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Nearly 100 Members assembled at Poole Station, among those present being the President, Lord Eustace Cecil (past President) and Lady Eustace, the Hon. Secretary, and the Hon. Treasurer. Alderman Mate acted as guide during the day. Pausing for a few minutes to inspect the problematical 15th Century building known as the "Town Cellars," the party proceeded to the Fish Shambles and embarked in capacious seine boats, in tow of two tugs. Passing up Wareham Channel, the flotilla brought up at Russel Quay. Here Alderman MATE gave an able address on Poole Harbour, dwelling on its historical and scenic aspects.

Excluding the islands, the estuary contains about 10,000 acres, and it is estimated that upwards of 36 million tons of water flow into and out of it every spring tide-many discussions having been entered into regarding the possibility of harnessing this stupendous force. From Russel Quay great quantities of peat are shipped. Close to the Quay is the ancient Attewell, a famous fresh-water spring from which water used to be fetched in boats to Poole in times of drought. The Mayor of Poole is Admiral of the port. A perambulation of officials in 1619 was quoted, of which the record runs :— "Having erected a tilt with the oares and sayles of the boat, we refreshed ourselves with such vichialls as God had provided for that perambulation, and, having seen the young men disporting themselves with their hats in a kind of football, the Mayor and others proceeded to the margin of the ocean and claimed jurisdiction as usual, when it pleased Mr. Moses Durell, having Peter Hiley in his one hand and in his other hand John Gigger (unknown to the company till afterwards), for a better and future remembrance of the claymeigne of the admyrall jurisdiction, and liberties abovesaid, to lead these two youths in his hands about knee-deep into the ocean, and then returning back to the tilt again, and having refreshed ourselves with some discourses concerning the observation of that day's service, and seen the young men again disport themselves with their hats at football, as aforesaid, the tide being come for our departure from thence, we came up to Poole with our several companies in the boats above mentioned, and thence, the women

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departing to their several habitations (after salutations past), Mr. Mayor with the rest of the magistrates and men in his company went to Mr. Melmoth's Inn, where, having refreshed for a little while themselves with some wine, beer, and tobacco, every man taking his leave one of the other in a civil, loving, courteous manner, they departed to their several and respective homes, without any observation of any remarkable incivility through the passage of that day.'" There was formerly an important salmon fishery in the Wareham river, and Hutchins quotes the testimony of an old fisherman that he once assisted in the capture of 47 fine salmon at a draught, weighing in the aggregate 60 score pounds. The fish were taken to Wareham; failing to sell them there the party carried them to Bindon Fair, and sold them at 2d. a pound. Mr. Mate added interesting information about the eel and oyster fisheries.

The PRESIDENT having proposed, and Lord EUSTACE CECIL seconded, a hearty vote of thanks to Alderman Mate, the party walked by the path across the heath, glowing with gorgeous blossom, to

ARNE CHURCH

where they were met by the Rev. SELWYN BLACKETT, rector of Wareham and perpetual curate of Arne, who had kindly come out to receive them.

Mr. Blackett said that the simple little church dated from the early part of the 13th century, but had been restored. It was interesting to observe that the heads of the windows were each cut out of a single stone. Arne used to belong to Shaftesbury Abbey, and when the tenants paid their rent they were given a ticket entitling them to a dinner at the Abbey any time they were passing. The church possesses an altar-slab of shelly limestone, of ancient date:

The Rev. R. GROSVENOR BARTELOT asked what became of the lovely old Trinity frontal?

Mr. BLACKETT answered that it disappeared mysteriously, but he believed that it was in the possession of Lord Eldon, who, by the bye, presented the church with beautiful Communion vessels, silver-gilt, studded with rubies.

The PRESIDENT expressed the thanks of the Club to Mr. Selwyn Blackett for so kindly taking the trouble to come over all the way from Wareham to receive them, and he mentioned

that Mr. Blackett was a very old friend of the Field Club, who had helped them on many occasions.

Re-embarking in the boats, which had come round Pachin's Point from Russel Quay, the Club resumed the journey for Ower Quay. The motor launches were able to proceed in a fairly direct course; but the tugs drew so much water that it was necessary for them to steam along the Wych Channel and right round Brownsea Island and up the South Deep or "Sou' Deep" Channel to the Ower Passage. This took a longer time, but the detour gave the passengers one of the finest and most exhilarating experiences of the day.

On landing at Ower Quay the party took tea, after which Mr. WILFRED PARKINSON CURTIS, F.E.S., kindly gave an address on "The Birds of Poole Harbour."

He considered the black-headed gull was an easy first, and estimated the colony close to Ower at about 2,000 pairs. He also referred to the colony at Littlesea, and the attempt the birds made to establish themselves at Brownsea, which attempt was frustrated by the keepers. He alluded to the nesting habits and changes of plumage, and also the habit of the birds in the winter congregating in large flocks, especially at night, and, if disturbed, rising with a babel of cries. He next touched on the shelduck, or burrow duck, and after describing its peculiar preference for nesting 9 to 15 feet down a rabbit burrow, referred to its many characteristics, and to the winter habit of seeking the open water outside the harbour in the daytime. He then dealt with the heronry at Arne, and after referring to the structure of the nest and gregarous habits of the birds dwelt on the terrible destruction wrought by it amongst the small fish in the harbour, and remarked that a drastic thinning out of the number of herons in and about the harbour was badly needed. He then remarked on the redshank, the ringed plover, and the common plover, and quoted an instance of the young of the latter a few days' old swimming from the Green Island to the mainland at Ower. Mr. Curtis remarked that the oyster catcher had, by reason of persecution, somewhat changed its nesting habits, now seeking fallow fields near the harbour, in preference to laying its eggs on the bare beach. He also said the bird is not strictly a resident, since it leaves the harbour for a month or six weeks in the winter. After a reference to the stockdove, he recalled the discovery by the late Mr. J. C. Mansel-Pleydell, a former President of the Field Club, of the fact that the curlew bred on the edges of the harbour, and stated that probably not more than 12 to 16 pairs bred in the vicinity, but that the number was largely increased by migrants in the winter. He stated that other birds bred on the shore, but not in sufficient numbers to be characteristic. Of the non-breeding

birds, he remarked on the large number of cormorants that had come into the harbour at daybreak to make havoc amongst the fish, and stated that the supposed habitual occurrence of the shag was an error, he only having seen one in ten years. He also dealt with the herring gull and black-backed gulls. In closing he said the winter migrants were too numerous for him to even give a bare list of names, leaving alone any adequate note of each bird.

The PRESIDENT, in proposing a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Parkinson Curtis, took the opportunity to commend the good work being done by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

A ballot for new Members resulted in the election of three gentlemen, and (time not allowing of the proposed visit to Goathorn, at the invitation of Captain Marston, R.N.), a return was made to Poole Quay.

THIRD SUMMER MEETING.

SALISBURY AND STONEHENGE.

Monday and Tuesday, August 15th and 16th.

Present The President and Mrs. Richardson, the Hon. Secretary, and nearly 60 members. From headquarters at the County Hotel the party paid a visit to

THE CHURCH OF ST. THOMAS OF CANTERBURY,

where they were received by the Rector, Canon SANCTUARY, and Mr. DORAN WEBB gave an interesting description of the building, which was rebuilt in the 15th Century.

The handsome open-timber roofs, the fine monumental brasses, and preReformation glass, notably the remains of a Jesse window, were all duly admired, and, in the vestry, the rich 15th century embroidery, originally supposed to be part of a cope, and afterwards used as an altar frontal. Canon Sanctuary exhibited pages of an ancient psalter—a Sarum antiphonary-with both words and music.

From St. Thomas of Canterbury the party walked to the old Poultry Cross close by.

Mr. DORAN WEBB said that the cross was described in 1539 as the "High Cross," and it was added "It is the place where poultry is sold." To the original cross, of the 14th century, were added by a local enthusiast, the elder Pugin, the beautiful pinnacles and niches, which, owing to soft stone being used, looked now as old as the original parts of the cross.

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An early 15th century hostel, in which decay has been happily arrested in the original oak beams. Mr. Doran Webb said it was pretty certain that the inn took its name from St. George of dragon fame, and not from George Merriott, of Somerset, who was alive in 1410. In 1457 the inn was damaged by fire. The face carved on the front of a massive oak corbel was supposed to be that of Henry VI., ob. 1461. While the party w re in the so-called "Great Hall" Mr. Webb paid a warm tribute to the zeal of the proprietors for the preservation of the ancient woodwork and its uncovering so as to be

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