating to the Manor at my disposal, and also the assistance given by the Rev. R. G. Bartelot, the Vicar of Fordington, who has supplied me with many useful facts and figures. The research has been a real pleasure, though somewhat wearisome and difficult, and has taken up more time than I originally contemplated ; but it has proved most interesting work, and well repaid the time and labour expended. I think I may claim to say with the poet Herrick — " Attempt the end, and never stand to doubt, " Nothing's so hard but search will find it out." flutter anfc (EarJp J»tuart By F. J. POPE, F.R. Hist. S. (Read 12th Dec., 1916). T >HE object of this paper is to put together some account of the military forces of Dorset during the century and a half which preceded the Great Civil War, to give some details of their numbers, equipment, work, and character, and to mention some of their more prominent leaders. Little has hitherto been written on the subject. Hut chins in his general history of the county has nothing, and the Victoria History of Dorset has only a few notes, concerning expeditions, and these not the most important, sent out of the shire. Also the large histories of the British Army pass over the period in question hurriedly, being naturally rather concerned with the more scientific warfare and professional armies of DORSET SOLDIERS. 35 later times, though they comment on the progress in military art under Henry VIII. Thus the histories, whether local or military, are not helpful ; but much (not of course all that could be desired) has been extracted from the State Papers, the registers of the Privy Council, muster rolls filed in the Court of Exchequer, the manuscripts in the British Museum, and some documents of a miscellaneous character which contain incidental references to the matter in hand. It is inevitable that there should be gaps in these records. Some are either without indexes or imperfectly indexed, and further, in such a great mass of documents, it is easy for the searcher to overlook items of importance ; and it need occasion no surprise if full information on many points is not always forthcoming. Two general classes of soldiers have to be considered here, viz. : the county troops or trained bands in which nearly every man might be compelled to serve, and those who were especially engaged for duties across the sea. None but the former were ever employed within the kingdom of England, while both classes intermingled might be sent on foreign service. The county troops were of course the only permanent force, always the stronger in numbers, and generally the more efficient, and they will therefore receive the greater share of attention in the following pages. It may be observed that the term ' trained bands ' does not seem to have been used in pre-Elizabethan times. The earliest view we have of the Dorset local forces is found in a series of musters held in the years 1538 to 1543 ; and we may consider ourselves fortunate that the Dorset musters of so early a date are among those that have survived, and that they are very nearly complete for the whole county. The men, about 8,000 in number, assembled in various parts of the shire, grouped under hundreds and tithings, liberties, or boroughs, and comprised approximately all the male population between the ages of 16 and 60 years. Peers, clergy, and certain judicial officers were the only persons legally exempt ; but in Tudor and Stuart times at least the 36 DORSET SOLDIERS. sons and servants of these were not usually expected to serve. From some instructions for holding musters con- tained in one of the Lansdowne MSS. it appears that the convenience of those attending was respected. The place of muster was to be so fixed that no man within the district need journey more than half a day in order to attend, and, though all the men were to appear, a householder was not to be compelled to bring all his sons and servants at the same time. Husbandry was to be interfered with as little as possible. Defaulters were to be punished. Those keeping servants were enjoined to prefer such as were " fit for archery," &c. ; poor men were expected " for love of their country " to club together in providing arms and armour, and men without arms might be employed as carters, pioneers, smiths, and carpenters. The purpose of the early Dorset Musters was evidently not to exercise soldiers, but to obtain a survey of the local resources in men armour and weapons, all of which are set forth in great detail in the Commissioners' certificates. The rolls are of especial interest, both because they afford the only available example of an assembly of the great mass of the male population of the county, and because they give some idea of the condition of the force previous to the systematic provision of firearms. Several thousands carried bows or bills, and in the whole array there were but six guns or hand-guns. Glancing down the lists one observes a few halberds and spears, a fair number of swords and poleaxes, some axes merely designated " haks," one survival of the ancient battleaxe, and a solitary specimen of the ragged staff. The armour was equally varied and, to some extent, a luxury. Harnesses outnumbered all other kinds of protection for the body ; but there were many pieces of almayne rivets (composed of overlapping plates) from the larger country houses, and jacks or quilted coats were produced by less important men. The small headpieces called salades, sallets, or sculls were fairly common, while a few men possessed such odds and ends as a pair of splints, DORSET SOLDIERS. 37 a gorgett, or a gleve ; but far more were entirely unprotected. Probably a similar body of men, equipped in not very different fashion, might have been seen at the same places on several occasions during the preceding hundred years or more. Everyone provided, or was called en to provide, men and equipment according to his estate. There were knights and esquires who maintained twenty to thirty men-at-arms ; but these were exceptional, and frequently the larger land- owners contributed no more than half these numbers, or perhaps half a dozen mounted archers carrying bow and arrows, sword and dagger. The lesser gentlemen, merchants, rich farmers, and the better sort of yeomen were usually held responsible for a well-armed and protected man or iiwo either mounted or on foot. Those still lower in the social scale brought to the muster merely a bow and arrows or a bill ; and the poor, having absolutely nothing, came empty- handed. There is frequent mention of the tithing harness, often accompanied by arms, which were the property of the tithing and appropriated to the arming of some of the poorer inhabitants, and for some reason the parson of Long Crichel had to send a bcw and twelve arrows. Some scores of aliens appeared in the ranks, either French or " Douche," the latter term including perhaps more than one nationality ; but none of the aliens were classed as effectives. Throughout the muster rolls the " able " are distinguished from those who from age or other cause were not considered fit for ordinary service ; but the system of classification was not uniform in all the districts. From a Roy Roll of Henry the Eight's reign, however, it appears that from all the heterogeneous elements which have been described, an effective force was evolved numbering 1,487 archers and 1,347 billmen, 2,834 in all, considerably less than half of whom were furnished with protective armour. In subsequent years many returns were made of the able men in Dorset, the strength being often below 4,000 and sometimes as high as 6,000. It is remarkable that the returns show a reduction in numbers when, as in 1588 and 38 DORSET SOLDIERS. towards the end of the 16th century, there were especial apprehensions of invasion ; and one cannot avoid the sus- picion that the local authorities in these years hoped, by minimising the resources of the county, to lessen demands from the Privy Council for troops to be sent away from home. In the Armada year for instance we are asked to believe that there were but 3,330 footmen in the shire fit for service, though eight years earlier they numbered 6,000. The difficulty was less in finding men than in finding arms for them. In 1569 bows and bills still predominated ; but between 200 and 300 arquebuses and calivers (the lighter weapons needing no rest) appear in the return of that year, and from that time forward firearms rapidly increased, so that by 1580 the Dorset trained bands possessed more arquebuses than bows. In 1580 also there were more pikes than bills. All men-at-arms now carried, in addition to their principal weapon, swords and daggers ; but only the pikemen and billmen were supplied with body armour (called corslets or jacks) and only the arquebusers with the helmets called morions. The mounted troops were always small in number, viz : 58 in 1569, and from 100 to 160 in later times, divided into the heavily armed horsemen known as demilances, petronells, or carabins and the light horse. The character of these horsemen is indicated in an order, dated in 1601, from the Council as to their equipment. Each carabin was to have " a good horse or guelding with a morocco saddle of buff or some other good leather and good furniture to y*, a sufficient man to serve on him furnished with a good curasse and a caske, a petronell, a good sword and dagger and a horseman's coate of good cloth." The equipment of a light horseman was the same except that, in the place of the petronell, he carried " a northern staff e and a good long pistoll." It will be convenient here, before proceeding with a general account of the trained bands under the first two Stuart Kings, to refer briefly to the organisation and training of the men in the 16th century. For military, as for civil, DORSET SOLDIERS. 39 purposes Dorset was divided into five divisions named after the towns of Dorchester, Bridport, Sherborne, Shaftesbury, and Blandford. Few details as to organisation are available ; but there is an unusually elaborate return of the year 1599 which will serve as a sample. In that year there were in each division 300 men of the trained bands commanded by an officer who was sometimes called a colonel, and each of these bands of 300 were apparently divided into three companies of 100 each under a captain. Auxiliary to these 1,500 of the trained bands were the troop bands unevenly distributed in the five divisions and containing rather over 2,000 soldiers under about ten captains. Apart from all these 3,500 men were 834 armed inhabitants of the " islands and maritime towns," i.e., the islands of Purbeck and Portland and the ports of Poole, Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, and Lyme Regis, whose men were enumerated separately owing to their not being available for service outside their own localities. The total for the county was further increased by 706 pioneers carters and artificers, and 253 nags were supplied for carrying shot and 142 carriages for transport. These men were all footmen, the number of mounted men, called lances, not being given in the return. It will be observed that in 1599 at any rate Dorset possessed a little army complete in all details then considered essential. The officers commanding in the five divisions were in every case justices of the peace and large landowners, while the captains generally, but not always, were members of rather less influential families, and the purveyors and surveyors of supplies, the captains of pioneers, and masters of carriages were all officers of some social status. I have not noticed the appointment of any surgeon ; but there were sometimes orders for the observance of certain sanitary precautions, and there was a committee called " The Treasurers for maimed soldiers in Dorset " who paid pensions. Though a general description of the training of soldiers hardly comes within the scope of this paper, it may be permissible to give some short quotations from letters on 40 DORSET SOLDIERS. the subject to the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset. They were to be instructed to " discharge their peices both readily and in good and comely sorte, and the pikemen to use their weapons in such sorte as they ought to do, and to learne to know their officers and leaders, to marche, and such other addresses as are fitt for trained soldiers." It is also directed "that the shotte (i.e. the arquebusers, &c.) may be taught to use their pieces with false fires." In a county bordering on the sea the training must have had especial reference to resisting a landing on the coast. Men and weapons, we are told, were to be ready at an hour's notice, and on a threat of invasion trenches and bulwarks of earth were to be manned, and beacons both in and behind the trenches diligently watched. The strength of the enemy was to be calculated by the number of his ships and, if the local forces were largely outnumbered, the landing forces were to be delayed as far as possible by making new trenches till support arrived. Bridges were to be destroyed, and all cattle driven inland. Officers, however, were not to act hastily, and before taking these measures were to assure themselves that the enemy were not merely feigning an attack. Winter training was often hindered by bad weather and summer training by the needs of the husbandmen. The summer training was in 1601 reduced to one or two days only. March was con- sidered a favourable month, and the May Games (called Robin Hood and Little John) were all through Tudor times utilised in Dorset for exercising the trained bands in shooting. The account of the state of the trained bands under James I. and Charles I. need not detain us long. Records are rather scanty. The domestic State papers of James I. are not very voluminous, and many of the Privy Council registers are missing. There is a certificate of a muster in 1629 when the horse numbered 100, the footmen 2,350 with 1,010 corselets and 1,340 muskets. The armour was presumably apportioned to the 1,010 footmen for whom no muskets were provided, and who probably carried pikes. White way, the Dorchester merchant, who was himself a lieutenant in DORSET SOLDIERS. 41 the trained bands, in his diary of the years 1620 to 1634 mentions many of his brother officers, including Sir John Meller and John Williams of Herringston, who were succes- sively captains of the Dorchester troop of horse. The diarist also contributes the item that in the summer of 1629 the regiments of Dorchester, Sherborne, and Bridport were at Modbury Down under Captain Napper. Modbury seems to have been at this time a favourite training ground, as also was Launceston in the Eastern part of the county. It may be doubted if the more important gentlemen of Dorset now held commands in the trained bands to the same extent as in the previous century. Besides the mention of Captain Napper as the principal officer of three regiments, a list of defaulters in Captain Hoskyns's band at Bridport indicates that Hoskyns was in command of the whole Bridport division, and another Captain, Arthur Radford, commanded the troops training at Launceston. This is borne out by a letter among the Marquis of Salisbury's manuscripts dated in 1600 and addressed to Sir Robert Cecil. The writer states that commissioners of musters had lately been appointed in Dorsetshire, and that Mr. Browne of Frampton, who, as colonel of the Bridport division, " a place of some credit though of great charge," had performed his duty well, had not been included in the commission, and in consequence threatens to resign his colonelcy. If other gentlemen of rank in the county felt with Mr. Browne that it was not consistent with their dignity to be subject to the authority of these commissioners, such a feeling would explain why the leading officers of the foot bands in the 17th century were not of the same social standing as had previously been customary. The last return of the trained bands to be mentioned refers to the year 1640 when, exclusive of men in "the islands and maritime towns," 1,500 footmen were organised in 14 companies. It is asserted in this return that the captains of two companies in Purbeck (named Robert Swayne and John Dolling) had refused to give information respecting their bands, and that the men in the 42 DORSET SOLDIERS. maritime towns were few and mostly at sea. It is improbable that the last statement was true, and it may be gathered that the officers of the trained bands, like the nation at large, were beginning to range themselves on different sides in the disputes between King and Parliament. It would seem that for some sixty years or more before the Civil War the standard of military strength aimed at in Dorset was, apart from companies at certain places on the coast, a well trained and well armed force of 1,500 soldiers with a much larger reserve of men with little training and obsolete arms. It may be noted that an attempt to revive the bow was made as late as 1629 when, as Whiteway chronicles, a commissioner from the King arrived at Dorchester " about the setting up of archery." Such description of the numbers and equipment of the trained bands as is possible on the present occasion having been furnished, mention will now be made of some of the military leaders of the county, followed by some account of the soldiers who served under them, whether in the companies of the trained bands or in the units especially constituted for operations outside the county. All through the 16th century the names of certain families occur over and over again among the more prominent of Dorset soldiers. There was generally a Strangways of Melbury, a Trenchard of Wolveton, a Rogers of Bryanston, a Horsey of Clifton May bank, an Ashley of Wimborne St. Giles, a Williams of Herringston, and a Uvedale of Crichel. Many of these and other names will be referred to later as commanders of Dorset levies despatched on various expedi- tions. Sir Giles Strangways, Sir Thomas Trenchard, and Sir Thomas de la Lynde must have been of some military repute early in Henry the Eighth's reign, for they were among the hundred nobles and gentlemen who were present at the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520. It must not be supposed that all the families not so far named achieved no distinction as soldiers. The squires of Bingham's Melcombe, with the exception of a Robert Bingham, who was captain of a trained DORSET SOLDIERS 43 band in 1587, do not seem to have served personally ; but the family gave to the nation a distinguished soldier in the person of Sir Richard Bingham, who saw much service in many countries, and by sea as well as on land, and during the last quarter of the 16th century was, as Governor of Connaught, much engaged in fighting Irish rebels. His brothers George and John Bingham also served in Ireland, the former being killed there in 1595. It may well be that financial disability debarred many of the old landed families from taking the higher posts in the trained bands or leading men to the wars. The only Turbervill of whom I have found mention, as a soldier in Tudor and Stuart times, was one named George, appointed in 1571 to command a hundred men in Dorset; but he was not a success, for the Privy Council, writing to the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset, refer to him as one " who hath alwaies from his youth and still is gyven to his boke and studie and never exercised in matters of warre." The officers commanding in the five divisions of the county in 1587 were Sir Henry Ashley, Sir John Horsey, Sir Richard Rogers, Sir George Trenchard, and John Strangways. Of these in 1599 Rogers and Trenchard alone remained, the others being replaced by Thomas Freake, Sir Ralph Horsey, and John Browne. Sir Edward Horsey, described in the Dictionary of National Biography as half soldier of fortune and half pirate, may be included here, for, though his birth- place is unknown, he was a grandson of John Horsey, of Clifton, and a nephew of Sir John Horsey. He served at the siege of Havre in 1562-3 and elsewhere, and, as chief commissioner of the Isle of Wight, was responsible for the defence of the Island. An undoubted Dorset soldier of good standing was Sir Edmund Uvedale, who, being " of knowledge and experience in Martyall affaires," was in 1598 appointed Surveyor General of the county trained bands, his duty being to supervise the training and discipline of the men. There must have been others who ought to be named, but the records are not always fair to individuals. Possibly Robert Williams, son of 'John Williams of Herringston, 44 DORSET SOLDIERS. rose to a position of importance, but the only certain know- ledge I have of his career is that, having followed the wars for six years at his own charge, he was in 1597 appointed to command a company, probably proceeding to Ireland. Later he lived at Bere Regis, dying in 1631. There was a marked deterioration in warlike spirit among the country gentlemen during Elizabeth's reign, and it may be expected that they had to a large extent ceased to regard soldiering as their profession. Thomas Arundel, writing to Cecil in 1598, comments on " the ignorant justices in these parts, and especially in Dorsetshire, their harrying up and down of the people, their often chargeable and untimely musters together with their dismayed looks and speeches which strike fear into the honester sort and give hope of novelties to the beggarly and rascally sort." This was very different from the conduct of the Strangways, Trenchards, Horseys, and others of Henry the Eighth's time who, on command of the Bang, led their tenants and dependants to the wars without hesitation. The relations between a lord of the manor and his tenants concerning military service, about the middle of the 16th century, are exemplified in a suit in the Court of Request, which indicates that, though the feudal sj^stem was dead, its spirit survived. Sir John Marvin, lord of the Manor of Bradford Peverell, had refused to admit one John Churchill to tenements in the manor which had been held by the latter's father, on the ground that John Churchill had been guilty of misbehaviour in not joining with other tenants of the manor in following Marvin to the siege of Boulogne. Churchill pleads that being only a tenant in reversion he was not liable for such service, and that he held tenements in the manor of Frampton and had been warned by his own lord to be ready to set out with the Frampton men. The plea thus tacitly admits Marvin's claim to command his tenants, and openly admits a similar claim on the part of the lord of Frampton. If Churchill had gone to Boulogne under any leader or in any capacity he would assuredly have said so, and there can be DORSET SOLDIERS. 45 no doubt that he remained at home. Some additional interest in John Churchill arises from the fact that he must have been related, perhaps nearly related, to Jasper Churchill, of Bradford Peverell, who was great-grandfather of the first Duke of Marlborough. Defects in leaders inevitably produced defects in their followers. Justices of the Peace, who were trained soldiers, would repress sternly any w^ant of discipline, and would take strong measures with any who attempted to absent them- selves from musters and so on. We hear little therefore of defaulters till the middle part of Elizabeth's reign, and then defaulting was not severely punished. At Weymouth in 1572, as appears from some proceedings in the Court of Star Chamber, men who missed a day's training had to pay a small fine, or, if the fine was not paid at once, were taken down to the sea in an ignominous fashion and douched with water. Later in the same century shirking became quite a common pastime. A captain of a trained band, it was declared, would often find that twenty of his hundred men failed to attend a muster, and claimed exemption on the ground that they had become retainers of noblemen or " gentlemen of account." A letter from the Privy Council to the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset dated in 1597 draws attention to one case of this kind. Christopher Derby, of Stirthill, the son of a man of good property, having been pressed in the course of a levy for foreign service, appeared at the muster in the livery of Lord Howard of Bindon, received his imprest money disdainfully, and the next day went to the house of Colonel Brown, who commanded in the Bridport division, and there " in most contemptuous sort threw the same to the ground, using very unreverent and unfitt speaches and utterly refused to serve in regard he was retayned to the Lord Viscount. '; The Council directs the punishment of the culprit as an example to others. Queen Elizabeth's method of obtaining soldiers for expeditions overseas was different from her father's. All 46 DORSET SOLDIERS. through her reign* at frequent intervals pressmasters arrived in Dorset with orders to obtain 100 or 200 men for troops proceeding to Flanders, Spain, France, or Ireland, and the practice was continued under the Stuarts. The pressmasters applied first to the justices, who put them in communication with the constables of the different localities, and it was the duty of the constables to select the men required. Sometimes, when the occasion was of importance, the ablest men of the trained bands were demanded, at other times it was ordered that the trained bands were to be left intact, but generally there were no especial instructions as to the class of men to be taken. There were of course conflicting interests, for, while the national authorities always wanted the best that the county could afford, the county authorities were deter- mined to send, so far as they were able, the worst. A few adventurous spirits no doubt went gladly and others went not gladly but willingly, in order to avoid worse evils at home. William Antonye of Dorchester, for instance, a well connected man, having fallen deeply in debt, preferred marching in the ranks in Flanders to a prolonged residence in the Sheriff's ward at Dorchester. The constables seem to have found a levy of soldiers an excellent opportunity for getting rid of men who were troublesome at home, such as loafers at ale- houses, good-for-nothings, and even vagrants. Few of the local gentlemen ever cared to have charge of such a crew, and the men were marched under a conductor, especially appointed for the purpose, to a port where for the first time they met the officers who were to command them. The march, at the rate of 12 or 15 miles a day, gave good opportunities of escape, either by payment to induce some one to personate the pressed, by bribing the conductor or pressmaster, or (simplest and cheapest of all) by running away home. It is curious to record that those who escaped were seldom punished, — another instance, perhaps, of the apathy of magistrates when national interests were at stake. In 1627, of 300 men levied in Dorset, presumably for the expedition to Rochelle, who left Blandford for Portsdown, DOESET SOLDIERS. 47 only 160 arrived at their destination, and on this occasion as much as £5 or £10 was paid for a release. It need not be supposed that Dorset was more decadent in military affairs than other counties ; but almost throughout the latter half of the period now under consideration com- plaints from London as to the numbers and qualities of soldiers coming from Dorset were very frequent. Even of the trained bands it was said that " they were in some sort defective and not sorted with men of sufficiency able to bear their own charge." Again in 1598 Dorset men levied for Ireland were found on arrival to be " very evill armed and so nakedly apparalled as they daylie fall into sicknes and infirmitie," and the commissioners of muster in the county were ordered to send £3 per man to provide them with armour and clothing. Many similar criticisms could be quoted. The soldiers were often described as too young, suffering from a " maime," vagrants who run away from their captains, or others who on reaching the sea or place of service offer money to their officers to discharge them. The national ministers were always anxious for the full efficiency of the oversea drafts, and, as the charge for their equipment fell on the county, they could always cheerfully issue lavish orders in this respect. In 1601 every hundred Dorset soldiers going to Ireland were to be supplied with 24 corselets with pikes, 40 callivers with morions and bandoliers, 12 muskets with rests morions and bandoliers, 12 bastard muskets with morions and bandoliers, 12 corselets with " billes having longe stemmes," and all with Turkey swords with best basket hilts. Also for the same occasion the soldier's "kit " was to consist of "a cassocke of good broade cloth lyned with bayes or cotton, a paire of Venetians of good brode cloth lyned with cotton and lynnen, a double tt of canvas, 2 shirtes, 2 bandes, 2 paire of stockinges, 2 paire of shoes, a hatte capp." At a slightly earlier date it was prescribed that the colour of the coats was to be russet brown. It is not to be expected that these ideals were often attained, for the muster commissioners would doubtless spend as little 48 DORSET SOLDIERS. as they dared of the county's money. It must be admitted that the ministers in London were not niggardly in doing their share, the daily pay of a footman being eight pence and of a horseman nine pence. The rations of food were on a prodigious scale. The daily allowance for a horseman was 2 Jibs, of bread, IJlbs. of biscuit, 31bs. of beef, lib. of cheese, Jib. of butter, 3 quarts of beer, and 3 pints of wine. A footman got rather less of everything except butter and cheese. An endeavour will now be made to recount some of the services on which these Dorset soldiers were employed, and this will form the final section of my paper. Dealing first with operations within the Kingdom, we have the bare statement that Sir Thomas Trenchard and other gentlemen of the west went to the relief of Exeter in 1497 at the time of Perkin Warbeck's rebellion. Next in point of date was the repression of the northern rebellion called " The Pilgrimage of Grace " in 1536, when 1,050 men under Sir Giles Strangways, Sir Thomas Arundell, Sir Thomas More, Sir Edward Willoughby, Sir John Hussey and John Rogers, marched northward, the force being composed of six con- tingents of various strengths, formed by the leaders named. There was another visit to Devon in 1549 in connection with the rebellion of that year, but the only record I have found on the subject occurs in some proceedings in the Court of the Duchy of Lancaster when a gentleman named John Dackum, of Kingston Lacy, was said to have served under Sir John Rogers, then farmer of the manor of Kingston Lacy, against the rebels in the Western parts. Dackum was a petty captain and " was hurte betwixt the eye and the nose with an arrowe." With the exception of calls of 300 men to defend Portsmouth in 1557, and of a total of the same number to garrison Ireland in later years, there was no further occasion for Dorset soldiers to march outside their county until the successive alarms of invasions which lasted from 1588 to near the end of the century. On the approach of the Spanish Armada a thousand of the trained bands were hurried to London under Andrew DORSET SOLDIERS. 49 Rogers (I suppose the eldest son of Sir Richard Rogers, of Bryanston), and Dorset then had also the honour of supply- ing 120 demi-lances for the personal guard of the Queen. In 1595 no less than 3,000 of the Dorset trained bands were appointed for the defence of Devon, and Sir Ferdinando Gorges was put in command of them. There were some murmurings in the county when the thousand men went to London, but there was almost an outcry at the prospect of three thousand going to Devonshire, the Sheriff and Deputy Lieutenants asserting that they had in the whole county, including the islands and marine towns, but 2,500 men armed with muskets or callivers, and any additional force could only be provided with bows, bills, or pikes " wch. were dangerous to the Countrey." They further declared that at Weymouth, which was most open to the Spaniards, most of the townsmen had carried away their goods, and that women and children had abandoned the place. Another forty or fifty years passes and we find ourselves faced with a disagreeable episode in the history of the Dorset trained bands, — nothing less than a serious mutiny. In 1640 the Scotch Covenanters were threatening the north of England ; and the English army to meet them was to include 600 soldiers pressed from the Dorset trained bands. On their assembly at Shaftesbury the men were already in a state of discontent, said they had never known the train march out of the county, and refused their press money. No doubt they not only disliked being sent away from home, but distrusted the political purpose of their mission. It was at Farringdon in Berkshire, on their way to the Scotch border, that an outrage committed by one of the lieutenants named William Moone or Mohun caused the outbreak. The drummer of Moone 's company had disobeyed the lieutenant's order and struck him with his drumstick, whereupon Moone cut off the drummer's hand and killed a soldier. The tale of how a considerable number of the soldiers murdered Moone is full of rather gruesome details which need not be repeated here. The other officers, who, so far as their names 50 DORSET SOLDIERS. are any guide, do not seem to have had any connection with Dorset, and were probably hardly known to their men, were threatened with Moone's fate and ran away. Many of the soldiers followed their officers' example and ran away also, so that when the contingent reached Selby in Yorkshire only 340 were left, besides three who were in custody, charged with the murder. The remnant at Selby were still insub- ordinate ; and Sir Jacob Astley, who commanded the English army, noticing that they disobeyed their officers when mustering, had one of them " harquebused," as he called it. There the story ends, and we do not know anything further of what happened either to those who got as far as Selby or to the runaways. The latter, however, were offered a free pardon if they reported themselves for duty either at Selby or at Blandford. It is a relief to turn from a mutiny to a successful venture across the Channel. The capture of Boulogne in 1544 was a big undertaking, necessitating the shipping of over 70,000 troops, who came from the southern half of England. Of these 2,957 were from Dorset, contributed by twenty-eight gentlemen of the county, among whom were included not only the principal military leaders, but also representatives of such families as Thornhill, Cheverell, Coker, Martin, Troblefeld (or Turbervill), Husye, Wadham, Bingham, and Moreton. Sir Thomas Poynings took 400 men and Sir Giles Strangways and Sir John Horsey 100 each, and among those killed in the course of the siege was Henry Strangways, of Melbury. A part of the army, including some of the Dorset men, remained in occupation of the town till 1550, and on their return were feasted ( " entretayned " is the word used) in London, their departure for their homes being accompanied by the rather grim instructions to Lords Lieutenant and others " to kepe them in ordre or elles to punishe them." None of the other oversea expeditions were on the same scale as this. In 1513 Sir William Fylol, Edward Wadham, and probably other gentlemen of the county brought or sent contingents for the important campaign in Flanders and DORSET SOLDIERS. 51 Picardy. The drafts for Ireland in the years 1578, 1581, 1586, and from 1598 to 1601 certainly absorbed over 1,000 men, and, it is stated, 798 were sent out of the county to various parts in the ten years ending in 1598. Dorset men also fought under Sir John Norreys in his hardly-won partial successes in Brittany and Normandy between 1591 and 1593, and in 1596 were sent to defend Boulogne on behalf of the French against the Spaniards. Levies from the county were also present (apparently ten companies strong) at the capture of Cadiz in 1596, and at the unsuccessful attack on the same place in 1625, and they shared of course in most of the wars in the Low Countries, and were once or twice required for the defence of Jersey and Guernsey. The English forces who attempted to relieve Rochelle in 1627 and 1628 included some hundreds of Dorset troops, who, if they suffered in the same proportion as their other English comrades, lost considerably more than half their number at the disastrous landing on the Isle of Rhe. Three hundred were despatched to Dover in 1623 to be embarked for foreign service, but I have been unable to ascertain their destination. That these men, who for the most part went to the wars so unwillingly and were formed of such unpromising material for soldiers, acquitted themselves well when face to face with an enemy was proved on several occasions. We can know so little of them individually that it may not be out of place to mention two whose names have been met with by chance. John Mason, a carpenter, of Nether bury, stated in 1630 that by procurement of his brother he was pressed for Cadiz, and afterwards for the Isle of Rhe, where he was severely wounded, and found on his return home that his brother had taken possession of copyhold which should have descended to him. The other soldier was more fortunate. Erancis Coffin, of Sherborne and later of Weymouth, a shoe- maker, had been pressed for Ireland about 1607, and in the course of twenty years' service there managed to accumulate considerable property, no doubt in the form of loot. These two cases are likely to have been typical of many others. 52 DORSET SOLDIERS. It would be tedious to draw the parallels between ancient and modern times which may be inferred from these pages. It is obvious that Tudor and Stuart Dorset, in proportion to her population and resources, when occasion required, put forth great military efforts, though these efforts were sometimes impeded by a petty local patriotism and a feeble conception of the needs of the nation. I would rather draw attention to another point. It is interesting to notice how many surnames, several distinctively local, appearing in the muster rolls of the 16th century, recur among the men who are to-day embodied in Dorset regiments, and to remember that the Dorset soldiers who have formed the subject of this paper were not merely the professional forerunners, but in many cases the lineal ancestors, of those other Dorset soldiers who, with a wide outlook, unknown among their ancient predecessors, have gone to the wars of the 20th century. Portland Hcebe J»taff anfc Court Eect. By CAPT. /. E. ACLAND, F.S.A. 20«. Feb., 1917). [EFORE describing the Portland Reeve Staffs, the property of the Dorset County Museum, something should be said of the Portland Court Leet, which is perpetuated on the Island not merely as a relic of antiquity, but as an active authority — " It is of Saxon origin, and deals with the Rights, Dues, Practices and Customs of the Manor, and with the Control and Management of the Commonable Lands." Two Courts are held every year, the authority of the Court being vested in 24 Jurymen and a Foreman, chosen from the Tenants, or Landowners of the Manor. By the kind permission of Mr. John Pearce, of Stonecleve, I. of P., much use has been made of a pamphlet entitled " The History of Portland Court Leet," re-printed from " The Portland Year Book," 1905, and published by H. C. Murray, Straits, Isle of Portland, Price 6d. 54 THE PORTLAND EEEVE STAFF AND COURT LEET. Being a Royal Manor, the Lord or Chief is the King. The Steward of the Manor, representing " The Chief," instructs the Bailiff to summon the Court, and on the day appointed those warned, after answering their names, are sworn by the Steward, and the Foreman is chosen. The officers of the Court comprise the Steward, the Bailiff, the Reeve, the Chief Con- stable, the Inspectors, the Affeerors, l and the Haywards. 2 From time immemorial an annual payment of three- pence per acre, as quit rent, has been paid to the Chief, amounting in total to £14 14s. 3d. It is collected by the Reeve, and handed to the Steward for the use of H.M. the King. There is also due to the Chief 3d. per acre when land is transferred by a process called " surrender at Court." This custom is dying out, but it is a means of transfer of property. In addition to warning and calling the Court, the Bailiff makes a presentment of the amount of stone quarried from the commonable lands, and reports the death of every tenant of the Manor, and collects the sum of half-a-crown due to the Chief upon each death. The Constable and Inspectors are required to see that no encroachments are made on the Common lands, that the roads and ways are preserved, and that there is no irregular working of the quarries. In case of encroachments, it is the duty of the Affeerors to fix the amount of fine, or payment of an annual rent. All the tenants of the Manor are free-holders, the quit- rent being collected annually according to a staff, called " The Reeve Staff," marked from the entries in a rent roll, notches being cut on the staff to represent each payment. The Reeve is appointed at the Michaelmas Court, and was formerly remunerated for his services by the use of a piece of land called " The Reeve Plot " for his year of office. He 1 Affeerors — Officers who fix the fines. 2 Haywards- — Officers whose duty it is to protect the enclosed lands from cattle breaking out of the Common land. PORTLAND REEVE STAFFS. DORSET COUNTY MUSEUM. FIG. A. FIG. B. Fig. A. shews about 15 inches of the two staffs. Fig. B. shews about 3 feet of the same staffs. The various marks are explained in the text. THE PORTLAND EEEVE STAFF AND COURT LEET. 55 is always the tenant who pays the highest amount of quit rent, who has not held office before. No person ever holds the office a second time. The use of the Reeve Staff as a method of reckoning the rents of the tenants to the King as Lord of the Manor is perhaps the most interesting of the many ancient customs which still prevail in Portland. There is now in use a Reeve book, in which the amounts of the rents are entered, with the names of the tenants ; but the Reeve Staff was invented and used in illiterate times. It is a long squared pole of deal, pine, or mahogany, on which are cut certain signs to represent the 5 ancient hamlets of the Island, and beneath them long and short notches and lines representing the rent to be paid by each tenant according to the order in the Reeve book, the individual amounts being separated by small dots or triangular cuts. The staff varies in length from year to year, according to the style of cutting the items of rent, and the number of tenants ; the old staffs still remaining, and much valued by their possessors, are from about 7ft. to nearly 12ft. long, and from 1 inch to 1 J inch square. In 1885 a new method of cutting the staff was introduced in order that the length should be reduced. By this method the rent of £1 was denoted by a diagonal notch, instead of 20 straight notches. A straight notch still stands for Is., and if only three-quarters across it denotes 9d., half across 6d. &c., and the same with the penny line or scratch. The signs and notches are as follows, many of which may be seen in the annexed illustration, from a photograph by Mr. Bernard Griffin, Dorchester. A hollow circle — Southwell. A cross in a circle — Wakeham. A cross between parallel lines — Weston. A " W "— Easton. A " V "— Chiswell or Chesil. A whole notch — Is. A half notch — 6d. A full scratch — Id. A half scratch — Jd. A quarter — Jd. Dots or cuts separate individual amounts. 56 THE PORTLAND REEVE STAFF AND COURT LEET. The Reeve Courts are held half-yearly in May and November, and at Michaelmas the rating may be readjusted. A cottage is rated at Jd., a cottage and garden at id., and land at 3d. per acre. There is a tradition that the last- named rent was first imposed by King William Rufus in order to complete his castle, now known as " Bow and Arrow " Castle. The Reeve Court was formerly held at the Portland Arms Hotel, the choice of place resting with the Steward of the Manor ; it is now held at " The George " Inn, and here the staff is produced by the Reeve and laid on the table. At " The George " is kept the oldest perfect Reeve Staff, marked W.P. and the date 1720. There is a fragment of an earlier staff at Southwell ; it bears the initials " W.W." and date 1700. Mr. Beer, of Easton, possesses another 18th Century staff, marked " R.L. 1742 " (Richard Lano), and Mr. W. Lano Pearee, of Wakeham, has the staff of his great-grandfather dated 1768. The two staffs, the property of the County Museum, and now exhibited, were given, one by Mr. J. S. Udal, October, 1887, length 8ft. 7in., If in. square, without any date or name to show when it was used ; the other staff was presented by Messrs. Williams, Thornton, and Sykes, Bankers, February, 1897. It is 10ft. long, 1 inch square, and bears the name " Philip Dodson, Reeve, 1852." It was made apparently rather longer than necessary, as about 4 feet are left blank on two sides. The office is still maintained, and in conclusion I give the names of those who have filled this honourable position during the last hundred years ; the list is complete since 1821, and there are four names belonging to the XVIIIth Century. The names of women occur 14 times in this list, who must, therefore, according to the laws of the C» urt Leet, have been the tenants paying the highest rent. Mr. Pearce's family have held office more frequently than any other, and he informs me that the further back we trace its history the more often does the name occur. He has records of this for more than 600 years. THE PORTLAND REEVE STAFF AND COURT LEET. 57 NAMES OF THOSE WHO HAVE HELD THE OFFICE OF REEVE. 1700 William White 1720 William Pearce 1742 Richard Lano 1768 Robert Pearce 1821 William Pearce 22 William Spincer 23 John Stone 24 Abraham Pearce 25 Robert Schollar 26 Benjamin Pearce 27 Abel Pearce 28 Owen Pearce 29 Abraham Pearce 1830 John Penn 31 Rebecca Lowman 32 Benjamin Scriven 33 Richard Tucker Steward 34 William Heath 35 William Bailey 36 R. Weston 37 Deborah Stone 38 Edward Steward 39 John Steward 1840 Rebecca Steward 41 John Pearce 42 Jabez Mabey 43 Jonathan Lano 44 Thomas Heath 45 Margaret Heath 46 Margery Comben 47 Margery Spencer 48 William White 49 Charles Parker Steward 1 850 Rev. Edward Harold Browne 51 Richard Steward Wardell 52 Phillip Dodson 53 Bartholomew Comben 54 Richard Pearce 55 Granville John Penn 56 Richard Lano 1857 William Henry Percival Weston 58 William Gibbs 59 Susannah Spencer 1860 George Sampson, jun. 61 Jane Pearce 62 Benjamin White 63 William Eliot 64 Elizabeth White (widow) 65 William Comben 66 William Lano 67 Edward Pearce 68 Benjamin Pearce 69 John Ward 1870 Joseph Hodder 71 Richard Pearce 72 William Henry Holland 73 Stewart Forbes 74 Thomas Angel (sen.) 75 Henry Stone 76 Abel Pearce 77 William Stone 78 John Pearce 79 William Bayley Heath (sen.) 1880 Thomas Snook 81 Susannah Gibbs 82 Thomas Angel (jun.) 83 Robert Rod 84 Charles Jesty 85 John Gibbs Pearce 86 Robert Hinde 87 John Angel 88 John Merrick Head 89 Andrew Richard Curtis 1890 Susannah Scriven Pearce 91 Thomas Comben (Fortune 's- well) 92 William Comben (Prospect place) 58 THE PORTLAND REEVE STAFF AND COURT LEET. 1893 William Comben (Maiden Well) 94 Robert Comben (Easton) 95 Jabez Pearce 96 Jonathan Lano 97 Elizabeth Ward 98 John Flew 99 Abraham Hodder 1900 Joseph Sampson 01 Woodham Hill 02 Frederick James Barnes 03 Henry Sansom 04 Edward John Pearce 1905 Richard Lano 06 Richard Score 07 Susannah Wingate 08 Robert Pearce 09 Edward James Pearce 10 H. P. Murray 11 Ela R. Hodder 12 Eleanora Comben 13 Henry Sansom 14 Jabez Pearce 15 Josiah Flew 1916 Rebecca Lano Jttinsters. By the Rev. A. C. ALMACK, M.A. (Read 20th Feb., 1917.) TN preparing certain Lectures on Church History the writer of the present paper had occasion to study somewhat closely the early history of Parishes in England. He was fortunate at that time to have the loan from the library of the late Bishop Wordsworth of a very interesting book containing much information which might be called unusual and original. It was an Essay entitled Les Paroisses Eurales by Prof. Imbart de la Tour of Bordeaux. His facts there collected relate to the development of the Christian Church in Gaul during the 4th and 5th Centuries, and they are gathered from the Decrees of Councils, Codes of Law, and other first-hand evidence. In reading these pages, in which the gradual instalment of a Priest and place of Christian Worship in townships and villages is carefully traced, our thoughts naturally turn to our country ; and we are arrested by the 60 WESSEX MINSTERS. recollection that the system and rules by which this expansion had been worked out in Gaul must have been well known and understood by Augustine of Canterbury and the Missionary Bishops who worked in succeeding years for the conversion of Southern Britain. Now the leading feature of this system is that in the large towns, which had been the centres of Roman life and civilisation, a centre was naturally found for the establish- ment of a Christian Bishop with a body of assistant Priests round him. This was in accord with the design of S. Paul, who clearly seems to have aimed at founding the Church firmly in all the great cities, e.g., Ephesus, Corinth, and Thessalonica. From these centres the missionary agent was sent forth from the Bishop's staff to preach and subse- quently to conduct acts of worship in the neighbouring " vici " which were attached to the central " municipium " and also in the " Oratoria " or chapels which were gradually allowed on the estates where the owners had become Christian. Now the point which seems specially to arrest our attention is the great care with which the Ministration of the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist was always guarded. Properly speaking the Bishop in both cases celebrated them himself and made periodic visits for the purpose, usually at the time of the great Festivals. The places at which these celebra- tions took place were strictly fixed and duly licensed by the Bishop, and his place could only be taken by a Priest authorised and commissioned by him. A further point of much importance is that the technical term used for such appointment of a locality is, that it had the " Ministerium." An idea therefore naturally occurred to one's mind that the towns and villages which bear the suffix of " Minster " were the places where the " Ministerium " was allowed, and that this was the easy derivation of the name. It is of course remarkable that in Britain the old Roman towns, for various reasons, only in a few cases became Christian centres ; but the fact of a centre being established in a town like Sher borne, WESSEX MINSTERS. 61 which had no importance in Roman times, would not affect the general system pursued in the missionary work. The question about this work, as to the people to whom it was primarily directed, we must now necessarily leave aside. Some authorities consider that the old Romano-Celtic population was already firmly Christian, and the people who needed conversion were the Saxon intruders. Of this theory I will only say that the evidence for it which I have come across seems to me of a slender kind. With regard to the " Ministerium " theory it may be said at once that the conclusion now reached is that it is partly right and partly wrong. The evidence bearing on the subject will, it is hoped, prove of interest, and the following are among the chief points, though they do not appear to be altogether con- clusive ; and the writer of the paper will be very grateful for any further information which may tend to illustrate the history of our ancient Wessex Minsters. It seems to him that there are various facts which point strongly to their being the early Mission Stations ; but the idea of deriving the name from " Ministerium " can hardly be maintained. The original word is certainly Monasterium, which became Mynstre in Saxon ordinary speech at a very early date. It appears thus in Charters, e.g., in one of Evesham Abbey. From the decree of the Council of Clovesho in A.D. 747 it is quite clear that certain places were regularly visited by the Bishops for the purpose of preaching and Ministration of the Sacraments. The decree runs as follows : — " Sanxerunt ut singulis annis unusquisque episcopus parochiam suam pertransiendo et circumeundo speculandoque visitare non praevideat, populumque diversae conditionis ac sexus per co mpetentaad se convocat loca aperteque doceat," etc. Here of course the word " Parochia " is still used for the Diocese of a Bishop, and not in the sense of Parish. The latter use is possibly not older than the introduction of Norman French after the Conquest. In illustration of this point the following passage from Bede is also interesting. 62 WESSEX MINSTERS. He writes of Northumbria., Hist. Eccles. III. 3, " Con- struebantur ergo ecclesiae per loca : confluebant ad audiendum verbum Dei populi gaudentes donabantur possessiones ad instruenda Monasteria." We find also clear evidence of the itinerating Priest in the IXth Decree of the same Council of Clovesho, and apparently the assign- ment of certain districts to certain officiants. Evidence of the same kind is also found in the famous letter of Bede to Egbert, Bishop, and afterwards Archbishop of York, and the word " Ministerium " is regularly used as the technical term for this itinerant visitation. So much is clear, but no evidence comes to light to prove that this name came to be attached permanently to any locality. On the other hand there is plenty of evidence from Bede's History, and from Conciliar decrees, Deeds of Gift, &c., that as soon as any permanent residence of a priest or priests was fixed the name " Monasterium " was used, and the word appears to be employed to signify both the chapel and the lodging of the Officiants. This fact is also illustrated by the con- struction of many very ancient Churches, of which Deerhurst near Tewksbury, and Breamore near Salisbury, may be quoted as specimens. In these instances the existence of a dwelling chamber seems coeval with the existence of a Church, The Saxon form of the Word (i.e., Mynstre) appears in the A. 8. Chronicle to designate a residence of a religious com- munity and also of en ordinary church. Under the year 794 A.D. Jarrow is called Ecgfyrde's Mynstre, and under 656 A.D. Peter boro* or Medeshampsted is spoken of as " Mynstre." The little Church of Kirkdale in Yorkshire has still over the door the inscription which tells ol its erection and calls it a " Mynstre." It is also remarkable that Ordericus Vitalis, Book II, in gi\ing a long list of endowments by Barons in Normandy, mentions frequently the local " monasterium cum terra presbyteri," which obviously means the parish church and priest's glebe, while the Abbey or Monastic House itself is called " Cenobium," a name which has never found an equivalent in English. WESSEX MINSTERS. 63 In studying this question of the name we have to recollect that, in the centuries (the 8th and 9th) of which we are treating, the general adoption of the strict Benedictine Rule had not come, and that the definite separation into Regulars and Seculars did not take place till the time of S. Dunstan, who did not begin his career till A.D. 943, when he became Head of the Glastonbury House, at which date even that ancient establishment was not a Monastery in the strict sense of the term. From Dunstan's time onward we may trace the distinctive use of the two terms " Collegium " and " Monasterium ; " the former meaning a body of Secular Canons attached to a Collegiate Church, so specially fre- quent in the West of England, and the latter a body of Regulars under strict Benedictine Rule. In Bede there is no such distinction. He speaks in H.E. IV., Chap. 12., of two Bishops of Lindisfarne, who were Monks in the strict sense, as " ambo de collegio monachorum." Returning to instances of the use of the name " Mynstre," a quotation may be made from Leach's " Schools of Mediaval England," in which notice is made of the use of the word " Mynstre " as applied to Winchester in the llth Century copy of the A.S. Chronicle, where apparently the word " Churche " had been used in the older copy. This is taken by Leach to show that in the llth century we may take it that the word " Mynstre " was coming into use for a large or important church. The application of the title to York, Ripon, Lincoln, Beverley, &c., may be as early as that date ; but the term often used by Bede for York is Basilika, and the same is used by Ordericus for the Cathedral of Rouen. Other interesting facts are that the five Royal Minsters of Staffordshire, which are generally dated from early in the 9th century, were never Monastic in the regular sense, and have always borne the Minster name. It would appear also that West -minster was attached as a name to a Church and clergy on Thorney Isle long before there was the definite establishment of Westminster Abbey as a House of ;' Regulars." Our conclusion is that monasterium is certainly the original 64 WESSEX MINSTERS. form of minster, but that a place, called in the 7th and 8th centuries monasterium or minster, did not at all necessarily develope into a real monastery in the 10th and llth. The very ancient ruins of the old Minster at Elmham in Suffolk are simply the ruins of a comparatively small place of Christian worship, and may be cited as a final illustration of the correctness of our conclusion. We now turn to the second part of our subject, and that is to shew what reasons we may find for considering the Wessex places which bear the suffix of " Minster "to be the early stations of the Missions of the Saxon Church. The records of course are scanty, and the evidence is cumulative rather than direct. The first fact then that we may note is that the settlements of Saxons after their conquest did not as a rule take the form of a re-peopling of the old Roman towns, but of a cultivation of valley-lands which previously had not been reclaimed from floods and jungle. Such places as Old Sarum, Silchester, Ilchester and cur Dorchester find no place in the records of Christian action and develop- ment in these early centuries. Entirely new centres are fixed upon, such as Glastonbury, Sherborne, and Wimborne Minster, and, further on, in the early 10th Century, Crediton and Wells. Now these Minsters, where the name is a suffix, are, it appears, invariably situated in what are now valleys of rich pasture, and the Church itself stands in close proximity to a stream ; and we know that streams were constantly used in early days by the itinerating Bishop for the administration of Holy Baptism. The form of the name we note in these cases is remarkable. It is just the old British river name with Minster added. Sturminster, Ilminster, Axeminster, Exeminster, Wimborne -Minster ; and in all probability Charminster, Iwerne Minster and Warminster are to be accounted for in the same way. The next piece of evidence which we mention will probably appear to have a stronger force. It is the fact that, in the earliest records we possess, these places almost invariably appear to have been attached to the Cathedrals WESSEX MINSTERS. 65 as Prebends, and, what is more, we find in several cases the Prebends go back to a time before the separate sees of Somerset and Devon were created, and when Sherborne was the only Bishop's Stool yet established by the Saxon Church in these Western Counties. Some instances may be mentioned. Bedminster, near Bristol is a much older place than Bristol. The Church, like the others mentioned, is near a river bank. The name " Bedminster and Red- cliffe " is still attached to a Salisbury Prebend. This fact is generally taken to point decisively to a time when Sherborne was the only See and Bedminster was an off- shoot or Mission from Sherborne, and was transferred to Salisbury with the transference of the Bishop's Seat after the Norman Conquest. The Prebend appears in the oldest list of Sarum Prebends, and we may note that this is another of the instances where we find the name Minster, but no trace there whatever of any Monastic establishment in the stricter sense. It appears also that Exminster and some neighbouring churches belonged to Sarum from the time of the transference of the See, and probably this was so because of previous attachment to Sherborne. The Prebend of Warminster in Wilts also show signs of a like condition originally. From an early date it appears as divided between Sarum and Wells. Land here previously belonging to the See is assigned to a separate Prebend by Bishop Robert, who ruled from 1136 — 66 A.D. The name appears now among the Prebends of Salisbury, and in the Wells Prebends also as given by Canon Church. Wells had also a Prebend of Wormestre the derivation of which name is from the hill near which it stands. It will be found, too, that Charminster, Yet minster and Beaminster have very early Prebends, which appear in S. Osmond's Charter for the erection of a Cathedral at Old Sarum. With regard to some names it is just possible that they retain the name of the Bishop or Saint by whose agency they were founded and the earliest " monasterium " or Priest's residence established. At Pit minster in Somerset 66 WESSEX MINSTERS. — so the present Vicar writes — there is a local tradition of a Bishop Pippa and there are traces of a very early Church. One of the panels of the ancient font bears a carving which seems to represent a Bishop in some act of ministration. The name too appears as Pip-minster in comparatively recent times ; but a Bishop Pippa has not come to light. Godwyn gives Putta as Bishop at Tawton before Crediton ; but no Pippa. It has been suggested also that Begeminster, in which form Beaminster seems first to appear, contains the name of Bega, a possible founder or foundress. The Diet, of Christian Biography gives Bega, Begha and Begu ; but in each case the traditions only touch Ireland and N. Britain. Mr. Hine in his recent history inclines to a derivation from Berne, which he takes to mean a growing wood or thicket. This does not seem to account for the form Begeminster ; but the derivation from the name of the neighbouring stream would be equally difficult to trace. In presenting this short summary of the evidence which points to the early Mission position of the Minsters we now come to the last fact of importance, and that is the vast extent of the parishes attached, even till a recent date, to these old River and Prebendal Churches. Without any exception it would appear that the district attached to each was very wide ; and in most cases several dependent Chapelries were established in subsequent times and remained in that position till modern days. Thus Corfe Mullen, Hamworthy, and Lytchett Minster were all attached to Sturminster Marshall. Iwerne Minster had Chapels of Hanley, Gussage, Hargrove, E. Orchard and Hinton S. Mary. To Yetminster belonged Leigh and Chetnole, while Wimborne Minster and Sturminster Newton are still very extensive parishes. In fact the largeness of the district originally assigned seems true of all, and points to a time when the limits of responsibility and jurisdiction were not so strictly defined as became the case when priests were instituted tc a cure of souls in parishes as we now know them. WESSEX MINSTERS. 67 In conclusion mention may be made of certain uses of the name about which no direct evidence seems to be available. What is the meaning of Minster as attached to Lytchett ? As far as records go back this Church is in the position of a Chapelry to Sturminster Marshall, and no trace of a Monastic house of any kind is forthcoming, nor even that land there belonged to any Monastery — which is in some cases an explanation. May the suggestion be made that it was known as the Lytchett attached to Sturminster to distinguish it from Lytchett that belonged to the Mattr avers, and so came to be known in common talk as " Lytchett of the Minster ? " Minsterton or Misterton near Crewkerne and Minsterley in Salop appear never to have been in any case Mother- churches, and possibly the name in these cases may indicate a later use of the word as an offshoot from a Parish Church. Or the name may be simply accounted for by the fact that some Monastic House owned an estate in that locality, which appears to give a reason for the name of Upminster in Essex, Minster Lovell in Oxfordshire and Minsterworth in Gloucestershire. The places that bear the name of Minster simply, e.g., Minster in Thanet, Minster in Sheppey, and Minster in Cornwall, indicate obviously an early Religious House and the land attached to it. They do not suggest a Christian Station to serve for a large district as the River- Minsters appear to do. Perhaps some further information on these points may reach the writer of this paper from those who may kindly be moved to send it to him. It will be gratefully received and much valued. Iteaien Coffin founfc at Cann, near Jrtjaftestwrp* By H. St. GEORGE GRAY. (Read 20th Feb., 1917). HE subject of this paper has reference to an in- teresting coffin of lead found in April, 1916, in the parish of Cann, near Shaftesbury, which I had not the opportunity of seeing till the follow- ing October 26th. I had, however, previously received correspondence on the subject and secured a photograph of the coffin taken by Miss Constance Palmer, of the Rectory, Tollard Royal, which by her kindness is here reproduced. The coffin was found in the limekiln field (field No. 1), Ponsonby Farm, Cann, about 2J miles S.E. of Shaftesbury. This farm is owned by Mr. John Jeans (now of Bournemouth) and tenanted by his son-in-law, Mr. John H. Drew ; the coffin was discovered by a quarryman, named Walter Coombes (of Cann Common). In this field surf ace -quarrying is in progress for the purpose of obtaining stone (the local Upper Greensand formation) for the roads, and the coffin was found at a depth of 3J feet below the surface of the almost flat field. Nobody interested in the archaeological significance of the discovery was on the spot at the time, and the workmen, it is understood, sent for the police, who removed the lid LEADEN COFFIN FOUND AT CANN. 69 of the coffin and tipped the human skeleton, or what remained of it, into a hole and " re-buried " the remains under the adjoining stone -heap ! With the exception of a number of shards of Romano- British pottery, of black colour, no relics were preserved, and there is no record of any coins having been recovered or seen. I examined a number of fragments of this ware, which is about J inch thick, and there was sufficient to suggest the possibility that the coffin at one time contained a complete vessel. The only object found outside the coffin which I was able to recover was an interesting piece of soft New Forest ware, painted with a black colouring externally, and ornamented with a plain cross, the ends of the arms joined by four lines forming a diamond-shaped device ; the whole design is outlined in white paint. This fragment is un- doubtedly of Roman manufacture. From its size it is evident that the coffin contained the skeleton of a child ; but its chief interest arises from the fact that the leaden receptacle rested on what at first appeared to be a soft stone base (with a very slightly concave upper surface), having a raised edge on all sides, and forming a large tray with a plain moulded margin. This is clearly seen in the illustration. This base, which was found to be somewhat weathered, was 4ft. 2ins. in length, but is now broken in half. The rounded, or moulded, edging was found to be somewhat damaged, but its maximum height above the ground was 9ins. The maximum width of this tray was 18ins. This material has been examined through the kindness of Mr. J. Allen Howe, B.Sc., Curator of the Geological Survey and Museum, Jermyn Street, S.W., and it proves to be an artificial cement, composed of lime and sand, the latter no doubt obtained from the local Upper Greensand formation. This unornamented coffin is on the whole in good condition, and the thickness of the lead of which it is composed is about 3-16ths inch. The lid, also of lead, is now somewhat concave (viewed from the top), owing no doubt to the weight of the 70 LEADEN COFFIN FOUND AT CANN. stone fragments which covered the coffin when buried.1 It consists of one sheet of lead bent over at the margins to form a lid which would not slip out of position. It was found to be 3ft. Sins, in length, and the width 12ins. at the head and llins. at the foot. On removing the cover it was found that the coffin measured 3ft. Gins, in length, the varying widths being lljins. at the head, enlarging slightly to 12ins. and then gradually diminishing towards the foot to lOins. The internal depth of the coffin was 7ins. at the head and 6jins. at the foot. Through the kind instrumentality of Prof. P. N. Ure, Mr. J. W. Dodgson, Lecturer in Chemistry at University College, Reading, has analysed a boring from the coffin, and he reports " that the lead shows traces of oxydisation such as would be expected in any case, and also minute traces of iron ; silver is not present in weighable quantity." Leaves were found in the coffin which are said to have formed a kind of wreath round the forehead of the skeleton. When I visited the farm I could get no definite information on this point, but I found a large number of small leaves, more or less broken, at the head-end of the coffin ; for the most part they were adhering to the bottom by means of a dried material which appeared to have been at one time fine damp earth, or sediment.2 I submitted a number of these leaves to the late Mr. Clement Reid, F.R.S., asking if he would kindly examine them ; and he reported as follows on November 20th: — " These leaves are so thick and leathery that in one case the upper and lower skins moved independently and slid over each other (like an opening pod) ; but there seemed no trace of ordinary lm There was no trace of an outer coffin of wood, as in the case of the Marnhull interment mentioned below. 2- Not being satisfied with the varying reports with regard to the position of the leaves in the coffin, I recently wrote to Mrs. Drew, and in her reply of January 17th, 1917, she says that the quarrymen have again been questioned. They state that " the leaves were in position of circle at the bottom of the head -end of the coffin ; they were green and stuck with mud ; when found the coffin was partly filled with water." LEADEN COFFIN FOUND AT CANN. 71 leaf venation. They turn out to be detached leaves and short sprigs of box, gathered at a season when the venation has not become lignified. They agree exactly with the box now growing in my garden ; but they look very different from the strongly pinnate -veined box-leaves found at Roman Silchester, which correspond with sprays and fallen leaves gathered in the spring. I am convinced that all the Cann specimens belong to box, even the extra large one so like a pod. Perhaps sprigs of box were used in the funeral rites. At Silchester they were merely found in the rubbish pit, and gave no indication of the use to which they had been put. The box has been considered a doubtful native of Britain, but now we have it at two localities associated with Roman remains." Ten days after this report arrived Mr. Reid died, and in a letter I have since received from Mrs. Reid she says : " The report which he made for you on the leaves from the Cann coffin was the last he ever made. " l The three most interesting features about the Cann inter- ment are : — ^ the small size of the coffin ; ^ the cement base or tray on which it rested ; and ^ the box-leaves found inside the coffin. With regard to the first point, children's coffins of the Roman period have occasionally been met with, and some have been recorded. One, 3ft. 9ins. in length, was found about a mile west of Sittingbourne ; it contained a number of valuable antiquities. 2 In 1844 two leaden coffins con- taining the remains of children were found in London, one in Whitechapel, the other at Stratford-le-bow. 3 Three small 1> I take this opportunity of acknowledging the kind assistance Mr. Reid gave me from time to time, extending over a number of years, in examining specimens from archaeological excavations with which I have been connected (including Maumbury Rings, Avebury, and the Glastonbury Lake Village). 2- This specimen is in the British Museum. Figured in G. Payne's Collectanea Cantiana, Plate XVIII. ; see also Collectanea Antigua, VII., 186-7. 3- C. Roach Smith, Collect. Antiq., III., 55. 72 LEADEN COFFIN FOUND AT CANN. leaden coffins were discovered about a quarter of a mile west- ward of the church of East Ham. l Another, 3ft. 2ins. in length, containing the skeleton of a young girl, was found at Irchester. 2 In 1828, two leaden coffins, containing the skeletons of young persons, were found at Rouen 3 ; they were accompanied by grave-goods. There is no evidence that the cement ever entirely enveloped the Cann coffin. The edges of the tray were more or less rounded, and there was no indication of fracture along the margins. Leaden coffins were, of course, frequently enveloped in an outer covering of wood, as in the case of the interment discovered at Grey Down Quarry, Marnhull, about 6 miles west of the site where the Cann coffin was found. I described the Marnhull burial in the Western Gazette, 29 June, 1892, and later in Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries, Vol. IX., pp. 5 — 8. 4 Several large nails, about 4|ins. in length, and some rectangular plates of thin iron pierced with nail-holes, were found outside the coffin, all of which bore traces of wood still attached by rust, indicating that there had been some external wooden structure. From the measurement of the long-bones I was able to estimate that the stature of the individual was about 4ft. lOJins., which is about the average stature of the females of the Romano-British Villages of Woodcuts, Rotherley, and Woodyates (excavated by General Pitt-Rivers). The Marnhull individual had been buried in sandals or shoes, as evidenced by the remains of hob-nails at the feet. No • 1> " Three leaden coffins were next found, lying like the sarcophagus north and south. Two were ornamented ; the third plain. Their measurements are 4ft. lOJins. by ll^ins. at the top, and 9ins. at the bottom, and the smaller 2ft. 4ins. in length." (Collect. Antiq., VII., 191). The last -mentioned is in the British Museum. 2- Collect. Antiq., VII., 192-4. 3- Op. cit., III., 56-57. 4t Som. and Dor. Notes and Queries also contains some of my notes on leaden coffins found at Wiveliscombe and in other parts of Somerset (see Vol. IX., 8, 58 ; and Vol. XIV., 335). LEADEN COFFIN FOUND AT CANN. 73 coins were found in the coffin, but Roman coins have been found from time to time in the quarry.* With regard to the presumed wreath of box-leaves, I have been unable to find any record of such an occurrence in Britain in this period. Having seen a large number of leaden coffins exhibited in the Hospitium, York Museum, I wrote to Mr. Oxley Grabham, the curator, who replied, " No wreaths or leaves were found in the coffins, but many trinkets, such as beads, fibulae, rings, pins, buttons, &c." Other enquiries elsewhere have brought no records to light bearing upon this subject. * There are a few additional notes on this interment by Mr. B. E. Freame, of Gillingham, in the Dorset Album (in the Library, Dorset County Museum), Vol I., pt. ii., p. 45c. Opening of tlje Kaunfc $arroto at By Major C. ASHBURNHAM. (Read 12th Dec., 1916.) AV1NG previously pegged out the levels on a line North and South of magnetic bearing, the work of opening the barrow began on September 25th, 1916. A cutting three feet broad was driven straight through the centre of the barrow from South to North, beginning at peg 4. The point selected for starting was evidently a lucky one, as within a few hours of working an urn was discovered two feet below the surface, and four feet and a half North of peg 3, under the West edge of the cutting. The urn measured nine inches and a half in height, and two feet five inches at its largest circumference. It contained burnt bones and a small bronze awl, which fell on the ground with some of the ashes as I was removing the urn (which was inverted). The following day, Sept. 26th, it was discovered that the urn had been buried on the top of the original, or inner, ditch of the barrow. The South edge of the ditch was two feet ROUND BARROW AT MELCOMBE BINGHAM. 75 South of peg three, and one foot six inches down. The North edge was five feet North of peg three, and five feet down. The bottom of the trench was found two feet North of peg three, and six feet three inches down. The next four days, Sept. 27th to Sept. 30th, were very wet, and consequently little excavating could be done, but progress was made by putting up wire round the barrow to keep out the cattle, getting out the large flints at the top of the barrow, and rolling and piling them at the bottom. On Monday, Oct 2nd, Mr. Legge, who was working with me, began to excavate on the Northern side,where the ditch was presumed approximately to be, and he soon came upon it. Owing to the fall of the ground it was much deeper than on the South side. (See Section.) On examining the cutting of this ditch, I observed that a stratum of rubble chalk, one foot in thickness, completely covered the top of the ditch, while the bulk of the ditch was filled up with brown earth. This led me to suspect that there was, in all probability, an outer ditch still to be found, from which this rabble chalk had been taken to cover over the interments in the ditch. This surmise proved to be correct, and on Oct. 12th Mr. Legge uncovered the second, or outer ditch, at the point where this stratum of chalk ended. On Tuesday, Oct. 3rd, the centre of the barrow having been reached, it was found desirable to widen the cutting at this point, for two reasons : — firstly, to get more room for ex- cavating the primary interment ; and, secondly, because the huge flints showed a tendency to fall in upon the workers. No. I. WOMAN. — The next day, Oct. 4th, digging was begun over the primary interment and some bones were found two feet and a half below the top of the barrow, and four feet six inches South of peg 1. There were some very heavy showers on this day; and on the following day, Oct. 5th, heavy rain fell, with the result that the Eastern edge of the cutting fell in during the night. The next day, Oct. 6th, it was seen that more bones of this (No. I.) woman had fallen, with the 76 BOUND BARROW AT MELCOMBE BINGHAM. & •< p *t £ •< Pw I «3 H U fa. 0 fa H tu 1 C/3 i g « z 1 § = S 0 5 A ti < tf < m I i ; J« 3 « •* V H » ^W J«SA- Q « £ 4 ,t 0 ^ £ D 0 & w § , "-+• i- O 1 3 "r 0 c; ) S 1 f J, I ^ J^g'5 ©(D® ROUND BARROW AT MELCOMBE BINGHAM. 77 collapse of the fiints, from the position they were in on the previous day. No. II. WOMAN AND CHILD. — Later on in the day, after clearing away a quantity of the debris of the fall, the skeleton of another adult, and also what appeared to be the skull bones and teeth of a child, were found just above the primary interment. On getting down to the original turf level, the following different strata were observed. Nine inches of brown earth and turf. From Peg 1. to Original Turf Level 8ft. Sin. One foot of chalk rubble. Three feet of flints. One foot of chalk rubble. One foot of stone flints. One foot six inches of rubble over primary grave. FLINT IMPLEMENTS. — On October 9th, Mr. Legge was enlarging the central space, at a point four feet six inches South of the centre peg, and three feet below it, and four feet to the East of it, when he found a flint implement, the only one discovered in the barrow. It appeared to have been thrown in with the other flints, and not put there specially. No. III. MAN. — On Oct. 10 the new extension in the centre was excavated down to the level of the primary interment, and on the following day the skeleton was uncovered, and the skull found to be in a fair state of preservation. No. IV. MAN.— On Oct. 14th Mr. Charles S. Prideaux came out from Dorchester, and successfully removed the skull, by making a plaster of Paris mould for it. A fourth skeleton was found three inches under the soil, twelve feet from the W. edge of the cutting where the urn was discovered. The skull and thigh bone of No. III. Man were sent, with the remainder of the bones, to Dr. Arthur Keith, of the Royal College of Surgeons, who expressed the opinion that they belonged to a man of about five feet ten inches in height. Captain and Mrs. Acland came out and visited the excava- tions on Oct. 19th, and the barrow was afterwards filled in, 78 ROUND BARROW AT MELCOMBE BINGHAM. as it was getting too late in the year for excavations. It is hoped, another year, to work round the inner ditch, with a view of finding some more urns. In conclusion, at a point four feet six inches South of peg 1, the strata, through- out the barrow, have taken a downward thrust of two feet. When the skull of the primary man was taken to London and shown to Dr. Keith, one of his first remarks was that he ob- served that there was a finger-tip adhering to the skull. From these observations it is suggested that the skeleton, which was found on its left side, was originally buried sitting upright, with the face rest- ing on the hands. It is probable that the great weight of the stone broke the top of the grave, and forced the body gradually on to its side. No. II. AND No. III. MAN AND CHILD. — It is suggested that the barrow covers two distinct periods of time, one very much older than the other, the older period in- cluding those burials found • ,£ f=j HI /A O- ^ •i "Si 1 ill ^•cSvt ns Qc^cccS 5 i m ., Bi p^ ^ P r |M , ^.^™^4 ROUND BARROW AT MELCOMBE BINGHAM. 79 inside the stone tumulus, within the inner ditch. The burials outside the inner ditch were possibly much more recent. No. I. and No. IV. MAN AND URN. — Consequently the finding of a bronze implement in the urn, over the inner ditch, in no way dates the age of the barrow. The skeletons, &c., which had been exhumed, were sent by Major Ashburnham to Dr. Arthur Keith, of the Royal College of Surgeons, for inspection. The following interesting extracts from his reply give the results of his examination : — Let us take the clearly -settled matters. Interment III. is so definite. The complete skeleton of a powerfully -built man, between 5' 10" and 5' II" in stature, with great joints and powerful muscles, and a head shaped in the manner of the typical Bronze-age, round-barrow, men — brachycephalic. Age about 45 — 55. He had no wisdom teeth — never had them in either upper or lower jaw — uncommon even in modern Britishers. It is clear that the primary interment had never been disturbed, for the skeleton is nearly complete — indeed is complete excepting for the parts which have become eaten away by the soil. Now, AS TO INTERMENT I. — The whole skeleton is represented, and I don't think the grave could ever have been disturbed. The skeleton in No I. interment is that of a woman, 45 — 55 years of age, about 5' 1* or 5" 2", in height ; and her skull, although imperfect, has the characters of the brachycephalic Bronze -age people. She was a strongly made person and muscular. No. II. INTERMENT. — You remember that there was a fall on the West side of the trench, and bones of No. I. Interment fell down to the site where No. II. was subsequently found. There was some mixing of the bones from the two sites. You also remember that what was described as part of the skeleton of a child was found with Interment II. I will deal with that " child's " skeleton first. It represents a cremation, so badly or imperfectly done that one can recognise large fragments from different parts of the body which tell us beyond doubt that the person cremated was an adult woman — a diminutive, delicately made, slender little thing — well under 5 feet in height, and not aged ; adult, but young. Then there is the main Interment of No. II. Also a woman, lost all her molar or chewing teeth from disease. Probably aged. The skull had been broken, or fallen to pieces, long ago, for the fractured surfaces were weathered. She had a big capacious pelvis, and suffered from severe rheumatoid arthritis of the spine and joints generally. She had the squatting facets uncommonly well marked, buttock-heel squatting. Fairly strongly built, probably a worker, although collar- 80 BOUND BARROW AT MELCOMBE BINGHAM. bone is slender. I expect she was disturbed when the cremation was buried. She too, is of the Bronze-age brachycephalic type. Apparently there had been several interments before the lady was laid in No. II grave ; for with her, or in the debris that fell from the site of No. I, were fragments of the following persons — (a). Oldish man, represented by fragments of face and jaws, skull, and bits of limb bones. The bones are all of a grey colour, chalky, and appear to me to have been much longer in the soil than any other bones found. (b). Part of the jaw and femur of a child of 5 or 6 years ; bones chalky and as ancient as (a.) (c). A few fragments of a woman, also chalky and ancient. (a), (b), and (c) represent debris from interments more ancient than No. II. No. IV. INTERMENT. — In the boxes, containing remains of No. II woman, was a skeleton and skull. The latter had been recently broken as by a cart wheel. Rather a stoutly made, strong, woman, not much, if any, over 5 feet in height, big pelvis. She is of the brachycephalic type ; but it will not be possible fully to restore her skull. They are thus all of the brachycephalic type, so far as one may judge : — 1. — A big fine man. No. III. grave. 2. — A woman. No. I. grave. 3. — A woman. No. II. grave. 4. — A woman. (Cremation). No. II. grave. 5. — A Woman. No. IV. grave. Besides these, there are fragments of 1 man, 1 woman, 1 child, and also bits which will seem to represent still 2 other individuals. You have thus, at least, two men, 5 women, 1 child, and perhaps 2 other individuals. P.S. — I think you are dealing with a Bronze-age burial place. Clearly cremation was practised after No. Ill, interment, and before No. 1. — A.K. Oct. 21st, 1917. — Since the printing of the above notes, Major Ashburnham, with Mr. Legge, has this Autumn (1917) completely excavated half the inner ditch, beginning from the South side where the first cutting was begun in 1916 and working round by West to the North end of last year's cutting. Another urn broken in pieces, stand- ing upright and filled with cremated remains, was found 6| feet to the West of the urn discovered in 1916. The fragments of it were sent to Captain Acland, Dorset County Museum. The excavation took two weeks. No further urns were discovered, and the only results of strenuous digging were three small pieces of broken pottery, and, at the bottom of the ditch, an antler pick and some animal bones. Keturus of HainfaiJ iti in 1916. By the Rev. H. H. TILNEY BASSETT, R.D. year 1916 opened with a spell of very mild weather ; temperatures of 56 in the shade, and above, being registered in many localities. Up to January the 12th, the daily maximum reached 50 degrees, or more, the actual highest reading being 55'0 on the 1st day of the month. The mean maximum for January, here (Winterborne Whit church), was as high as 50 '1 ; and only twice in the month did the thermometer fall below the freezing point. The mean minimum was also very high, 40'0. An abrupt change, however, took place about the 20th of February, and, on the night of the 24th, Dorset was visited with the heaviest snowfall which it has experienced for many years, snow falling to the depth of from 9 inches to a foot on the level in many parts of the country. Excessive rainfall was again the feature of the year. There were no very long spells of rainless weather, the longest being 82 RAINFALL IN DORSET. from March 28 to April 10, from July 27 to August 13, and from September 4 until September 17. The average rainfall for the year, calculated from the 16 stations marked in the tables with an asterisk, is 41 '670 inches ; the average for 61 years, 1856 to 1916, is 34764, showing 6*906 inches above the average. The heaviest rainfall in the 24 hours, throughout the country, occurred on August 19th ; the greatest fall being registered on that day at 34 stations. Two observers, however, record the greatest fall on December 20. The heaviest fall in the 24 hours was registered at Creech Grange, 3'30 inches, on August 29th. Days with a fall of one or more inches. Two stations record 9 such days, two stations 8, two stations 7, two stations 6, six stations 5, five stations 4, nine stations 3, six stations 2, and one station records 1. The maxima of wet days were recorded at Sherborne 225, Broadstone 216, Wimborne (Codford House) 214, Kinson 212, Cattistock 210, Gussage (Manor) 207, Iwerne Minster 206, Beaminster and Gillingham 202. The minimum, 125, at Branksome. OBSERVERS' NOTES. HAMILTON LODGE, BEAMINSTER. — According to the latest calculation, the average yearly rainfall is 27'93 inches, and the average number of rainy days 175. Snow fell every day from Feb. 21 to Feb. 29, both included ; the heaviest fall being during the night of the 25th, and resulting in an average depth of 8 inches measured on the morning of the 26th. A total drought commenced on July 21st, and lasted for 21 days, until August 12th. No really settled weather was experienced afterwards. The rainfall on August 29th was the heaviest fall within the 24 hours which has been experienced in Beaminster since 1875. RAINFALL IN DORSET 83 On November 5 the Barometer rapidly fell to 28'37 — the lowest record which I have been able to find here. There were 42 days with a maximum temperature of 70 and upwards. The hottest day was July 31st, when the maximum was 83 degrees in the shade. BLOXWORTH HOUSE.— Snow fell on February 8, 9, 23, 24, 25, 26, and on March 5, 7, and 27. There were thunderstorms on May 24th and on June 27th. On August 29th, violent N.E. wind and rain. On December 16 and 20, snow and rain. The average rainfall, at Bloxworth House, for 16 years, 37-67 inches. CHEDINGTON COURT.— The rainfall of August 29 was a remarkable one, and has only been exceeded once in over 19 years' records. On August 28th, 1910, we registered 3 24 inches. Our greatest depth of snow fall, during the last six days of February, when much snow fell, was 10 inches at 9 a.m. on the 26th. There were again heavy falls of snow on March 27th and 28th. There were heavy thunderstorms on the night of September 26th (especially at 10 p.m.), and during the night of September 28th. MONTEVIDEO, CHICKERELL. — April 27, slight thunderstorm in the afternoon. May 24. — Thunderstorm at night. August 14. — A little thunder. No lightning visible. August 17. — Short storm of thunder and lightning. October 30. — Thunder and lightning in the night. October 31. — Thunder and lightning in the night. December 10. — One clap of thunder, and hailstorms. Note. — The two largest rain falls in 24 hours, since a record has been kept at Montevideo, occurred on August 29th, of 2.52 inches and on December 20th of 2 00 inches. 84 RAINFALL IN DORSET. CREECH GRANGE. — On August 28 and 29 there was a continuous rainfall, making a total of 3 '70 inches during the 24 hours measured from 5 a.m. on the 29th until 5 a.m. on the 30th ; but the fall, as stated in the table, is according to the 9 a.m. to 9 a.m. measurement. The 1'50 inches, recorded on December 20, fell between 10 p.m. on the 20th and 9 a.m. on the 21st. I believe that it ceased about 7 a.m. In that case T50 inches fell in 9 hours. DORCHESTER, WOLLASTON HOUSE. — The total rain fall for the year is nearly 5 inches above the average. Four out of the last five years have all exceeded the average by fairly large amounts. The total of the 5 years, 1912 — 1916, exceeds the average previously adopted for Dorchester by no less than 39 inches, or nearly 8 inches a year. The heaviest falls of the year were 2'30 Aug. 29, and T84 on Dec. 20. I have re -calculated the annual average for Dorchester for the 21 years 1896—1916, and find it is 37'36 inches now, instead of 35 '80 as calculated five years ago. There has been a steady increasing annual rainfall during the 21 years. The 1st period of 7 years 1896—1902 has an average of 32'96. The 2nd period of 7 years 1903—1909 has an average of 37'45. The 3rd period of 7 years 1910—1916 has an average of 41'68. The actual totals of the 3 periods of 7 years are interesting ; they are : — 1st period 1896—1902 230 '72. 2nd period 1903—1909 262'15. 3rd period 1910—1916 291'75. A curiously regular progression. EAST LULWORTH VICARAGE. — 2'18 ins. above the average, The average rainfall here in the last ten years is 37'57 — the highest was 45 33 in 1912, the lowest 28'27 in 1908. In February snow fell on 4 days 24 — 27, and measured '83 inches ; in March snow fell on five days and measured "81 inches. RAINFALL IN DORSET. 85 August. — In the storm of August the 29, 3' 11 inches fell. In 23 hours the barometer fell 1 inch. The heaviest falls during the last 12 years recorded were 1'97 inches, Sept. 29, 1912, and 1'70 inches October 16, 1907. STURMINSTER MARSHALL, BAILIE HOUSE. — Feb 9 — Ground white with slight snow, for the first time this winter. Feb. 24. — Snow 1 inch deep on grass. March 6. — 6.30 a.m., the 0'2 was result of sudden and short snow storm. April 20. — 4.20 p.m., thunder and lightning. April 28. — 5.6 p.m., rather heavy thunderstorm. May 21. — Summer time began and followed. June 1. — Rain came on suddenly at 8 a.m., and at 8.15 there were three minutes of heavy hailstorm (small stones). July 27. — The '10 was result of thunderstorm of 9.4 p.m. Aug. 26.— Of the '64, '57 fell before 5 p.m. day before. Aug. 29.— Of the 2'01, 1'27 fell after 7.30 p.m. Nov. 18. — Some portion of the '61 was sleet and snow, bitter cold wind, and a little ice, the first time this winter. Nov. 28. — Sharp white frost. Dec. 10. — 8 a.m., some hail, clap of thunder, 8.40 a.m. Dec. 16. — Began to snow 9.30 a.m. at 1 p.m. '05. Dec. 21. — Rain began about 8 p.m. and suddenly stopped about 9.5 a.m., 22, i.e., five minutes after I had taken gauge 1-81. TURNWORTH. — Feb. 24, 10 inches of snow fell. Feb. 27.— 2 inches of snow fell. Feb. 29. — 5 inches of snow fell. March 27. — Snow blizzard lasting 17 hours. Aug. 29 — 2'10 of rain fell — a record. Largest amount that I have ever registered. WAREHAM, TRIGON.— Feb. 23, 24, 25, 26— Snow fell. Feb. 27.— Sleet melted as it fell. Feb. 28.— Snow. 86 RAINFALL IN DORSET. Feb. 29.— Sleet. March 5, 6, 7, 8. — Snow. May 24. — Thunder storm. Oct. 31. — 8.45 p.m., two claps of thunder. Hail storm. Nov. 1. — 8.20 a.m., a clap of thunder and lightning, S.W. Nov. 18. — Snow on the Pur becks. Dec. 10. — Hail and rain storms with flash of lightning and thunder about 11 a.m. Dec. 16.— Snow. WlNTERBORNE WH1TCHTJRCH. JANUARY. — The month was remarkably mild, on no less than 17 days the temperature rose to 50 and above. There were 13 days on which rain fell. The heaviest fall in 24 hours was 0'28 on the 2nd. The highest shade temperature was 55'0 registered on the 2nd. The lowest, 25 '0, on the 22nd night. The temperature fell only twice below the freezing point during the month. Total rainfall, 1'28. FEBRUARY. — Mild weather prevailed up to the 21st, when the conditions became thoroughly wintry, and snow fell daily to the end of the month ; the heaviest fall occurring on the night of the 25th, when 9in. of snow fell. There were 24 days on which rain or snow fell. The greatest fall in the 24 hours was registered on the 3rd, viz., 0'89. The highest temperature in the shade was 53'0, recorded on the 16th. The lowest '19 during the night of the 27th. Total rainfall, 6'04. MARCH. — Snow was very frequent throughout the month ; the heaviest fall was on the 27th, when six RAINFALL IN DORSET. 87 inches of snow fell between 3 and 6 p.m., and snow and rain fell till the next morning. There were 18 days on which snow or rain fell, the heaviest fall in the 24 hours being on the 27th, when 1'OOin. was registered. The highest temperature was registered on the 14th — 56'0. The lowest during the night of the 4th— 23'G. Total rainfall, 4'12 inches. APRIL. — The weather wras cold generally up to the 25th ; but from that date to the end of the month conditions were warm. There were 12 days on which rain fell, the heaviest fall occurring on the 16th, 0'25. There was a thunderstorm on the 21st at 4 p.m., moving from W. to E., to the N., and a heavy thunderstorm passed from E. to W., to the S. on the 28th. The highest temperature in the shade was registered on the 28th, 72'0, the lowest during the night of the 7th, 27'0. Total rainfall, 1'02. MAY. — There were 11 days on which rain fell ; the greatest fall in the 24 hours occurred on the 1st, when 0'69 was measured. There was a thunder- storm of some energy from 10.30 to 11.15 p.m. on the night of the 24th. The highest temperature was registered on the 18th, when the temperature rose to 75'0, the lowest occurred during the night of the 25th, 32'0. Total rainfall, 1'91 inches. JUNE. — The conditions were generally cold and unsummer- like throughout the month. On only two occasions did the temperature reach 70 in the shade, and on nine failed to reach 60 '0. The warmest day was the 17th, when it touched 70'0. The coldest night, the 7th, when it fell 88 RAINFALL IN DORSET. as low as '32. Rather a severe thunderstorm passed from N. to S., between 5 and 6 p.m., on the 27th. There were 12 days on which rain fell ; the greatest fall in 24 hours being 0'55 on the 27th. Total for the month, 2'38. JULY. — From the 18th to the end of the month the weather was very hot and fine, the temperature rising to 70 and above each day, and 80 and above on the last two days. The highest temperature of the month was reached on the 31st — 84'0 in shade ; the lowest was registered during the night of the 8th— 42 '0. Rain fell on 7 days — the heaviest fall in 24 hours being 0'95 on the 6th. A thunderstorm of no great violence passed from N.E. to S.W. between 4 and 5 p.m. on the 27th. Total rainfall for the month, T67. AUGUST. — Very warm and hot conditions prevailed up to the 15th. On 19 days the temperature rose to 70 and above in the shade, the highest recorded being 82 on the 1st ; but 80 was reached on five occasions. The lowest reading was 42'0, which was registered during the night of the 30th. There were 14 days on which rain fell. The heaviest during the 24 hours was 1-95 on the 29th. Thunder was heard to the N. on the 15th, 2 p.m., and heavily to the W. on the 17th, between 4 and 6 p.m. Total rainfall for the month, 4' 16. SEPTEMBER. — There were 10 days on which rain fell, the greatest fall being 0'86 inches on the 27th. The temperature reached 70 and above on 8 days RAINFALL IN DORSET. 89 the highest registered was 73' on the 28th. The lowest temperature recorded being 31 '0, during the night of the 14th. There was a great deal of thunder and lightning between 10 and 11 p.m. on the 26th, and also during the night of the 28th. Total rainfall for the month, 3 '89. OCTOBER. — There was a remarkable and sudden fall of temperature on the 15th, which was maintained throughout the rest of the month. There were 20 days on which rain fell. The heaviest fall in the 24 hours occurred on the 3rd, 0'73. The temperature reached 60 and above on 14 days, the highest 65 '0 was registered on the 5th. The lowest observed was 32'0, which occurred during the night of the 24th. There was a slight thunderstorm at 8 p.m. on the 31st, which was followed by a hurricane later on at night. Total rainfall for the month, 6-33. NOVEMBER. — There were 18 days on which rain fell, the greatest fall in the 24 hours being TO 6 on the 7th. Thunderstorms occurred at mid-day on the 6th, 7th, and 8th. The severest was that of the 7th, which lasted over an hour. On the 17th rain began to fall heavily about 6.30 p.m. and turned to snow at 8 ; the ground was quite covered by 10 p.m., and the snow continued to fall until 11 a.m. on the 18th. The highest temperature was registered on the llth, viz., 57 '0 in the shade. The lowest, 22 0, was recorded during the night of the 27th. Total rainfall, 6'46. 00 RAINFALL IN DORSET. DECEMBER. — The coldest December we have had for many years ; the temperature did not reach 40 from the 9th to 19th, and the maximum temperature upon the 14th was 31'0 and that of the 18th only 28'0 The highest the ther- mometer reached during the month was 54. on the 31st. The lowest recorded was 16*0 during the night of the 16th. There were 13 days on which rain fell. The greatest fall in the 24 hours being T95 on the 20th. Total rainfall for the month, 5'13 ; for the year, 44'37. RAINFALL IN DORSET. 91 f- ••* •<* CO CO CO •<* ** CO •<*! CO rM OS 'N •* O CD •<* rH >O in •«* 00 t- CO IN rH p i-H OS X OS OO •<* OS CO SIN O5 CO rH 00 X r-rH OOin rH O J in os I-H r- co o> CD (N (M IN CO co in • rH CO CO CO I> CO T* t> t^ rH CO O - >n (N O3 in t^ •<* CO OS CO ^ OS rH T* CO rH rH INC^rHrHrH' C3 rH IN IN I rH O3r*x t- o os co os if os x t- in c~ r~ OINX x ) CO in IN (N rH OS (N X in » " 5 -.S ° : : : :£ :q : e -S Sl s I "l^i 2^^^-S§r?W o^oggog* aaB||»3- ^£ » ^^£2WI rt^occ'SSCJ-'? . B e L H « I w c > pi li g : the wat SJ3 :al|&o-i- :t. ri -on Fl ^t House od ird Hou Whitchurch W •H Uo« I •|5eJ«52^fl |^jf^ASS^S^J^9H£l £s£Aa££*j(fi££AJi££3£.S.3£ a^g||S Sp^f^^ ^ RAINFALL IN DORSET. ^Dorset peculiar. By Rev. Canon J. M. J. FLETCHER, M.A., R.D, JJIHE term Peculiar is derived from the Latin word peculiaris (i.e., one's own, belonging to one's private property to which no one else has a claim).* In Canon Law it denotes " A particu- lar parish, or church, having jurisdiction within itself, and exempt from that of the ordinary or bishop's court." Amongst the Anglo-Saxons the only judges in Church Courts were the bishops and such abbots as possessed exempt juris- diction. In those days the archdeacon simply sat as representing the bishop in his ecclesiastical court, much as his steward would sit in his seignorial court ; but he would have no independent jurisdiction. % It was in no small measure due to an edict of the conqueror, which dealt with offenders * To trace this derivation a little farther back, it is interesting to notice that peculium — private property, properly property in cattle, as well as pecunia, is derived from pecus — sheep, cattle (which, in turn is derived from a Greek word signifying to shear) — because the private property or riches of the ancients in a pastoral age consisted of flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. 94 A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR. against ecclesiastical laws and effected the separation of ecclesiastical from temporal courts, that after the Conquest the independent authority of the archdeacons became largely increased. And it was apparently with the object of limiting this power of the archdeacons that the office of Official was created in the twelfth century. The Ecclesiastical Courts were fourfold :— 1. Provincial Courts, under the Archbishops and their officials. 2. Diocesan, or Consistory, Courts, under the Bishops and Chancellors. 3. Archdeacons' Courts, supplemented by the Agency of Rural Deans. 4. Courts of Exempt Jurisdiction, and Peculiars. The Jurisdictions Peculiar, and exempt from the Diocesan, were again fourfold. 1. Royal Peculiars. ' The King's Free Chapel is a royal peculiar, exempted from all spiritual jurisdiction, and referred to the immediate government of the King." (Wood's Institute 530.) 2. Archbishops' Peculiars. Wherever the Archbishop had an estate belonging to him, he had sole jurisdiction as Ordinary. 3. Peculiars of certain Deans and Chapters — e. U So cyreen . Green gravel, green gravel, the grass is so green ; The fairest young lady that ever was seen ; Ah ! Mary, Ah ! Mary, your true love is dead, He sends you a letter to turn round your head. DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. 113 This dismal little game is obviously a dramatic representa- tion of mourning ; and the suggested explanation of " green gravel " as a corruption of green grave is almost undoubtedly the right one. It has been wondered if the words " turn round your head " have a reference to an old custom of the attendants on a corpse newly laid out returning into the death-chamber backwards. This rhyme, with variations, is found in nearly every part of England. In some parishes " gravels " or " grasses " takes the place of the more correct " gravel." The Dorset tune, given above, differs from the North Country tune. JINNY JONES. i M i . S •. .'-..i. . i Jinnjj IO«UVM 1. Enquirers. Please can I see Jinny Jones, Jones, Jones, Please can I see Jinny Jones ; how is she now ? II. Jinny's Mother. Jinny Jones is washing, washing, washing, Jinny Jones is washing ; you can't see her now. III. Enquirers. Very well, ladies, ladies, ladies, Very well, ladies, and gentle mens too. IV. Enquirers repeat the first verse. V. Jinny's Mother. Jinny Jones is ironing, ironing, ironing, Jinny Jones is ironing, you can't see her now. VI. and VII. Enquirers repeat the third and first verses. VIII. Jinny's Mother. Jinny Jones is ill, ill, ill, Jinny Jones is ill ; you can't see her now. 114 DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. IX. and X. Enquirers repeat the third and first verses. XI. Jinny's Mother. Jinny Jones is worse, worse, worse, Jinny Jones is worse; you can't see her now. XII. and XIII. Enquirers repeat the third and first verses. XIV. Jinny's Mother. Jinny Jones is dead, dead, dead. Jinny Jones is dead ; you can't see her now. XV. Enquirers. Please will red do, red do, red do ? Please will red do ? Will that do ? XVI. Jinny's Mother. Red is for soldiers, soldiers, soldiers, Red is for soldiers ; that won't do. XVII . Enquirers. Please will blue do, blue do, blue do ? Please will blue do ? Will that do ? XVIII. Jinny's Mother. Blue is for sailors, sailors, sailors, Blue is for sailors ; that won't do. XIX. Enquirers. Please will white do, white do, white do ? Please will white do ? Will that do ? XX. Jinny's Mother. White is for weddings, weddings, weddings, White is for weddings ; that won't do. XXI. Enquirers. Please will black do, black do, black do ? Please will black do ? Will that do ? XXII. Jinny's Mother. Black is for mourning, mourning, mourning, Black is for mourning ; that will do. The double plural of gentleman — " gentlemens " — is delight- ful. The children, of course, know that it is incorrect, but they rightly depart not from tradition. The game is evidently a girls' game. No sooner is Jinny Jones announced to be dead than the enquirers think about their dresses for the funeral. Will their old red, blue, or white dresses do ? Alas ! no. They must have black. Possibly for some this means an outlay ; but it also means a new dress. And, with cheerful- ness, Jinny Jones is laid to rest. DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. 115 HATCH IN THE BOOBERNEE. Hatch in the boobernee, r Hatch in the boobernee, It's on a Sunday Monday night Whoop ! Catch in the boobernee. Whatever is the meaning of this first line, and the " boo- bernee " in particular ? " Sunday " may be a corruption of " sultry." It is hardly worth while to give the melody of this and the rest of the rhymes. The two printed are typical. ALL AROUND THE COTTAGE. I. All around the cottage (repeated three times) As you have done before. II. In and out the windows (repeated three times) As you have done before. III. Stand and face your lover (repeated three times) As you have done before. IV. Trace her off to Wimborne (repeated three times) As you have done before. V. Bring her back and kiss her (repeated three times) As you have done before. SALLY, GO ROUND THE MOON. Sally, go round the moon, I Sally, go round the sun, Sally, go round the chimney-pot. On a Sunday afternoon. Whoop ! If the " sun " and the " moon " were to change places, the rhyme would be improved ; but in nearly all parts of the county the " moon " takes the precedence. 116 DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. BETSY BUMBLE-BEE. Betsy, Betsy Bumble-bee, She fell down and broke her knee. Where's the lock, and where's the key ? Turn the key right over. WALLFLOWERS. Wally, wally, wallflowers, Growing up so high, All these little maidens They are sure to die, Except (child's name), And she's the best of all, She can hop, and she can skip, And she can turn the candlestick. Fie ! for shame ! Fie ! for shame! Turn your back to the wall again. DRAW A BUCKET OF WATER. Draw a bucket of water For my lady's daughter ; Milk the cows, and serve the sows, And drive the ducks to water. One go rush, Two go rush, Pray, young lady, get under the bush (i.e., of crossed hands). THERE STANDS A LADY ON THE MOUNTAIN. I. There stands a lady on the mountain, Who she is I do not know. All she wants is gold and silver, All she wants is a nice young lover. (Chooses.) DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. 11 II. Now you're married I wish you joy, First a girl, and then a boy. Seven yeais after, son and daughter, Pray, young couple, kiss together. III. Kiss her once, kiss her twice, Kiss her three times over, Marry her once, marry her twice, Marry her three times over. BETTY AND HER DUCKS. Oh ! Betty, Betty, have you seen my ducks to-day ? Where, boy, where ? All in that yonder pond, There, boy, there. Betty and her ducks, ducks and Betty, Oliver and his deer, deer and Oliver, Roland and Oliver, The king and the king his deer Now and for evermore. II. Oh ! Thomas, Thomas, have you seen my horse to-day ? Where, boy, where ? All on that yonder plain, There, boy, there. Thomas and his horse, horse and Thomas, Betty and her ducks, ducks and Betty (etc. as before). III. Oh ! Agnes, Agnes, have you seen my geese to-day ? Where, boy, where ? All on that yonder common, There, boy, there. Agnes and her geese, geese and Agnes, Thomas and his horse, horse and Thomas, Betty and her ducks. (etc. as before). 118 DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. IV. Oh ! huntsman, huntsman, have you seen my hounds to-day ? Where, boy, where ? All in that yonder cover, There, boy, there. Huntsman and his hounds, hounds and huntsman, Agnes and her geese, geese and Agnes, Thomas and his horse, horse and Thomas, Betty and her ducks, ducks and Betty, Oliver and his deer, deer and Oliver, Roland and Oliver, the King and the King his deer, Now and for evermore. The plan of this rhyme, the building-up process, reminds one of the very ancient and much discussed Dorset folk- song, " The Twelve Apostles." ROSY APPLE, LEMON, AND PEAR. I. Rosy apple, lemon, and pear, A bunch of roses she shall wear. Gold and silver by her side, I know who'll take her as his bride. II. Take her by her lily-white hand, And lead her to the altar ; Give her kisses, one, two, three, Mrs. (name's) daughter. PLEASE, MOTHER, MAY I GO OUT TO PLAY ? Please Mother, please Mother, May I go out to play ? I won't go near the water To drive the ducks away. The first answer is " No, no, no ; " but when the rhyme is repeated, the answer is " Yes, yes, yes." The children then go and pretend to drive the ducks away with a " Shoo-oo-oo." OR . Please Mother, please Mother, may I go out to play ? (Ans.) No children, no children, this wet day. Why Mother, why Mother, we won't stay long ? (Ans.) Give me three curtseys and then run along. DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. 119 Then this prose dialogue follows : Children, I call you. (Ans.) Yes, mother, I hear you. (Ans.) Down to Granny's. (Ans.) A piece of plum -pudding. (Ans.) In top cupboard. (Ans.) In bottom cupboard. (Ans.) Cat have eat it. (Ans.) In wood. (Ans.) Fire burnt it. (Ans.) Water douted it. (Ans.) Ox drunk it. (Ans.) Butcher killed it. Where have you been ? What did she give you ? Where's my share ? 'Tisn't there. "Tisn't there. Where's the cat ? Where's the wood ? Where's the fire ? Where's the water ? Where's the ox ? Where's the butcher ? (Ans.) Up behind Church door cracking up nuts ; we'll eat the kernels, you can eat the shells. The dialogue varies slightly in words and length in different parishes. Instead of " plum pudding " we get " bread and jam," " a piece of bread as big as my head, and a piece of cheese as big as my knees ; " "a rusty farthing " with which " a farthing cake " is bought," &c. Sometimes a " mouse " eats the plum pudding instead of the " cat ; " and a " horse " is killed instead of an "ox." Notice in the " answers " the typical Dorset omission of the definite article. The opening verse, I think, originally belonged to another game known as " Granny Gray." 120 DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. PUT ALL YOUR RIGHT HANDS IN. I. Put all your right hands in, Put all your right hands out, And shake 'em a little, a little, a little, And turn yourselves about (Action accordingly). II. Put all your left hands in (etc. as before). III. Put all your right feet in (etc. as before). IV. Put all your left feet in (etc. as before). V. Put all yourselves in (step forward). Put all yourselves out (step backward). And shake 'em a little, a little, a little, And turn yourselves about. UNCLE JOHN IS VERY SICK. Uncle John is very sick, What shall I send him ? A piece of pudding as long as my arm, I'll send it in a basin. Who shall I send it with ? With the gardener's daughter ; She's neither in, she's neither out, She's in the garden walking about, When she comes in, she's drest in silk, She takes off her glove, and shows her ring. The wedding shall be, The children shall sing, We all clap our hands When the wedding begins. DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. 121 There are evidently some lines missing in the first part of this corrupt " rhyme." Another version is : — Uncle John is very ill, What shall we send him ? Two and three kisses, Two and three kisses, And send him a bottle of brandy. Who shall we send it by ? By the golden saucer. (Lines missing.) HERE COMES AN OLD WOMAN FROM SANDY LANE. Here comes an old woman, from Sandy Lane With all her children bright and gay ; One can knit, and the other can sew, The other can make a lily-white bow. And one can make a dress for the Queen, And one she can do everything. The fairest one that I can see Is (child's name). Come to me. You naughty girl, you won't come out, you won't come out, you won't come out, You naughty girl, you won't come out to help us in our dancing. Or : — Pretty Miss, will you come out, will you come out, will you come out ? Pretty Miss, will you come out and take a cup of tea ? HARK! THE ROBBERS. I. Hark ! the robbers are coming through,coming through, coming through. Hark ! the robbers are coming through, my fair lady. II. What did the robbers do to you ? (repeat thrice). What did the robbers do to you, my fair lady ? 122 DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. III. Took my watch and broke my chain (repeat thrice}. Took my watch and broke my chain, my fair lady. IV. Half -a -sovereign they must pay (repeat thrice). Half-a-sovereign they must pay, my fair lady. V. Half-a-sovereign they've not got (repeat thrice). Half-a-sovereign they've not got, my fair lady. VI. Off to prison they must go (repeat thrice). Off to prison they must go, my fair lady. A longer version exists in which the robbers are accused of stealing "a new silk dress " as well as the watch and chain. They protest that they have none of the things, whereupon " fifty pounds " is named as damages. * But the longer version is a more definite dialogue between the robbers and the " fair lady." HERE'S A PRETTY LITTLE GIRL OF MINE. I. Here's a pretty little girl of mine, She brought me many a glass of wine, A glass of wine and a biscuit too, See what my little girl can do. II. On the carpet she shall kneel, As the grass grows in the field, Stand up right upon your feet, And choose the one you love so sweet. III. Choose to the east, and choose to the west, Choose the gold and silver, Write it down with a golden pen, And tell me who's your lover. Variant readings : " A bottle of wine." " Choose the white and choose the black ; " Choose to the right and choose to the left." " Write your name in a penny gold ring." DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. The following rhyme has some points in common : I've got a bonnet trimmed with blue. Why doesn't weare it ? Zo, I do ; When do you weare it ? When I can, When I go out wi' my young man. My young man is a -gone to sea, When he comes back he'll marry me, marry me, marry me. When he comes back he'll marry me. Zee what a purty zister is mine, Don't 'e think she's ter'ble fine ? She's a-most ter'ble cunnen too, Just zee what my zister can do. On the carpet she can kneel As the grass grows in the fieP. Stand up right upon thy feet, And choose the purtiest you like, sweet. QUEEN ANNE. Queen Anne, Queen Anne, she sot in the sun, So fair as a lily, so white as a nun, She had a white glove on, She drew it off, she drew it on, Turn, ladies, turn. The more we turn, the more we may, Queen Anne was born on Midsummer Day, We have brought three letters from the Queen. One of these only by thee must be seen. We can't read one, we must read them all, Please (naming some one) deliver the ball. WHEN FIRST I WENT TO SCHOOL. When first I went to school, to school, to school, How happy was I ! 'Twas this way and that way (walk round singly), How happy was 1 1 124 DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. II. Next I went to service, to service, to service, How happy was I ! 'Twas this way and that way (imitate scrubbing), How happy was I. III. Next I had a sweetheart, a sweetheart, a sweetheart, Etc. (walk round in couples) IV. Next I got married, got married, got married, Etc. (walk round arm in arm) V. Next I had a baby, a baby, a baby, Etc. (imitate nursing a baby) VI. Next my husband died, he died, he died. How sorry was I ! (or Oh ! how I did cry), 'Twas this way and that way (put pinafore to eyes), How sorry was I ! VII. Next my baby died, she died, she died, Etc. (imitate crying) There are several versions of this rhyme, in which a " naughty girl." a " good girl," a " teacher " or a " governess," a " nurse," and a " lady " are imitated. THE LADY OF THE LAND. Here comes the lady of the land, With sons and daughters in her hand. The mother. Pray do you want a servant to-day ? The lady. What can she do ? The mother. She can brew, she can bake, She can make a wedding cake Fit for you or any lady in the land. The lady. Pray, leave her. DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. The mother. I leave my daughter safe and sound, And in her pocket a thousand pound, And on her finger a golden ring, And in her bosom a silver pin. Don't let her ramble, don't let her trot, Don't let her carry a mustard pot. The lady. I will let her ramble, I will let her trot, I will let her carry the mustard pot. ENGLISH AND ROMAN SOLDIERS. English. Will you have some bread and wine ? We are the English. Will you have some bread and wine ? We are the English soldiers. Romans. We don't want your bread and wine, We are the Romans. We don't want your bread and wine, We are the Roman soldiers. English. We will send our cats to scratch, etc. Romans. What care we if your cats do scratch, etc. English. We will send our dogs to bite, etc. Romans. What care we if your dogs do bite, etc. English We will tell the magistrates, etc. Romans. What care we for the magistrates, etc. English. Are you ready for a fight ? etc. Romans. Yes, we're ready for a fight, etc. All. Now we are on the battlefield, etc. Shoot, Bang, Fire, Dead. There are several versions of these lines, and in some the Roman soldiers ask the questions and the English make the replies. The tune is very vigorous and " catchy " one. 126 DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. THE FARMER IN THE DALE. I. The farmer's in the dale, the farmer's in the dale, Heigh ho with a merry ho, the farmer's in the dale. II. The farmer takes a wife, the farmer takes a wife, Heigh ho with a merry ho, the farmer takes a wife. III. The wife takes a child, etc. IV. The child takes a nurse, etc. V. The nurse takes a doll, etc. OR V. The nurse takes a dog, etc. VI. The dog takes a cat, etc. VII. The cat takes a mouse, etc. VIII. The mouse takes the cheese, etc. IX. The cheese stands alone, the cheese stands alone, Heigh ho with a merry ho, the cheese stands alone. ISABELLA. Children. Isabella, Isabella, Isabella, farewell. Isabella. Last night when I parted I left him broken-hearted On the mountain, on the mountain, On the mountain, farewell. Children. Then choose another, choose your lover, Choose your lover, farewell. (She chooses.) Children. Choose the bridesmaids, etc., farewell. Choose the parson, etc., farewell. Go to church, love, etc., farewell. Put the ring on, etc., farewell. Go home, love, etc., farewell. Have your dinner, love, etc., farewell. DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. 127 Isabella and lover. What have you for dinner, for dinner, For dinner, farewell. Children. Roast beef and plum pudding, plum pudding, plum pudding, Roast beef and plum pudding, plum pudding, fare- well. MOTHER, BUY ME A MILK CAN. Children. Mother, buy me a milk can, milk can, milk can, Mother, buy me a milk can, one, two, three. Mother. Where's the money coming from, coming from, coming from? Where's the money coming from ? one, two, three. Children. Sell father's feather-bed, feather-bed, feather-bed, Sell father's feather-bed, one, two, three. Mother. Where will father sleep to, sleep to, sleep to ? etc. Children. Sleep with the butler, butler, butler, etc. Mother. Where will the butler sleep to ? etc. Children.- Sleep in the pigsty, etc. Mother. Where will the pig sleep to ? etc. Children. Sleep in the washing-tub, etc. Mother. What shall I wash in ? etc. Children. Wash in your thimble, etc. Mother. What shall I sew with ? etc. Children. Sew with the poker, etc. Mother. What shall I poke with? etc. Children. Poke with your finger, etc. Mother. Suppose I burn my finger, finger, finger. Suppose I burn my finger, one, two, three. Children. And a good job too ! (Then follows a chase.) There are many versions of this " rhyme," some longer and some shorter, but the idea is the same in each case. 128 DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. SHEEP, SHEEP, COME HOME. Master. Sheep, sheep, come home. Sheep Can't. Master. Why not ? Sheep. I'm afraid. Master. What of ? Sheep. Wolf. Master. Wolf is gone to Devonshire, Won't be home for seven year, So, sheep, sheep, come home. (The sheep try to go home ; but the wolf springs upon them.) JINNY, GET UP. Children. Jinny, get up for your breakfast, breakfast, breakfast, Jinny, get up for your breakfast, this cold and frosty morn- ing. Jinny. I won't get up for my breakfast, breakfast, breakfast. I won't get up for my breakfast, this cold and frosty morning. Children. Your father's coming up the hill, up the hill, up the hill, Your father's coming up the hill, this cold and frosty mdrn- Jinny. I won't get up for my father, father, father, I won't get up for my father, this cold and frosty morning. Children. Your mother's coming up the hill, etc. Jinny. I won't get up for my mother, etc. Children. Your brother's coming up the hill, etc. Jinny. I won't get up for my brother, etc. Children. Your sister's coming up the hill, etc. Jinny. I won't get up for my sister, etc. Children. Your sweetheart's coming up the hill, etc. Jinny. I will get up for my sweetheart, sweetheart, sweetheart, I will get up for my sweetheart, this cold and frosty morning. The motif of this rhyme is reminiscent of the well-known folk-song " The Prickly Bush," commonly called " The Prikely Bush " in Dorset. DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. 129 JACK IS DEAD. I. Jack is dead and in his grave, in his grave, in his grave, Jack is dead, and in his grave, in his grave. II. There came an old apple tree over his head, etc. III. The apples were ripe and beginning to fall, etc. IV. There came an old woman a-picking them up, etc. V. Jack got up and gave her a kick, etc. VI. Then the old woman went hippity-hop, etc. These words are very similar to the Suffolk folk-song, " Oliver Cromwell lay buried and dead," supposed to have been composed at the Restoration. RED LION. Red lion, red lion, Come out of your den, Who ever you catches Will be one of your men. THE TOWER OF BARBARY. This is a pretty little game. A boy represents the Prince of Barbary and has a number of soldiers. A girl, the heroine, stands a little way ofi ; another girl walks round her slowly and sings : — Oh ! will you surrender The Tower of Barbary ? The heroine sings in reply : I will not surrender, I will not surrender The Tower of Barbary. 130 DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. The other girl sings : I'll go to the Prince, I'll go to the Prince, The Prince of Barbary. The heroine replies : Then go to the Prince, Then go to the Prince, The Prince of Barbary. The other girl goes to the Prince and sings : Good morning, young Prince, Good morning, young Prince, I've something to complain to thee. The Prince asks of what she has to complain and the girj answers : She will not surrender, She will not surrender, The Tower of Barbary. The Prince says : " Take one of my soldiers ; " but the heroine refuses to surrender. One by one the soldiers go, until the Prince is soldierless ; but still the heroine refuses to surrender. At last the Prince himself goes, and the " Tower of Barbary " is surrendered immediately. The idea is the same as that running through the folk-song, " I will give you the keys of heaven." ROSES IN AND ROSES OUT. Roses in and roses out, And roses in my garden, I would not part with my sweetheart For twopence ha'penny farden. Take her by her lily-white hand And lead her 'cross the water, One, two, three, and a kiss for me, Mrs. (name)'s daughter. DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. 131 DOWN IN THE MEADOWS. I. Down in the meadows where the high grass grows, See (girl's name) she grows like a rose, She grows, she grows, she grows like a rose, Come and tell your thoughts to me. II. (Girl's name) made a pudding, she made it nice and sweet, Up jumps (boy's name) to have a slice to eat. Taste, love, taste, and don't say " No." To-morrow is your wedding-day and we shall have to go. III. All the boys in (name of place) shall have a happy life Except (boy's name) and he shall have a wife. A wife he shall have and a-courting he shall go Along with (girl's name) because he loves her so. IV. He kisses her, he cuddles her, he sits her on his knee, And says, dear (girl's name), will you marry me ? The bells shall ring and we shall sing Next Monday morn our wedding shall bring. COUNTING-OUT PROCESSES. I. Ena, meena, mina, mo, Catch a tinker by his toe. If he screams, let him go, Ena, meena, mina, mo. O.U.T. spells " out," And out you must go As fair as it can be. II. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, All good children go to heaven, Penny on the water, twopence on the sea, Threepence on the railway, and out goes she. Ill, Monkeys, monkeys, draw the beer, How many monkeys have you here ? Two, four, six, eight, Mnry at the cottage gate, Eating cherries off the plate, Two, four, six, eight, Out you go. 132 DORSET CHILDREN'S DOGGEREL RHYMES. IV. Inky, pinky, wokey, wum, How d'ye like your teaties done ? Can't ye now jest gi'e I wone ? Teaties and cabbage and onions. These four counting-out processes are typical of a very large number in existence. Judge Udal in his article before mentioned gives some extremely interesting examples, and I have many more in manuscript. But if all the Dorset children's rhymes were printed, a separate volume would almost be needed. This paper is perhaps rather " light " for a Field Club's Proceedings. Some grave readers may dub it a " little childish." Exactly. It is wise sometimes even for Field Club members to become as little children ; on the whole it is such a great mistake to grow up. Beport on jfirst Appearances of 6iris, Inserts, &t., anfc Jfirst jflotoerin0 of IN DORSET FOR 1916. By W. PARKINSON CURTIS, F.E.S. MUST apologise to my fellow members for the fact that this time I have hung up the publi- cation of the Proceedings by my lateness with my report . The blame is not entirely mine, though I must father the greatest responsibility ; but it would probably be difficult to satisfy all the delinquents that the blame had been fairly allo- cated. However, in fairness to the printers of our Proceedings, this time they must be absolved. War conditions have rendered it increasingly difficult for me either to observe on my own account or to collate other people's observations ; and at present I feel that the business necessities are of such overwhelming importance that hobbies, even though they be scientific and even though they may have a permanent interest and a possible real value, must stand aside. I fear that this is only too apparent from the records given, as some of the regular observers have not sent as full records as is customary with them. 134 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. The names (arranged alphabetically) of those who have sent returns are as follows. The initials prefixed in brackets to the names designate the responsibility for the record in the notes hereafter. (E.H.C.) E. Barker Curtis, Aysgarth, Poole. (W.P.C.) W. Parkinson Curtis, Hambledon Lodge, Parkstone. (S.E.V.F.) Rev. S. E. V. Filleul, All Saints' Rectory, Dorchester. (J.M.J.F.) Rev. Canon J. M. J. Fletcher, The Vicarage, Wimborne Minster. (F.H.H.) F. H. Haines, Esq., Winfrith. (E.F.L.) Rev. E. F. Linton, Edmondsham Rectory, Dorset (post town Salisbury). (N.M.R.) Nelson M. Richardson, Monte Video, near Weymouth. (E.S.R.) E. S. Rodd, Chardstock House, Dorset. (J.R.) The Rev. J. Ridley, Pulham Rectory, Dor- chester. (E.E.W.) Miss Ellen E. Woodhouse, Chilmore, Ansty, Dorset. Mr. G. R. Peck has retired, having left the county. In addition to our regular observers, I have to thank the following gentlemen in varying degrees for taking the trouble to bear patiently my pertinacity and answering questions upon records painstakingly. Mr. S. H. Wallis, of Chesterfield Place, Weymouth. The Rev. F. L. Blathwayt (F.L.B.), of Melbury Osmund, a member of the British Ornithological Union and of our own club. Members will be gratified to know that Mr. Blathwayt will contribute regularly in future. Dr. F. G. Penrose (F.G.P.) of Hawkley, West Cliff Road, Bournemouth. The Rev. A. Bertram Hutton (A.B.H.), of Loders, FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 135 CANIDAE. (1) Canis vulpes. The Fox. Apr. 21 Canford, Poole. I saw the remains of a mallard and subsequently found the vixen's earth about a quarter of a mile away ; the Lodge Keeper has heard the dog fox barking at nights. It is a matter of some difficulty to locate the foxes on Canford Estate unless one stumbles upon helpful evidence. Apr. 22 The same foxes made a meal off a female Burro\f duck last night. May 28 A fox cub a little larger than a torn cat growled at me because I " shued " him out of a bush on Badbury Rings. He crept away so quietly that he reminded me of the cat in " Alice in Wonderland." Although I watched him I never saw him go. The growl was very canine. (E.H.C.) CERVIDAE. (2) Cervus elaphus. Red Deer. This animal was reported from the big heath between Purbeck Hills and the shores of Poole Harbour during winter 1915-16. I suggested to Dr. Penrose, who kindly investigated the report for me, that the deer seen were probably descendants of Japanese Deer escaped from Brownsea. He has been able to report that my surmise was correct. (W.P.C.) (3) Capreolus caprea. Roebuck. Feb. 27 Canford Estate. One roebuck that frequents this estate seems remarkably tame. He allowed me to approach quite closely before he strolled off. Mar. 26 One seen with velvet on his horns. (E.H.C.) 136 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. •2* is £a *H S S^» -jH 053 o -a •E-a.^'i S?§" O S$ and flew off. 4.45 p.m. Male came to the nest with pre^ in his claws. Immediately afterwards one of the young males came back to share food, his idea of sharing it being to take it from the backward young one to the far side of the nest and devour it himself. July 9 E.H.C. 12.30. The most backward young one was the only one left in the nest, but two others came back into the tree. 1 p.m. The female came in and fed three young in the nest, tearing up the food, a rat (Mus decumanus), as before. 1 .30 . Male dashed in with a small bird partiaJly plucked, and swept out, without alighting. 2.20. The male flashed into the nest and dropped either Anthus pratensis or Anthus trivialis (bird of the year). The most back- ward young one made a meal off this. Soon after- wards I saw one of the more advanced branchers flopping about in an adjacent tree ; and one young male joined the backward youngster in the nest. They all still called " kerwee." The old male was usually silent, but sometimes called a high-pitched "tcheer tcheer tcheer," and the female called a very full note " tcheel." One of the more advanced young, still a brancher , when mounting in the tree, moved his beak and neck very like a parrot ; but, though I watched 186 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. this one and others very carefully, I could not see that they assisted themselves as a parrot does in climbing with their bills. 3.0. The female arrived and fed some of the young in the trees ; one young male and one young hen could fly quite strongly and went a long way to meet her — quite thirty or forty yards. 3.10. The male arrived in the vicinity with prey, but did not come to the nest, and shortly afterwards the female came to the nest with the remains of prey. 4.15. The female came to the nest evidently after she had fed some of the branchers. The prey brought was what an engineering friend who was trying to stereoscope the nest, de- scribed as "the back axle, differential and torque member of a thrush with the casings removed." I took this away from the babe, as I hoped he would call to his parents for food next time they were in the vicinity. He seemed very annoyed with me ; but, as he did not do as I hoped, I restored the horrid remnant, and the babe set to work on it at once. He certainly evinced no fear of me. (I might add to this that far from shewing fear, the young birds were quite ready to go for my finger, and as they grew up would come across the nest and dab at one's hand. As I had no particular desire to contract septicaemia I took great care that none of them got hold. W.P.C.) 4.45. Male fed the young that were out in the trees. 5.15. Female came, flew round with an un- prepared blackbird in her claws. She settled on a bare branch near at hand, and, with a few deft strokes of her beak, sent feathers floating APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 187 through the air. Some of the skin and feathers appeared to be removed together, as the pieces fell straight to the ground. She rubbed her beak constantly on the branch to rid her nostrils of fluff, I suppose. In a couple of minutes she started going round to the branchers, feeding them from her beak, and I felt satisfied that she had fed four ; but she did not come to the nest. The last youngster will not be long in the nest, I think, as he has started climbing about the tree. July 16 The nest was empty, so I made a long examina- tion of the nest and remains. It took me about three and a half hours. The nest was 12 inches across and rather a rough oval in shape, being nearly 18 inches long, excluding the odds and ends of twigs projecting. The cup of the nest now trodden almost flat was originally shallow, and about the size of a double handful. The nest was about 12 inches from top to bottom, and was made of large twigs of fir and lined with smaller twigs of birch and fir. The whole was smothered with the down of the young, the small feathers of prey, the decayed castings of small feathers and bones. The nest, tree, and surrounding ground and herbage were liberally whitewashed. I found only one small fragment of egg shell in the nest. The debris of prey identified was as follows : — (a) Fringilla c celebs — 1 upper mandible. Turdus merula — 1 upper mandible, Juv. (b) Skulls with mandibles attached nearly all shewing crown cheek and some chin feathers : Passer domesticus, 4 males and 2 females ; Erithaca rubecula, 1 male ; Saxicola rubicola, 1 male. 188 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. (c) Feet and tarsi nearly all with tibia attached. Turdus merula, 1 pair attached to back and sternum, 1 pair with tibiae ; 4 right legs and 6 left legs, nearly all from young birds. Turdus musicus, 5 right legs and 5 left legs with tibiae attached, all from young birds. Turdus viscivorus, adults, 1 pair, and 1 left ; juveniles, 3 pairs. Passer domesticus, 1 right foot and tarsus. (d) Feathers not from birds already mentioned. Breast feather from Caprimulgus europaeus. Crown feather from Parus major newtoni. Below the tree — Caprimulgus europaeus, two sets of humerus, radius ulna, and phalanges from young birds. In regard to the foregoing no trace of any member of the Galliformes could be found, although the parents searched the adjacent common land and the small holdings for food. There were on the former coveys of the Common Partridge (Perdix cinerea) and Red-legged Partridge (Caccabis rufa) brood of Pheasants (Phasianus sp.) as well as Anseriformes — Anas boschas, the Wild Duck, and Tadorna cornuta, the Sheld-Duck, with trips of young ; on the latter many domestic poultry. Four young were still in the neighbourhood, attended by the female, and they were fed twice between 10 and 12 noon. At 3 p.m. we met the female coming home with food. July 22 The young birds were still in the wood and were attended by the parents. They had acquired nearly adult voices, but one female still had down here and there amongst her feathers. FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 189 Head Keeper Wren reports that he had had two other pairs of this hawk under observation close to the chickens farm at Knighton, but so far neither pair has touched the poultry . (W.P.C. and E.H.C.) (62) Falco peregrinus. The Peregrine Falcon. Aug. 20 A pair of these birds seen wheeling over Durlston Head. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.) (63) Falco tinnunculus. The Kestrel. Apr. 24 At Canford Bottom I saw a male being mobbed by a pair of Turdus viscivorus, Missel Thrushes, that nested close to Longfleet Lodge. I had seen what was presumably the same male Kestrel in the air carrying a young Song Thrush dead in his talons. May 14 Examined, with Dr. Penrose, at Canford Bottom numerous castings of this bird containing fangs of adder, skin of adder and vertebrae, enormous numbers of elytra of beetles, many brilliantly iridescent green, legs beautifully purple, and parts definitely attributable to Cicindela cam- pestris, the Tiger Beetle, in addition to the hair of Mus sylvaiicus, the Long-Tailed Field Mouse. (W.P.C.) July 23 A male seen hawking butterflies at Badbury Rings. (E.H.C.) Aug. 5 Between Arish Mell and Mupe, four seen hawking butterflies all day, mostly Melanargia galatea, Argynnis aglaia, Hipparchia ianira and Satyrus semele. (W.P.C.) PHALACROCORACIDAE. (64) Phalacrocorax carbo. The Cormorant. Nov. 28 Several seen at Abbotsbury. (F.L.B.) 190 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. ANATIDAE. (65) Branta bernicla. The Brent Goose. Locally -killed birds in poulterers' shops at Wey mouth, Nov. 21-23 ; eleven on Lodmoor, Weymouth, Nov. 22 ; and five on Lodmoor, Weymouth, Nov. 29. (F.L.B.) (66) Tadorna tadorna. The Sheld-Duck. Apr. 15 This bird had started investigating the rabbit burrows in the vicinity of Poole — for suitable nesting places. House hunting with them is a very exhaustive process, and the sand on the " tip " at the entrance of most rabbit holes show the footmarks of this species. Moreover, the emergence of a Burrow Duck from a hole does not always indicate a nest by any means. Apr. 21 Five pairs seen investigating a rabbit warren at 5 a.m. by a reliable observer. Apr. 30 At Canford Bottom watched a pair flying high over the woods and found it was male escorting female to nest to lay. Female pitched down into heather and male stood out to sea again. We went across and found footprints of female outside and into a sandy rabbit burrow, and subsequently found down in the vicinity. May 7 W.P.C. observed another female to a nest in Canford Bottom. E.H.C. saw a female go out from laying at 4.30 p.m. May 14 W.P.C. saw a female go out at 12 noon from laying. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.) (67) Anas boschas. The Mallard. Feb. 27 On Hatch Pond in Poole, about 15 Anas boschas seen ; on March 5 eleven seen ; on March 6 seven seen. Doubtless the numbers on Hatch Pond are swollen with immigrants in wintei FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 191 Apr. 21 Six males seen without their mates, on the ponds on Canford Estate. (E.H.C.) Many seen at Abbotsbury Nov. 28 ; and many on the lake in Melbury Park, Dec. 30. (F.L.B.) (68) Querquedula crecca. The Teal. Nov. 20 Four on Lodmoor, Wey mouth ; locally -killed birds in poulterers' shops at Weymoi>Tla Nov. 21-23. (F.L.B.) (69) Mareca penelope. The Widgeon. In poulterer's shops at Wey mouth, Nov. 21-23, locally killed ; many seen at Abbotsbury, Nov. 28. (F.L.B.) (70) Spatula clypeata. Shoveller. In poulterer's shops, Weymouth, Nov. 21-23, locally killed ; about 30 seen at Abbotsbury, Nov. 28 ; Mr. S. H. Wallis records this bird as breeding on Lodmoor. (F.L.B.) (71) Dafila acuta. The Pintail. One male and 2 females seen at Abbotsbury, Nov. 28. (F.L.B.) (72) Nyroca ferina. The Pochard. Feb. 6 At 4 p.m. hard wind from West. About 100 Common Pochard on Poole Park Lake about 40 yards from shore and very tame. Mar. 19 Very wet with E.S.E. wind. Six Tufted Duck and 30 or 40 Common Pochard on the Salt Water Lake, Poole. (E.H.C.) In poulterers' shops at Weymouth, Nov. 21-23, locally killed ; many seen at Abbotsbury, Nov. 28 ; and a dozen at Melbury Park, Dec. 30. (F.L.B.) 192 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. (73) Nyroca marila. Scaup. Jan. 2 Hard wind from South, going westerly as day advanced and freshening with driving rain. Arrived at 2 p.m. on Salt Water Lake, Poole Park. Soon after saw three large bunches of ducks come in, 200, 120, and about 30, followed by a lot of 10 's, 6's and 5's, followed again by stragglers, and all circled round the lake and splashed down amongst the Coots and Common Pochard. The large bunches were Scaup Duck, (Nyroca marila), but they were very restless and did not remain in the water long, although at one time there must have been over 300 indi- viduals on the lake, and over 550 ducks of sorts. Of the remainder about 200 were Common Pochard, and two Tufted Ducks were identified. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.) Jan. 8 A single Scaup Duck was noted on Poole Park Lake by W.P.C. Feb. 21 About 30 Scaup Duck flying over Poole Park Lake, displaying their prominent white wing bars. 80 Common Pochard floating on the Lake. (E.H.C. and W.P.C.) (74) Nyroca fuligula. The Tufted Duck. A male at Melbury Sampford Lake, 27 Nov. ; a few seen at Abbotsbury, Nov. 28 ; and one male on Melbury Lake Dec. 30. (F.L.B.) (75) Oedemia nigra. The Common Scoter. Two seen at Abbotsbury, Nov. 28. (F.L.B.) (76) Mergus merganser. The Goosander. Three on the Fleet inside Chesil Beach, Nov. 22. (F.L.B.) FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 193 CHARADRIIDAE. (77) Scolopax rusticola. The Woodcock. Jan. 23 In Bere Wood two were observed. Mar. 26 Canford Estate, two seen. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.) (77a) Gallinago gallinago. Common Snipe. May 7 Two males seen at Canford Bottom. May 13 One male seen at Canford Bottom. May 20 Several observed and one male seen drumming at Bere Wood. (W.P.C.) (78) Tringa canutus. The Knot. Mar. 19 A few seen at the edge of Poole Harbmir. (E.H.C.) Mar. 24 A small flock at Houlton Mere, Poole Harbour. (F.G.P.) (79) Tringa maritima. The Purple Sandpiper. Aug. 1 A single bird seen on the rocks at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.) (80) Tringa alpina. The Dunlin. Aug. 14 A full company seen at Poole for the first time this autumn. (W.P.C.) (81) Totanus totanus. The Redshank. Mr. S. H. Wallis reports this bird as breeding on Lodmoor. (F.L.B.) (I have seen eggs from Lodmoor. W.P.C.) Apr. 21 This bird has extended its nesting range and altered its habit in Dorset by nesting further inland of recent years. May 16 Heard in the marsh at Canford Bottom. 194 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. July 26 A migrant flock going Southward over Poole. (E.H.C.) (82) Totanus hypoleucus. Common Sandpiper. Upward migration. Mar. 22 One seen outside Poole Park. Apr. 28 Five seen at Poole. Downward migration. July 19 Two seen at Scratchcraft, Poole. Aug. 12-13 Many at Scratchcraft, Poole. (W.P.C.) (83) Numenius arquata. The Curlew. May 16 Heard calling in Canford Bottom, but no evi- dence of nesting has been procured by us. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.) (84) Numenius phseopus. The Whimbrel. Upward migration. May 1-6 Many seen in Poole Harbour. (F.G.P.) (85) Aegialitis hiaticula. Ringed Plover. Apr. 16 A finished nesting scrape noted near the margin of Poole Harbour. (E.H.C.) (86) Vanellus vanellus. The Lapwing. Feb. 27 In Haymoor or Canford Bottom, E.H.C. heard these birds " weeping " for the first time this year. Apr. 21 A female seen to fly down at 4.45 p.m., escorted by the male, evidently going to nest in Canford Bottom. The manner of flight is somewhat of a betrayal, as I immediately walked over and found the nest and four eggs. Late in the FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 195 evening I put up a bird tent to this nest and strained it well with fir boughs ; but even then the high winds caused it to flap, and I presume that this made the birds desert as they did. Apr. 29 Having located another pair in Canford Bottom, E.H.C. took advantage of its situation to try a new and quicker method of finding the nest than watching, which was successful. There were four eggs, and incubation was only Just commenced, judging from the appearance of the eggs. Late in the evening W.P.C. and E.H.C. pitched the bird tent about 30 yards from the nest. This bird promptly deserted. Apr. 30 A female sitting in a fallow field near Badbury Rings (W.P.C.). Seen by E.H.C. with young on May 28. May 3 Put up a tent to a third nest at Canford, at 25 yards distance from the nest, just as dusk was falling. May 6 Shifted tent right up to nest, as the bird was evidently intending to sit, notwithstanding the tent. May 7 Put up Trellis and 12in. Ross Homocentric to this bird, which was sitting when we approached. E.H.C. started work at 11 a.m. At 11.45 W.P.C. returned to flush the bird, so as to give E.H.C. a chance of getting a picture of her leaving the nest ; but E.H.C. had given her ten minutes to get used to the lens, so was not ready. The habits at the nest gave little to note ; but the result of our joint observation is as follows. The male and female usually return together, and the male takes up a point of vantage, and the female runs to the nest halting every little while and depressing her body and lifting her 196 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. tail as if she were pivoted at the " hips " (which in fact she is), and raising her head up and down in the same way as Aegialitis hiaticula, the Ringed Plover. As a photographic sitter she is a perfect bird, and sits very quietly, taking very little notice of the shutter. She sat head to wind all the time. E.H.C. heard her speak only about three times, and then she gave a plain- tive note and not very loud, like the first syllable of the plover cry. At the approach of danger the male rises with a call of " weet " rather long drawn, and the female runs a few yards and rises too. In the afternoon W.P.C. secured the male bird taking his share of incubation, the difference in the tone of the back and head markings being quite distinguishable in a monochrome photo- graph, and easily so in the colour photographs obtained. (Paget and Autochrome). May 10 E.H.C. had a further try at these birds ; but although photographically he procured in- teresting results, his notes disclosed no further details of habit, which is perhaps not surprising, seeing that the young had not hatched. May 10 Observed this male drive a female Accipiter nisus away from the nest. May 14 E.H.C. once more tried this pair, hoping he might be successful in obtaining a photograph of the two birds changing over, but was not successful, although he saw the birds change places. He noted further that the female takes no notice of whistling, talking, or any noise that is not violent. Two birds talk to one another " whee-wheet, whee-wheet," and the other replies with the same note from post as sentry. E.H.C. also heard the female call to the male by making a continuous " wheet-wheet- KERST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 197 wheet," repeating it many times running, rather like a Ringed Plover's call, only a plaintive note more like a " weep " than a whistle. When the birds changed over they both ran to one another and conversed in the same tones. They have quite a language, besides the cries known only to the unhidden disturber. He noticed the birds turn their eggs with their feet. (E.H.C. and W.P.C.) LARIDAE. (87) Larus marinus. The Great Black- Backed Gull. Nov. 20 A few near Portland Station. (F.L.B.) (88) Larus fuscus affinis. The British Lesser Black- Backed Gull. Nov. 20 A few near Portland Station. (F.L.B.) (89) Catharacta skua. The Great Skua or Bonxie. Mr. Wallis wrote me 4 February, 1916 : The first Great Skua I ever saw in the flesh was shot here (i.e. Weymouth) a month ago. 23 April 1916. I was called away from home or I should have reached Martock. It is my opinion the farmer is afraid of the Bird Protection Act. However, the farmer, Mr. William Tucker, of Manor Farm, Martock, Somerset, wrote Mr. Wallis that he had had the bird stuffed and would try to find out who shot it. So far the enquiries have not resulted in any information being forthcoming. (The farmer mentioned purchased the bird in the flesh of the murderer and took it to Martock, where he lived. The bird is a great rarity in Britain, and is on the " Specially 198 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. Protected List." The Police as usual failed to prosecute. They are supine, and receive no encouragement from the magistracy. The Police will not diligently take up a class of offences unless the Magistrates back them by substantial penalties on a conviction. W.P.C.) ALGID AE. (90) Alle alle. The Little Auk. Nov. 24 Two close in shore at Weymouth. (F.L.B.) Nov. 29 One landed alive close to the Victoria Hotel, Swanage. (F.G.P.) PODICIPIDAE. (91) Podiceps auritus. The Slavonian Grebe. Nov. 19 A flock of ten in Portland Roads ; and in Weymouth Bay on Nov. 21 and on several subsequent days. F.L.B. (92) Podiceps fluviatilis. The Little Grebe. Apr. 21 A pair seen making a nest at a point where a stream enters a large piece of water on the Canford Estate. The female (presumably from her feminine manner) was making a nest of sorts in a most unsuitable and exposed position on what is usually the lee side of the pond. May 7 A visit to this nest resulted in finding three very iron-stained eggs that the female had not had time to cover as E.H.C. approached. May 13 This nest had been robbed by some egg- snatcher. May 28 This pair had another nest with four eggs in another position and further from shore than the nest that had been robbed. HIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 199 June 3 We erected a hiding tent near this nest. June 4 One young bird had just hatched at 9.45. The parent covered eggs and nest with dry shaving grass and weed, and dived off on our approach. E.H.C.'s notes run as follows : — " 10.9. The parent birds appeared in the offing at the entrance of the gully in which the nest was situated. 10.11. What proved to be the female started swimming into the gully, halting every little while to look round. She swam over the weedy parts of the gully, but passed the clear spaces by diving. She halted about 20 feet from the nest and watched the tent very carefully, then took a dive and came up close to the nest. She then swam round the nest a few times and, having satisfied herself that all was well, she climbed up on to the nest, disposed of the covering of the nest round the sides of the nest and settled down on four eggs (stained rust-red by the iron in the water) and drew the chick under her wing. E.H.C. gave her 10 minutes on the nest and then gave a fast instantaneous exposure, and a few brief moments after the female quitted without covering the eggs or chick, and dived and swam to the gully mouth. Just as she left the nest a hawk came over twittering ; and this bird (Accipiter nisus) had, I think, more to do with the dabchick quitting than the shutter. 10.28, the female came back up the gully again, taking the same route and swimming and diving as before. At 10.35 she was on the nest again, and kept turning her head sideways and looking up into the sky as if she still had the Sparrowhawk in mind. The arrival of a pair of Jays in a fir tree on the bank opposite the nest did not 200 FIEST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. disturb her, save that she faced them until they left. At 11.2 I exposed a plate, and as I was changing plates the male arrived at the nest and the birds changed places. I thus lost my only opportunity of getting both birds at the nest ; but I was interested to note beyond doubt that both parents take part in the incubation. As far as restlessness is concerned both male and female are very active ; they keep constant observation on all points of the compass, moving their heads in a series of jerks. They also move their tails (such as they are) and wings a good deal, but do not fidget their feet so much. At 11.20 W.P.C. and L.M.C. approached (as previously arranged, to give me a chance or two at the birds near the nest, since an undisturbed sitter rapidly exhausts possible attitudes for pictures). The male covered the eggs and dived off with the chick under his wing. A few minutes after W.P.C. and L.M.C. left, the female came to the mouth of the gully with the male, and the latter came back up the gully to the nest, and stopped a few yards short of it in the weeds where the nestling was floating. At 12 noon he was still alongside, and the nestling vainly tried to get on his back. The babe swam into the thicker weed, the male keeping beside it, but making no effort to get it up, and seemingly most anxious and perturbed about it. In a few moments the babe lay out motionless and exhausted, and at 12.10 the male stood out and dived off to the pond, having given the babe up apparently. When the male got out into the pond he called the female, which is the smaller bird of the two, and they both came a little way into the FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 201 gully. The female went straight to the nest without heeding the apparently lifeless chick lodged in the weed. The male quitted the nest with half the egg shell in his beak, dived, and rose without it. Then the female came in and settled on the nest, which the male had not covered. It was now 12.30, and both birds had apparently given up the nestling, which I took to be drowned. The female remained on the nest until 12.50. moving at every sound. At 12.50 the male came and the female quitted, and the male mounted the nest ; but he had not got the babe likewise he did not do what I desired as regards posing, for first he sat facing the opposite way and then directly facing the camera. At 1.0 I noticed the nestling was not dead, because he struggled and made a small ripple, so I stole softly out of the back of the tent and, appearing some distance away, I put the male off the nest and went round with a couple of long sticks lashed together to fish out the nestling, which I managed successfully. The poor little chap was nearly done, so I laid him on the warm bank in the sun after holding him up and letting the water out of his mouth and throat, after which he opened his eyes. I then trans- ferred him to my pocket. About three minutes after I heard a faint cheep like a chicken, and found the nestling, while anything but vigorous, to some extent recovered. I made a little nest of dry grass and put him in the warm sun close to the real nest, which was out of my reach. I then went back to the tent and at 1.20 one of the parent birds appeared in the offing. I heard both birds calling to one another while on the pond, the note being a 202 FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. repetition about twenty times of the syllable " queek " and something after the style of the call of a guinea fowl (Numidea meleagris), only on one note, not two. Both birds when in close company make a funny little " queek " like the first syllable of a waterhen's call on a very low and soft note. Both birds are such fidgets that the only way to make a successful exposure is to note the position in which the bird most often keeps its head in a series of movements and then to start the exposure immediately its head arrives at that point. At 1.40 the male sailed in and dived, coming up close to the nest, and then settled on. In a few moments the babe gave a feeble " queek," and the male spied it and came across,and I could not watch them under the bank. Five minutes after W.P.C. arrived with my lunch, and the male still stuck under the bank. I signalled W.P.C. to deposit my lunch and depart, but not before the male dived out from under the bank and across the other side of the gully. As soon as W.P.C. had gone the male came back again and covered the eggs, and then went under the bank close to me and stayed about a quarter of an hour, and I could not see a ripple ; and so I stole out to get my lunch, and the male then crossed the gully. A few minutes after I had got back to the tent the male rose out of the weeds, and I saw the chick in the weeds beside him. The male then fussed round the chick for about a quarter of an hour ; but the little chap could not get on to the bird's back. At last it crawled over the weed into a tangle of furzebush that drooped in the water. This completely baffled the male, and he, after FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 203 about a quarter of an hour longer, "stood out to sea," having apparently again deserted the babe. I then crawled out of the tent and rescued the chick, a not easy task having regard to its tenderness and the exceedingly uncompromising prickles of the furzebush. The chick was not so feeble as he had been after his long immersion, so I deposited him in the nest by aid of a long forked stick and returned to my tent just as the male came back. The bird had a good hunt for the chick where he had last seen it, but seemed unable to penetrate the furzebush. Three times altogether he hunted for the chick and then returned to the nest. The surprise of the male was only equalled by the vigour with which the chick made its way under the parental wing. 3.30 female arrived ; and, as she approached, the male quitted with the young bird under its wing ; but this time he sailed off without diving. The female quitted her incubation about every twenty minutes, and would go down to pond and would say " queek " *° ; the male bird would reply " queek " w , whereafter the female would return and do a little more incu- bation. I never heard either bird speak loudly near the nest. June 13 I walked up to see how the dabchicks had got on. One of the birds quitted the nest after covering it. The chick I found in the weeds near the entrance to the gully, and, judging by his cries, he seemed none the worse for his adventures. June 16 The nest contained one egg uncovered and addled." (E.H.C.) 204 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. RALLIDAE. (93) Fulica atra. The Coot. Mar. 19 The usual goodly company of coots that crowd down to the Salt Water Lake in Poole Park are visibly thinning out. (E.H.C.) Thousands seen at Abbotsbury Nov. 28 ; and several on the lake at Melbury Park, December 30. (F.L.B.) COLUMBUm (94) Streptopelia turtur. The Turtle Dove. Upward Migration. Apr. 30 Three at, or in the neighbourhood of, Stur- minster Marshall. May 2 E.H.C. notes—4' I heard Turtur turtur in Branksome Park." (I think this is a bit doubt- ful. Since the above note was written I have discovered that some of the residents have established dovecotes of Streptopelia risorius, the Bar bar y Dove ; these birds are in a semi- wild condition, and nest in the fir trees in the Branksome Park and Durrant Estate areas where Poole and Bournemouth join. I cannot distinguish the notes myself. The birds are in- creasing, so far as I can see, with some rapidity, and appear to be getting acclimatized and independent, though they are much persecuted by cats, dogs, and louts, all three of which are unduly prevalent in the district. W.P.C.) May 20 At Berewood, three pairs seen. (W.P.C.) May 28 Three seen drinking at the dewpond at Badbury. (E.H.C.) Downward Migration. July 23 Two seen at Badbury Rings. (E.H.C.) FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 205 GENERAL NOTES ON BIRDS. Apr. 6 The dawn chorus had fairly started at 5 a.m. (E.S.R.) Mar. 24, 25, 26. Bright sunny days with cold North- West winds. No migrants seen. Mar. 31 A sunny day followed by still dark night. Apr. 1, 2, and 3 were followed by still nights. I had no opportunity to observe, and no further migrants were observed, although some may have come in. Apr. 8 A sunny day. No migrants noted on the Canford Estate, although the weather since the 3rd has presented opportunities. Apr. 9 Another lovely sunny day with very light N.W. wind failing considerably at sundown. Everything points to a migration on the night of April 8 and 9. At 10.30 p.m. on April 8th a small bird of light weight fluttered several times on my window pane which faces South. I could not see the bird, but, fearing it would wear itself out, I switched out my light. The bird would not enter, although my bedroom window is always open. Apr. 20 About this date there were hard winds from Eastward. Apr. 25, 26 There has been a further increase in the number of migrants during the two or three days or nights when the winds have been moderate and failing toward nightfall. Apr. 27, 28, 29 The main stream of migrants appears to have come into the country about these dates, and the whitethroats put in their appearance in full numbers. (E.H.C.) REPTILIA. Rana tempora. The Frog. Spawn Jan. 26th. Dorchester. (J.R.) 206 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. fi, Si 2 .8 II itf .83 .2 I tits •a & •^ •< 3 do *« !£ H^W S3 3 3 e * * 1H* -• 2 S « ; > o -3 i ® « «8, o,*73 e e, s^ fc iJ (n 1-1 PN H! h FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 207 "INSECTA LEPIDOPTERA PAPILIONIDAE PIERINAE (1) Pieris brassicae. The Large White. Apr. 1 Ansty, E.E.W. Apr. 24 Wey mouth (N.M.R.) May 5 Poole. May 19 The heat of the preceding few days had brought out a great number. (W.P.C.) (2) Pieris rapas. The Small White. Apr. 25 One at Poole. May 5 Out in full force at Poole and very abundant on 7 May. May 19 The heat of the last few days had brought out a great profusion. (W.P.C.) (3) Pieris napi. The Green- Veined White. May 21 In evidence at Canford. (W.P.C.) (4) Euchloe cardamines. The Orange- Tip. May 19 A single male at Poole. May 20 Abundant at Bere Wood. June 17 Was very worn at Bere Wood. (W.P.C.) (5) Gonepteryx rhamni. The Brimstone. Apr. 2 Six hibernated males — Higher Lytchett. Apr. 9 Four at Canford. (W.P.C.) * Nomenclature, R. South, Butterflies and Moths of British Isles. I do not, by adopting this, imply that I agree with its entirety, as I do not. I have added the English names, as I find some people like to have them, though the names are in many cases very absurd. — ED. PH. NOTES. 208 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. NYMPHALIDAE. NYMPHALINAE. (6) Vanessa urticae. The Small Tortoiseshell. Apr. 1 One at Broadstone (E.H.C.) Apr. 2 Six at Higher Lytchett. Apr. 9 One at Canford, (W.P.C.) (7) Vanessa io. The Peacock. Apr. 1 One at Higher Lytchett. Apr. 9 Four at Canford. Aug. 5 At Mupe Bay. Aug. 27 At Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) (8) Pyrameis cardui. The Painted Lady. Aug. 6 A single specimen at Mupe Bay. (W.P.C.) (9) Pyrameis atalanta. The Red Admiral. Aug. 13 At Swanage. Oct. 8 Two flying weakly at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) (10) Argynnis aglaia. The Dark Green Fritillary. July 31 This insect was very abundant at Arish Mell throughout the first two weeks of August. (W.P.C.) (11) Argynnis euphrosyne. The Pearl Bordered Fritillary. May 20 Abundant at Berewood. May 21 Abundant at Canford, where I procured a nicely banded specimen. June 17 Was worn to a shadow at Bere Wood. (W.P.C.) SATYRINAE. (12) Satyrus semele. The Grayling. July 31 This insect was extremely abundant at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.) FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 209 (IS)^Pararge megaera. The Wall Brown. May 20 Out at Swanage. (E.H.C.) Aug. 5 Second brood at Mupe Bay. (W.P.C.) (14) Epinephele ianira. The Meadow Brown. July 8 Abundant by this date at Poole. July 30 This insect was extremely abundant at Arish Mell, but was getting very worn.. I noticed that it and Melanargia galatea gradually travelled up the Downs as the sun sank and finally came to rest in quantities in a position where they could get the last rays of the setting sun. (W.P.C.) (15) Coenonympha pamphilus. The Small Heath. May 21 A single specimen at Canford, rather unusually early. June 17 Appeared to be just emerging at Bere Wood on this date. July 9 The first brood was in full force at Poole, and was particularly fine and well marked. (W.P.C.) LYCAENIDAE. LYCAENINAE. (16) Callophrys rubi. The Green Hair streak. May 20 A single worn specimen at Canford. June 11 Fairly abundant at Canford Bottom, but getting over. June 17 Abundant at Bere Wood, but worn. (W.P.C.) (17) Chrysophanus phloeas. The Small Copper. May 21 At Canford. July 31 The second brood was fairly in evidence at Arish Mell, and on 2 August I obtained a speci- men which was strongly inclined to ab. schmidtii. (W.P.C.) 210 FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. (18) Lycaena argus (aegon). The Silver Studded Blue. July 9. By this date this insect was abundant at Poole. (W.P.C.) (19) Lycaena astrarche. The Brown Argus. July 31 and onwards. The second brood of this insect was not uncommon at Arish Mell, but was very small in size. (W.P.C.) (20) Lycaena icarus. The Common Blue. June 10 Out on the Down at Arish Mell. July 31 Second brood was not uncommon at the same place and shewing a strong percentage of ab. caerulea. (W.P.C.) (21) Lycaena corydon. The Chalk Hill Blue. July 30 At Arish Mell the species was very scarce, only three seen. Aug. 2 By this date, however, the numbers had in- creased ; but it was never really plentiful. (W.P.C.) (22) Cyaniris argiolus. The Holly Blue. Apr. 25 One at Parkstone. (Mrs. E. Hudson.) Apr. 28 Two at Poole. Apr. 30 Two at Poole. May 19 The heat of the preceding few days had brought out a fair sprinkling. May 20 One at Bere Wood. May 21 Abundant at Canford. (W.P.C.) LEMONIIDAE. (23) Nemeobius lucina. The Duke of Burgundy Fritillary. May 20 Out at Bere Wood. (W.P.C.) FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 211 HESPERIIDAE. HESPERIINAE. (24) Hesperia malvae. The Grizzled Skipper. May 21 Abundant at Canford. (W.P.C.) (25) Thanaos tages. The Dingy Skipper. May 20 Out at Bere Wood. (W.P.C.) May 21 Abundant at Canford. (W.P.C.) (26) Adopaea actaeon. The Lulworth Skipper. July 31 This insect was well represented at Arish Mell and at Mupe Bay. (W.P.C.) (27) Augiades sylvanus. The Large Skipper. June 25 At Canford. (W.P.C.) SPHINGIDAE. (28) Smerinthus ocellatus. The Eyed Hawk Moth. July 7 I have been breeding this insect. It seems to be a very stupid larva. It will starve in the vicinity of fresh food because it is too sluggish to crawl off the dead food to the new. If at all crowded it tends to cannibalism as well. Sep. 1 I obtained a single larva at Poole feeding on golden willow. The interest lies in the colour, which was a very vivid semi-translucent golden green, only a trifle greener than the stems of the plant, and afforded a marked contrast to a larva found the following day at Canford Bottom on a deep green sallow which was nearly mala- chite green and very solid looking indeed. 212 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. Sep. 3 A single specimen emerged in my breeding cage at Poole, constituting a second brood, a most unusual occurrence with the species. (W.P.C.) NOTODONTIDAE. (29) Cerura furcula. The Sallow Kitten. Sep. 2 A single larva at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) (30) Dicranura vinula. The Puss Moth. Aug. 13 A half-fed larva at Swanage. (W.P.C.) (31) Stauropus fagi. The Lobster Moth. Sep. 2 One larva. Sep. 3 Two larvae at Canford Bottom, by E.H.C. This confirms, for the first time that I am aware of, Seager's century-old record given in C. W. Dale's Lepidoptera of Dorset. (W.P.C.) (32) Notodonta ziczac. The Pebble Prominent. June 25 A larva at Canford. (W.P.C.) Aug. 20 A most extraordinary larva at Swanage. It was feeding on Po'pulus balsamifera in immed- iate juxtaposition to a tarred post, one might almost say " in contact to " a tarred post, and the colour is so extraordinary that one feels tempted to describe it as black. However, there was a slight admixture of orange, rose, and very dark green, but the general effect was black. I have figured and photographed the larva. (33) Lophopteryx camelina. The Coxcomb Prominent. Sep. 2 In Canford Bottom these larvae were nearly full fed by this date, and were fairly abundant. FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 213 (34) Pygaera pigra. The Small Chocolate Tip. Sep. 2 About 45 larvae at Canford Bottom ; but they are much subject to the attacks of a dipterous parasite. (W.P.C.) THYATIRIDAE. (35) Palimpsestis duplaris. The Lesser Satin Moth. Sep. 30 A single larva from birch at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) (36) Polyploca flavicornis. The Yellow Horned. June 25 Six larvae at Canford and July 9 Two further larvae at Canford Bottom. The first time I have seen this insect in our district. (W.P.C.) LYMANTRIIDAE. (37) Dasychira pudibunda. The Pale Tussock. Sep. 30 Larvae abundant in Canford Bottom on this date. (W.P.C.) (38) Porthesia similis. The Yellow Tail. A female bred with black spot in each forewing. Corfe Castle. (Dru Drury). (An apparently unnamed aberration. W.P.C.) (39) Lymantria monacha. The Black Arches. May 7 A single empty pupa found by E.H.C. at Canford Bottom — a new locality for this insect to us. (W.P.C.) LASIOCAMPIDAE. (40) Macrothylacia rubi. The Fox Moth. May 13 On the wing at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) 214 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. (41) Gastropacha quercifolia. The Lappet. Sep. 2 Larva at Canford Bottom on sallow. This is first I have obtained locally. (W.P.C.) SATUKNIIDAE. (42) Saturnia pavonia. The Emperor Moth. Apr. 9 One male at Canford seen dodging about the heath and on May 7 A further specimen seen on Canford Heath. (W.P.C.) DREPANIDAE. (43) Drepana falcataria. The Pebble Hook Tip* May 14 One at Canford Bottom. (E.H.C.) May 21 One at Canford, and full-fed larvse on 3 Sep- tember at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) (44) Drepana lacertinaria. The Scalloped Hook Tip. May 14 One at Canford Bottom. (E.H.C.) May 21 One at Canford. (W.P.C.) June 25 Larvae were in evidence at Canford (W.P.C.) and on 8 October I found a larva sitting on the petiole of a birch leaf which it had evidently consumed. It was most difficult to see, and looked precisely like a dead and crumpled Jeaf . (E.H.C.) (45) Cilix glaucata. The Chinese Character. Aug. 3 At Arish Mell one specimen, and larvse at Canford Bottom 30 Sep. (W.P.C.) FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 215 CHLEOPHORIDAE. (46) Hylophila prasinana. Green Silver Lines. June 11 A single female at Canford Bottom ; and 30 September and 1 October larvse were not uncommon there. (W.P.C.) (47) ARCTIADAE. ARCTIANAE. Diaphora mendica. The Muslin. May 14 A female at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) (48) Diacrisia sannio. The Clouded Buff. June 24 One male ; 15 July, two males at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) (49 Coscinia cribraria (bivittata). The Speckled Footman. July 22 At Canford Bottom one specimen. (E.H.D.) (50) Hipocrita jacobeae. The Cinnabar. Aug. 13 The larva was full fed at Swanage. (W.P.C.) LITHOSIINAE. (51) Atolmis rubricollis. The Red-necked Footman. On 30 Sep. and 1 Oct. we obtained about a dozen of these larvse in Canford Bottom. Years ago they were alleged by E. N. Blanchard to be common in this district. This is the first time we have found them at all. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.) NOCTUIDAE. ACRONYCTINAE. (52) Bryophila per la. The Marble Beauty. Aug. 13 Three seen at Swanage. This insect was not uncommon during the year. (W.P.C.) 216 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. TRIFINAE. (53) Noctua castanea, var. neglecta. Qrey Rustic. Sep. 2 One at Canford Bottom at rest amongst heather stems. (W.P.C.) (54) Miana bicoloria. The Cloaked Minor. July 30 Extremely abundant in clover fields in the evening at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.) (55) Mormo maura. The Old Lady. July 28 A single specimen at Poole. (E.H.C.) (56) Panolis griseo-variegata. The Pine Beauty. June 25 The larvae were abundant at Canford. (W.P.C.) (57) Graptolitha ornithopus. Qrey Shoulder Knot. Apr. 8 One sitting head up on a fir tree at Canford. (W.P.C.) (58) Xylocampa areola. The Early Grey. Apr. 8 One at Canford. (W.P.C.) (59) Heliothis dipsacea. The Marbled Clover. July 16 At Canford Bottom by W.P.C., and on July 22 Again observed by E.H.C. BREPHIDAE. (60) Brephos parthenias. The Orange Underwing. Apr. 9 Four at Dunyeats Hill, and one at Cockwood, Canford. The flight of this insect is curiously bewildering ; it has a speed nearly equal to that of Colias edusa but has the habit of tower- FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 217 ing directly it is alarmed, which is pretty frequently, and it has something of the erratic flight of Saturnia pavonia. It is a tiresome insect to catch and spends most of the after- noon gambolling round the tops of the birch trees. It certainly feeds most freely in the sunny patches, between 10 and 12, but at 4.30 one was feeding at the foot of Dunyeats Hill, and one's best chance is undoubtedly a sunny morning and a nice (not too high) patch of sallow in full bloom. It seems, however, only to be the males which come to the sallow bloom. (For an account of an attack by Phylloscopus trocMlus (The Willow Warbler) on the insect see The Coloration Problems, mihi, Ent. Bee. and Journal of Variation, Vol. XXXIX, p. 56). (W.P.C.) GEOMETRIDAE. GEOMETRINAE. (61) Geometra papilionaria. The Large Emerald. June 25 A single larva at Canford, which emerged 28 July. (W.P.C.) ACIDALIINAE. (62) Hyria muricata. Purple Bordered Gold. July 28 One by E.H.C. at Canford Bottom, a new locality for this insect. (W.P.C.) (63) Acidalia virgularia. The Small Dusky Wave. June 24 One at Poole. (W.P.C.) (64) Ephyra porata. False Mocha. July 2 A single specimen at Canford Bottom, whilst the larva was abundant there on 30th September and practically full fed. (W.P.C.) 218 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. (65) Ephyra linearia. Clay Triple Lines. Sep. 2 Larvae obtained off beech at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) HYDRIOMENIDAE. (66) Lobophora carpinata. The Early Tooth-striped. Apr. 9 One at rest on a sallow bush low down at Canford. (E.H.C.) (67) Lobophora halterata. The Seraphim. May 21 At Canford a single specimen sitting on a birch, head up with wings well back. (W.P.C.) (68) Lygris testata. The Chevron. Sep. 2 One at Canford Bottom at rest with wings flat, on the underside of a gorse bush branch, but very low down. (W.P.C.) (69) Thera obeliscata. Grey Pine Carpet. A third brood was out at Poole throughout late September and October. (W.P.C.) (70) Thera variata. Pine Carpet. May 13 One seen at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) (71) Coremia unidentaria. Dark-barred Twin-spot Carpet* May 21 At Canford. (W.P.C.) (72) Coremia ferrugata. Eed Twin-spot Carpet. May 20 Out at Bere Wood. (W.P.C.) (73) Asthena luteata. Small Yellow Wave. June 11 At Bere Wood. (E.H.C.) FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 219 (74) Asthena testaceata. Waved Carpet. Sep. 30 A single larva obtained at Canford Bottom. I am quite satisfied as to its identity. (W.P.C.) (75) Eupithecia nanata. Narrow-winged Pug. May 13 Out at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) (76) Eupithecia abbreviata. Brindled Pug. Apr. 15 One at Broadstone. (W.P.C.) (77) Gymnoscelis pumilata. Double-striped Pug. A third brood was out at Poole by Aug. 28. (78) Chloroclystis rectangulata. Green Pug. June 11 At Poole E.H.C. (a new locality to me. W.P.C.) BOARMIINAE. (79) Ellopia prosapiaria. Barred Red. June 25 A single specimen from Canford. (W.P.C.) (80) Metrocampa margaritaria. The Light Emerald. July 2 A single specimen at rest in the grass at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) (81) Ennomos alniaria. Canary-shouldered Thorn. This insect was out by September 3 at Poole. (W.P.C.) (82) Selenia bilunaria. Early Thorn. Sep. 30 This larva was full fed. (W.P.C.) (83) Selenia tetralunaria. Purple Thorn. By 30 September this larva was full fed at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) 220 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. (84) Hybernia leucophaearia. The Spring Usher. This insect was out in Bere Wood on 22 January. (W.P.C.) (85) Boarmia cinctaria. Ringed Carpet. May 7 Out in full force at Canford Bottom, and still much in evidence there on 14 May. (W.P.C.) (86) Tephrosia bistortata. The Engrailed. Apr. 30 Two at Canford. (E.H.C.) May 7 One at Canford Bottom, and on 13 and 14 May numerous there. (W.P.C.) (87) Tephrosia luridata. Brindled White Spot. July 2 One at Canford Bottom with a piece bitten out of its wing (?) by a bird. (W.P.C.) 88) Tephrosia punctularia. Grey Birch. May 13 Four seen at Canford Bottom, on May 14 It was numerous there, and on May 21 Was observed at Canford sitting sideways with wings spread. (W.P.C.) (89) Ematurga atomaria. The Common Heath. May 7 Two at Canford Bottom, and on May 14 One at Canford. (W.P.C.) (90) Bupalus piniaria. Bordered White. June 11 Abundant and wild, Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.) June 25 One white male and one dark female, both Northern forms, obtained at Canford. (W.P.C.) This is interesting in view of the inclement spring. The larva was full fed by 30 September, FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 221 and on 8 October E.H.C. and W.P.C. had a try to see how many could be found on a fir bough in 10 minutes. W.P.C. found one and E.H.C. none, but at the first blow of the beating stick 8 fell into the tray, a very pretty exemplification of the perfection of the longitudinal striping for hiding the larva among pine needles. (W.P.C.) (91) Lozogramma petraria. Brown Silver Line. On 20 May out at Bere Wood, and on 21 May at Canf ord, and was still abundant at Bere Wood on 17 June. (W.P.C.) (92) Scodiona fagaria. Grey Scalloped Bar. May 15 A single female at rest on a grey patch of sand at Canford Bottom. (E.H.C. thinks not a selected resting place ; but it was a very good one for hiding purposes. W.P.C.) ZYGAENIDAE. (93) Zygaena filipendulae. Six-spot Bur net. Aug. 2 This insect was present in swarms at Arish Mell ; but though I netted and examined a great many, the only aberration noticed was a single speci- men with confluent spots. COCHLIDIDAE. (94) Cochlidion limacodes. The Festoon. Oct. 8 At Canford Bottom. E.H.C. beat a single full fed larva from oak. Unfortunately, as is not unusual, a blow strong enough to dislodge the larva, which holds remarkably tightly, resulted 222 FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. in injury sufficient to cause death ; but the record is interesting, as the locality is a new one to me. (W.P.C.) PYRALIDAE. CRAMBINAE. (95) Crambus pascuellus. . June 25 At Canford. (W.P.C.) PYRAUSTINAE. (96) Pyrausta purpuralis. May 21 First brood out at Canford. Aug. 4 On this date the second brood was out at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.) TORTRICIDAE. TORTRICINAE. (97) Tortrix viridana. July 2 More than usually abundant at Canford. (W.P.C.) (98) Cheimatophila hyemana. Mar. 9 In fair numbers at Canford. Apr. 8 Still abundant there. (W.P.C.) OLETHREUTINAE. (99) Retinia pinicolana. June 25 At Canford, (W.P.C.). FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 223 HYMENOPTERA. Vespa vulgaris. We have had fewer wasps about than usual this year ; and though I understand that is rather generally the case, it is here partly attributable to my school children having brought in Ij092 queens in the late spring, in response to a small reward. I have done this for two years now. (E.F.L.) The Common Wasp was unusually abundant. Mr. T. J. Meaby, of Canford, wrote me that by May 31 he had paid for 6,317 queens brought into the Canford Estate Office — while my notes are as follows : — May 14 An immense number in the Poole District. May 21 An immense number in the Canford District. They bid fair to be a perfect pest. June 17 But were very reduced in number in Bere Wood on this date ; probably due to the frost on 3 June. (W.P.C.) THYSANURA AND ORTHOPTERA. In response to a request for records on the Orders that Mr. Haines is interested in, he sent me the following further notes, which are reproduced verbatim, and mark a welcome departure in our Insect Notes, which in the past have been almost exclusively confined to lepidoptera. Thysanura and Orthoptera in Dorset. In case annotated records of certain species of the less known orders of Insecta, occurring in Dorset, might be of some interest, as yielding facts for determining distribution, I have written the present short lists. I hope to improve upon both their form and matter after the next year or two. 224 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. The idea, now hastily acted upon, finds me with only inadequate data to begin with ; yet with, at least, the inten- tion of trying to make such data of more value in the future, when I hope that other Orders may be listed. I confine myself to species noted by me in Winfrith and its neighbour- hood. COLLEMBOLA : Symnthurus fuscus, De G., moist places in woods ; 8. luteus, Lub., grassy places ; 8. bourletii, Gerv., grassy places ; Orchesella cincta, L., amongst herbage ; 0. villosa, Geof. ; Tomocerus longicornis, Mull., amongst herbage ; T. plumbeus, L. ; T. niger, Bour., under wood ; Lepidocyrtus lignorum, Fabr. ; Degeeria nivalis, L. ; leotoma palustris, Bour. ; Podura aquatica, L., on pools. THY8ANURA : Lepisma saccharina, L. ; Machilis polypoda, L. ; M. maritima, Leach, on the coast. ORTHOPTERA: Forficula auricularia, L. ; Ectobia panzeri, Steph., very common on the heaths and near the coast ; E. livida, Fabr., another common heathland and coast species ; Oryllotalpa gryllotalpa, L., seems not uncommon, at least locally, in the county. I know that it has occurred among potatoes, at Moreton, and it has been found in autumn, in both the nymph and perfect state, among horse manure, in my garden, at Winfrith, evidently hibernating, in successive years. Qryllus domesticus, L., appears to have become rarer, and has disappeared from our house, where some years ago it occurred. O. campestris does not seem to occur at Winfrith, nor have I met Nemobius sylvestris, F., in this neighbour- hood. Leptophyes punctatissima, B. d'A., in the woods; Xiphidium dor sale, Latr., Arne and Bloxworth ; Locusta wridissima, L., very common at Ringstead, among coarse vegetation and along this coast. I have not myself met with it inland. Olynthoscelis cinereus, L., common in bushes. Platycelis grisea, Fab., common on the coast, both on chalk and heathland. P. brachypterus, L.t common in various FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 225 types of locality. Gomphocerus rufus, L. \G. maculatus,Th\mb., common on the heaths. Stenobothrus lineatus, Panz. ; 8. viridulus, L., common everywhere ; 8. rufipes, Zett. ; 8. bicolor, Charp., abundant ; S. elegans, Char p. ; 8. parallelus, Zell., very common ; Tettix subulalus, L., common on heaths and near marshes ; T. bipunctatus, L., very common on the heaths, practically throughout the year. The introduced Blatta orientalis, L., is, of course, widely common. I have had one of the green Panchlora, either P. exoleta, Klog., or P. viridis, L., sent to me from Sherborne, obviously introduced with bananas. Although I have paid a proportional amount of attention to the following small Orders, I have so few species to record that I had hesitated to " list " them until I had worked them more. PLECOPTERA : Dictyopteryx mortoni, Klap., common on the swifter streams. Chloroperla grammatica, Poda, abundant on the rivers. Nemoura cinerea, Oliv., Morden ; N. variegata, Oliv., abundant on our streams and rivers ; N. marginata, Pict., Morden ; Leuctra geniculata, Steph., common, Moreton ; L. klapateki, Kempny, in autumn, Dewlish ; L. albida, Kempny, September, Moreton ; L. hippopus, Kempny, very common, Tadnoll and Moreton. PSOCOPTERA : Amphigerontiabifasciata,Leitr. \Psocus quadrimaculatus, Latr. ; Stenopsocus immaculatus, Steph. ; Stenopsocus stigmaticus, Imhoff ; Graphopsrocus cruciatus, L., very common ; Mesopsocus unipunctatus, Mull., very common ; Philotarus flaviceps, Steph. ; Elpsocus Tiyalinus, Steph., Holme ; E. abietis, Kolbe, common ; Peripsocus phaeopterus, Steph. ; Caecilius flavidus, Steph., common ; Atropos pulsatoria, L., common in the cupboards, etc., of my room. EPHEMEROPTERA : Ephemera danca, Mull., very common on the Frome ; Potamanthus luteus, L., very common on the IVome ; Leptophlebia marginata, L., common ; L. 226 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. submarginata, Steph., very common ; L. cincta, Retz. ; L. meyeri, Eaton ; Ephemerella ignita, Poda, common ; Baetisbinoculatus, L., abundant ; B. scambus, Eaton, common ; B. vernus, Curt., abundant ; B. rhodani, Pict., very common ; B. atrebatinus, Eaton ; B. pumilus, Burm., common ; B. niger, L. ; C. simile, Eaton. ODON AT A : Sympetrum striolatum, Charp., abundant ; 8. fonscolombii, de Selys, occurred on two heathland ponds in the neighbourhood, occasionally in numbers, in 1912, 1913, and 1914, but I have not seen it since, in either place. S. scoticum, Don., abundant ; Libellula depressa, Linn., common ; L. quadrimaculata, L., very common ; L. fulva, Mull., common in places ; Orthetrum carrulesceus, Fab., very common ; 0. cancellatum, L., common ; Cordulia aenea, L., common in places ; Cordulegaster annulatus, Latr., very common ; Anax imperator, Leach, common, quite abundant on one or two ponds ; Brachytron pratense, Mull., rather common ; Aeschna mixta, Latr., occasionally seen, but difficult to catch ; A. grandis, L., rather common ; Calopteryx splendens, Harris, very common on the Frome. I have not seen C. virgo, L., near here. It is, doubtless, abundant in other parts of the county. Lestes sponsa, Hans., common ; Pyrrnosoma nympJiula, Sulz., abundant ; P. tenettum, Vill., common ; Ischnura elegans, Van der L., very common ; Agrion puella, L., very common ; A. mercuriola, Charp., has occurred to me, once, in numbers, at one spot ; Enallagma cyathigerum, Charp., abundant. NEUROPTERA: Sialis lutaria, L., abundant; Raphidia maculicollis, Steph. ; Hemerdbius micans, Oliv. ; H. humuli, L., common ; H. lutescens, Fab. ; H. subnebulosus, Steph., common ; H. stigma, Steph. ; Micromus paganus, L. ; Chrysopa flava, Scop. ; C. alba, L., common ; C. vulgaris, Sch., common ; C. prasina, Ramb. ; C. abbreviata, Curt. ; C. phyllochroma, Wism ; (7. perla, L., abundant ; Panorpa communis, L., very common ; P. germanica, L., very common. tflRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 227 GENERAL REMARKS. The Rev. J. Ridley sends the following tabular state- ment as to weather conditions : — Thermometer. Barometer. Max. Min. Rain. Max. Min. Thunder. January February March 54-0 50'0 53'0 29'0 2i-0 22-0 T16 4-68 3-22 30'25 30-12 30*50 29-26 28-35 28-50 29-58 29-20 29-08 26th 27th 7th *8th 27th .. April May 69-5 72*0 26'0 32-0 1'14 1-58 30-15 29-74 28-97 29*00 29'62 29-50 28th 25th 29th 74' 0 33-0 3'38 29-90 29-05 29' 63 27th July 84-5 41-5 1-39 30'50 29-20 29'71 23rd 27th 84' 5 45-5 4' 63 30'50 29-33 29'70 ' 15th September October 72-5 68' 0 30'5 30'5 3-45 6' 01 30'09 29'89 29-25 28'77 29-72 29-23 27th 31st November 56-5 22'0 5'35 30-05 28-25 29-00 27th 5th 6th 39'7 27'4 8'76 29'80 28'34 28-93 10th Annual 84'5 21-0 44*75 30-5 28-25 29-4 Mr. E. S. Rodd remarks. — January very remarkably mild. Feb. 24, heavy and deep fall of snow, 18 inches deep over the ground, 3 or 4 feet in the drifts. 1916 began with a great S.W. gale of wind, which blew down many trees, including a Picia Princeps in my garden. Feb. 20, heavy snow and 12 degrees of frost ; a lovely May hawthorn very full of blossom. After a cold wet time of many weeks the weather changed on July 14 to really hot fine summer weather. Sunday, August 6, was the hottest and most sultry day ; Monday, August 7, being 22 degrees colder. There was some very cold weather with hard frosts in November and in December. The thermometer twice registered 18 degrees of frost. The year ended in mild fine weather. E. E. W., Ansty— Snow fell February 25, 26, and 27, blocking the roads on Hilton Hill and Bulbarrow for a fortnight. 228 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. E. H. C. notes- February 21 to March 1. This was a week of intermittent snow storms and sleet, frost of varying intensity at night, and low temperature daily. During the last week in April, Oak and Beech burst into leaves, and the Birch greenery was then well out. April 28. A very hot day. A bright cloudless morning in Poole that gave place to a heavy overcast afternoon with thick haze obscuring the distance. As the afternoon advanced, the clouds became heavier and assumed the rosy glow that denotes that nature is getting ready to adjust " her voltage account." About 4.30 I saw a heavy flash over Lytchett Beacon, and shortly afterwards noticed smoke rising from the heather, and a few minutes after the heath was well alight. During the next half hour the storm was very general over Poole and Parkstone and rain fell heavily. The heath fire was extinguished by the rain. I noted this unusual cause of heath fire, as I am convinced by long observation that 90 per cent, of the destructive fires that consume thousands of pounds (sterling) worth of potential and actual timber are the result of arson. 22 May. An exceedingly fierce heath fire swept from Hatch Pond up Haymoor Bottom as far as the motor road, destroying a great many young fir trees and birches, and an untold amount of wild life. Just as E.H.C. is convinced (" In 1918 I obtained evidence of this as to this fire. W.P.C.") that the Easter fire was started by inhabitants of Newtown, he is equally convinced that this fire was started by someone residing in the Waterloo district. Our united experience and observation is that heath fires are due to the following causes, in order of importance : — (i.) The practice of supplying fire -beaters with beer ad lib. (ii.) Payment for services rendered in stopping fires, (iii.) Allowing cottagers and others to hack down dead trees killed by fire and use them as firewood. FIRST APPEARANCES Otf BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 229 (iv.) Permitting cottagers to graze donkeys, cows, and decrepit horses on the sparse fresh grass which grows after a fire. (v.) Sundry causes, mischief, smoking, sparks from engines, etc. The causes (i.) to (iv.) probably cover 95 per cent, of the fires, since the very people who start the fires get the beer, the money, and the benefits of (iii.) and (iv.). It pays them, therefore, to start fires. If fire beating were reserved as an extra and compulsory rent service, and absence from a fire a matter for fine or forfeiture of tenancy by the terms of the tenancy, the tenants near heaths would see to it that fires did not occur, which would benefit alike landlord and tenant, nation and individual, nature-lover and sportsman. After the 22 May fire we found ten to twelve pheasants' nests and nearly thirty ducks' nests destroyed in an area of some twenty acres, besides numberless small birds' nests. That these suspicions are well grounded is borne out by the fact that on one estate in East Dorset fires occurred on three successive Sunday afternoons, but did not reach such incon- venient proportions as to last beyond " tea time." With regard to those fires, W.P.C. was told the following year by a credible person that the three fires were deliberately started by certain persons for the sake of the beer given out. Accustomed to sift evidence, W.P.C., after submitting his informant to careful questioning, got " chapter and verse," and is quite satisfied that the statement is true. TIDES, 1916. On 4 and 5 November, 1916, at Poole we had one of the highest tides that can be remembered, accompanied by a destructive gale. Mr. H. W. Chislett (The Poole Harbour Master) very kindly made enquiries for me, but was not able to get very precise information, as the Harbour Board have no special provision for this class of work. He, however, tells me the following interesting facts : — 230 FIRST APPEARANCES Off BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. (1) Direction of wind on 4 November, 5.30 p.m., S.E., shifting to S.W. about 12 a.m. (2) Maximum force 7.30 a.m., 5 November, not measured. (3) H.W. main tide 5.15 a.m. Second H.W. 8.45 a.m., but ran up until 9.30 a.m. (4) No half-ebb, tide simply continued to soak up. (5) Height of water 4J feet above ordinary springs. (6) No records are kept by the Board ; but from information Mr. Chislett could get he found there was a tide this height about 90 years ago and one 30 years ago two inches less. Mr. Chislett adds : — " I am sorry that I cannot get anything really reliable ; but we are not fitted out with the proper appliances for such records, as other ports are." This last I assume our Club will regard with some feeling of dismay — that the biggest commercial port and town in Dorset, and the second or third most important port on the South Coast, should be so indifferently governed that an important official like a Harbour Master is not officially supplied with necessary apparatus to enable him to carry out his duties. (W.P.C.) FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 231 " S ' I ' 'I! ' - VI i i | || || || a ' 1 ' t S < . . . .£ . .g . . . 3 £ j £ g _IN _« •a •s. . .3 .s 41 II i ! i 1 II $M4i44!fejf***» i s || *0 -"rt 1 I JMkJ « ^_fcj,-, J _ ' J « ^ « fa JM fe J „ fe ^ _ H< H3 « fe H3 •s -a 2m H 1l.2 kS. a „ g^sa ?f 5a | II -<8S- Ed:.if8li3I illgl |ll!|l Jl^ll ill a 11 ^ B|8j §S « ^s« -^ I s 5f£ N 5U IM- M (H *1 M &. fe Ml "5 a M '111 f&J* o2^>, s ) 13 sylvestris asel sa Succisa "^ Dipsac Wild Scabio £. &» « v 8) 2 ft S 232 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. INDEX TO VOL. XXXVIII. By H. POUNCY. Accounts, Hon. Treasurer's, xl. Acland, Captain John E. (Vice-Presi- dent and Hon. Treasurer), xxvii., xxix., xxxiv., xxxvi., xxxix., 53. Almack, Rev. A. C., xxix., xxxviii., 59. Anniversary Address of President, 1. Ashburnham, Major C., xxviii., xxxvii., 74. Barnes, Rev. W., MSB., xxxvii. Bassett, Rev. H. H. Tilney, 81. Bingham's Melcombe,Barrow, xxviii., 74. Bournemouth Natural Science Society, xxvi. British Association, xxvi. Cann, Leaden Coffin at, 68. Cecil Medal and Prize, xxxv. Coffins, Ancient — Leaden, at Cann, 68. ,, Find at Poundbury, xxvii. Corresponding Societies and Institu- tions, xxiv. Curtis, W. Parkinson, 133 . Dewlish Elephant Trench, xxvi. Dicker, Miss, xxxi. Dorchester, The Walks and Avenues of, 23. Dorset Children's Doggerel Rhymes, 112. „ County Museum, xxxvi. ,, Militia, Manual Exercises, xxviii. ,, Soldiers, Tudor and Stuart, 34. Royal Peculiar, 93. ,, Spiders, xlvi., et seq. First Appearances of Birds, Insects, &c., and First Flowering of Plants, 133 Fletcher, Canon J. M. J. (Hon. Editor), v., xi., xxxi., xxxiv., xxxix., 93. Fordington, The Manor of, 25. Gray, H. St. G., 68. Kimmeridge Clay, xxxix. Leeming, Warrant Officer, A.I.F., xxxv. List of Members, xii — xxiii. „ Officers, v., xi. ,, Publications, xxiv. „ Societies and Institutions Corresponding, xxiv. MacDonald, Dr. P. W., xxxi. Mansel-Pleydell Medal Competition, xxxix. Mayo, Canon C. H.( Vice-President), XXX. Members, List of, xii. Morris, Sir Daniel, xxvi., xxvii. Officers, Past and Present, Lists of, v., xi. Pentin, Rev. Herbert (Vice-President and Hon. Secretary), xxviii., xxxi., xxxiv.,xxxvi., xxxviii., 112. Phonological Report, 133. Pickard -Cambridge, A Wallace, xii. the Rev. O. (Past Hon. Treasurer), In Memoriam, xii. Plesiosaurus macromerus, xxvii. Pope, Alfred (Vice-President), xxvii., xxxv., 23. „ F. J., 34. Portland — Find of Roman coins, xxvii. Reeve Staff and Court Leet, 53. Ruins of pre -Reformation Chapel, xxvii. Pouncy, H. (Assistant Hon. Secre- tary), xxix., xxxviii. President's Address — Introductory, 1. Obituary, 2. Zoology, 3. Botany and Agriculture, 234 President's Address — Geology, 8. Astronomy, 10. Meteorology, 13. Electricity, 14. Chemistry, 15. Engineering, 16. Geography, 17. Archaeology and Anthro- pology, 19. General, 20. Proceedings of the Club (May, 1916, to May, 1917), xxv. Publications of the Club, xxiv. Rainfall Returns (1916), 81. Reid, Clement, F.R.S., xxvi. Restored Churches, xxix., xxxviii. Richardson, N. M. (President), v., xxviii., xxx., xxxi. XXXV., 1. Rules of the Club, vi. Sectional Committees, List of, xi., xxxix. Symonds, Henry (Vice-President), xxviii., xxx., xxxix. Walks and Avenues of Dorchester, 23. Wessex Minsters, 59. Wimborne Minster, 64. „ „ Anthony Ettrick, xxxi., „ „ Royal Peculiar, 93. Wood, Rev. C. H., xxxiv. DA 670 D69D6 v.38 Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Proceedings PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY B9