Gc

942.3301
D728d
v. 38
1413087

GENEALOGY COLLECTOR

ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

3 1833 00731 0383

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010 with funding from

Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

http://www.archive.org/details/proceedingsdorse38dors

£3 ^r

W.\

S \

Octavius Pickard-Cambridge, m.a., k.r.s., f.z.s.

PtiOgEEDlNft

DORSET MTUR&L HISTORY

AND

MTIQa&RIM FIELD 6MB

(From MAY. 1916, to MAY, 1917).

EDITED BY

J. M. J. FLETCHER.

VOLUME XXXVIII

Dorchester :
PRINTED AT THE "DORSET COUNTY CHRONICLE" OFFICK.

1918

H

1413037

CONTENTS.

PAQB

List of Officers of the Club since the Inauguration ... ... v.

Rules of the Club ... ... ... ... ... vi.

List of Officers and Committees ... ... ... ... xi.

List of Members ... ... ... ... ... xii.

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 : —

First Winter Meeting ... ... ... ... xxv.

Second Winter Meeting ... ... ... ... xxix

Annual Business Meeting ... ... ... ... xxxv.

The Hon. Treasurer's Financial Statement ... ... ... xl.

In Memoriam, The Late Rev. O. Pickard -Cambridge, M.A. ... xli.

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. ... ... 59

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

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 : (hi.) 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-officio 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.

Vll.

Ho>*. Secbetaey.

4. — The Secretary shall perform all the usual secretarial work ; cause a
programme of each Meeting to he 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. Teeastjeee.

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 Members,
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 Xew Members.

OEDINAEY MeIEBEES.

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 then- 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.

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 a-
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.

HOXOBAP.Y MeHBEES.

12. — Honorary Members shall consist of persons eminent for scientific or
natural history attainments, and shall be elected by the Councd. They pay no
subscription, and have all the privdeges 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, uidess 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.

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 Xotice, which shall be sent to each Member of the Club not
later than seven days before the Meeting.

Papers.

18. — Xotice 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 then-
proposers and seconders. The Annual Volume shall be edited by the Editor
subject to the direction of the Pubhcation 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 Libeaeies to the Club.

21. — Any Xatural 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.

x.

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 Rules.

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.

•

Ube Dorset
Natural Ifoistors ano Hntiquarian jfielfc Club.

INAUGURATED 21 A PCS 26th, 1S75.

President :
XELSOX M. RICHABDSOX, Esa., B.A.

Vice-Presidents :

The Loed EUSTACE CECIL, F.E.G.S. (Past President).

The Eev. HEEBEET PEXTIX, M.A. (Son. Secretary).

Captain JOHN E. ACLAXD, M.A., F.S.A. (Son. Treasurer).

Captain G. E. ELYVES, J.P.

The Eev. Canon J. C. M. MAXSEL-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.

Sie DANIEL MOEEIS, K.C.M.G., D.Sc, D.C.L., F.L.S.

ALFEED POPE, Esq., F.S.A.

E. E. SYKES, Esq., B.A., F.Z.S. (Past Pres. Malacological Society).

HEXEY SYMOXDS, Esa., F.S.A.

His Honour J. S. UDAL, F.S.A.

Executive Body :

Xexson M. Bichaedson, Esq., B.A. (President).

The Eev. Herbert Pentin, M.A. (Son. Secretary). St. Peter's Vicarage, Portland

Captain John E. Acland, M.A., F.S.A. (Son. 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. Meddleton, Esq.,

and E. E. Syees, 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 Rev. S. E. V. Filleul, M.A.

Dr. E. K. Le Fleming
C. H. Mate, Esq.
A. D. Moullin, Esq.
Miss Hilda Pope
The Rev. J. Ridley

Earthimrks —

Lieut.-Colonel F. G. L. Mainwaring

Vere L. Oliver, Esq.

Alfred Pope, Esq., F.S.A.

W. de C. Prideaux, Esq., F.S.A.

The Rev. W. Rhydderch

Miss E. E. Woodhouse

Captain J. E. Acland (Chairman)

Chas. S. Prideaux, Esq. (Corres-
ponding Secretary)

The President

F. E. Abbott, Esq.

J. G. X. Clift, Esq.

The Rev. W. O. Cockraft, B.A.

Numismatic — -

H. Symonds, Esq., F.S.A. (Corres- I Canon J. C. M. Mansel-Pleydell,
ponding Secretary) M.A.

Captain John E. Acland, F.S.A. W. de C. Prideaux, Esq., F.S.A.

Captain G. R. Elwes H. F. Raymond, Esq.

Lieut.-Colonel F. G. L. Mainwaring I

Restored Churches —

The Rev. A. C. Almack, M.A.

( Corresponding Secretary)
J. Allner, Esq., A. R.I. B.A.
R. Barrow, Esq.
H. W. Crickmay, Esq.
The Rev. James Cross, M.A.
Rev. Canon Fletcher, M.A., R.D.

G. W. Floyer, Esq.

The Rev. H. Hawkins

R. Hine, Esq.

The Rev. Canon Mayo, M.A.

W. B. Wildman. Esq., M.A.

The Rev. A. C. Woodhouse

Xll.

iCist of ittcmbcrs

OF THE

Dorset J2aturaJ Hnstor|> anfc Antiquarian

jfidti €Iut>

For the Year 1917.

Honorary Members :

Year of

Election. (The initials "0.3/." signify " Original Member")

o.m. W. Cabeuthees, Esq., Ph.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., F.L.S., Bntish 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 Dtee, K.C.M.G., CLE., LL.D., Sc.D., Ph.D.,

F.R.S., The Ferns, Witcombe, Gloucester.
1904 Sir Feedeeick Teeves, Bart., G.C.V.O., C.B., LL.D., Thatched House

Lodge, Richmond Park, Kingston- on -Thames.
1908 Thomas Haedy, Esq., O.M., D. Lift., 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, X.B

XU1.

1911 The Eight Hon. the Earl of

Ilchester

1902 The Eight Hon. the Earl of

Shaftesbury, E.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.
18S9 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.

1S94 Barnes, Mrs. John lies

1917 Barrett, W. E. Cowdell, Esq.,

M.A., LL.M.
1906 Barrow, Bichard, 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
Beammster

XIV.

1888 Beckford, F. J., Esq.

1908 Benett-Stanford, Major J.,

F.R.G.S., F.Z.S.
1910 Blackett, Rev. J. C, B.A.
1917 Blathwayt, Bev. F. L., M.A.

M.B.O.U.
1903 Bond, Gerald Denis, Esq.
1906 Bond, Nigel de M., Esq.,

M.A.
1903 Bond, Wm. Balph G., Esq.
1913 Bone, Clement G., Esq., M.A.

1889 Bower, H. Syndercombe, Esq.

1900 Bower, Rev.
M.A.

Charles H. S.

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 Bullen, Colonel John Bullen

Symes
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, Weymouth
Fontmell Parva, Shillmgstone, Bland-
ford

Childe Okeford Rectory, Shillingstone,

Dorset
Buckland Xewton, Dorchester
Innisf alien, Bossmore 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
s. Prince's Street, Westminster,

S.W.
Westmead. Bridport

1878

Colfox, Colonel T. A.

1905

Collins, Sir Stephen, M.P.

1904

Collins, Wm. W., Esq., R.I

1905

Colville, H. K., Esq.

1912

Cooke, Rev. J. H., M.A.,

LL.D.

1903

Cornish -Browne, C. J., Esq.

1S91

Cother, Rev. P. L., M.A.

1909

Cnckmay, Harry W., Esq.

1884

Cross, Rev. James, M.A.

1914 Cross, Miss Florence

1885 Curme, Decimus, Esq.,
M.R.C.S.

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, Rev. 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

1905 Dominy, G. H., Esq., M.R.C.S.,

L.R.C.P.

1912 Dm Drury, G., Esq., M.R.C.S.,

L.R.C.P.

1904 Dugdale, J. B., Esq.

1905 Duke, Mrs. Henry

1907 Duke, Miss M. Constance

190S Duke, Mrs. E. Barnaby

1896 Dundas, Ven. Archdeacon, M.A.

191C Eaton, Rev. A. E., M.A., F.E.S.

Coneygar, Bridport
Elm House, Tring, Hertfordshire
Stoborough Croft, Wareham
North Cerney House, Cirencester

Shillingstone Rectory

Cory ton Park, Axminster

1, Clearmount, Weymouth

49, St. Mary Street, Weymouth

Baillie House, Sturminster Marshall,

Wimborne
Stock Gaylard Rectory, Sturminster
Newton

Balma Howe, Terrace Mount, Bourne-
mouth
Blandford

Aysgarth, Longfleet, Poole
27, Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth
Cerne Abbas, Dorchester
Brentry, Blandford
Wyke Regis Rectory, Weymouth
West Lodge, Icen Way, Dorchester
Badbury, Park Road, Bournemouth
Springfield, Weymouth
Brook House, Upwey, Dorchester
Southill, Dean Park, Bournemouth
Southill, Dean Park, Bournemouth
The Ridge, Durlston Park Road,
Swanage

Milton Abbas, Blandford

Corfe Castle, Wareham
Sandford, Wareham
Manor House, Godmanstone, Dor-
chester
The Limes, Dorchester
Maen, Dorchester
The Canonry, Salisbury
Richmond Villa, Northam, North
Devon

1913 Edwards, Aubrey, Esq.

1916 Edwards, The Rev. 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 Farley, Rev. H., M.A.

1903 Farrer, Colonel Philip
1912 Ferguson, Miss E. M.
1912 Ferguson, Miss Constance

1904 Ffooks, Mrs. E. Archdall
1904 Fielding, Thos., Esq.„M.D.

1S92 Filleul, 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)
1914 Fletcher, Walter T., Esq.
188.5 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.ji. Glyn, Sir R. G., Bart.
1895 Godman, F. du Cane, Esq.,
F.R.S.

The Pinetuni, 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, Parkstdne
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, Boguor, Sussex

The Vicarage, Wimborne Minster
Icen Way, Dorchester
West Stafford, Dorchester
Culverhayes, Shillingstoue. Bland -

ford
Luscombe, Parkstone
Whatcombe, Blandford
Westport, Wareham
The Chantry, GUlingham
Thornhill, Kenley, Surrey
Chesham, The Grove, Xether Street,

Finchley, London, X.
Fleet House, near Weymouth
Tonerspuddle
Wood Leaze, Wimborne
Wood Leaze, Wimborne
Gaunts House, Wimborne

Lower Seeding, Horsham

1906 Gownng, Mrs. E. 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.R.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.R.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.
1S99 Henning, Mrs.

191G Hewgill, Chas. W., Esq.

1912 Hichens, Mrs. T. S.
1910 Hill , Miss Pearson
1902 Hrne, E., Esq.

1902 Homer, Miss E. C. Wood

1907 Homer, Mrs. G. Wood
1S8S Huntley, H. E., Esq.

1903 Jenkins, Eev. T. Leonard, M.A.
1912 Jordan, Miss

1915 Kentish, G. C. A., Esq.

1895 Lafontarne, A. C. de, Esq., F.S.A.
1S76 Langford, Eev. Canon, M.A.
1907 Lees, Bear-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
Clifton, 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

Xewton Surmaville, Yeovil
Hillfield, Broadwey, Dorchester
Byrne, Elwell Street, Upwey
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, Blandford

Leigh Vicarage, Sherborne

The Eidge, Durlston Park Road,

Swanage
Longcroft, Windsor Eoad, Park-

stone
Athelhampton, Dorchester
Southbrook, Starcross, S. Devon
White Cross, Wyke Eegis
White Cross, Wyke Eegis

St. Margaret's, Wimbome
Allington 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.
1S99 Mansel-Pleydell, Rev. Canon
J. C. M., M.A. {Vice.

President)

1883 Mamott, Sir W. Smith, Bart.

1904 Marsh, J. L., Esq.

1907 Mate, C. H., Esq.

1879 Maunsell, 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 Xicholson, Captain Hugh

1906 Oke, A. W., Esq., B.A., LL.M.,

F.S.A., F.G.S.
18S6 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
1911 Pass, Alfred Douglas, Esq.

High Cliff, Lyme Regis
Upton House, Poole

The Toft, Bridlington, East Yorks
Tolpuddle, Dorchester

Wrockwardine Wood Rectory, WeL

lington, Salop
G^asmere, Spa Road, Weymouth
Wabey House, LTpwey

10, Clarence Terrace, Regent's Park,

London, N.W.
The Down House, Blandford
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 Cary
The Vicarage, Yetminster

14, Crabton Close, Boscombe
Brent Knoll, Somerset
Fermain, Cranbourne Road, Swanage
Nettlecombe, Melplash

32, Denmark Villas, Hove, Sussex
Turuworth, Blandford
Whitmore Lodge, Sunmnghill, Berks
Whitmore Lodge, Sunningliill, Berks
Castle House, Weymouth

Greensted, 14, Madeira Road, Bourne-
mouth
12, Bryanston Square, London, W.
12, Bryanston Square, London, W.
Wootton Fitzpaine, Charmouth

1S90 Patey, Miss

1905 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 E., Esq.

1894 Penny-Snook, S., Esq., M.R.C.S.,
L.R.C.P.

1907 Penny-Snook, Mrs. S.

1901 Pentin, Eev. Herbert, M.A.

(Vice-President and Son.

Secretary)
1894 Peto, Sir Henry, Bart.

1896 Phillips, Miss

1908 Phillips, Eev. C. A., M.A.

1898 Pickard-Cambridge, A. W., Esq.,
M.A.

1905 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.

1S94 Ponting, Chas. E., Esq., F.S.A.
O.u. 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. Bolland, Esq.,

A.M.I.C.E.
1S96 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.

188S 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

Xetherton 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
Fungbarrow, 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

1905 Rainsden, Mrs.

1912 Rawlence, E. A., Esq.

188G Reynolds, Mrs. Arthur
1887 Richardson, N. M., Esq., B.A.
(^President)

1911 Robson, 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., P.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

191G 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

18S8 Solly, Rev. H. Shaen, M.A.

1901 Sotheby, Rev. W. E. H, M.A.

1905 Stephens, J. Thompson, Esq.

1908 Stephens, A. X., Esq.

1S95 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, Wej-inouth

16, Victoria Terrace, Weymouth
The Cottage, Upwey
Broadstonc House, Wimborne
Stalbridge Rector}', Blandford
Hawkmoor, Paignton, S. Devon
Shortlake, Osmington, Weymouth
Frampton Court, Dorchester
Helmsley, Peun Hill Avenue, Park-
stone
Hallatrow, Bristol
Thornford Rectory, Sherborne
Minterne Grange, Parkstone
Knowlton House, Surrey Road,

Bournemouth
Hazelbury Bryan Rectory, Blandford
Medical Officer's House, The Grove,
Portland

Mount Fleasant, Inkberrow, Wor-
cestershire
School House, Sherborne
Vine House, Sturminster Xewton
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.

1914 Sturrock, J., Esq., CLE.

189S Sturt, W. Neville, Esq.

189S 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)
18S9 Symes, Colonel G. P., M.A.

B.C.L., M.V.O.

1904 Symonds, Arthur G., Esq.

1904 Symonds, Henry, Esq., F.S. A.

( Vice-President)

1912 Symonds, F. G., Esq.

1913 Symonds, Wm. Pope, Esq.
1901 Telfordsmith, Telford, Esq.,

M.A., M.D.
190G Thomson, Chas. Bertram, Esq.
F.E.C.S.

1907 Towers, Miss

1898 Troyte -Bullock, Mrs.
O.M. Udal, His Honour J. S., F.S. A.
( Vice-President)

1908 Udal, X. R., Esq., B.A.

1890 Usherwood, Rev. Canon T. E.,

M.A.
1910 Vivian, S. P., Esq.
1887 Walker, Eev. S. A., M.A.

1916 Ward, The Ven. 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 Xewton

Newton House, Sturminster Newton

The Knoll, Parkstone

Eomansleigh, Wimborne
Talbot Cottage, Eoslin Road, 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
02, London Wall, E.C.

XXII.

1893 Weaver, Eev. F. W., M.A.,

F.S.A., F.R.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 Robert,

Bart., M.P.
1908 Williams, Miss Rhoda
1906 Williams, Miss Meta
1900 Winwood, T. H. R., Esq., M.A.
1910 Woodd, A. B., Esq., M.A.,

M.R.I.

1910 Woodd, Rev. C. H. B., M.A.
1913 Woodhouse, Rev. A. C, M.A.

1913 Woodhouse, Mrs. A. C.

1898 Woodhouse, Miss

1903 Woodhouse, Miss Ellen E.

1900 Woodhouse, Frank D., Esq.

1906 Woodhouse, Mrs. Frank D.

1911 Woodhouse, Miss A. M. R.
1902 Wright, Rev. Herbert L., B.A.
1910 Yeatman, H. F., Esq., M.A.,

B.C.L.

Milton Vicarage, Evercreech, Somerset

Preston, Yeovil

Royston, 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 Rectory, Dor-
chester

Winterborne Monkton Rectory, Dor-
chester

Chilmore, Ansty, Dorchester

Chilmore, Ansty, Dorchester

Old Ford House, Blandford St. Mary

Old Ford House, Blandford St. Mary

Norden, Blandford

Church Knowle Rectory, Corfe Castle

28, Cecil Court, Hollywood Road,
London, S.W.

Affiliated Libeaeies (Rule XXI.).

1911 Central Public Library Bournemouth

191.3 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 lx> notified to the Hon. Secretary.)

XX111.

Jflcto ittcmbcri

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, Weymouth

The Rev. F. L. Blathwayt,
M.A., M.B.O.U., of Mel-
bury Osmund Rectory,
Dorchester

C. Waterston, Esq., of Buc-

Proposer.
R. Hine, Esq.

Seconder.
The Hon. Treasurer

The President The Hon. Secretary

The Hon. Secretary The Hon. Treasurer

(the late)

knowle House, Corfe Castle Clement Reid, Esq.

Arthur B. Woodd,
Esq.

Proposed February 20th, 1917.

Nominee. Proposer. Seconder.

Captain C. E. A. L. Rumbold, Mr. George Rom illy The Rev. E. W. J.
of Ivors, Mamhull, Sturmins- Hellins

ter Newton

Proposed May 9th, 1917.

Nominee. Proposer.

Mr. Macdonald Gill, of Toners Rev. H. R. Long
puddle, Dorchester

Seconder.
Miss F. Hamilton

XXIV.

PUBLICATIONS.

Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club.

Vols. I. — XXXVII. Price Ids. 6d. each volume, post free.
General Index to the Proceedings. Vols. I.— XXVI. Price tid., by post 7d.
The Church Bells of Dorset. By the Rev. Canon Raven, D.D., F.S.A. Price

(in parts, as issued), f's. td., 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 Rev. O. Pickaed-Cambeidge. M.A., F.R.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 President :

Second Supplement to the Lepidoptera of the Isle of Purbeck. Compiled
from the notes of Eustace R. 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-Pleydell'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 Naturae Science Society, Municipal Technical and

Art School, Bournemouth.
Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Gloucester.
British Museum, London.

British Museum of 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 (Llyfrqelx Genedlaethol Cymru),

ABERYSTWYTn.

Royal Society of Antiquaries, Dublin, Ireland.

Society of Antiquaries, London.

Somerset Arch.t.oi.ih;ical and Natural History Society, Taunton

Castle, Taunton.
T'nivkksity Library, Cambridge.
Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, Devizes.

OF THE

Dorset JllaturaJ Sjistorp -anti ^ntiquamn
Jfieiti CJuth

(Feom 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 dming 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 Count}* 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.

XXVI. 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 Pearcc,
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.

XXVlll. FIRST WINTER MEETING.

Exhibits.

Major C. Ashburniiam 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 Count y
Museum. Captain Acland, 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 : —

(1). The "Walks and Avenues of Dorchester," by Mr. AlfredPope.
(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
Proceeding*. (Volume XXXVII., pages 228-253.)

SECOND WINTER 3IEETING. XXIX.

SECOND WINTER MEETING.
Tuesday, February 2Qth, 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 Archeeological 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
1007, 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 1607 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. MacDonald 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.

Mis.- Dicker produced a number of children's books, with
quaint and 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

XXX11. 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-
bome, 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, Hittchins,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 Russell's 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 woidd 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 .Vies " 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 Cockle, 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 amounted to £6 lis. 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 Wynbornmynsire," &c. In his will, which is to be found
amongst the Lambeth Wdls (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 Xew 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 c xhibited 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. Georpc 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 Sturl (Read in Mr. Start's

absence by the Hon. Secretary).

ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. XXXV.

ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING.
Tuesday, May 8th : 1917.

The meeting was held at the Count}* 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, Mi'. 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
Mainwaring 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 Ihe
last 12 months, but not to attempt a description of all the specimens

ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING. XXXV11.

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
foimd 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 arc 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 Macmillan's Mag sine, 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, 191G, 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
diszest of the various facts which have so far been ascertained, and
that he may be aide 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-Presidents .

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.

~ •M

• !

» =0

» ^5

- 1

sa —

— — '

1—1

■M X

■a !

K3 — i

— 71 OS C U5 i"

25 -* 5

X

C

M

—

o

-/-

1

pq

C5

g;

0

;

l>

,*-

^

03

!>

tl

8

■ =

>

u

■-<

0

"-c g-

e<

^H

=0 "3

a».c-s

■la ~ — 1

a.-g

= x<

t*

C 00 43

•JT. -

g o

'P5> "J

• §

-_ o

X

S"3

1£J3 s

. =

o |

K 05 -1

i r- ? —

>•.

/ u

— : • - "

Pflj-p s

■ ft

u _

S'yai : ~

I -^ 3

1 m MH

O >> in '-' -'

T DO

3

° 2f £ £

— -^ .- ^x

o 2 1 g .

1c 2 C-t §

o '-

|- u
-2 ■ •?

6£ o

J" r.

in _0j

^ w

H

£ = -

— o

d"3 2 T3

g25

S -" 43 3 M m J X- V o m S

S •*> C *» — — -- - -" * 61 > OS "

H hW

i- 00

SgTf

In JEemorktit

THE LATE REV. 0. PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE, M.A.

By his Son, ARTHUR WALLACE PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE.

»k"n/~-^

(^CTAVIUS 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 Whitminster. 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. EN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICKARD-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 theo
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 thai his
first published writings on Spiders appeared, in the form of

IN MEMOB1AM REV. O. PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE. xiiii.

papers ou Spider? 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 order ly 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 Ins visit to Blackball 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-
Mall'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 Blackball, though he
gradually became independent of him, and came more closely
into touch with the leading continental Arachnologists.
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 part}" 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.

xliv. IN MEMORIAM REV. O. riCKARD-CAMBRIDGE.

These travels Mere 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 chmch at Tomson
Mas 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
Mind. 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 Mas
strikingly shown 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 da}rs 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 b}^ 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 Ins
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 Mas a member of the Salisbury Diocesan Synod, at
which he occasionally spoke ; and for a few years he acted
as Diocesan Inspector of Schools.

xh'i. IN MEMORIAM REV. O. PICKARD-CAMBRIDGE.

lie was an enthusiastic musician, and was a well-known
figure, with his violin, at orchestral concerts in Dorchester
and Weymouth. 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, Mere found to appreciate
good music at least as warmly as trumpery. For a great
number of }^ears 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. InJ'! 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 me&n service, to have helped and encouraged
wholesome entertainments in villages, where entertainments
of any kind 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 Sherborne in 1875,
and one of its most energetic members as long as his powers
lasted ; he was its Treasurer from 1S82 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 puggaree1 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. PICKARD-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 b}r 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 " Count}' 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 Avorld.
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. PICKARD-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 Zoologiccd 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 nvw 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
Bluxworth 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 dehght the haunts in the New Forest where he had
frequently worked forty years before with Mr. Bond. No
words can describe the delightfulness 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. riCKAUD-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 finding 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

EST MEMORIAM REV. O. PICKARD-CAMBRIDOE. li.

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 Ins
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,

111. 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
to wards Heaven . ' '

^titircss of ti)c president.

By NELSON MOORE RICHARDSON, Esq., B.A.
{Read May 8th, 1917.)

■g^MJ^S

T 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

I PRESIDENT S ADDRESS.

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 Moorhead. Mr. Cambridge Mas 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 was 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 ni}- 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. 6

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 energ}\ 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. Air. A. T.
Manger joined in 1890, and Air. 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 thos^ 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 and Mas 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 bj7 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 genera] 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 fli?s
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 Mill 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 fisht lies, 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 KHin. 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 calabaricus) 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 0. Smith and others near Stockholm. It had a
serpentlike 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 Californian 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 lifs of males was in 1840
27.15 years, in 1870 it was 28.35, and in 1000 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. Tins 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.
Bat 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 th3 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 be balanced with
great discrimination, whilst the scarcity of artificial manures
makes further 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 there
are large deposits in New 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 could 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 Ave 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 Avhich were used for these trials. Finally I
would call attention to th^ value of nettles as vegetables.
From personal experience I can state that the younger
portions, treated like spinach, look anel 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 arc 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. 9

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 s?rious 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 Spitsbergen, is being worked, and another, of
Cretaceous age, exists in the wry 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 re-
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 IS to 20 p.c. of the modern high speed cutting too1,
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 Lepidopteron. 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 th? 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. Xow 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 fossiis 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 nebula?, 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, tinned 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
11th 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 pnd 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 times 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 being 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 da}*. 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 there
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 mil Months 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, 8. of Devon-
shire ; one of the size of Venus on July 8th, seen at Bristol ;
a meteor shower, in which a hundred Mere counted between
11 and 12 p.m. on Juno 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 Hudclersfield. Two were s:-cn on
October 20th, in Surrey and Hertfordshire ; one on Decern I kt
19th, in Montgomeryshire ; one on January 4th, seen from
London and Liverpool, and several on March 14th, loth,
19th, and 27th. A meteorite, the half of which, weighing
3|lb., 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 lj ton. A very fine
telescope is in course of constiuction 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 dining 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 filing has been heard at great distances, the highest I
have seen recorded being the filing in the Somme valley,
Avhich is stated to have been heard at Winchester and
Eingwood (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
resrion " 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 tht 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 th m 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 mi'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 ths 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 the 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
12J 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 Kimmcriclge shale, b\
getting rid of the suphur, but further experience is necessary.

1G president's address.

Engineering.

Aeroplanes heave 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 us?d
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 080 feet long, can hardly be
saiel to have proved a success in war, and, considering their
cost, have done but little actual elamage, 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 maele 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 Sche^rz;-r 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 closeel in 3 minut s by two electric motors of 115 horse
power each. A new and very valuable article of equipment
in the war is the helmet now worn by our troops. It is
maele of steel, and, with its inside paeleang of felt and wadding
with rubber stueis, weighs 21bs. An exhibition of glass,
held at She the: lei 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 import* d
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 eepial 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 loth, 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 be of much use as a guide. Lieutenant Kennedy

reached Australia just in time to take part in the wax, 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-buried 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 wa}Ts 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
Eanthropus 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 hare been done by artificial light, in further
evidence of winch 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 potter}% 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
difficult 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 where 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 Mas 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 Electrical Expert to whom the papers were submitted.
I am myself ver}^ 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.

art)*

<Htaikss anti Venues of Dordjcstcr,

WlIEN AND BY WHOM PLANTED.

By ALFRED POPE, F.S.A.

(Read December 12th, 1916.)

l^ORCHESTER, the Durnovaria of the Romans, was
during the 16th and 17th centimes 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 DORCHESTER. 25

result of a lengthy research among the town records of
Dorchester, the Court rolls of the Manor of Forclington, 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
parcell 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 tins 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 Hutchins. 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 Glyde-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, Oft. 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 Eorthington 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 Manner, 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 he 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 then 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 lus 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. Malt by, surveyor,
took the measurements of six of the largest of these trees,
and they measured in girth, 5 feet from the ground, 12ft. Dins..
12ft. Gins., lift., 10ft. Sins., 10ft. Oins., and 10ft, 2ins.
respectively. A tree which stood opposite South Lodge,
the residence of Dr. Kerr, taken down last winter, measured
Oft. Gins, in circumference, and was over 00 feet in height.
The trees are planted in rows 24 feet apart from row to row,
with 20 feet from tree to tree.

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 loots 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 K.i 30 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

M -

H

00

.a <

13

o

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 Avill
approximately fix the date. From an old drawing in Grosse's
Dorsetshire showing the Roman Amphitheatre and the
Roman road which runs thence to Weymouth, 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 Hutchins 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 bis 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 }Tears 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 Duch}r, 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
3
in
3*

"0

O

O
O

O

o

■4— 1

bfi

-a

u

O

U<

<+-

o

*o

t-

-t-

o

r-

c

!_|

rt

2

a

u

<

r

rs

>^

»-

oJ

o

3

iy)

i-i

n

<U

rt

Uh

■t-i
1

O

cs

U

Uh

WALKS AND AVENUES OF DOECHESTEE. 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 Holloway,
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 Fordington 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 Februan7, 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 caiueway 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.

62 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 the 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
177!>. 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 Avere planted in the year 1888, and
both the tiees 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 Eoad, 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 surniises 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
}Tears the}* 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 ma}* 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."

Dorset ^oifcicrs

OF THE

GTutior ant) €arlp Stuart ^eriotis,

By F. J. POPE, F.R. Hist. S.

(Read 12th Dec, 1916).

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

1413087

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
ever}7 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 count}' troops were of course the only permanent
force, always the stronger in numbers, and generally the
more efficient, and the}' 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 two
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 bew 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 Mho 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 count 3% to lessen demands
from the Privy Council for troops to be sent awa3T from
home. In the Armada 3rear for instance we are asked to
believe that there were but 3,330 footmen in the shire fit
for service, though eight 3'ears earlier the37 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 3Tear,
and from that time forward firearms rapidty 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 alwa3rs small in number,
viz : 58 in 1569, and from 100 to 160 in later times, divided
into the heavify 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 staffe 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 SOLDIEES. 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 Pur beck 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 fit tie
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 destined, 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 Mas presumably
apportioned to the 1,010 footmen for whom no muskets
were provided, and who probably carried pikes. Whiteway,
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 Xapper. 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
Xapper 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 Mas 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 ma}r be gathered
that the officers of the trained bands, like the nation at
large, ^ere 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 Strang ways of
Melbury, a Trenchard of Wolveton, a Rogers of Bryanston,
a Horsey of Clifton Maybank, 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 Strang ways, 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 Avars. 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 j'outh 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 Wilhams 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 1G31.

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 King, 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 system Mas 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 want 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 mone}^ 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 pressraasters 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,

DORSET 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 doublett
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,
H-lbs. of biscuit, 31bs. of beef, lib. of cheese, ilb. 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 occur:, 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 Ins 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 Netherbury, 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.
Francis 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
manj' 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.

(TIk Jftortiitnt) Wccbc £U\f[ anti Court

By CAPT. J. E. ACLAND, F.S.A.

(Read 20th Feb., 1917).

^C7£>,

«££jt£=i-

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 REEVE 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 b}r 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 Howards. 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 b}*" 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 REEVE 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 then possessors, are from about 7ft. to nearly
12ft. long, and from 1 inch to 1| 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 — |d. 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 Aims 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 Pearce, 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 0 urt
Leet, have been the tenants paying the highest rent. Mr.
Pearce 's famil}' have held office more frequently than any
other, and he informs me that the further back we trace its
history the more often docs 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

1857

1720 William Pearce

1742 Richard Lano

58

1768 Robert Pearce

59

1821 William Pearce

1860

22 William Spincer

61

23 John Stone

62

24 Abraham Pearce

63

25 Robert Schollar

64

26 Benjamin Pearce

65

27 Abel Pearce

66

28 Owen Pearce

67

29 Abraham Pearce

68

1830 John Penn

69

31 Rebecca Lowman

1870

32 Benjamin Scriven

71

33 Richard Tucker Steward

72

34 William Heath

73

35 William Bailey

74

36 R. Weston

75

37 Deborah Stone

76

38 Edward Steward

77

39 John Steward

78

1840 Rebecca Steward

79

41 John Pearce

42 Jabez Mabey

1880

43 Jonathan Lano

81

44 Thomas Heath

82

45 Margaret Heath

83

46 Margery Comben

84

47 Margery Spencer

85

48 William White

86

49 Charles Parker Steward

87

1 850 Rev. Edward Harold Browne

88

51 Richard Steward Wardell

89

52 Phillip Dodson

1890

53 Bartholomew Comben

91

54 Richard Pearce

55 Granville John Penn

92

56 Richard Lano

William Henry Percival

West on
William Gibbs
Susannah Spencer
George Sampson, jun.
Jane Pearce
Benjamin White
William Eliot
Elizabeth White (widow)
William Comben
William Lano
Edward Pearce
Benjamin Pearce
John Ward
Joseph Hodder
Richard Pearce
William Henry Holland
Stewart Forbes
Thomas Angel (sen.)
Henry Stone
Abel Pearce
William Stone
John Pearce
William Bayley Heath

(sen.)
Thomas Snook
Susannah Gibbs
Thomas Angel (jun.)
Robert Rod
Charles Jesty
John Gibbs Pearce
Robert Hinde
John Angel
John Merrick Head
Andrew Richard Curtis
Susannah Scriven Pearce
Thomas Comben (Fortune 's-

well)
William Comben (Prospect

place)

58 THE PORTLAND REEVE STAFF AND COURT LEET.

1893 William Comben (Maiden
Well)

94 Robert Comben (East on)

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

i&tcsscx jTlinotcrs.

By the Rev. A. C. ALMACK, M.A.

{Read 20th Feb., 1917.)

fTafc.^s<-

1M~

vY k?\ T^ preparing certain Lectures on Church History

^v j\^ the writer of the present paper had

4 -*L, occasion to study somewhat closely the
\jL^ early history of Parishes in England. He
\" was fortunate at that time to have the
yP* 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 Rurales by Prof. Inibart de
la Tour of Bordeaux. His facts there collected relate to
the development of the Christian Chmch 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 " winch 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 Sherborne,

WESSEX MINSTERS. 61

which had no importance in Roman times, would not affect
the general system pursued in the missionarj- 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 hardby 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 Clove sho, and apparently the assign-
ment of certain districts to certain officiants. Evidence of
the same kinel is also founel 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 Chinches, of which Dee rhurst
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 Wore! (i.e., Mynstre) appears in the
A.S. Chronicle to designate a residence of a religious com-
munity and also of an ordinary church. Under the year
794 A.D. Jarrow is called Ecgfyrde's Mynstre, and under
656 A.D. Peterboro' or Medeshampsted is spoken of as
" Mynstre." The little Church of Kirkdale in Yorkshire
has still over the door the inscription which tolls nf its
erection and calls it a " Mynstre." It is also remarkable
that Ordericus Vitalis, Book II, in giving 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 Dnnstan'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. TV., 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 Mediaeval England,"
in which notice is made of the use of the word " Mynstre "
as applied to Winchester in the 11th Century copy of the
A.S. Chronicle, where apparently the word " Churchc " had
been used in the older copy. This is taken by Leach to show
that in the 11th 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 11th. 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
Wesscx 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 ride 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, Uchester 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, Credit on
and Wells. Now th se Minsters, where the name is a suffix,
are, it appears, invariably situated in what are now valleys
of rich pasture, and the Chinch 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, Uminster,
Axeminstcr, 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 chinches 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 Chinch. 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 Char minster,
Yetminster 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 j ust possible that they
retain the name of the Bishop or Saint by whose agencj'
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 St ur minster 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 Mattravers, 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 Minster worth
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.

Ecufcm Coffin fount) at Cann, near
^tjaftcstiurp.

By H. St. GEORGE GRAY.

{Read 20th Feb., 1917).

■a&*g

pHE 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 2| 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 surface-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 3-| 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

f

*1^^M

m

'

1

V

A

|

o ~

C i>

co

o c

do

J J

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 \ 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
Greenland 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.
8ins. 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 ll^ins.
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 6|ins. at the foot.

Through the kind instrument a lit 3' 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

1" 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 : — (1) the small size of the coffin ; (2) the cement
base or tray on which it rested ; and (3) 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 Antiqua,
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. 1 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 nest found, lying like the sarcophagus
north and south. Two were ornamented ; the third plain. Their
measurements are 4ft. logins, by lHins. 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.

4> 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, fibula?, rings, pins, buttons, &c."
Other enquiries elsewhere have brought no records to fight
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 t\)c ftmint) £arroto at

By Major C. ASHBURNHAM.

(.Read 12$ 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

is

bd

5 o
3 £?.

<2 =r

Co

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 rubble 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
leached, 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

70

ROUND BARROW AT MELCOMBE BINGHAM.

From Peg 1.

to

Original

Turf Level

8ft. 3in.

ROUND BARROW AT MELCOMBE BINGHAM. 77

collapse of the flints, 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.
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,

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 two
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 peiiods of time, one
very much older than the
other, the older period in-
cluding those burials found

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.

Xo. I. and Xo. IV. Man and Urn. — Consequently the
rinding 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 -set tied matters. Interment III. is so definite.
The complete skeleton of a powerfully -built man, between 5' 10" and
5' 11" 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
skidl had been broken, or fallen to pieces, long ago, for the fractured
surfaces were weathered. She had a big capacious pelvis, and suffered
fiom 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 ROUND 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 6i 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.

Eeturns of BainfaJJ in IDorsct
m 1916.

By the Rev. H, H. TILNEY BASSETT, R.D.

^C7L>_

^■i*^ —

JpHP] 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
~P^°^2f 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
Whitchurch), 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

OZ . 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 1(5
stations marked in the tables with an asterisk, is 41670
inches ; the average for 61 years, 1856 to 1916. is 34764,
showing 6906 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 (Codiord 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 2793 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 2837 — 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 clay 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 200 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 150 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 230 Aug. 29, and 184
on Dec. 20.

I have re-calculated the annual average for Dorchester
for the 21 years 1896 — 1916, and find it is 3736 inches now,
instead of 3580 as calculated five years ago. There has been
a steady increasing annual rainfall during the 21 years.
The 1st period of 7 years 1896—1962 has an average of 3296.
The 2nd period of 7 years 1903—1969 has an average of 3745.
The 3rd period of 7 years 1916 — 1616 has an average of 4168.

The actual totals of the 3 periods of 7 years are interesting ;
they are : —

1st period 1896—1962 230 72.
2nd period 1903—1909 262T5.
3rd period 1910— 191(5 291 75.
A curiously regular progression.

East Lulworth Vicarage. — 2TN ins. above the average,
The average rainfall here in the last ten years is 37"57 — the
highest was 4533 in 1912, the lowest 2S27 in 1908.

In February snow fell on 1 days 24 — 27, and measured
"83 inches ; in March snow fell on live days and measured
"81 inches.

RAINFALL IN DORSET. 85

August. — In the storm of August the 29. 311 inches fell.
In 23 hours the barometer fell 1 inch. The heaviest falls
during the last 12 years recorded were 197 inches, Sept. 29,
1912, and 170 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 JO 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. 127 fell after 7.30 p.m.

Xov. 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
181.

Turnwortii. — 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 JO of rain fell — a record. Largest amount
that I have ever registered.

Wareham. Trigo.v.— 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 Purbecks.

Dec. 10. — Hail and rain storms with flash of lightning and
thunder about 11 a.m.
Dec. 16. — Snow.

WlNTERBORXE WHITCHURCH.

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 • 550
registered on the 2nd. The lowest, 250, on the
22nd night. The temperature fell only twice
below the freezing point during the month.
Total rainfall, 128.

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., 089. The highest
temperature in the shade was 53'0, recorded
on the 16th. The lowest 19 during the night
of the 27th. Total rainfall, 604.

March. — Snow was very frequent throughout the month;
the heaviest fall was on the 27th, when six

RAINFALL IN DOESET. 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 l'OOin. was registered.

The highest temperature was registered on
the 14th — 560. The lowest during the night
of the 4th— 23 0. Total rainfall, 4T2 inches.

April. — The weather was 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, 270. Total rainfall, 102.

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 750.
the lowest occurred during the night of the
25th. 32 0. Total rainfall, 191 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 G 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, 238.

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 8G 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
095 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, 1'67.

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 420, which was registered during the night
of the 30th. There were 14 days cm which
rain fell. The heaviest during the 24 hours
was 195 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, 4T6.

September. — There were 10 days on which rain fell, the
greatest fall being GSC) inches on the 271 h. The
temperature reached 7(1 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 650 was registered on the
5th. The lowest observed was 320, 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 lainfall for the month,
633.

November. — There were 18 days on which rain fell, the
greatest fall in the 24 hours being 1'06 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 11th, viz., 570 in the shade. The lowest,
220, was recorded during the night of the 27th.
Total rainfall, 646.

90 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 280 The highest the ther-
mometer reached during the month was 54.
on the 31st. The lowest recorded was 160
during the night of the 16th.

There were 13 days on which rain fell.
The greatest fall in the 24 hours being 1'95 on
the 20th. Total rainfall for the month, 513 ;
for the year, 4437.

RAINFALL IN DORSET.

91

Ol X -<* X 01 — Ci I - Ci X X CD -+ X CD I - i> r-~ I> CD C) Is* CO O Oi O N t^ ift O ift CO CO CO r

t^-*'tco««»f^?:"*n-'C7i-foo»f-Hir) o «# co f- m ?] t

fCicooiCO'ta co

o»

COWOOCOCOift'MOCiCrf^i'fcOCM'^HCOtfl

CO^^'^-1"-tCO'*iO-+»+CO-rt'-t,COrp-p--^-^-rt

iOHQ0GI>Oifl

~* -* CO CO CO -+ ■*

X Ci Ci O Ci Ol X CD
COCO-*t}<COCOCOt*

-~

ift

<*

?: iO c p- r* cc h 7i co ^ co 'X ■* Ji :i -t ^ cs o h

OivOOOiOt-^O'tOI^WOl^cOO CM Ci CM ift

0!0»OH05 "ft CO
Ol Ci X CD CO 3 ift

cr. o fco ol i-i O -<# ol

CO

*#

ift> -* ift cd ift ift -p ut .ft -t -t c l- c ift i- -+ -+ co -i<

i-C -t •+ O ^ -f *t

-f -rf O vfl lC l", -f rf

lO

ift

t- o oi -* co -h ci oi ci o; i- cd oi oi ooc:

lO 'tC(M«OHCC« CD CO

<ooo o i.o -t 't ■* •+ C!

OO)^HOlWHHOSH00i-lCOl

X -— i O -t* X CI X ift 01 iO uO Ol X c

1 CD -f ift X I> I> i

) to r- co co io co c -h i* -r >c i- t-- ic o i> ic -t ^ o c cd co

CO Ol Ol CO CO CO Ol 01 01 71 1

:■ -f X
J co-t<

01 71 71 CO01 CO rp

-«# cd ift x r- oi o x

OOCOCOCOCC^C

01 CO -4* 03 01 r

ci -t- cc 9: — :o — ~ ci o 3 Ci i

HOC0^HH?l>C^OHh!

X * Ci CD -* Ol Ol t> CD no

ICOCDCO-fiftCOCOt f-*CD r* ■*+ -t< ■** rf* CO ift

X r- CD ift CD CD CC t~- ift 01 t- 'ft ift CO O ift ift CO

X Ci vft Ol 04 ■*& CI CI i-- ol i- t Ci CD CD r-i 01 Oi O '

01 — ift Ol CD O I"- 01 CD Ci ift CD — ^h r- X ift

<(M(NHH CM 01 71 71 01 ^ i

01 X Ci X CI CO C X Ci X t- 71 -+ CO CD — i —f X O CO O — i ift "* t- t- ift COHN00©t»CCi
>C ^] -t C *t « O H -f C ^O « rH O O M lC H CO N CD Ci CO CD ift : ~
r-l 7171 71 71 71 i-i 01 01 01 01 -^ 71 -^ -^ 71 01 01 ^ ^ 01 ^ Ol Ah iH

CD ift ^ 01 iT5i-II>COOCMi-4COCO-^tHi-H05COCX)CO ^CONOOON I> C I> r-t i-h 01 1^ CO
CD CO X CD C" CO X l> 71 l> CO ift O ift -P CO Ol CD CD .— > 00 t- CO t*- ift r-l OS CD l> CO t- CD ift I> ©

Ci r- co -r c: oi co
S Ci C' r)< h c —
n^r^COCOift^COCOcO-^OlCOCOCO-

X 7 1 71 r-H CO 71 r- Ci GM r-i

TO CD X -* ift CO Ci X CD CC C — 77 "O D -* -— >ft X 71 -t< 71 — < 71 ift -+ Ci

X" Ci Ci r-^ Ci CD ih Ci CD CO> CD X X X CO O CD CO Ol O
i^iftcbiftiftift^iftl>OI>^iftift^iftiftiftcDi--'

uft CO rf Ol X C O CM

r-H ift Ci CO -* Ci cD HOiOOriHTfC
f- ift ljft ift >Jft -i* CO ift ift CD CD ift ift ift CD

r- o Ci co Ci -# Ci>

■ ift i> t> o oi x

[~-0'-,fCD'--iiftiftcOCOOCOiftt-I>-dcDiftCi'<#X

Ci CD CD ift I> *tf CO O r- t ift CD Is- Ci rf X CD ift CD ift 01 01 t-i CI Ol X uft Ol CO CO Ol "■* CM X t> Ol

Cm M-t? V.

^ £ J3 =553

^ O-r c3 cp^

5 o ^-5^ 2i

cu

6 t-q

.2- •.*-*. .
Pm << Pq g h fe

> o|

2^

S o

Egfl .SO

3^ 3TO §^^^.M

Wg?^

> . «

S-rf:

: : : :^ :o :

-i d"t^.-'fil-i

2 . . .§ .. 3 * . . .3 S . ,J.

log ',« "•••■■£• : iS ■'• S ■■•*■•■• ••SS'^a-J'*

. Somi : ^^-s :|s : : : : : iS'S : * :S : :-*>S :- :5 :

I «l^-, ilU^isii ?-3>g |5vl si oi^ g si s f| g>| „

5'5Sai52S£^--'S'j^ooS = oo?; .5 5-S g 5 2 = -15 = t S S £ '.S S ^ >• .s 5

92

RAINFALL IN DORSET.

On Q

h

— — c i "i ■"- — "- toosatH oaooeoooi t-t~t~tDN'»J"T|i i*. x ifl ■-. x — a r~ cc — x ci 71

0300 000000003 _ — - : OS lO COOOODOIOh iC t-OOMOOC CO X c 1 — I- 1- _

><

QJ

-;i i~ i- -.; ..-. cc x ci cc t~ ^ x x t> — cc ic cc •" cc r- x cc cc cc -~ — ■ o • *. cc -r >c -r x cp cc ■*

fi

lo-to --r-x- ~_-i-~i- x oo^ooooco^rtOHOiscenOflO -

0}

ci, ii-] — ci — ci ci ci ci — ci ci ci — -i-i — -it] — ci — ci ci — el ci ci — ci ci — i ci

*i

-* cc ci ci e r ci ■". ,.-. — cc c cc ci ci cc cc -i- -r cc s ci cc cc .-c — cr. cp cc cc -T ci — c «

o

CI — ClClCleiClClelCleieiClClelCleieieiClCleieiClClClelCl — C1C1CI — C1C1C1 71

43

MC.-tHCr:x-r;*i^x-r.r..':c--J-r;;;i:-:il-:i;xx:Ki: - 1

"*

CO

~

61

f -CCi'-tc-rCiT.L-^i.-.c.c.-t'fKK^r'.^r; — ci -r •* — cc in c 1 C — cc cc ■* —

g

"*i

*

cc iO X X r- x cc — t- -c r~ m r- -r .-. cc a i- r- t- cr. ca — ■ ifl cc X 3 iO cr. X cc cc -t X ..-. i~ c

O

=

P

— — —

3

f-<

—

.2

l-j

^

■5

>.

cc io >n ci ?i <* -M cc ..-. co ci cd o m n -t cc cc ci -c r~ -c m - cc ..-. r- - ci .- _ m t- 1- cc - .-.

•c;

Q

■'■

__;

:ix-ccr.n^.KL-~iKKj-55iiKK;ii.-.r:K*ccKCHi-,-.i^»*s:i ci

=

cS

-t.

c

"g

c

X -t O C. rH 3 O cc -f C O r t-I^O(MOOnmcOOOMN(MOfflNtO'*'*iOt-ai 71

~

cc x cc i.c ifl — i" t~ i~ cc cc cc cc -r -* in t~ -r -+ i* t- -* X »* ^ -t t> l- -t * ^i -r r: »" cc -t -*

Cl — Cl-M-M-M — ClCl-l-M-rl'M-MIlTlClTIClClCl-M — CI 11 11 II H Tl i— 71 CI — "M-MC! CI

[Z5

fr

c

■^

-r i" •-: m — -t c. x ci c. x -r ■— ci ci >^ Orj«eo«o i- x c cc cc c c. -r t- ~ ci i- ~ t- -r cc c".

±

i-

"PI

«*.= =

cj

a

—

ci

ci - ci ^ ci ci. ex ci ci ci. ci ci tL oi ci. ex -Si ri ci ct -i ci ci ct ex ci. ex ci ex ex -.1 ci ci ci ex ex

fl

< C; <; C -i; <<<<<<<<< <<<<<< < ■*,'?,■<,■*,<,<<<'<,<<■<<< <

-7

0

4^ -

a

cjH

43

,ci»-t>i- .-. i- .-. i- x ci x ooooocm eococa do — •-. — -s. — .- — -f — c m o i" t^

M

»

= -ri cc — ci -r -r ci cc O ire — cc i- cc -r cr. -r x ~ ~ — — cc cc S — ci ci cc c: p ^t ci _

-

s

A

0

r

-

o) v c; q
ex £ •-_:

. ~ o ~t. . > ■ .

■i_5=: S j. 5 ^-f •

■,.

a c5 s 5g I= 1|

%

~ r: ? . . ec^-.-; . .8"S c° • • "2 -"O-S •

(►i»,e 2 co3 • • _ gijg • • » d -cc-e ■ • =*^ ; -^-r •

DO

,"-;-;!■ ^c:J-c .ccc t. ext. ^ ct^ ^ c- a . >
■^ ~ — c£ c .- ~;-^c £m fe 0 rtc< i ? >5 •-rc^?''
^ •" - ■ — > ->• — . _ ex -S ?• • t-<i cS ^•" ,•-"— - s
* c . HW o r-i — ^ r c: bq o> <8 * • /. ^ • . ^^ 'EH . c ^ a; •
r'-^H m co _(l4 a* cc ^ c _>5 e8 tT tTcafcrf cc .— — ■ '^ ■ r? ^ c - ^ _j*r .— .^ '

— -T!— c: ;:-£;, -^ — '- ^ ^ ^ c ^ ^: > ^- d " — - *j -^ 73 - - 73 0P1M g

— i5i-ic:«^c~n^iti '-icic=- tSt--^iji? C.5 .ti .5 .5 IS
-< -s< pC pc, =; c^ p; p; -^ -_ -^ ^ r_, -w ^, C 3 5* -^ — ^ W — ^ 7- f. X /. ■/. '— ? ? Z- ? ? ? ?

• • * »

3t Dorset Hojnd peculiar*

By Rev. Canon J. M. J. FLETCHER, M.A,, R.D.

awtt

>]1HE 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
and such abbots as possessed exempt juris -
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

bishops
diction.

* 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.

!>4 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 vrith 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.(/.,*Salisbury,
Lichfield, and St. Paul's.

4. Peculiars which ordinarily belongedto certain Monasteries.

The Royal Peculiars in Dorset, as given by Hutchins, were :

1. Wimborne Minster, of which presently.

2. Corfe Castle, which probably derived its peculiar
jurisdiction from Shaftesbury Abbey, to which the
advowson of the rectory formerly belonged. It
appears to have been, in reality, a Monastic and not a
Royal Peculiar.

* The Dean of Salisbury instituted and inducted to 37 parishes in
Dorset, the churches of which were " peculiar " under Ins jurisdiction.

A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR. i>5

3. Canford Magna and Poole. This was apparently an
exempt jurisdiction belonging to the Priory of Augus-
tinian Canons at Bradenstoke, Wilts. The Priory
was founded by John of Salisbury in 1139, and the
chinches of Canford and of St. James', Poole, were
given by the founder to that Priory. Canford having
passed into the hands of the Crown this jurisdiction
was called Royal, although in the first instance it was
Monastic.

4. Sturminster Marshal was a possession of the alien
Priory of Pont Audemar in Normandy. When, in the
second year of King Henry V., the lands of the alien
monasteries were given to the Crown, it would become
a Royal Peculiar.

5. Gillingham.

One of the Tanner MSS.* gives a list of no less than 52
churches in the county of Dorset, which for some reason or
other were Peculiars, and consequently exempted from
Episcopal control : —

(This number includes, of course, the 37 churches belonging
to the Dean of Salisbury alluded to above.)

A note of the Peculiars in Dorset who p'tend to (and at p'sent) be
clearly exempt from Episcopal Jurisdiction or Discipline.

Being the fourth part of the best part of the County and the com'on
seats for Sehismaticks : —
Lyme Regis Pool

Maperton Canford

jSTetherbury Stowpaine

Beaminster Beer Hackett

Monger ton Long Burton

Wambrook Hollnest

Halstocke Caundle Marsh

Kimridge Clifton Maybauke

Corfe Castle Folke

Charmister Gillingham

Fordington Moxcomb

* Bodleian Lib., Tanner MSS. 129, Xo. 18.

<)(> A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR.

Preston Stower East

Sutton Priors Stower Wesl

Sturmister Marshall Haydon

Milton Abbas Lillmgton

Alton Pancras Nether Compton

Anderston Over Compton

Bere Regis Oburne

Kingston Rime intrinseca

Bloxworth Stockwood

Frome Whitfield Strattern (Stratton)

Corfe Mullen Shearbourne

Lower Litchett Thornford

Thomeston Yat minster

Turner Piddle Leigh

Wimborne Minster Chetnole

The Benedictine Nunnery, which had been founded at
Wimborne by St. Cuthberga sometime in or before the j'ear
705, is said to have been destroyed by the Danes (probably
early in the eleventh century), and to have been refounded,as
a secular community with Dean and Canons, by Edward the
Confessor, the founder of Westminster Abbey.

From the middle of the eleventh century, with the exception
of a short period when it was granted by King Henry to
Robert Count of Meulan, and by his son (King) John, to the
Augustinian Priory of St. Stephen, Plessis in the diocese of
Bayeux, in Normandy, the Deanery of Wimborne Minster
appears to have been in the gift of the Kings of England, and
so to have continued until the dissolution of the chapter in
the first year of the reign of Edward VI.

That the King looked upon Wimborne as belonging to
himself, and that he would brook no interference with what he
considered his royal prerogative, even from the Pope himself,
is evident from the following extract : —

20 August, 22 Henry III. (1238). To the Bishop of Salisbury and
the Archdeacon of Wells :

Whereas the King has heard that W. de Badeston, clerk, has obtained
apostolic letters directed to them to provide for him in some church
in the diocese of Salisbury, and they by the same authority have seen fit
to provide for him in the church of Shapwyk, belonging immediately
to the deanery of Winburn ; and whereas the said deanery is a

A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR. 97

special chapel belonging to the King and is known to pertain to his
patronage ; in order that they should not confer any prebend or church
in the said deanery upon the said W. or other, the King inhibits them,
commanding them to revoke what they have attempted : and that they
go no further he appeals to the apostolic see and appoints Philip de
Salfeteby as his proctor to make such an appeal.*

1307, March 28. To the collectors of the procurations of
cardinal of the Roman Church. Order prohibiting them from exacting
procurations for the use of the cardinal or any exactions by reason of
which it may be necessary for the king to apply a heavier hand as his
free chapels (Wymbourn, &c.) are exempt from all exactions, contri-
butions and procurations whatsoever : — and the king learns that they
exact procurations as above from the dean and chapter and coerce
them to pay them. J

In 1312 it is described as a royal free chapel : —

June 24. Protection for one year for Stephen de Malo Lacu, dean
of the King's free chapel of Wyburne Minstre. §

In the Patent Rolls are constantly to be found notification
of grants made of the deanery of the king's free chapel at
Wymburnemynstre (or Wy borne Mynstre) in the diocese of
Salisbury, e.g., to Richard de Swynnerton, king's clerk, in
1335| to Richard Murymouth in 1338, to Robert de Kingeston
in 1342, to Thoma.s de Clopton in 1349, to Thomas de Brembre
in 1350, &c, &c.

1315, April 15. Order to the dean of the free chapel of Wimburn,
&c, &c. . . , to appoint certain persons in whom he can confide to
collect a tenth of the beneficies (sic) pertaining to the chapel which
are exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinaries. ||

1318. Feb. 7. To Master Roger de Asserio, Canon of Orleans.
Order forbidding his attempting anything to the prejudice of the king
or of the free chapels of Wymburne mynstre, &c.

and to revoke any thing he may have attempted in this behalf —
as the king understands he exacts from the dean and prebendaries
of the chapels intolerable impositions and payments, and compels them
to pay by ecclesiastical censure, whereas they are free chapels of the

* Patent Rolls 22, Henry III., m. 2.
t Close Rolls, 35 Edward I., m. lid.
§ Patent Rolls, 5 Edward II.
f Patent Rolls, 8 Edward III., m. 5.
|| Close Rolls, 8 Edward II., m. 9.

98 A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR.

kinu and exempl from all ordinary jurisdiction and from nil contribu
t ions . *

On Fob. 20, 1331, a Commission is appointed, consisting of John de
Carleton . . . Richard Turbervill (and others), to make a visitation
of the king's free chapel of Wymbournemynstre, which is exempt from
the jurisdiction of the ordinary, as the king is given to understand
that there have been great destructions in the chapel itself, as in books,
vestments, and ornaments as well as in the prebends, manors, lands,
and possessions pertaining thereto, and in the houses, woods and
gardens of those, in the times of previous deans of the chapel, that very
many of the lands and. possessions conferred on the chapel by the kings
progenitors are withdrawn, alienated and dissipated, and that divers
liberties and privileges granted to the chapel have been lost by the
negligence of the deans aforesaid, t

In some of the Churchwardens' Accounts— e.g., for the years
1538, 1539, 1540, ths Wardens arc described as " Churchmen
and keepers of the goods and Rccyvou'rs of the Rentts,
Quit Rents, lands and tenements belonging to the Coledge
Church and the kyngs ffre chaell ther " {i.e., at Wimborne
Minster). J

Enough has been said to show that from quite early times
Wimborne Minster was a Royal Peculiar, and that it continued
such until the middle of the sixteenth century.

The College, with all its chantries. &c, was dissolved by
the Chantry Act, 1 Edward VI., and the dean and the four
prebendaries were pensioned off. The Church estates came
into the hands of the King. During the ensuing 15 years
the Church was badly served. Letters patent were therefore
obtained from Queen Elizabeth in 1563, under which twelve
governors were appointed, to whom the custody of the re-
founded Grammar School was committed with the appoint-
ment (and dismissal if necessary) of the schoolmaster, and of
three presbyters and their clerks who were responsible for the
conduct of divine service, and the care of the souls of the in-

* Close Rolls. 11, Edward II., m. 10 d.
f Tat out Rolls, 25 Edward III., m. 36 d.
i Churchwardens' Accounts, Wimborne Minster. Vol 1.. pp. 118,
122. 125, &c.

A DORSET ROYAL PECX7LIAR. 99

habitants of the district. To the Governors was given a
common seal, and the privilege to sue and be sued as a bod}'
corporate. Various tithes and estates were committed to
them, under this and succeeding charters, " with all ecclesias-
tical power, authority and jurisdiction within the parish of
Wimborne Minster,"* which in former times had belonged
to the College, &c.

The ecclesiastical authority of the dean and chapter passed
to the twelve governors, who delegated their authority to an
" Official of the peculiar and exempt jurisdiction of Wimborne
Minster" whom they appointed to serve during their pleasure, j

The Consistory Court at Wimborne was held in that portion
of the north aisle of the Minster which is situated to the west
of the north porch. The panelling which is still to be seen
against the west wall marks the place where the " Principal
Official " sat as Judge.

Frequently he was one of the " Three Presbyters," or
'* Ministers " of the Chinch, though sometimes a layman of
position and eminence was appointed to the post. Occa-
sionally one of the " Ministers " also acted as surrogate. The
Principal Official, who bore the title of " Worshipful " (Vir
Venerabilis), was assisted by a " Register," who must be a
Notary Publick. His Court was a Probate Court for the
proving of wills and for granting letters of administration, and
for receiving bonds and inventories. He had the power of
granting marriage licences. The Churchwardens and Sides-
men were " sworn " before him, and " presented " the con-
dition of church and churchyard and the need of repairs, if
any. He sat as Judge when presentments were made by the
Churchwardens against persons for various offences. Amongst
these were

The non-payment of tithes and of Chinch rates.
The non-payment of Court dues.

* Cf. Minutes of Church Governors of W.M. of August 9, 1703.
" Jura ecclesiastica, proficua, jurisdicciones ccclcsiasticas, ac omnia
alia prehemincne', prerogativa, jivra," &c, &c. (Charter of Charles I.,
25 March, 1639).

100 A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR.

Clandestine marriages, and marriages without the

authority of the Court.
Bastardy, and immoral living.
Non-Conformity.

Non-attendance at Church, or at the Holy Communion.
Intrusion, or bad behaviour in Church.
The breaking of the Sabbath Day.

Accusations of abusive conduct and of quarrelsomeness.

The penalties were fines, in addition to court fees

(the fines being apparently given to the poor), the public

performances of acts of penance, excommunication, exclusion

from the company of their fellows, &c.

The earliest post-Reformation " sitting " of the Court of
which we have a record is that of 25 July, 1573, when an
agreement come to between the Governors and the parish-
ioners relative to tithes " was decreed and registered in the
ecclesiastical court of the peculiar of Wimborne."*

The following are some of the " presentments " which are
recorded : —

1595. Christopher Syler " for sitting by the fire in the sarmon
time " and saying he would go to the church " when he listeth."

1599. Oct. 22. Thomas Normanf one of the ministers of the
church was presented to " the offyciall and register of thys peculyar
jurysdycyon of Wymborne " for refusing " to read divine searvis
according to her maJts lawes, to celebratte the blessed sacriment of the

* Cf. Hutchins' History of Dorset, (last Edition), Vol. III., p. 193.

t Upon Mr. Thomas Norman's appointment on Jan. 20, 1596-7, ho
was so highly thought of by the Governors that he was " returned by
patent for the term of his life " (and not, as was customary, merely
during the pleasure of the Governors) " to preach in the church of
Wimborne so often as he may, and to be resident there at the yerely
ffoe of XLli quarterly to be paid." {Minute Book of the Governors).
His salary of £40 was three times that received by the other Ministers
(£13 6s. 8d.). Nine months later, when Mr. John Geare was elected
" Scholemaistre," then* is a note in the Minute Book to the effect thai
" Mr. Norman at his pleasure is to have recourse unto the School as
often as lie will to examine how the children do profit and thereof to
certify to the Corporation." (Oct. 21, 1597).

A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR. 101

bodie and blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Chryste to the parish-
ioners of Wymborn, to baptise infants, to visite the sicke, to praise, or
to give thanks to God for women after childe birthe, and to wear such
habits as is appointed by the ecclesyastycall orders and lawes of this
realme," &c.

1601. " Magister Thomas Norman " and Henry Allen had " a
difference " (quarrel) which needed settlement.

Mr. Norman was not infrequently presented ; but without
effect, for in the year 1611, Thomas Norman. " our Minister,"
was cited for not wearing a surplice, reading the prayers, or
administering the Sacraments.

Anna Toogood, the wife of Thomas Toogood,"one of our
Ministers," does not appear to have had the peaceable dis-
position which might have been expected in a clergyman's
wife ; for no less than four times in the space of sixteen months
(1601-2) she appeared either as complainant or as defendant
in actions for the use of abusive words or for defamation of
character.

On February, 1601-2, Henry Topnell was presented for
keeping company in his house on the " Saboth " in the
time of divine service, and five other men were " presented "
for being there with him. A week later Anthony Witt,

William Osmond and Hollowaye were charged with

being " at breckfast " at Tapnell's house in the sermon time.

On May 5 th, 1602 John Keynell was presented for being
''' a common drunekard," and Arthur Mylles for t: Keepinge
card playinge in his house, the 2nd of Ma ye being Sondaye."

Other presentments were : —

William Forrist for keepinge his shopp open.
Michaell Dike and John Stronge for talkinge in the

churche in the sermon tyme.
Thomas Woodman and his Son for playing in the

time of servis and sermon in the tythinge of Lighe

(Leigh).
Thomas Fripp " for playinge of tables and keepinge of

companey on Whit-Monday last in the church

house on service and sermon tyme."

102 A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR.

Barnaby Dugdale for " Keepinge of an alle " (ale) and
much company in his house in the service and
sermon time.
John Mowlam for " being at Lighe at an ale all service

and sermon time."

Robert Allyn " for beinge at w home with other com-

paney in the service and sermon time at eveninge

prayer on the 18th of July, and further he is presented

for sitting in the cokerowe*, raylinge and drawinge

company to him, he called us knaves and bagige

fellowes and he woulde not come to the chinch at

the same day."

John Dale for fighting and brawling in the churchyard.

Henry Locke was presented by the Register " for

abusing me in my office and miscallange me. callange

me an asse, and sayinge that if I did use this kind

of means I woulde drawe all people uppon my

eares."

Simon Smith for sittinge in the quier at prayer time

and keepinge the quier men out of theire places.
John Burde for mending showes (shoes) on the Saboth
day in the time of prayer.
There were a large number of presentments of those who
absented themselves from church or from "the Eucharist."
For absence from chinch the fines were usually 12d. " for
the use of the poor," in addition to Court fees. For incon-
tinently, both men and women were condemned to stand in
the Chinch, on one, two, or three " Saboth " days, clad in a
white sheet, and with a rod in the hand, " after the manner
of a penitent," and publickly to confess their sin. In one
instance the penitent i.s expressly ordered to stand thus
during the ivhole time of morning service. As the prayers
Lasted from 8 to 10. and the sermon from Id to 11. it would

* The Cokerowe, or Cooks row. as n is now called, is the row of
cottages facing the North sidu of the Minster.

A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR. 103

mean standing for three horns. In one case the penance had
not been carried out. and a line of £6 13s. 4d. " for the use of
the poor " was imposed instead.

The following are copies of the Churchwardens' presentments
some two generations later : —

We present Thomas Morren, Robert Pope and Edith his wife,
Samuel Baxter, Richard Coffin of this Towne, and James Bayly and
Roger Barnes, of Holt, of the p'ish of Wimborne aforesayd for p'sons
inconformable to the Government and Ordinaries of the Church,
Neglecters of the Common Prayer and Holy Sacraments and have not
received the Holy Sacrament at all in this yeare of our Churchwarden -
ship as wee are informed.

Item We present Rich. Coffin, Tho. Mirren, Ralph Eason of our
Towne of Wimbourne ffor having severall Children that are not Baptized
according to the order of ye p 'scribed by the Booke of Common Prayer
as we are credybly informed and as the Common Report goeth in our
Towne.

I. We present Hester True and Mary True for unconformists to
the Church Govermentt and living imder the notion of Anna Baptists
or Quakers.

It' we prsent all those whose names are specified in the schedule
anexed for non-payment of Church Rate.

* William Frampton Churchwardens.
John Ansty

Here follow 33 names, amounts of rates unpaid varying from Is. to
£2 14s.

I present Pbilipp Faury, Henry Faury, John Percy and Richard
Debben for playing unlawful games as Coytes or the like upon the
Saboth day at tyme of divyne service.
Robert Pope
Sy'man

The presentments of the Churchwardens of Wimborne Minster made
given up unto the Officiall's Court there the 10th daye of Januarye,
1666.

Imprimis we present Martha Russell widd. and Elizabeth Spencer
wife of Will. Spencer for pratizing the Office of a Midwives without
beingi' sworne or fcackinge Licence- from the ordinary as we beleive.

Thomas Redman arid his wife of holte for not coining to the sacrament
and not receavinge the same.

* Undated : But John Ansty find William Frampton were Church-
wardens from 1664 to 1666.

104 A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR.

It . we present Obidia Clarke and his wife and Thomas Bennies and
his wife of this Towne and Mary Spencer widd. about holt for incon-
formists to the goverment of the Church of Englinge negleckinge
the ordinance of the Church for not receavinge t lie holy sacrament of
the Lords Supper.

It. we present John Budden for killinge of 2 Bullocks upon the Saboth
Days.

It. we present Mary younge of wimborne minster and Penelope
Gellett of Cowgrove for haveing Basse born children.
Will Goddard
Christopher Markwell Church wardins.

In August 1668, John Da we, John Wagge, and Nathaniel
Lewin were presented for neglecting their own parish Church
" at tyme of Divine Service and the receaving the holy
sacramente."

In 1672, in addition to three cases of incontinency, one of the
Churchwardens, Will Catton* and two of the sidesmen, Ruben
Bailey and Josias Frampton, presented : —

" John Browne, junr., Nicholas Perham, John Greene, Robert
Temple, William White, and William Bennett for intruding into the
Quire of our Church, and setting there in ye stalles (where they have
not p'tence of Rite) there at time of divine service and thereby dis-
turbing ye Ministers and sin^iny Men of o'r Quire."

Undated.
John Fair child was presented for continued contumacy, f
The sentence of the Court was that the Ministers were to
give notice in Church during the time of Divine Service that
no one is to hold any communication with him : — Not to
eat or drink with him, or to buy from him or sell to him ; or
to be in his society under penalty of being themselves ex-
communicated.

The following form of confession to Ik- publicly made by
the penitent is undated ; but, as Mr. William Watkinson was

* An illustration (if a Jd. token issued b\ William Catten, in 1666,
is given in Hutchins"1 Dorset, Vol. III., opposite page 224, cf, also
Williamson's Edition of Boyne's Trad* Tokens, Vol. 1.. p. 1!)7. I under-
stand thai no specimen of W. Catten's token is known to lie in existence.
J.M.J.F.

t i.f. Failing to appear in answer to the summons.

A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR. 105

Principal Official from 1686 until 1696, we get the approxi-
mate date.

It seems difficult to realise that such a penance could
have been undergone in one of our English Churches
so recently as during the closing years of the seventeenth
century : —

A penance enjoyned by the Wor11 Philip Traherne, Clerke, Surrogate
to the WorL1 Will™ Watkinson, Clerke, mr of Arts Official! of the
peculiar and Exempt Jurisdiction of Wimborne Minster in Com-
Dorsett.

To the Ministers of Wimborne Minster aforesaid :

Whereas Luce Brewer of your Towne has lately been p'sented by the
Churchwardens and Sydesmen of your p'ish for comitting the sin of
ffornication and haveing lately had a bastard child borne of her
body. And thereupon being legally convened before the said Surrogate
She in open Court confessed herself guilty of the crime aforesaid.
Whereupon she is enjoyned to come into the P'ish Church aforesaid
on Sunday the xxixth day of November instant. And then and there
being covered all over with a white Sheete from the Neck downwards
and holding in her hand a white rodd of an ell long before you and the
Congregation then assembled at the time of Divine Service and before
Sermon to make this Confession in an humble manner, as followeth
viz :

I Luce Brewer doe here before Allmighty God and in the p'sence of
you my good neighbours, humbly confesse and acknowledge that out
of my own private Will and Spiritt , and at the instigation of the Devill,
I have soe much misdemeaned myself in my life and Conversation, by
com'itting the damnable Sin of ffornication with one John Merritt the
younger of Blandford in this County, and haveing a male bastard Child
lately borne of my body, of which Childe he is the ffather, that I am of
all Creatures most miserable, unless Allmighty God out of his infinite
mercy and goodness be pleased to forgive me. And since without
hearty Repentance none can expect mercy, I doe here againe ac-
knowledge my deadly Sin, and sincerely repent me of the same, Be-
seeching Allmighty God to forgive me, and to give me his grace for the
future, that I may never more be guilty of the like or any other Sin
whatever ffor the obteyneing whereof I earnestly begg you my good
Neighbours here present to joyne with me in prayer Saying — Our
ffather &c.

Then follows the certificate given by Mr. Nicholas
Taylor, one of the Minster Clergy, that the penance had been
carried out.

IOC A DORSET ROYAL PECtJLIAR.

I certify the worU Official] aforesaid, or his Surrogate that this pen-
ance hath been duely performed by the above Sayd Luce Brewer,
witnesse hand.

Nicholas Taylor.

The tithes of the parish belonged to the " Governors," for
the defrayment of the expenses of the Grammar School and
of the Minster. There were frequent presentments by the
Governors of inhabitants of the district " in causes of sub-
straction (i.e., non-payment) of tithes." On March 31st,
1744. one Samuel Bugden was proceeded against by " The
Governors of the possessions, revenues, and goods of Queen
Elizabeth's Free Grammar School in Wimborne Minster."
He was cited and did not appear. Thereupon public pro-
clamation was made for him. On his non-appearance, the
Judge (the Rev. Fill Cox. who was then Principal Official),
on the application of the proxy of the Governors, pronounced
liim contumacious ; but reserved " the pain of such his
contumacy until next Court day."

When the Court next met on May 22nd. his case was again
brought forward, and upon his not appearing, after being
thrice called, he was pronounced "'in contempt," and the
Judge pronounced in penalty thereof sentence of ex-com-
munication against him. On July 7th Samuel Bugden
appeared in person, and desired to be absolved from the
sentence of ex-communication. Upon his request, having
first taken the oath that he would well and truly obey the
mandates of the Court in all things just and reasonable, and
having paid the (Governors') Proctor's fees on this behalf.
" The Judge absolved him from the said sentence, and
restored him to the faithfull " and he was discharged.

It will be noticed from the account given of the above case
thai the Court did not meet in the middle of the eighteenth
century nearly as frequently as in former times. The

presentments for offences against morality and order had
become few in number. Not perhaps that the country in
genera] and Wimborne in particular had become more moral
or law abiding, but probably because people were beginning

A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR. 107

to care less for ecclesiastical censure. Man}' of the cas<
now appearing on the Court rolls were citations of the
executors, or of the " possessors of the goods," of deceased
persons.

The glory of the Peculiar Court with its exempt Jurisdiction
was departing. And at the commencement of the nineteenth
century it had become little more than a Probate Court with
very little business, and a Registrar's Office for the granting
of (local) marriage licences.

The Peculiar Jurisdiction Mas finally abolished in the
year 1846. The abolition of the jurisdiction of the Peculiars
had been recommended by the Commissioners in the reigns
of Henry VIII. and Edward VI. It had been suggested by
Convocation in the time of Elizabeth. It found a place in
Sir Walter Scott's Bill in 1822. which passed the Commons.
but not the Lords.

Various Parliamentary Returns were made on the subject,
and the returns were published in Blue Books issued in
1829—32.

Dr. Stubbs. in his Historical Appendix, I., to the Report
of the Commission on Ecclesiastical Courts, 1883 (Vol I., p. 21.
&c). gives the following reasons for the abolition: —

1. They interfered with the beneficial exercise of the

authority of the Bishop of the diocese.

2. The Emoluments were too small, and the causes too
few for the Judges to be efficient and experienced.

3. They did not afford safe custody for wills. Const -

quently titles to real and personal estates Avert
endangered. A knowledge of law was essential ; but
the practice was tod small for its acquisition. Further-
more the costs of search in so many Probate Courts
was great.
The Wimborne wills, administrations, and inventories an
now at, Blandford. The date of the earliest will is 1511.
That the custody of the local courts, as stated above, was
not sufficiently safe is shown by the fact that, with the ex-
ception of some wills proved here during the years 1511-12,

108 A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR.

and 1520-21, there are none apparently in existence before
the year 1590. The Canford wills, which also are at Blandford
go back to 1639, those of Sturminster Marshall to 1641, and
those of Corfe Castle to 1732.

There are still, however, some number of adminis-
tration bonds, as well as marriage licences, citations, present-
ments, and decrees of the Court, &c., &c., preserved at
Wim borne.

Before the abolition of the Peculiar, the fees paid to the
Registrar " on administrations with will annexed and
Probates " varied from £2 10s., when the effects were under
£20, to £10 2s.. when they were under £2,000, with an
additional charge of 2s. 6d. for each folio exceeding three in
number. Out of this sum, the Registrar handed over to the
Official 6s. 8d. (At Canford, Corfe Castle, and Sturminster
Marshall, the Official received 5s.)

In 18 28 the total amount of fees received at Wimborne
was £58 19s. 10d., of which the Official took £6 7s. 10d., the
Registrar £52 9s. 6d., and the apparitor 2s. 6d.

At Milton Abbas the Registrar, when asked for details of

his fees, in March, 1830, replied, we can fancy rather sadly :

' The undersigned has no means of setting forth an account

of those fees, none ever having been received by him. Septimus

Smith, Blandford."

The number of wills proved at Wimborne in the three years
preceding the enquiry was in 1826 none, in 1827 two, and in
1828 five ; two administrations being granted in 1826, one
in 1827, and none in 1828. Thus the business of the Probate
Court, which at one time had been very considerable, had
dwindled away practically to nothing.

But, although the Court of the Peculiar with its Exempt
.Jurisdiction had come to an end in 1846 by an Order in
Council (under an Act of Parliament — 6 and 7 William IV.,
c. 77), officials continued to be appointed — to whom the
privilege of granting marriage licences was still continued.
The writer of this paper is the present holder of the office,
having been appointed, on December 21st, 1915, " Principal

A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR. 109

Official of the Peculiar and Exempt Jurisdiction of Wimborne
Minster," after a lapse of nearly 30 years ; but to him it is
merely an honorary title, though a much valued one through
its associations with the history and customs of Wimborne in
by-gone' centuries. Though he has the right of granting
marriage licences he has never exercised it, as he was already
a Surrogate for the diocese of Salisbury.

The following is a list of the officials, so far as they are
known : —

To 1564 Robert Elliott,

1564 John Gilson.

1569 John Chapman.

1590 Ambrose Gilbert, alias White.

1592 John Barnes.

1609 William Stone, M.A. (Schoolmaster).

1637 William Kidgell (Schoolmaster).

1657 Gilbert Jones, LL.D.

1670 William Raven, M.A. (one of the three Presbyters, or

Ministers, of Wimborne Minster. He died in 1683.)
1 683 Aldrich Swan, M.A. (one of the Ministers 1 680 - 1 7 14 ) .
1686 William Watkinson (resigned).
1696 Philip Traherne, or Traheron, B.D. (Minister 1684-

1723).
1723 Harry Constantine, M.A. (Minister 1707-1730).
1744 Fill Cox, M.A. (Schoolmaster 1731-1748. Minister,

1748-1763).
1763 Henry Fitch, M.A. (Minister 1738-1768).
1768 James Hanham, B.A. (afterwards Sir James) (Minister

1753-1772).
1772 Charles Russell, M.A. (Minister 1768-1798), resigned.
1798 Sir James Hanham, Bart, LL.B. (Minister 1798-

1849.)
1806 Henry Bankes, M.A.
1835 William John Bankes, M.A.
1841 Edward Bankes, B.C.L. (Canon of Gloucester).
1867 James Thomas Baskett.

110 A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR.

(1870) George Evans.
(1872) until 1885, William Druitt.
1885 until his death in Jan., 1886, Charles It. Rowe.

There seems to have been no formal appointment made,
after the death of Mr. Rowe, until 1915, although successive
Chairmen of the Governing Body appear to have acted in the
capacity of Official, and the Rev. G. H. Billington, Rector of
Chalbury, who was appointed "' Surrogate " in 1887, held
that office until his death in 1905. Rut, with the passing
away of the old order of things at the Minster, and when a
Vicar with his staff of assistant curates took the place of the
three " Presbyters," and when the fashion of being married
by licence was dying out and marriage " after banns " became
popular amongst the moneyed classes, the applications for
licences from the Wimborne Official or his Surrogate became
very few and far between. When needed they were obtained
from the Diocesan Registry at Salisbury instead.

1915 James Michael John Fletcher, M.A. (Vicar of Wimborne
Minster from 1906, R.D.. and Canon of Salisbury).

Dr. Pocock, Bishop of Meath,*tells of his visit to Wimborne
on September 13th, 1750, and speaking of the Minster, its
Clergy, and the Official. &c, he says " out of the Ministers the
company (of Governors) name a Judge, who holds his courts
and the common people call him Bishop." The same "title "
was in use for the Official nearly 70 years later ; for, on Sept.
29th, 1818, the Rev. James Mayo, who at the time was Usher
and afterwards Head Master of the Grammar School at
Wimborne, in a letter to his brother Thomas, writes : —

To morrow will he a very gay day heir, as the Bishop of Salisbury
holds a Confirmation, the firsl that lias been held in this church (Wim-
borne Minster) for more than a century. He was invited by Bp.
Bankes. f

* Tin Travels through England of Dr. Richard Pocockt (Camden

Society).

f The Family of Muyo, by Rev. C. II. Mayo. p. 207 (n).

A DORSET ROYAL PECULIAR. Ill

By " Bishop Bankes " he meant of course the Official of the
Peculiar of Wimborne Minster. Mr. Henry Bankes. who held
that office from 1806 to 1835.

The members of one family held the office for so long a
period consecutively, upwards of sixty years, that the title
of " Lay Bishop of Wimborne Minster " came to be looked
upon as an hereditary one. and it is still assumed to belong
to later representatives of the family, even though they have
never held the office of Official.

The following books, &c, may be consulted with advantage
by those who are interested in the subject : —

Blue Books.

Returns Probates of Wills, 1829.

Returns respecting Jurisdiction and Emoluments of
Ecclesiastical Courts, 1830.

Reports, Ecclesiastical Courts of England and Wales, 1832.

Dr. Stubbs' Historical Appendix I. to Report of Commission
on Ecclesiastical Courts, 1883, I., pp. 21, &c.
Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries, 2nd Ser., Vol. V.

(1872), pp. 238-250. Paper by Dr. C. S. Percival.
Consistory Courts and Consistory Places by Chancellor R. S.

Fergusson, in The Archaeological Journal (1890), Vol. LVL.

pp. 85-122.
Hutchins' Dorset. Vol. III., pp. 265-267. &c. Various Seals

used by the Deans, Officials of the Peculiar, &c, &c, are

figured in Hutchins', Vol. III. (opposite p. 224).
A Paper on the Seals of the Peculiars of Dorset by J. E.

Nightingale is given in the Proceedings of the Society of

Antiquaries (1890), Vol. XIII. pp. 165-8.

9iSS?

Dorset CinituTii's DoqqcrcJ Et)pmes,

By the Rev. HERBERT PENTIN, M.A.

«^«^a*l

Q()ME years ago our Vice-President, His Honour
Judge Udal, F.S.A., made a collection of
rhymes connected with Dorset Children's
Games. They were published in the seventh
volume of the Folk Lore Journal, and in-
clude some of the best known examples.
During my residence in the county it has also
been one of my pastimes to make a large

collection of such rhymes, and a few of the most interesting

and curious are here reproduced : —

GREEN GRAVEL.

HC aAl'Jr

Cyiu n qravoi , qresn yaxvel . tVa <ya*> l» So cyrccn .

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.

k i irniji . LLuj in \m=^

rlc4« CMiJ^eeJtnnij 3on«>, 3ot«y 3on«,1Ho.*« tan\ S<e JtntHj3onc%,hoW Uita tvivi ?

J i I < i , ■ t^-A

» » » I r,l -■ | «. I » » » | | » « ic. |l

3ivm^ Jetunfl Va4kinqlv*to4kn^,v^ki»^)^inn43ono m ww^iing,ii6UCimVS€?Wn<v^

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; yon 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,
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,
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 servo 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, boj% 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 tin rhyme is repeated, the
answer is " Yes, yes, yes." The children then go and pretend to drift the
ducks away with a " Shoo-oo-oo."

OK

Please Mother, please Mother, may I go out to play V
(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. 110

Then this prose dialogue follows :

Children, I call you. (Ans.

(Ana. ]

Where have you been ?

What did she give you ? (Ans.

Where 'e my share ? (Ana.

'Tisn't there. (Ans.

'Tisn't there. (Ans.

Where's the cat ? (Ans.

Where's the wood ?

Where's the fire ?

Where's the water ?

Where's the ox ?

(Ans.

(Ans.

(Ans.

Yes, mother, I hear you.

Down to Granny's.

A piece of plum -pudding.

In top cupboard.

In bottom cupboard.

Cat have eat it.

In wood.

Fire burnt it.

Water douted it.

Ox drunk it.

(Ana.) Butcher killed it.

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 ahout (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 be.ins.

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 ?

1-2 DORSET CHILDREN S DOGGEREL RHYMES.

III. Took my watch and broke my chain [repeat thria ).
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
': fiftv 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. 123

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 fiel'.
Stand up right upon thy feet,
And choose the purtiest you like, sweet.
i

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.

I. 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 I !

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.

12."

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.

A\\% 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.

120 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.

Children.

Children.

Isabella, Isabella, Isabella, farewell.

Last night when I parted

I left him broken-hearted

On the mountain, on the mountain.

On the mountain, farewell.

Then choose another, choose your lover,
Choose your lover, farewell. (She chooses.)

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 version" of thi? " 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 ; bid the icolj 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 morn-
ing.

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 pet up for my sweet heart, 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 venr 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 Barbae 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 hemine 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 girl
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 soldier less ; 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. En a, 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.

III. Monkeys, monkeys, draw the boer,
How many monkeys have you here ?
Two, four, six, eight,
MAry 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 1
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.

^etiological Beport on jfirst

Appearances of $iros, insects, Sec, ano

jfirst jflotoerino; of plants

In Dokset for 1916.

By W. PARKINSON CURTIS, F.E.S.

jcfrwa-

T 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
Proceedings, this time they must be
conditions have rendered it increasingly
either to observe on my own account or
and at present I feel

printers of our

absolved. War

difficult for me

to collate other people's observations

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. Harker 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,
Bo urne mouth.

The Rev. A. Bertram Hutton (A.B.H.), of Loders.

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS. INSECTS, ETC. 135

CANIDAE.

(1) Caiiis 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 Burrow
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.)

CERVTDAE.

(2) Cervus elaphus. Red Deer.

Tins animal was reported from the big heath
between Pur beck 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.)

130 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

•e'8

1-

>>

£55

C! CO

O lO
CO CI

' a. ' ' "B. '

< <

i^ co to

CN H

. . ^_- ..>%;. ^

— .5 si
< <= <

Pulham.
J. R.

i5

•5"

co co

CM (N

a. 5.

< <

< 6

C4

"5.
<

odd

o . .

<i> ■ .

M

o

oi~

>>

3

S -5

Poole
District.
W. P. c.
E. II. C.

CO^ CO CO~Ci

0 95 *S i-l r-l oo t- oo °°~

CM CJ ,-H CM &J CJ

■ CD o ' U ' ''_•'>> j _• >>;i^ ' 2

c-i-- cT- e

01 CN c-i CO
CX~~~ ' CX.-C, " •*»

Ijfa

?" ''

CO 00 O LO rH CO
O) 11 C) CI

s

'p. ' ' 'p.

"H.

Earliest

previously

recorded

date for
Dorset.

cr. oi co co r-ico co co

01 i-i IN N^^i-li-c

-* -r i- co oc cr: co o to to -* mo CO CO

— C i~- -£i r- ••

:^^; ^.^-_- >. >.cr

<« <«oScC

o ~,"Z
'- — —
§~ ~

6
PQ

•< >» Ss a < t: z: s < x J? p

so s .^ -

x H p. £ E

- H Tr " ^ cS "o ° £ -^ ~ £ •£**

•E 'i'-'--^ gi»S -§ « | i .£ §

^ to ST 1~ GO Oto

So 2

o c cr

i-g "^

5 S

o" 2"

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS. INSECTS., ETC.

13;

■art

|oi

»h

-•«

£z

g .

■*

£3

.:>->::

■31-a

Ph

• >'

ga

«ri

oOO

^^

c . .

0

£&<3

x^

S^ y

g

HS

1-5 a

— XI

H
tf

00 >-n-< C3 — -*

r1CO*-<Nl

1-1 O 1-1 ■--. i-<

•<"^fi-<«i!z;;<liKi

cv ri —

sag

5 c j;

X ~

0.

X

0 2

O

M

0

£

02

M

3 3)

=S:i=H

~H

- ^ ^~ S

H

H ■< O

vO

—

-

£

M

>■

+■»

X

<;

X

^y

.

0)

\>

-

m

~

ft

«*

rl

£

c

rt

"5

*

a

u-

0

>'

x

10

rj

a)

§

I,— j=

<s e.

w

Ms»o

T >»

3

-— tt a

1 s

-'•D ^

a rt

£

. a

03

:=-^>

cs

.<)*>-

*s

d

&~ 5

7,2 cs .-•- .

cj CO

1 -'

CD

u

W <u

82 £c

0 ri

a~g

5 5

3o^

— 01,- .

,22.2 •"»

moTb0.a

— © c t.
S---E*:

S x c

woes
- ' —

138 FIRST APFEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

CORVIDAE.

(1) Corvus corax. The Raven.

Apr. 21 A pair seen frying high in circles over Canford

Bottom ; finally they proceeded north at a

great height. (E.H.C.).
Apr. 25 Mr. 8. H. Wallis wrote — " It is reported that

the young ravens near Ringstead have flown

already."

(2) Pica pica The Magpie.

Mar. 6 One observed in Canford Bottom. (E.H.C.)
Aug. 1 A single bird seen in Worbarrow Cove.
(W.P.C.)

(3) Garrulus glandarius. The Jay.

Mar. 6 On the Canford Estate in the winter the Jay
is very frequentl}r met with in numbers in
excess of the usual residents. On this day we
saw an abnormall}' large number, and many
individuals appeared to be lighter in colour than
Garrulus glandarius rufitergum — The British
Jay. W. and I therefore concluded the numbers
were swollen by Continental Jays. Snow was
still on the ground in sheltered places, and the
north wind was very keen, and on March 7-8
there was a further heavy fall.

Apr. 9 Jays on the Canford Estate are reduced to
normal numbers.

Oct. 21 An increase in the number of birds noted at
Canford by E.H.C, but he could not determine
whether they were Garrulus glandarius or
Garrulus glandarius rufitergum. (E.H.C. and
W.P.C.)

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 139

FRINGILLIDAE.

(4) Chloris chloris. The Greenfinch.

Found at Loders in Arbor Vitae 19 Ma}', 1915.
Greenfinches' nest with six eggs of pure white
without a spot on any egg. Nest made of
rootlets and moss-lined inside with verj- fine
grass. Eggs very Hke the wryneck's, bul
slightly smaller and more pointed at one end.
(A.B.H.)

(5) Coccothraustes coccothraustes The Hawfinch.

One at Melbury Osmund, December 6. (F.L.B.)

(6) Carduelis carduelis britannica. The British Gold-

finch.

Jan. 17 At Oakdale, Longfleet, Poole, six in a company.

(E.H.C.)
Aprl. 30 A few evidently residents near Badbury Rings.
May 20 Observed nesting in the border of Bere Wood.

(W.P.C.)
May 28 A pair observed at Badbury Rings. (E.H.C.)
Aug. 12-13 A flock of 20 to 30 in the Quarries, Swanage.

(W.P.C. and E.H.C.)
Oct. 25 At least thirty Goldfinches on lawn at Pulham.

(J.R.)

(7) Fringilla coelebs. The Chaffinch.

Feb. 19 At Kniton, near Canford, Dorset. A large
flock of 500 to 600 finches, nearly all chaffinches,
about 10 per cent, greenfinches busy feeding
amongst manure spread in a field. There were
one or two Emberiza citrinella. Doubtless
they were searching for undigested seeds and

140 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

vermin, and the amount of weeds and pests
destroyed by 500 hungry little birds is incal-
culable.

June 3 Two nests with full clutches on this date at
Canford.

June 30 A famil}' observed at Haymoor Bottom, Poole,
feeding on Tortrix viridana. (E.H.C.)

July 15 Saw a Fringilla coelebs hunt a Camptogramma
bilineata out of the hedge at Broadstone and
capture it. (W.P.C.)

(8) Fringilla montifringilla — The Brambling.

Jan 23 Six Bramblings were seen on the north side of
Berewood.

(9) Acanthis linaria cabaret. The Lesser Redpoll.

Jan. 1 During a gale of wind from W. and showers of
rain, on Broadstone Golf Links, about 12 seen
feeding in the birch trees against the fourth
tee. They were very tame.

Mar. 25 About 12 seen at the same place as on Jan. 1.

Oct. 21 At Cockwood, Canford, E.H.C. noted a flock
of 4(> or so frying round overhead. He sat
down to watch. The flock wheeled round for
a time calling " twee twee " to one another as
they flew. As they approached the tree where
E.H.C. was seated he noticed in the top of the
birch a few birds who called " haree haree "
like a canary bird. The whole flock literally
dropped on to the upper branches of the birch,
where they really became very inconspicuous,
so much so that had he looked casually at the
trie he would not have thought there were more
than a dozen or so there, whereas there were
four times that number. When a stray Red-
poll flew over, and several did, the call birds

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS. INSECTS, ETC. 141

gave the canary note and the strays joined
the flock, which was seemingly no more con-
spicuous to the stray birds looking from above
than they were to E.H.C. looking from below.
The tree was in full seed, and as the redpolls
moved showers of seed fell like snow. The
birds are most tit-like in their action in hanging
from slender twigs. The birds seemed to
enjoy the afternoon sunlight as every once now
and again the flock would take wing and circle
round, returning however to the tree guided by
the canary call of those remaining. They are
linnet-like in flight, but quicker and more
sprightly. E.H.C. concluded they had come
South from N.E. (E.H.C. and W.P.C.)

(10) Pyrrhula pyrrhula pileata. British Bullfinch.

May 20 Observed nesting in Bere Wood. (W.P.C.)
May 28 One male and an unfinished nest at Badbury.
(E.H.C.)

(11) Emberiza calandra. The Corn- Bunting.

May 20 Seen at Bere wood. (W.P.C.)

May 28 A male in full song at Longfleet Lodge. (E.H.C).

(12) Emberiza citrinella. The Yellow Bunting.

Apr. 30 An unusually large number at Badbury Rings.

(W.P.C. and E.H.C.)
May 20 Seen at Bere Wood. (W.P.C.)
Ma}- 28 Five to six pans on Badbury Rings.

(E.H.C.)

(13) Emberiza cirlus. The Cirl Bunting.

May 20 A pair seen on the outskirts of Bere Wood.
(W.P.C.)

142 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

May 28 One seen at Badbury Rings. (E.H.C.)
Aug. 20 Close to Anvil Point we watched a pair feeding
young out of the nest. The food brought on
several occasions was the Wainscot Moth,
Leucania pollens ; but we could not observe all
the food brought owing to the restriction on the
use of field glasses on the coast. (W.P.C. and
E.H.C.)
Nov. 19 One at Weymouth. (F.L.B.)

ALAUDIDAE.

(14) Alauda arvensis. The Skylark.

Jan. 17 One singing close to Poole.
Jan. 24 Four or five close to Poole.
Jan. 31 Two or three close to Poole. (E.H.C.)
May 20 Singing very vigorously on the outskirts of
Berewood. (W.P.C.)

(15) Lullula arborea. The Woodlark.

June 4 In the neighbourhood of Poole W.P.C. saw
this bird in a small wood. Observed it gather-
ing insects in a tree and depositing them on the
flat of a bough near where the bough joined the
main trunk. (This habit is a known peculiarity
of this bird, I am informed by another observer.
Ed.) He is confident that he is right as to his
identification, as since that date he has gathered
additional confirmatory evidence. (W.P.C.)

MOTACILLIDAE.

(1G) Motacilla lugubris. The Pied Wagtail.

May 20 Seen with a beakful of insects (order not de-
termined) evidently feeding young. Bere
Wood. (W.P.C.)

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 143

Downward migration.

Oct. 14 Seven or eight at Broadstone flying in a

Southerly direction. (E.H.C.)
Oct. 15 Several at Sandbanks evidently about to leave.

(W.P.C.)

(17) Motacilla boarula. The Grey Wagtail.

Aug. 1 One seen at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)
Nov. 8 At Mr. Blanchard's house on the outskirts of
Poole, E.H.C. went out at Mr. Blanchard's
request to investigate the peculiar behaviour
of one of these birds which had taken to
fluttering against a particular pane of a par-
ticular leaded light in a staircase. A detailed
description without a diagram, which there is
no time to prepare, would be useless. The
behaviour consisted in repeatedly fluttering
against the particular pane. E.H.C. saw the
bird, a fine male, go through the performance
nine times in ten minutes. The window was
clear glass. Dr. Penrose thinks the bird could
see its own reflection. This is confirmed by
the report to W.P.C. by Mr. A. E. Francis, of
Bournemouth, of a similar occurrence he had
observed at his own house by the same species
on another occasion, when Mr. Francis thought
the bird " had fallen in love with its own re-
flection." (W.P.C. and E.H.C.)
Dec. 6 Observed at Melbury Osmond. (F.L.B.)

(18) Anthus trivialis. The Tree Pipit.

Arrival.

May 7 One seen Canford.

May 16 One seen Canford Bottom.

May 21 One seen at Canford and heard singing sweetly ;

but a careful search failed to locate the nest.

(E.H.C.)

144 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

Nesting.

June 3 A pair seen at Corfe Mullen. (W.P.C.)

June 25 At Canford Bottom, in company with Dr.
Penrose, E.H.C. noted a female fly out of the
grass with something in her bill which he
thought was an egg shell. We all three spread
out and watched the bird back a few minutes
later. She rose again with what W.P.C.
pronounced to be a dead nestling. She dropped
this in the long grass about 15 yards from the
nest. W.P.C. found it and that it was a nestling
not long hatched, and with a very distended
crop. We then examined the nest and found
it contained one egg of the red closely sanded
type, very like a reddish meadow pipit's egg,
and one very weak nestling, which Dr. Penrose
considered to be in extremis. It died the next
day and was removed by the parent bud, who
incubated the remaining egg for two more days
and then deserted.

No satisfactory explanation of this little
tragedy occurred to any of us, except the
possibility that some one had sown " poisoned "
seed somewhere locally, but we could not find
that this had been done. Moreover, the
bird's feeding ground was not on cultivated
land, and it would be unlikely to feed tiny
nestlings on seeds, as it is an entomophagous
bud. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.)
Departure.

July 22 These birds were still singing at Canford.

Aug. 27 One heard singing in Canford Bottom.
(E.H.C.)

(19) Anthus petrosus. The Rock Pipit.

Aug. 20 Good number present on the Swanage coast
line. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 145

CERTHIIDAE.

(20) Certhia familiaris britannica The British Tree- Creeper.

May 14 A pair seen at Canford Bottom.

May 28 At Badbury Rings observed building in a small
hole in a dead Scotch fir branch. It had a
piece of wood slightly larger than its tail, and
about as big as it could hold. (E.H.C.)

SITTIDAE.

(21) Sitta caesia. The Nuthatch.

Apr. 9 Busy stopping a woodpecker's nesting hole with

mud at Canford. (E.H.C.)
Dec. 6 Observed at Melbury Osmond. (F.L.B.)

PARIDAE Tits.

Jan. 16 A mixed and roving band of Tits, of 2 Parus
major (Great Tit), 10 or 12 Parus caeruleus
(Blue Tit), and about 12 Parus ater britannicus,
were observed in Merley Park, near Wimborne,
busily searching amongst the fallen leaves,
grass, and beech mast under the beech trees.
The food was not identified, but must have
been small, as no bird was seen to rise with
food.

Feb. 27 A large roving band of Tits in company with a
few Golden Crested Wrens seen in the woods
at the edge of Canford Bottom.

Oct. 22 By this time the roving bands of Tits and Tree-
creepers had again congregated.

Oct. 29 At Canford a large company was seen.
Aegithalus caudatus rosea (60), Parus ater
britannicus (50), Parus major newtoni (a few),
Parus caeruleus obscurus (2), Certhia familiaris
britannica (2), Regulus cristatus (30).

146 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

(22) Parus major newtoni. British Great Tit.

June 3 A nest of these birds was ready to fly on this
date (E.H.C.).

(23) Parus ater britannicus. British Coal Titmouse.

Apr. 30 At Canford, sitting in an artificial nesting
box.

May 21 E.H.C. decided to try his luck with this pair,
which had hatched out. He started observing
at 1.15. His Notes are as follows : — " One
bird arrived with a green larva ; 1.22, female ;
1.23, male ; 1.25, female ; and 1.30, female fed
young. The male started singing " tweet chew,
tweet chew, tweet chew, tweet," then " tweet
tweet " several times with intervals ; then
"twee tweety " three times repeated. Then
" weet weet weet tee," then two low notes and
one long one high. Then he made a direct
change into the reverse, and gave one long high
note and two short ones on the same lower note.
At 1.37 the male, having gone through this
variation in notes several times, fell silent, and
at 1.40 arrived with a green larva ; 1.45, male;
1.48, female ; 1.50, male fed young and then
indulged in a. little song "cheer (1) chee (6) "
and then " cheerr." All of which sounded very
much like the way they scold intruders ; but it
was not so indignant, and, so far as I could see,
there was no cause for scolding ; 1.52, female
with green larva ; 1.57, female again, male
singing close at hand ; 2, another bird fed ;
2.7, I put a few oak leaves in the entrance
hole ; 2.8, male came and tried to enter the
nest ; but he fussed round and went from the
nesting hole to the top of the box and back two
or three times. The pair are both remarkably

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 147

active little birds ; but the male kept bis green
larva and came back with it at 2.11 and cleared
out the leaves and fed the young. 2.17, female
fed ; 2.18, male ; 2.20, I crossed two twigs in the
entrance hole, hoping thereby to secure a better
opportunity for exposing plates of these active
birds ; but at 2.27 male arrived with a green
larva and found that the twigs were too strong
for him to move ; so I ultimately went out and
took them away. Thereafter I heard neither
bird till 2.43, when the male returned with his
green larva, went inside the nesting box, and
then popped his head out, afterwards returning
inside to feed the young.

2.44, female, 2.45, male, 2.45-3.0, female
came all in such rapid succession that I put
up some more oak leaves in the entrance
hole.

3, female ; 3.1, male arrived ; at 3.5 I put up
another oak leaf. At 3.6 the male removed it,
and fed the young. At 3.14 I put up further
oak leaves, at 3.15 male came with an insect
like the devil's coach horse. Between 3.15 and
3.20 the birds fed three times and again at 3.22.
At 3.24 female cleaned nest, and at 3.26, 3.27,
3.28, and 3.35 the parents again fed the young.
After which I left."

May 28 This boxful was as big as their parents, and
nearly ready to leave the nest.

May 28 A pah were observed feeding young at Badbury
Rings. (E.H.C.)

(24) Parus caeruleus obscurus. The British Blue Titmouse.

May 21 A pair at Canford were feeding young in a hole
in an oak tree ; they came to nest with food
about every minute. (W.P.C. and E.H.C).

148 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

(25) Aegithalus caudatus roseus. The British Long-Tailed
Titmouse.

Apr. 8 Nest finished.

Apr. 9 Another nest of the same species also finished,

Canford. (E.H.C.)
May 20 At Berewood. Three birds seen feeding to one

nest. No mistake, all three seen together,

sexes not determined. The nest was high up

in an oak fork. (W.P.C.)

LANIIDAE.

(26) Lanius collurio. The Red- Backed Shrike.

Arrivals.

May 20 A pair seen at Bere Wood. (W.P.C.)
May 21 One seen in Canford Bottom (W.P.C). This
bird evidently then had a mate or procured one
later, because during the early part of June it
was repeatedly seen singly or in company with
its mate, though, oddly enough, E.H.C. has not
made any notes about it till 24th June. This
is the more extraordinary, as we had remarked
specifically on the presence of a pair in or about
this locality from time to time since the year
1891, when the then keeper at Canford Bottom
described to me the way he had seen the male
strike and kill an adult Anthus pratensis, the
Meadow Pipit.

Nesting.

June 24 We determined to find the nest of this pair, and
after watching the birds for a long time, ranging
over a good-sized area, we decided that they
were nesting in a wide hedge. W.P.C. found
a nest which E.H.C, from previous experience,
pronounced to be Lanius collurio. It was less

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 149

than four feet from the ground. About eight
feet away was a nest about three feet from the
ground containing five unfledged dead nestlings,
somewhat decomposed. We determined them
to be young collurio, which identification Dr.
Penrose confirmed, as also did he the cause of
death we surmised, name!}', the excessively heavy
hail of a fortnight previous, when the hail stones
Mere of great size and the hail very violent.
The heads of the nestlings bore marks very
like bruises, suggestive of this fate. On 25th
June this nest contained one egg of the greenish
type. Two eggs were subsequently laid and the
nest was destroyed, we believe by Jays, as
the eggs were sucked and broken and left in
pieces in the nest, which was deserted on the
9th July. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

SYLVIIDAE.

(27) Sylvia communis. The Whitethroat.
Arrival.

Apr. 29 Between Poole and Badbury Rings, via
Sturminster and Wimborne, about 50 seen.
(W.P.C.)

Apr. 30 10 to 12 seen at Canford.

There were many Whitethroats at Badbury
Rings, far more than the resident number.
(E.H.C.)
Nesting.

May 20 Six pairs seen. Two males in full song, Bere
Wood. (W.P.C.)

May 28 About 20 pairs seen at Badbury Rings and
two nests, one with five eggs of the cloudy
green type, in a grass nest in a low bramble,
and the other with five eggs of the white type

Jf)ll FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

with brown muddy markings and a zone of
spots at the large end. The first nest was
entirely of grass, and the second was lined
with horsehair. Many males were in full
song.
June 17 Whitethroats were still feeding young at Bere
Wood on this date.

Departure.

July 20 Many at Badbury Rings. (E.H.C.)
July 30 Four or five seen at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)
Aug. 12-13 Five or six seen at Swanage on the Undercliff.

(E.H.C.)
Sep. 13 One seen at Oakdale. (W.P.C.)

(28) Sylvia curruca. The Lesser Whitethroat.
Arrival.

Apr. 29 Between Poole and Badbury Rings via Stur-
minster and Wimborne, 20 observed. (W.P.C.)

May 20 At Bere Wood. One pair seen. Male
seen singing and both birds examined at a
distance of about two }rards for five minutes.
(W.P.C.)

May 28 One heard singing.

Departure.

July 20 Many at Badbury Rings.

(29) Sylvia simplex. The Garden Warbler.

Arrival.

Apr. 30 One heard singing at Canford.
May 18 One heard singing at Canford Bottom. (E.H.C.)
May 20 One pair seen at Bere Wood. The male singing
well.

FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 151

Departure.

July 30 One seen at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)
Aug. 12-13 Five or six seen on the Undercliff at Swanage.
(W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

(30 Sylvia atricapilla The Blackcap..

May 20 At Bere Wood, one pair seen. Male singing
incessantly. (W.P.C.)

June 3 At Canford a male was singing well, and we
found a number of " cocks' nests," but not the
actual nest. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

(31) Melizophilus undatus dartfordiensis. The Dartford
Warbler.

Jan. 9 One heard on Broadstone Golf Links while in
company with W.P.C. E.H.C. considers this
bird wanders a great deal more than is supposed.
He had never observed it on Broadstone Golf
Links before, but by reason of its retiring
habits it is very possibly not so frequently
recorded as it might be, but subsequent visits
afforded no evidence that these Links are a
breeding place for this species.

Apr. 23 Near Poole I heard " tchee-tchee-tchee " from
the depths of a furze bush, and presently I had
the pleasure of seeing the male sun himself on
the top of a furze bush for a few moments, and
then he slipped away in the gorse. I saw him
again once or twice hopping on to a high sprig
and poising himself with his long tail over its
back. (E.H.C.)

May 13 Spent an hour trying to observe the Dartford
Warblers, and saw male first and afterwards
female in same furze bush ; but although W.P.C.
watched male into a fir tree to search for food
and E.H.C. watched female, neither bird seemed
to be feeding young.

132 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

May 15 One hour spent by E.H.C. on this pair resulted

in his seeing the female once.
July 22 Two males and one female seen at Canford

Bottom. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

(32) Acrocephalus schoenobaenus. The Sedge Warbler.
July 23 Two seen at Badbury Rings. (E.H.C.)

(33) Phylloscopus trochilus. The Willow Warbler.
Arrival.

Apr. 1 Two seen and heard near Canford, Dorset,
and two seen and watched at Arrowsmith,
Canford Estate, one of which was observed to
make several unsuccessful attempts to catch
Brephos parihenias that were flying at sallow
bloom.

Apr. 21 One seen at Canford.

Apr. 25-26 Small increase in numbers at Canford.

Apr. 30 Abundant everywhere at Canford. And far
more than the usual resident numbers at
Badbury.

May 20 Exceedingly abundant and singing vigorously
at Berewood. (W.P.C.)

Nesting.

May 28 At Badbury Rings ten to a dozen males singing
and a nest with five eggs. (E.H.C.)

June 3 A number of pairs at Canford were feeding young
in the nest.

June 17 A single male was singing in Berewood on this
date.

Departure.

July 17 A good number working in a South -Westerly
direction through Haynioor Bottom, Poole.

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 153

July 22 15 to 20 moving through sallows to look for
food at Hay moor Bottom.

July 23 Many at Badbury Rings. (E.H.C.)

July 30 A few seen at Arish Me 11.

Aug. 1 At Arish Mell I had a very close view of Phyl-
loscopus trochilus and saw it catch a Tortrix
at rest on the underside of the leaf of an ash
tree. I was only about three feet from it. It
was very tame.

Aug. 6 Several at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)

Aug. 12-13 Many on the Under cliff, Swanage.

Aug. 20 Numbers still on the UnderclifE at Swanage,
(W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

Sep. 3 Two seen at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.)

Sep. 22. One seen at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.)

Oct. 7 One seen at Canford Bottom. (W.P.C.)

(34) Phylloscopus sibilatrix. The Wood Warbler.

1916 July 22. The Rev. E. F. Linton wrote me for
information as to the song of a bird he had
heard round Edmondsham in several places
during the early summer. His description of
the song was so accurate that I have no doubt
as to the bird being Phylloscopus sibilatrix.

Arrival,

May 20 A single male seen at Berewood. (W.P.C.)

Nesting.

June 3 At Canford a male was singing well, and we
afterwards watched the female to her nest. The
nest was the usual little domed structure of
moss and leaves and was placed in the bramble,
under a spruce fir. There was no run to the nest,
and it was barely visible without moving the
brambles that were creeping over the ground.

154 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

The lining of the nest was fine grass and no
feathers, and there were five or six young one
(it was difficult to count without touching the
nest) in fluffy down about the colour of mole
skin. When the herbage was moved they opened
their beaks, shewing crimson interiors to their
mouths. The food brought (by the female only
while we were at the nest) was green lepidop-
terous larvae. The situation of the nest was
exceedingly dark, being in the deep shadow
of the spruce tree, and so placed that the female
could slip down a trailing branch into a bramble
and so into the nest almost entirely unobserved.
(W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

(35) Phylloscopus collybita. The Chiff Chaff.
Arrival.

Apr. 9 At Dum'eats, Canford Estate, after a night of

light N.W. wind almost still.
Apr. 30 The customary pah at the Dew Pond, Badbury

Rings. (E.H.C.)
May 20 Very much in evidence at Berewood, but quite

silent*. (W.P.C).

Nesting.

May 28 A male singing at Badbury Rings. The nest was
a very large one indeed, being the largest I
have ever seen.

June 17 A single bud was singing in Berewood at this
date.

Departure.

July 20 Many at Badbury Rings and still singing.
(E.H.C.)

* This may be doubtful, remembering W.P.C.'s deafness. — Editor
or Phen. Notes.

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 155

July 30 A few seen at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)

Aug. 12-13 Many on the Undercliff, Swanage. (W.P.C.

and E.H.C.)
Aug. 20 Numbers on the Undercliff, Swanage. (W.P.C.

and E.H.C.)

TURDIDAE.

(36) Turdus viscivorus. The Missel Thrush.

Apr. 23 Singing in Berewood.

May 7 Sitting four eggs at Canford Bottom on this
date.

May 13 Two of the eggs had hatched. W.P.C. caught
a fully developed young bird out of another nest.

May 14 The pair had now hatched four, and were busy
all day fetching worms from a damp field about
a quarter of a mile from the nest. This nest
was burnt out by a big heath fire on the 22nd
and 23rd May. (W.P.C.)

May 17 Observed Turdus viscivorus (female) chase
Accipiter nisus (male) and buffet him with her
wings at Upton near Poole. (E.H.C.)

May 28 One pair observed in the tall trees of Badbury
Rings. (E.H.C.)

(37) Turdus musicus clarkii. The British Song Thrush.

Jan. 5 Singing at Pulham. (J.R.)

Jan. 9 Singing on Broadstone Golf Links.

June 23 Singing in Berewood.

Feb. 27 About 500 seen in the Parish of Longfleet

busily feeding wherever the grass showed

through the melting snow.
Mar. 26 The migrating thrushes have departed, and the

numbers are now as usual.
Apr. 9 Nest, hen sitting.

156 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

June 3 At Canford we found a curious clutch of eggs,
which we (mistakenly W.P.C. thinks) left alone.
Tliree were entirely unspotted, the remaining
two had each one large blotch ; as if the entire
pigment matter secreted by the bird had been
deposited in two separate excretions. On one
egg the blotch tended to shew the ground
colour through, but in the other it was a solid
blotch about the size and shape of the full fed
larva of Pieris rupee, the Garden White Butter-
fly.

Nov. 13 Singing at Parkstone. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

(38) Turdus iliacus. The Redwing.

Feb. 27 About 50 seen in Longfleet in one company,
feeding wherever grass shewed through the
melting snow.

Mar. 5 A good many Redwings still to be seen around
Poole. (E.H.C.)

(39) Turdus pilaris. The Fieldfare.

Jan. 8 On Broadstone Golf Links, four or five Field-
fares against the Sixth green. (W.P.C.)

Mar. 5 A few still in the neighbourhood of Poole.

Mar. 18 Two seen on Broadstone Golf Links on a spring-
like day.

(40) Turdus merula. The Blackbird.

Apr. 8 Unfinished nest seen at Poole. (E.H.C.)

(41) Luscinia megarhyncha. The Common Nightingale.

May 20 At Berewood in full song, except tliree pairs,
which, judging by the anxiety of both parents,
seemed to have young. (W.P.C.)

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 157

May 28 A pair at Badbury Rings, the male in full song.
The female was not sitting, as E.H.C. saw them
both together. He could not consequently find
the nest ; and when he used the call note the
male came close to him and sang lustily.
(E.H.C.)

June 17 Young nightingales were fledged and going
about with their parents at Berewood. (W.P.C.)

(42) Saxicola rubicola. The Stonechat.

Jan. 9 On Broadstone Golf Links, a perfect spring-
like day of continual sunshine, heard singing
with great joy.

Apr. 15 Near Canford, W.P.C. and E.H.C. saw a re-
markable male of this species which exhibited
an unusual amount of white on his wings,
particularly when in flight, looking like Saxicola
tor quota.

May 13 At Canford Bottom, nest with four young.

May 14 These young birds were beginning to shew
signs of feathering.

May 15 E.H.C. observed another pah for one and a
half hours, catching two to three a minute of
Eupithecia nana'a and Crambus (sylvellus or
pascuellus).

May 16 5.45 a.m. Cycled out to Canford Bottom to
photograph these small birds. E.H.C. got
settled to work at 7.35.
7.45 — female came to the nest.
7.50 — male fed young with flies.
7.55 — female fed young.
7.56 — male fed young.

8.0 — male and female both came to the nest
together and left suddenly.
8.2 — Blackbirds, missel thrushes, and small birds
were making a great noise, mobbing some bird
in bushes or trees behind the tent.

158 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

8.5 — female came to nest, but did not stay, as the
blackbirds were still scolding.
8.10 — the commotion having subsided, male fed
young.

8.25 — female fed young.
8.27 — male fed young.
8.32 — male fed young.
8.40 — female fed young.

The 3roung make a noise when fed precisely
like that made by young robins.
The parents are Very active little birds, and
anything less than an instantaneous exposure
is useless. They are charming little birds and
are never still ; if no other part moves, the tail
nearly always does so. It is raised and closed,
and thereafter depressed and spread fanwise,
the two movements being coincident. The
food they brought was all small insects, and as
far as I could see only once a small micro of
the species that haunts furze bushes (? Catoplria
ulicetana. W.P.C.) (E.H.C.)
May 18 E.H.C. again visited the nest and started
observations at 7.45, but was just in time for
the departure of the young birds from the
nest. They made their way through the tops
of the heather, but did not go far from the
nest up to the time E.H.C. had to leave.
(E.H.C.)

(43) Oenanthe oenanthe. The Wheatear.
Arrival.

Mar. 22 One seen between Poole and Hamworthy and
a fine male seen in the green field close to
Peveril Point, Swanage. (E.G. P.)

May 7 A pair at Canford Bottom (the- pair did not
stop there to breed). (W.P.C.)

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 159

Departure.

Aug. 1. A family seen at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)

Aug. 6 Several on Bovington Heath, Wareham. (E.H.C.)

One at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)
Aug. 12-13 Ten or twelve in the Lighthouse Field, Swanage.

(W.P.C. and E.H.C.)
Aug. 20 There were a good number in the Lighthouse

Field at Anvil Point and on Peveril Down,

Swanage, representing a further downward

movement.
Oct. 8 One female seen at Canford Bottom, perched

on an arbutus tree. (W.P.C.)

ACCENTORIDAE.

(44) Accentor modularis. The Hedge Sparrow.

July 7 One seen near Fleets with a wainscot moth
(? species) in its beak. (W.P.C.)

CINCLIDAE.

(45) Cinclus cinclus britannicus. The British Dipper.
Nov. 28 Two seen at Abbotsbury. (F.L.B.)

HIRUNDINIDAE.

(46) Hirundo rustica. The Swallow.
Arrival.

Apr. 11 About a score seen at Charmouth, although

none were seen at Edmondsham till April 20.

(E.F.L.)
Apr. 23 Three not far from the main road from Poole

to Wareham.
Apr. 28 About forty or fifty in one company and about

twenty in another, at Poole.
Apr. 30 Twenty to thirty seen at Canford. (E.H.C.)
Apr. 30 Several flying about at Badbury. (W.P.C.)

160 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

Nesting.

May 14 Seen gathering mud for nests at Oakdale,

Poole. (E.H.C.)
May 28 Several flying about at Badbury. (E.H.C.)

Departure.

July 30 A good many seen at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)
Aug. 27 About a dozen still at Canford Bottom, Poole.

(W.P.C. and E.H.C.)
Sep. 26 At 5 a.m. at Poole, 200 flying E.S.E. (W.P.C.)
Oct. 7 Three seen at Oakdale. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.)
Oct. 8 An evident increase in number in Poole district,

owing to arrivals from further North. (W.P.C.)

(47) Delichon urbica. Martin.

Arrival.

Apr. 27 At Poole one seen.

Apr. 28 At Poole small holdings a few seen (increase).

Nesting.

May 14 Seen gathering mud for nests at Oakdale.

(E.H.C.)
May 15 Many. (E.H.C.)

Departure.

July 30 A good many seen at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)

July 31 W.P.C. notes.

" At Arish Mell I saw a number of these birds
walking about among the grass catching insects.
I thought I saw one pounce on Crambus
tristellus, but was not sure of the species. I
think the bulk of the insects were flics attracted
by sheep's droppings. The birds had great
difficulty in walking on the grass. They labor-
iously walked until the prey was observed and

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 161

then rose a few inches from the ground, flew
to the prey and pounced upon it, stooping
abruptly ; then the whole performance was
repeated, their movements being very dainty,
and even the difficulty in walking did not
convey any suspicion of clumsiness."

Aug. 12-13 About fifty on the wing in Durlston Bay.

Aug. 20 About thirty on the wing in Durlston Bay.

Aug. 27 A fair number still about Canford Bottom, and
several pairs still feeding young at Poole.
(W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

(48) Riparia riparia. Sand Martin.

Arrivals.

Apr. 29 Numbers near Lytchett Beacon.

Apr. 30 Between twenty and thirty on the telephone

wires near the river at Wimborne.
Nesting.

June 3 This bird was feeding young at Corfe Mullen.

Departure.

Aug. 2 One or two flying along the cliff face at Durlston
Bay, Swanage. (W.P.C.)
PICIDAE.

(49) Dryobates major anglicus. The Great Spotted Wood-

pecker.

Jan. 22 One seen on Broadstone Golf Links.

Mar. 26 On the Canford Estate Dryobates major and
Picus viridis have both been busy since last
breeding season hollowing out new holes in
dead birch trees. An old stump in which
Picus viridis nested last season is riddled with
five or six new holes. E.H.C. hazards the
opinion that these holes may be used as roosts.

162 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

Apr. 30 Heard on the Canford Estate.

May 21 At Canford Ave Avatched a male drumming Avith
his beak on the dead limb of an oak tree ; he
did not look for food after tapping, neither
could we see him put his tongue out, or open
his beak in a manner to suggest that his light-
ning tongue AA-as put out ; hence we think this
drumming was done out of sheer light -hearted-
ness, or as a signal to his mate. (W.P.C. and
E.H.C.)

Dec. 12, 30, and 31 Seen at Melbury Osmund. (F.L.B.)

(50) Dryobates minor. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.

March Observed several times by Head Keeper Wren

at Break Hill, Canford Estate.

(51) Picus viridis. Green Woodpecker.

Jan. 16 Heard to give his courting call at Merley Park,

near Wimborne.
Jan. 22 Calling loudly on Broadstone Golf Links.
Apr. 30 On the Canford Estate seen to fly off tree where

one of the nests Avas last year.
May 7 One bird observed in excavating old nesting

hole filled Avith the comb of the honey bee. (An

examination of the comb, &c, made W.P.C.

conclude that tins nest had fallen a pre}' to the

Isle of Wight disease.)
May 28 Observed at Badbury Rings. (E.H.C.)

(52) lynx torquiila. Wryneck.

Arrival.

Apr. 28 One heard close to Canon Parish's garden at

Poole.
May 27 Heard outside Wareham Station. (E.H.C.)

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 163

CUCULIDAE.

(53) Cuculus canorus. Cuckoo.
Arrival.

Apr.
Apr.

21

28

Apr.
Apr.

29
30

May
May

5

28

Nesting.

July

10

Two seen and one heard at Canford.

Six or seven heard between Broadstone and

Poole.

Two seen at Lyfcchett Beacon, Poole.

Many at Canford.

Fifteen or twenty seen or heard at Badbury.

(E.H.C. and W.P.C.)

Several between Poole and Wareham. (F.G.P.)

One unusually vociferous bird at Badbury.

(E.H.C.)

One on Broadstone Golf Links. This may have
been the bird seen by Mr. G. Parry in a nest on
the Links ear her in the year, and not reported
before to us. Unfortunately Mr. Parry did
not note the foster parents.

Departure.
July 23

At Badbury Rings, E.H.C. spent a long time
watching a young bird eating the larvae of
Zygaena filijjendulae (Six-spot Burnet Moth).
The number of these larvae this bird disposed
of in an hour was incredible ; he ate one every
two minutes, and was still feeding about four
o'clock. He watched for them in the grass and
pounced on them when they moved, took them
crossways in his bill, then with a jerk of the
head got them head or tail fust, and down they
went. E.H.C. got very close indeed, and in
one or two instances he saw the prey the bird
seized first. E.H.C. cannot actually say tha*".

164 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

the bird sought prey by inspection ; and he
thinks from his behaviour that he ate those
insects which betrayed themselves by move-
ment. (E.H.C.)

July 30 One young Cuckoo seen at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)

Aug. 1 At Arish Mell I saw one Cuckoo and the remains
of others killed by hawks or owls, probably
Carine noctua. (W.P.C.)

Aug. 2 I saw two Cuckoos, and again on Aug. 4, when
they appeared to be catching Zygaena filipen-
dulae imagines. (See E.H.C 's note above )

Aug. 6 One at Mupe. (W.P.C,)

CYPSELIDAE.

(54) Micropus apus. The Swift.

Arrival.

Apr. 21 One seen at Canford Bottom. (E.H.C.)

Apr. 27 A migration came in to Poole last night or

early this morning. I saw twenty or thirty.

(E.H.C.)
Apr. 30 About the customary numbers present at

Canford.

A few swifts at Badbury.
May 2 About the usual number of residents at Poole.

(E.H.C.)
May 28 In good numbers at Badbury Rings. (E.H.C.)

Departure.

July 30 A few seen at Arish Mell. (W.P.C.)

CAPRIMULGIDAE.

(55) Caprimulgus europaeus. Nightjar.

Arrival.

Apr. 30 At Canford, Dorset, one. (E.H.C.)
May 14 E.H.C. put up a single male from the nesting
ground of last year.

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, Hs SECTS, ETC. 165

May 21 W.P.C. found a male asleep on the ground at
Canford by accident, but the bird is a very
light sleeper. Though W.P.C. fetched his camera
and set it up very carefully, the vibration caused
by operating the tilting table wakened the
bird, which fled. Later E.H.C. put up the
female.

Nesting.

June 30 At Haymoor Bottom, E.H.C. found a female
sitting on the ground, for all the world looking
like a piece of dead fir branch. She was nesting
in the same place as in the preceding year. He
put her up, and she was sitting two eggs of
precisely the same type as those of the pre-
ceding year. The eggs were placed with their
axes parallel and about two inches and a half
apart, from which E.H.C. judged that she was
not sitting hard.

July 9 A second nest near the one above mentioned
was deserted, and we believe the Sparrowhawks
had the bird. The one above noted was still
safe.

July 16 This one was missing. There were a few of her
feathers on the ground, and the stomachs of
the two young nestlings, which contained
Parastichtis lithoxylea, Parastichtis polyodon,
and Leucania pollens. (W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

FLAMMEIDAE.

(56) Flammea flammea. Barn Owl.

Apr. 8 At Knighton, near Canford. About 5 p.m. A
Barn Owl, which was very pale and greyish-
brown in colour, came hawking down the wet
valley. He went up and down the marsh and
worked along the bushes in a manner that

166 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

suggested that he was preying on small birds.
We afterwards saw him hunt all the hedgerows
round for about a square mile, and an hour
later return to the swampy valley and sit about
on posts which were there, every now and then
quartering the furze bushes where numerous
small birds roost. Altogether his behaviour
was very suspicious.

There was evidence of considerable slaughter
in the neighbourhood ; but whether all or any
of the victims were attributable to the owl we
could not, of course, say.

We found the following remains — Vanellus
vanellus, the Plover (1) ; Phasianus colchicus,
pheasant (2) ; Anthus pratensis, Meadow Pipit
(1) ; Erithaca rubecula melophilus, Robin (1) ;
Columba palumbus, Wood Pigeon (1) ; Turdvs
musicus, Thrush (1) ; Lepus europaeus juv.}
Leveret (1) ; Lepus cuniculus, Rabbit (2).

STRIGIDAE.

(57) Syrnium aluco. Tawny Oivl.

Jan. 28 At. 5.10 p.m. one flew over the upper end of
High-street, Poole. (E.H.C.)

Feb. 19 At dusk doubtless the same bird was observed
in Longfleet flying precisely the same course.
(W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

Apr. 30 At Canford two observed sitting in a birch
tree ; on examination of the ground, below a fir
tree which contained a squirrel's dray, close by,
castings were observed. E.H.C. threw a stick
at the dray and dislodged a squirrel, and
concluded that this was not the nest, as he
considered a squirrel and the owls would not
share apartments.

FIRST APPEARANCES OE BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 167

(58) Carine noctua. Little Owl.

Mr. S. H. Wallis wrote me, 4 February, 1916:
" You know how the Little Owl is spreading.
Three pairs have been killed under my notice
recently. These Owls are destroying the
Nightingales, probably other night warblers.
25 April, 1916. There is a pair of Little Owls
and has been all the winter at South Down
Farm, Bingstead. They are very confiding
and look in the window. Last Sunday week,
Mi'. Blinn, a baker, of Weymouth, took one in
his hand."

25th April, 1916. "I can see Mr. Jesty,
jun., for date. I heard yesterday that Keeper
Hicks (Middleton Estate, Bradford Peverell)
shot one eighteen months ago. A man working
on the Park Farm at Hooke has seen them.
They occupied a hole in a stump and frequently
pitched on a wall. He said he could have
caught them, they were not a bit shy. Re-
specting the destruction of the Nightingales,
Howard Sanders, in his Manual of British Birds,
says the3^ destroy Thrushes. Nearly every
little cover about these parts had Nightingales
the year before last ; but last summer there was
scarcely a pair here. My son, who is in practice
at Wrexham and keen on observing birds, tells
me the Little Owl is rapidly spreading and
destroying the Nightingale ; and I have been
told by keepers that they are vastly more
scarce; some kind of owl probably killed them."

Feb. 20 Close to the old pond in Break Heart Lane,
Poole, I saw a Carine noctua fly out of an ivied
tree. (E.H.C.)

July 30 Five seen at Flowers Barrow, East Lulworth.
In connection with which it might be noted that
small songsters are much scarcer in that neigh-

168 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

bourhood than formerly. I am satisfied that
Emberiza cirlus was a victim at Arish Me 11.
(W.P.C.)

There can be no doubt whatever that the intro-
duction of this Owl was a misguided effort to
improve our fauna, for which I think Mr. Meade
Waldo and Lord Lilford must take the blame.
Both were good enough Naturalists to have
known that "tinkering with the balance of
Nature " is a job of a delicacy quite beyond
the clumsiness of man. We have the Owls,
which are a bad exchange for the valuable help
of our insectivorous songsters. The Owls are,
compared with the birds we lose, vastly inferior
in utility, interest, and beauty ; and their
miserable hoot in the place of the melody of
our Sylviidae and Turdidae is a loss to our
woodlands and downs that would make a
marble statue weep. I suppose the introduction
may be put with that of the thistles in New
Zealand, the pig in Mauritius, the rabbit in
Australia, and the Sparrow in the United States
of America. — Ed. Phen. Notes.

FALCONIDAE.

(59) Buteo buteo. The Common Buzzard.

Jan. 23 At Bere Wood one seen on the edge of the wood,
close to the wilderness below Woodbury Hill.

Oct. 26 One reported by Head Keeper Wren on the
Canford Estate. (W.P.C.)

(60) Buteo lagopus. The Rough- Legged Buzzard.

On 23 April, 1918, Mr. S. H. Wallis, of Wey-
mouth, wrote me as follows : — " I have been
offered a Rough-Legged Buzzard killed on
Thursday (viz., 20 April). However, being

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 169

called home quicker than I expected, as I was
on a tour visiting gamekeepers, I brought the
bird home ; you are welcome to it. The Buzzard
was killed on Mr. Sheridan's estate at Frampton
and passed to Mr. Norman, one of his keepers ;
the bird was entangled in thorns and murdered
with a bill hook."

(61) Accipiter nisus and Falco tinnunculus. (63).

Throughout the year a very satisfactory increase
in the number of these was observed at Poole.
We noted that a Sparrow Hawk was still using
the same tree for meals that he used last year.
(W.P.C. and E.H.C.)

Accipiter nisus. Sparrow Hawk.

Apr. 15 This bird seems to like feeding in a slightly open
place amongst dark pines ; such places are usually
afforded at Canford by the lower limbs of
straggling oak trees planted among pines. The
darkness appears to kill the lower boughs of the
oaks, which, being bare, make convenient
" butcher's blocks " for Sparrow Hawks. Close
to Broadstone the lower limbs of an oak so
situate were thick with feathers of small
passerines ; and I found the remains of a Song
Thrush and of a Chaffinch. (E.H.C.)

May 14 At Canford Bottom. Dr. Penrose, W.P.C, and
E.H.C. saw male take the same course through
a small wood on two occasions. After noting
course all three took up different positions to
watch. E.H.C. saw male enter and then heard
a little fluster in a pine tree. Dr. P. then
whistled for E.H.C, who fetched W.P.C and
joined Dr. P. Dr. P. saw female come out of the
trees j make a stoop at the male, after which

1 70 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

male saw him and both left. Then discovered
a nest high up in a fir tree from which the male
had moved, which will no doubt be the nest
that will be used.

June 5 E.H.C. put the female Sparrow Hawk off the
assumed nest.

June 25 We examined the Sparrow Hawk's nest to find
the }roung had already begun to " hunch "
themselves in the nest, and shew quills. We
decided that if anything was to be done it
would have to be done quickly.

Dr. Penrose, after carefully considering the
situation in the light of his own experience as
a bird photographer, decided that the situation
was an impossible one to tackle by leaving the
nest where it was. No near trees presented
any facility for the erection of a hide of any
kind, labour and material prohibited erecting
a scaffolding; and the actual nest was so severely
shaded from the necessary photographic light
by neighbouring taller fir trees that moving
the tree, or the nest, was the only possible
method. The whole tree seemed too big a
task, as it was 40 feet and upwards high, and
the nest 27 feet from the ground. We were
reluctant to interfere with the nest itself, so
that the only other thing to do was to cut the
head off the tree and take it down and plant
the truncated top elsewhere. Tins we finally
did. Just how it was done is a most interesting
story ; but as it is a long one and would need
diagrams to make it understandable, I fear that
I cannot set it out at length here, or the chief
editor and publication committee will call me
over the coals. However, a conference with
Mr. T. J. Meaby, the Canford Estate Agent,
to whom we applied for permission to carry

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 171

out our scheme, gave us not only a permission,
but an enthusiastic assistant, who comman-
deered Mr. MacCullum, the chief woodman of
the estate. Thereafter we were merely specta-
tors, as the two experts settled precisely what
to do and how to do it, what labour and
materials were necessary, and that 27th June,
5 a.m., should be the day and time. Captain
J. J. Condon, of Poole, and Messrs. Burt and
Vick, of Poole, kindly lent us between them
two ladders and an ample supply of cables
and scaffold ropes. With the aid of two
woodmen and Head Keeper Wren, under
Mr. MacCullum's supervision, the tree was
cut off sixteen feet from the ground, the top
lifted and slung 35 yards into an open space,
replanted, and the young replaced in the nest
now in a light position 10 feet or so from the
ground, instead of 27 feet as before. The
weight of the top, even after some of the super-
fluous greenery that was " out of the picture "
had been removed, was estimated at two tons.
It was no mean feat, therefore, to move this
from 16 feet above ground to ground level, and
then 35 yards along, without damaging the
nest in any way, because a Sparrow Hawk's
nest is mainly dead sticks somewhat loosely
put together. W.P.C. and E.H.C. are perfectly
confident that, without Mr. Meaby and Mr.
MacCullum, they would have made an absolute
hash of the job. The nest was subjected to
close observation by Dr. Penrose, E.H.C, and
W.P.C. The following is a condensed transcript
of the notes, the observer's initials standing first.
June 28 7 a.m. Put up W.P.C.'s tall tent, top height
8 feet from the tree— this took If hours
to get it all secured. W.P.C, who had not

172 FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

been present at the decapitation of the tree,
decided that the job could not have been better
done.
June 29 After two hours erecting tripod (11 feet 6 inches
high), securing camera, focussing and com-
pleting tent decorations, E.H.C. got settled
with the 210 mm. f 6.8 Georz Dagor, a much
overrated lens.

E.H.C.

At 9.15 a.m. the light was very changeable and
difficult. The five babes are very restless in
the nest. They void excrement by pushing
their hinder parts to edge of the nest and
forcibly expelling the liquid ejecta. This has
already limed a tree and the tent 8 feet away
from the nest. Now and again one of the
nestlings would stand up and shake its tiny
wings, which already show quills about 1 inch
long,and the tail quills are about § of an inch long.
10.30. It started to rain, and the female came
to the nest a few minutes later, arriving at
the back with food, which she put down for
the young. She kept behind a big limb of
the tree and did not show her body. She
peered through my peephole and I kept per-
fectly still and then she quitted. I fancied
she saw me through the peephole, but whether
she did or not I cannot be certain (I always
think they do see me). I had my peepholes
cut down as small as possible, and I seem to
work with much smaller peepholes than most
pictures of birds' tents that I have seen shew.
The female gave no warning of her approach,
and never made a sound from first to last.
(From subsequent observation I have decided
that the female did not see me.)

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 173

10.50. The rain threatened, at 11 a.m. it
rained fast and got dark. I hoped the female
might come to cover the chicks, but she did
not turn up. 11.10 just as I was preparing to
come down off the steps (it might be explained
a very tall pair of Jones patent steps was used
to sit on inside the tent to enable the necessary
height to operate the camera to be attained)
I heard the male call ; and at 11.17 the male,
to my surprise, came to the nest with food in
his claws. I could not see what he brought,
but he just pitched down at the edge of the
nest, dropped the food, and was off in a flash
without giving me a chance to expose a plate.
The food seemed to be a nestling chaffinch.
The young stood on the food and pulled it to
pieces with their beaks. 11.30 it settled
in to rain hard ; so I gave up.
(The books say the male does not come to the
nest. As will be seen, the three observers re-
sponsible for this note disagree with the books,
as is not unusual. Dr. Penrose's previous
experience also was that the male did come to
the nest. The male usually called jill, jill,
Jill, very loudly if he required the female.)
June 30 E.H.C.

To-day is a blue -and- white -sky day with fresh
hard wind, after a night of heavy rain, and the
wood smells lovely. At the foot of the Sparrow
Hawk's nesting tree the light varies from 90
sees. Watkins in shadow to 25 sees, in sunlight.
From 10.30 to 11 I occupied myself with colour
photographs of the young. 11.10 I settled
down. 11.15 female came round the nest
with prey in her claws and called " kree "
about seven times quickly and the babes
answered " kerwee kerwee kerwee," but as I

174 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

was outside the tent at the moment the female
went away calling. I put up a few twigs at the
back of the nest out of view of the camera so
as to induce the female to come to the front
of the nest instead of hiding behind the tree
as she did yesterday. 12.15 the female came
to the nest on my side, then crossed over and
got behind the trunk, where she stood with the
prey under her feet, and tore it up into small
fragments, with which she fed the young from
her beak, or else dropped pieces of food on the
bottom of the nest. Having completed this
she quitted noiselessly. After being fed the
young stood upon their unsteady little legs
and changed places. They then searched the
bottom of the nest for food fragments, after
which they stood up and lurched about danger-
ously, stretched themselves, flapped their tiny
wings, and settled down again.

About 1 o'clock the female came round again
calling " kree " about seven or eight times
running, and the young replied " kerwee "
(the " ees " being long-drawn and accented)
many times in little wheezy piping voices.
At 1.15 the female came to the back of the nest
and tore up food and fed the young out of her
beak, keeping her body behind the tree. As
soon as the female quitted I came out and put
a few twigs behind the tree to force the female
to come to the front of the nest ; but I had to
avoid very carefully putting anything that
would shew, as I did not want anything in the
picture that was not as Nature and the Sparrow
Hawks intended. At 2 p.m. there were a few
spots of rain, but not enough to bring the female
to the nest. At 2.45 the young birds (who spend
a good deal of time in watching flies and snap-

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 175

ping at them, as far as I can see, unsuccessfully),
it being now nearly two hours since the female
fed them, and they all having voided excrement,
became restless and kept looking up expect-
antly.

The young are not pretty full face, and look
very cruel; their claws look very large. (I
might insert here that the major portion of
their irides appeared to me at this age about
" kitten " blue ; as they got older it gradually
got greenish, and finally assumed a decided
yellow, but not as deep as the yellow of the
adult hen which was about No. 3 Chrome
Yellow nor as orange as the adult cock, which
was about Cadmium No. 2. (W.P.C.) )

At 3 the female arrived with a young bird
plucked about the size of a juvenile blackbird
or thrush, but I could not see the feet. The
female tore up the food for the young.

At 3.20, as the nest was in shadow, although
the light was very fast, I went out to stretch
my legs, as I did not expect the hen to return
before 5. In so doing, I disturbed the female
from a near tree.

3.45 I returned. At 4.7 the male arrived
and pitched on the far side of the nest, behind
the tree. He did not tear up the food he had
in his claws, but dropped it in the nest and
floated straight on to the lower limb of the
nearest tree. I was delighted to have ample
opportunity of viewing the male,as I had under-
stood that he did not bring food to the nest.
He stayed for fully two minutes about 25
feet away from me, and cleaned his beak on
the dead fir limb he had pitched on. He was
a lively rufous specimen, and, while glad he
gave me such ample chance to verify his sex,

176 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

I was disappointed that he gave me no chance
to expose a plate on him. At 4.11 female
came and sat on the tree on the right hand
side of the trunk. She then floated on to a
tree close to where the male was, and watched
the tent very closely. At 4.30 the female was
still on her perch, and I regretted the absence
of the Reflex and the 17in. Telecentric. At
4.23 female went off, calling as she went, and
the young replied. The flight of these birds
is as silent as thought ; one hears a call of
" kerwee " from the young, the little heads go
up, then a shadow passes over the tent and the
birds are there on the nest without a whisper
of a sound, unless they happen to call as they
come. (We remarked on several occasions how
keen the sight of the small birds was. They
seemed not only to spot the parent bird at a
distance at which to our eyes the cock bird
was the merest speck, but also to be able to
look for and see the parents right under the
sun, a feat quite beyond the human eye.)

4.27 — The female arrived with a young small
bird plucked, tore it up, and fed the young from
her beak.

4.45 — I gave up.
July 1 F.G.P. (Who recorded both solar time and
summer time as a check. I have dropped the
latter. Ed. Phen. Notes.)
9.40 Got into the tent. .
10.20 Female brought a plucked bird about
the size of a thrush. She stayed pulling it to
pieces and feeding the young birds for about
two minutes. Towards the end of this time
the male called from a distant point and then
came gradually nearer. The female stopped
feeding the young and listened to the male

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 177

calling ; she then flew away and the male came
to the nest apparently with food, though I
could not see what he brought, as he stood
partly hidden behind the stem of the tree.
However, he came forward and began ap-
parently to feed the young. Almost immediately
he either saw me or was disturbed by the
tent as he flew away and began calling. The
whole time from the female coming to the
male leaving was about 10 minutes.
10.45 a.m. I moved in the tent, and heard
one of the old birds fly off. I had shifted and
had not been looking out, so had not seen the
old bird return to the nest, and did not know
it was there.

11.15 a.m. One of the old birds called from a
neighbouring tree ; the young apparently took
no notice ; they did not cower nor keep still,
nor did they evince any expectation. (See,
however, note below).

11.30 a.m. One of the old birds called again.
The young stood up (and one defalcated) and
all moved about in the nest, but did not appear
to be specially looking out.
11.40 a.m. One of the old birds stepped on to
the side of the nest, deposited a plucked young
bird and immediately went off again, not
sta}Ting to break it up and to feed the young.
(E.H.C. remarks that he thinks this Mas the
male. Compare his note at this time of day
on the 29th June).

One of the young birds began to tear at the
prey and to feed itself. Another uttered a
whining note.

12.45 The female flew past the tent and settled
on the far side of the nest. She fed the young
for about five minutes. I could not see what

178 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

she had brought, as the stem of the tree pre-
vented my seeing more than her head and the
forepart of her body.

Nothing further seen before 2.45 when I
stopped.

2.45 (W.P.C. and E.H.C. arrived, and after
discussion turned the tree a half circle round,
hoping thereby to get rid of the difficulty of
the trunk. We felt that birds were still likely
to go behind the trunk, which was at this point
trifurcated, but Dr. Penrose considers that
we should not have felt satisfied if Ave had not
resorted to this expedient. In the result,
what we judged likely to happen did happen).

W.P.C. and E.H.C.

From 2.45 to 6.45, we were engaged in erecting
an additional tent and tripod, as this was a
difficult job, since existing tents and tripods
were meant for work no higher than six feet.
Four hours soon went. We retired twice to
allow the parents to feed the young. One of
the young birds (actually a female) we christened
Napoleon. It stood in the classic attitude
adopted by its namesake, and followed the
whole proceedings with the greatest interest,
walking round the nest to keep us in sight.
This bird was the most advanced of the brood,
and apparently fearless.
July 2 W.P.C. and E.H.C.

8 to 10 was occupied in getting cameras, etc.
set. During this time the male came and
called in the neighbourhood of the nest. We
retired a few yards to enable him to bring food
to the nest. He came up at a tremendous
pace ; on reaching the nest raised both wings
and spread his tail, and was still for just a

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 179

fraction of a second, when he dropped his prey
and flashed out over the top of W.P.C.'s tent.
The young had progressed very fast and were
fledging on their backs, and their quills and
tail feathers were very apparent.
11 a.m. female came to the nest, and, notwith-
standing that we had turned the tree, she pitched
on the side furthest from us, and managed to
keep a bough between herself and the tents.
She stayed about two minutes and a half tearing
up food and feeding the young from her bill ;
she then departed, leaving the young to pick
the remnants of the prey.

11.30. female brought prey in her claws, but we
could not see what the prey was. E.H.C. knew
that one of the parents was near, as the young
were expectant and started calling kerwee,
kerwee. They made much more noise than
they did a few days ago. The female stayed
about a couple of minutes feeding the young.
As to the habits of the male Sparrow Hawk to-
wards his offspring, the statement that the
male prepares the food and gives it to the
female, and that only the female comes to the
nest, is a fallacy. We think both birds bring
the food to the nest, but that the female usually
does the tearing up. Keeper Wren says the
male comes to the nest with food and attends
the young with food after they leave the nest ;
and probably he is one of the few keepers that
have observed the behaviour of hawks excepting
" under fire."

At 12.5 female came into the wood with prey.
E.H.C. saw her circling above the trees, then
she flew round from tree to tree, staying a little
while on each, probably to pluck the prey.
During this time the young kept up their cries.

180 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

Presently the female came to the far side of
the nest. Immediately afterward she quitted.
(W.P.C. thinks a movement by him disturbed
her). However, she soon returned, but was
suspicious and very active and inclined to be
nervous. She began to tear up the food,
but quitted again. At 12.15, however, she
returned and completed her task.
At 12.30 we went out to lunch. The male
appeared like a tiny speck above the nest at 1,
so we went into our hiding tents. At 1 .5 the male
came in. He flew straight up to the nest,
poised a fraction of a second, dropped the prey
he had in his talons, and shot out over the top
of W.P.C. 's tent. He remained, however, in
the vicinity, calling for the hen. He flashed
past W.P.C. 's tent so closely that the air dis-
turbance as he passed caused a perceptible
draught through the peepholes.
When the food was placed in the nest the
young all got on their feet and called repeatedly,
apparently expecting the female to come to
break up the prey. As she did not arrive they
pulled it to pieces for themselves.
Head Keeper Wren said the nest contained
three females and two males, and he was right.
The three females grew much more rapidly than
the males and were earliest to leave the nest.
The eldest female, " Napoleon," was seen to
tear up prey and feed the youngest and most
backward chick, a male, with it.
1.30. The sun was full on the nest, and it
emitted a most unpleasant odour of decayed
animal matter, and was at all times the home
of innumerable flies.

1.35. The young appeared to have eaten all
the food the male brought. Their table manners

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 181

are very crude, and they smother themselves
and each other with blood, and altogether are
not a pretty spectacle at meal times. After
this they all settled for a nap, but kept on
fidgetting, though the restlessness of one chick
does not appear to incommode his neighbour.
2.0 One of the parents sailed over and the
young birds called, and then went to sleep.
2.30 One of the young woke up and started
picking over fragments in the nest.
2.45 The male arrived with prey. He sat for
about three minutes on a neighbouring tree,
during which time the young called vigorously ;
and then he came to the nest, dropped the
prey, and was gone like a flash.
3.0 The young were very busy picking over
remains in the nest. The female was sitting
in a tree about 50 yards away, and spent the
following half hour making her toilet. This
she did by stretching her wings over her feet
and running her claws through the feathers,
and raking the feathers under her wings with
her bill.

At 3.40 she sailed off.

At 4.10 male returned and called for the female.
As she did not reply he flashed into the nest,
dropped the prey Mus sylvaticus, the Long-
tailed Field Mouse, and was gone. He how-
ever returned, took up a position near at hand ;
and then the female turned up and tore up the
prey. At 4.40 the female herself brought prey
and fed the young, though she left the nest
several times during the process, and returned.
At 5 p.m. the female was still near the nest ; but
as the light had gone off we decided to pack.
When we came out of the tents the female
sailed off about 50 yards and sat up to watch us.

182 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

W.P.C. considers that it is only possible to
photograph the male in bright sun, with a focal
plane shutter, as his movements are so rapidly
executed. He also noted that the young spent
a lot of time ridding themselves of the " baby
down " by pulling it if off where they could
reach it, and scratching. They were very
voracious and greedy, and often nearly choked
themselves by trying to swallow the prey whole.
E.g., a young male tried to swallow the after
half of the field mouse whole three times,
each time being compelled to disgorge it and
finally to tear it up before eating it.
July 8 F.G.P.

10 a.m. Got ready in the tent.
10.30 a.m. Heard old hawk call. Quaere, was
this a kestrel, as the young took no notice ?
(There was a pair of kestrels feeding young not
far away, so probably Dr. Penrose's quaere may
be answered in the affirmative. W.P.C.)
10.37 Young all began to " peep " for a short
time. To-day there are only three young in
the nest, I think two males and one female.
There were five a week ago. Later another
female hopped back into the nest from a branch
where I had not previously noticed it.
10.50. The old female just alighted on the far
side of the nest, and went off again directly.
The young called for a few seconds before she
came.

11. Male came to the near side of the nest,
dropped a small bird and went off directly.
The prey was not plucked, but I could not
identify it. The most backward young one
immediately took it and began to pull it to
pieces. Apparently the female brings her prey
already plucked. This bears out what I saw

FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 183

two years ago, and again last year at Downton.
The cock brought the prey into the wood, the
hen flew up to and took it from him, and then
took it down to a dressing block, where she
plucked it before taking it to the young ones
at the nest. (E.H.C. remarks on this " The
prey I saw the male bring was all plucked, up
to last Sunday — e.g., the field mouse was de-
capitated— and similarly all the female brought
in was " dressed for the table." I never saw
the male pass prey over to the female, but I
could not see more than two hundred yards
over an angle of 180°, so he may have done so.
Doubtless different birds have different little
ways, although their habits are in common.
Moreover, as the young advance, the food
possibly requires less preparation.) [Also ex-
perience has shown us that different observers
have noted different habits with different pairs
of birds, so that two diametrically opposed
observations may both be correct. W.P.C.]
12.15 Abrancher, the fourth young one, came
back to the nest. It had evidently been
sitting in the tree somewhere above the nest.
12.30 The most advanced of the three young
that were in the nest when I came this morning
left the nest for a walk on the horizontal branch
on the far side from the tent, just below
the nest level. The other young bird which
was not in the nest when I came was working
from branch to branch, often with the help of
his wings.

12.33. Young began calling and looking round.
12.35. Female came and dropped something
at the nest, flew away and returned at 12.39.
She just came to the nest and then flew up into
a tree about 80 to 100 yards away (and, I

184 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

suppose, took the prey with her ; but of this I
am not certain). At 12.50 she flew back to
the nest, flew away again, and then returned
for a few seconds, leaving the prey. The
brancher flopped back into the nest for its
share. One of the larger and more advanced
youngsters then fed off the prey the hen had
brought, and when it had finished, at 1.12 p.m.
another bird took the carcase and fed. I
could not identify the prey beyond its being a
bird of some size. The plucked carcase looked
distinctly larger than that of a thrush. As
noted above, apparently the female brings the
prey plucked, the cock does not. At 2.18 the
youngest or most backward youngster then
got the carcase to pull at and fed hard. This
had had nothing since its last good meal on
the small bird the cock brought in at 11 o'clock.

E.H.C.

I rather fancy the restlessness of the female was
due to shutter shyness, as Dr. Penrose was
using a cinematograph camera. Both W. and
I have seen the male bring prepared food to
the nest, some of the little corpses being minus
heads, wings, and feet too, sometimes. When
the young were very small he seemed to bring
in mostly small nestlings that did not want
much preparation. As the young advanced I
thought the food was served in a more rough
and ready way, especially by the male ; and the
birds brought seemed to be less tender morsels.
That much food was consumed with small
body -feathers on it was evidenced by the castings
in and below the nest observed after the young
had flown. While Dr. Penrose was packing
his camera the male came in and dropped food

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 185

in the nest; two young flew off at intervals, a
third climbed into the tree, and No. 5 (Napoleon
having left entirely) remained in the nest.

E.H.C. and W.P.C.
3 p.m. We started work.
4.30 p.m. A young one climbed up the tre >
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 partially
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 Mas 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

FIRST 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 ccelebs — 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 Galliforines 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
(I'hasianus 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.

FIEST 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 sylvaticus, 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 scmele. (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
Weymouth, 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 winter

FIRST APPEARANCES OF 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, Weymouth ; locally-killed
birds in poulterers' shops at Weymoi-rla Nov.
21-23. (F.L.B.)

(69) Mareca penelope. The Widgeon.

In poulterer's shops at Weymouth, 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 atj[ 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 Mater 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 Harb*ur.

(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 rinding 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-

FIRST 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 Bonzie.

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.)

ALCIDAE.

(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.

FIRST 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 FIRST 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 glass 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 OF 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 stickand 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 " 20 ; the male
bird would reply " queek " 20 , 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.)

COLUMBIDiE.

(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 — " 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 Barbary 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 Bercwood, 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.

u

2 °

"3

"-5

as

ft d S

< -= H,

c

^

s

s*

©3 w *~

00

£w

8-»"

o

a

u a

5 p. e.

ft

ft O

o<

£•«: <

<

•< o

00 CO

Ha

>.£

s«

• £

■a

**&j

a

s

< 2

■o . .

2

goOO

^

*-*

"*

*5 a>

"5 O) t~ 00 O

_» i ft.' 53

-i ■ — _ . e^

|5*'h

ft

<

ft S o 3

9 4>

ci el

1 -. a

la*

2

2

a**

tO • •-• • OS • 08

a

a . ■ .*- . t

ii en e-i

§"H

eS d | 5

S S 1-5 H^

d

ft

•<

ft o

< O

Jf-r *

J3 2

22"

Earl
previ(
recor
date
Dors

— ' ii "' c " =' <i
su ,2 ° 5 »> k

0 4> OS 3 O. ft

RfcOS-,< <

Hi

a. j t* J a. - h

h >J

h ri In ri ^ rihrittd

S

■
c

"o

M

E

I S 1 1 S
5 8 JSsSS "3

3 H B

ft £fl a 5 >.

f. ;2|o.!£ &

2 «»■ os o> E g & S5
E — -= w,=>— ot""

S »
5 c

W =

it)

: S 1 -a «3 1 °

f "3 3 ^ sS s ?^

f 2 £ J £ 2 rt

^="C — -=— cr rt~

ft 0)

'X -c c=jcj «^:cea)-«

5 >3 •< >

— 0 ft ec

fe H

§ B E B E h rg-g

ft W M ft,

O

> ft, Ct, H •<

■-< oi n •«

»o o r— 00

ct

O H W CO -♦

3 S ep
2 ^S

- <*

©••

^ csts

» ' 3

C C —

■ 2-e
Mg =

rt'3 ~

— ■- _

las

fee ft

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 207

"INSECTA
LEPIDOPTERA
PAPILIONIDAE
PIERINAE

(1) Pieris brassicse. The Large White.
Apr. 1 Ansty, E.E.W.

Apr. 24 Weymouth (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 rapse. 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.

(G) Vanessa urticse. 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 Fr Hillary.

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 Bcrewood.

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

(13) 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 OF 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 wa&
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 Populus 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 simiHs. 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) Gastropcacha quercifolia. The Lappet.

Sep. 2 Larva at Canford Bottom on sallow. This is
first I have obtained locally. (W.P.C.)

SATURNIIDAE.

(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 leaf.
(E.H.C.)

(45) Cilix glaucata. The Chinese Character.

Aug. 3 At Arish Mell one specimen, and larvae 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 larvae 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 larvae 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 perla. The Marble Beauty.

Aug. 13 Three seen at Swanage. This insect was not
uncommon during the year. (W.P.C.)

21G FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

TRIFINAE.

(53) Noctua castanea, var. neglecta. Grey 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 larvse were abundant at Canford. (W.P.C.)

(57) Graptolitha ornithopus. Grey 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 OP 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
trocliilus (The Willow Warbler) on the insect
see The Coloration Problems, mihi, Ent. Rec.
and Journal of Variation, Vol. XXXIX, p.
56). (W.P.C.)

GEOMETKIDAE.
GEOMETRINAE.

(61) Geometra papilionaria. The Large Emerald.

June 25 A single larva at Canford, which emerged
28 July. (W.P.C.)

ACIDALIINAE.

(62) Hyria rnuricata. 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 Mas abundant there on 30th September
and practically fuU fed. (W.P.C.)

218 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

(65) Ephyra linearia. Clay Triple Lines.

Sep. 2 Larvse 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.)

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. Red 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 APPEAEANCES 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.)

-20 FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

(84) Hybernia leucophaearia. The Spring Usher.

This insect was out in Bere Wood on 22
January. (VV.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 While 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,

FIEST 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 Canford, 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.

(95) Zygaena filipendulae. Six-spot Burnet.

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 OF 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 1,092 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 Ganford, 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 ; S. 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. ; Isotoma
palustris, Bour. ; Podura aquatica, L., on pools.

T HYSANURA : Lepisma saccharina, L. ; Machilis
polypoda, L. ; M. maritima, Leach, on the coast.

ORTHOPTERA : Forficula auricular ia, L. ; Ectobia
panzer i, 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. Gryllus domesticus, L., appears to have become rarer,
and has disappeared from our house, where some years ago
it occurred. G. 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
viridissima, 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., common in various

FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 225

types of locality. Gomphocerus rufus, L. ; G. maculatus, Thunb.,
common on the heaths. Stenobothrus lineatus, Panz. ; S.
viridulus, L., common everywhere ; 8. rufipes, Zett. ; IS.
bicolor, Charp., abundant ; S. elegant, Charp. ; S. parallelus,
Zell., very common ; Tettix subvlalus, 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.

PLECOPTER A : 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, Kenrpny, in autumn,
Dewlish ; L. albida, Kempny, September, Moreton ; L.
hippopus, Kempny, very common, Tadnoll and Moreton.

PSOCOPTER A : Amphigerontiabifasciata, Latr. ;Psocus
quadrimaculahis, Latr. ; Stenopsocus immaculatus, Steph. ;
Stenopsocus stigmaticus, Imhoff ; Graphopsrocus cruciatus, L.,
very common ; Mesopsocus unipunctatus, Mull., very common ;
Philotarus flaviceps, Steph. ; Elpsocus hyalinus, Steph.,
Holme ; E. abictis, Kolbe, common ; Peripsocus phaeopterus,
Steph. ; Caccilius flavidus, Steph., common ; Atropos
pulsaforia, L., common in the cupboards, etc., of my room.

EPHEMEROPTERA : Ephemera danca, Mull., very
common on the Frome ; Potamanthus luteus, L., Vtry common
on the Frome ; 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;
S. 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
nymphula, Sulz., abundant ; P. tenellum, 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 Maria, L., abundant;
Raphidia maculicollis, Steph. ; Hemerobius micans, Oliv. ;
H. humuli, L., common ; H. lutescens, Fab. ; H. sub?icbulosus,
Steph., common ; H. stigma, Steph. ; Micromus paganus,
L. ; Chrysopa jlava, Scop. ; C. alba, L., common ; C. vulgaris,
Sch., common ; C. prasina, Ramb. ; C. abbreviata, Curt. ;
C. phyllochroma, Wism ; C. perla, L., abundant ; Panorpa
communis, L., Very common ; P. germanica, L., very common.

first appearances op birds, insects, etc. 227

General Remarks.

The Rev. J. Ridley sends the following tabular state-
ment as to weather conditions : —

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

Aupust

September

October

November

December

Annual

Thermometer.

Max. Min.

54-0

29- 0

50'0

2.-0

53-0

22"0

69-5

26-0

72-0

32-0

74'0

33-0

845

41-5

84-5

45-5

72-5

30"5

680

30- 5

56-5

22-0

39-7

27-4

84-5

21'0

Rain.

1-16
4-68
3-22
1-14
1-58
3' 38
1-39
4-63
3-45
6-01
5-35
8"76
44-75

Barometer.

Max. Min

29'26
28-35
28-50
28-97
29-00
29-05
29-20
29-33
29-25
28-77
28-25
28-34
28-25

Average.

29-58
29-20
29-08
29-62
29-50
29-63
29-71
29'70
29'72
29-23
29-00
28-93
29-4

Snow.

26th 27th
7th "8th 27th

27th

Thunder.

28th

25th

29th

27th

23rd

27th

15th

27th

31st

5th

5th

10th

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 Princejis 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 OF 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 OF 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 4£ feet above ordinary springs.

(6) No records are kept by the Board ; but from information
Mr. Chislctt 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

CM -H 1-H

ci c<

*-» r* co

o co mo coo>

rs . o

3«Pi <»^ 0>a

3a
la

■ood

o. a

t-s -Jj

-J! <

a <

s s

5 s

»-t CM

fa s

s s

= m « o ■"
0 S"C" g.

► sgsj-;

i s go

i-H CMr-c nH " IN H OJ Mi-H)-ieJi-li-ICNftCN.3i->

0

jdeiHOt-oioiHOi

_i-^_s.»:„Ci.j„i.j^,A>;_,^.j«*»;_a,i.-.^-j-J-

j__;_»j_li.^- _; „

s- Ml

P O cS

M Si

lis

.8 3 3

E-i

rt cS H

= ID .2

a a

»<« £.

1=1

BS5Bgo

•Is
o

•a o —
fi£c

Stf

)S3 o

1 W

si

<2M

C cj
I5

e q

m =5 c"3

•3 »

M C

5 -a »>
■ o a
"> is 3 "

O go

£ <*;s
.e^ge

Q 02

tH CM CO ■*

232 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC.

^

•a i

Ol

s3

T)«

00 CO

o

>> '

S». '

fcri

>t

3 4

>> •

i-s 3 3

•^

3
1-5

d

3
>-5

p.

<

a

c3

CM

IN

"3

.O

a.

en

PK

<

,j>

00 o

o

CO

CO 00

00

(NO <N

CO

-H (M

■<

>.

M

1 4

= ca d
£ 2 S

eg

3

^

S 1-5

3

►?

3

p
<

5a

a>

O O

CO

00

o •■*

§ 1 I

" tx

C
3
1-5

" f» ' ' >>

'E

<

' >. '

' ^■^

h *I

■~ •

j£fe

3

2 1-5

3
•-5

3

d »«

3 3

P.

•god

a> ei

<N

C4 00

<2(^S

: ;►> : '. : :_; :

: ;,_• :

::••::

2 5*

p.

p. p.

a^a

■<

*<

S*

o

a>

O CO

lO

o

CO

<N

0>-5

.O .

a a

S^i-i

• >>

d

3

• >» ■

d

3

* >-s

"3.

: >.

a.

<

c a*3

U3

in

CO

CD O

CO

i-< o)

|5*

§ « d
i-s 3 3

c

3
>1

a

l-S

Si* £
3 5

d

"3

1-5

I i

"3.

<

10US

est
(led
for
et.
)

HNWMNOiflNelfOO

<c: to c-i

-j cm o

■fH««HOiNno

CM

|-<CM

rt rt

Prev
earl
recor
date
Don
(1

i-5<l-5

ZlTZ cl^ p.
< -5 -<3 *<

'■gag

fc->-5«5

s4

5(j»«ci3

< 1-5 [Z4 St. 1-5 >-S

>-5feS

j- j«a,rf«fc

-J - ~

— M S.

J - (h - -

kn)Mh

riMt

i _: - J _ s.

j- k.

o

3

d

_

c
o

2 = cj
2 2§ S

.

d

"3

8 — *

3 iS

8 s

cS

Name of Plan

edition of the
Catalogue.)

=: c j= -Z r*
i *i ei ■* ,

a to -S S = o o

d g a o a so'

4> C - 3 >> - ^T

■< O H

r C

§2

o -J

"SB

be

3~

ft CV

3 P.
d d
3 3

a! *> "3

2 a S

sag

Tt a;

S3

d J;

J5 O

c"3
i: 3

•s3

o

rj

a o"

&

O

rt

rT

—

qr S

CO

gj

So

* c^

CO

CM

*jT3 a;

INDEX TO VOL. XXXVHI.

By H. POUNCY.

Accounts, Hon. Treasurer's, xl.
Aeland, 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., MSS., 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.
Gurtis, 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,

7.

234

President's Address —

Geology, 8.

Astronomy, 10.

Meteorology, 13.

Electricity, 14.

Chemistry, 15.

Engineering, 16.

Geography, 17.

Archieology 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.
Wimbome Minster, 64.

„ „ Anthony Ettrick,

xxxi.,
„ „ Royal Peculiar,

93.
Wood, Rev. C. H., xxxiv.