North Staffordshire Naturalists' Field Club and Archaeological Society
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NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE fialuralisis' J^iefd Glu6 Staffordshire AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. ANNUASampleL CountyREPOR T AND TRANSACTIONSStudies. 1891. NEW( !AST LE-UNDEII-1; Y M E : ii, T. BAGKMJLEY (late Dilworth), PRINTER, NEWCASTLE. Staffordshire The Treasurer in Account with the North Staffordshire Naturalists' Field Club and Archaeological Society. STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS FOE THE YEAR 1890. 1891. KECEIPTS, £ s. d. 1890. EXPENDITURE. £ s. d. Jan. 1, | Annual Subscriptions ... ... 88 10 0 Jan. 1, ) To balance ... 3 8 11 to V to } 0 2 0 Dec. 31. ) Entrance Fees .. 8 0 0 Dec. 31, I Chequebook Bookcase for Library 7 0 0 Eight Copies " Transactions" sold .. 2 0 0 SampleCounty2 Stoke Meeting s & Committee Meetings 10 0 0 Keceipts at 2 Winter meetings ... .. 0 9 0 Stone Winter Meeting 4 15 6 Hanley Winter Meeting 2 9 6 Balance in hand 6 3 8 Bagguley, for Printing, etc 68 3 3 Expenses of Summer Excursions 0 5 0 Commission on collecting Subscriptions and Postage 6 8 6 Rent of LibrarStudiesy Room 2 10 0 £98 13 0 £105 2 8 March 18, 1891. Examined and found correct, E. EARL. StaffordshireREPORT , Bead at the Twenty-sixth Annual Meeting, held at Stoke-upon- Trent, on Thursday, March 19th, 1891' It is with mingled feelings that the Committee of the North Staffordshire Naturalists' Field Club and Archaeological Society this year meet the members assembled at the Twenty-sixth Annual Meeting : for we are under the shadow of a great loss \ we mourn the removal from amongst us of the true father of the Club, who from its foundation down to the end of his valuable life—a period of a quarter of a century—evinced a continuous interest in its welfare. As long as health and strength were vouchsafed to him Mr. GarnerSample was a constanCountyt attendant at its meetings and excursions, and both by his counsel and by the papers which he read, contributed in no small degree to the firm establishment of the Club, and the high position it has attained among kindred Societies ; noi did that interest abate, when some eleven years ago a sudden seizure compelled his withdrawal from active pursuit of those researches and investigations which he loved so well : in his retirement he was still a centre of attraction to all who were like- minded with himself in their love of Natural History, and many a rare plant and insect found their way to his room, andStudies cheered the closing days of his life. His connection with the Club was main• tained to the end by the papers and communications which it was his delight to contribute to the Kvening Meetings, and which amply testified that though absent in body, in spirit he was ever with us. But in other respects your Committee feel that they are in a position once more to congratulate the Club on its continued pros• perity. Another successful year has passed away : the Excursions have been duly made, and the Evening Meetings duly held, if not exactly in accordance with the original list, yet only with a slight alteration ol date in the August Excursion necessitated by the Staffordshire Agricultural Society's Meeting at Newcastle clashing with the date fixed by the Annual Meeting, and in the February Evening Meeting at Leek, owing to railway exigencies. 11 Staffordshiresectiona l reports. I.—BOTANY. BY JAMES YATES, M.R.C.S. As time advances it will probably be increasingly difficult to add another flowering plant to our local Flora, but it will always be interesting and useful to discover new habitats for our rarer plants. On the present occasion I am happy in being able to record the discovery of a grass which is not contained in Mr. Garner's list, namely—Molinia Cserulea. The Molinia is common at Whitmore, Maer, and Wybunbury Moss, indeed, at WybunburSampley it is thCountye commonest grass o f all; the blue tints on the summit of this grass cannot fail to attract the eye. It is remarkable in possessing only one knot or joint, which is close to the root, accordingly the culms are unusually long. Mr. Pennant, in his tour to the Western Isles of Scotland, says : "The fishermen of Skye take advan• tage of this unusual length of culm to make thick ropes, wherewith they weave strong fishing-nets, which long withstand the wear and tear of the sea." I showed some specimens of this grass to the late Mr. Garner, who at once recognised the plant, so I suppose it was accidentally omitted from his work on the Natural History of Staffordshire. I am indebted to Mr. Blagg for new habitats of two widely-spreaStudiesd but nowhere common plants in Staffordshire. The first, " Orobanche Major," or Greater Broom-Rape, is parasitic, usually on Gorse or Broom ; when in full bloom it has always the appearance of a " withered plant" as Withering remarks. The second find is Genista Anglica—the Petty Whin. The new habitat of both plants is in the neighbourhood of Cheadle. The Petty Whin occurs at Wybunbury Moss, Chorlton, &c. Mr. E. D. Bostock has found " Ranunculus Lenormandi " growing near Stone. Hooker places it under the head of R. Csenosus, which he considers to be a mere variety of the R. Hederaceus. Mr. Bostock, with many other Botanists, claims it as a distinct species, in as much as it differs from all other ranunculaceous plants " in leaves, flower, and fruit, as also in habit of growth." It will be remembered by those members who accompanied our excursion to Longnor, with how much pleasure we found the lovely rose-coloured Maiden-Pink, adorned with a white eye (Dianthus Deltoides) ; it grows in profusion at Glutten. We also found a white variety of the sweet-scented 12 aromatic Basil-Thyme (Calamintha Acinos). This variety had not escaped the notice of Mr. Garner (at Kinver). During last season I paid several visits to the habitats of "finds" of former years. I was glad to find ten or a dozen specimens of the Marsh Hawkweed (Crepis Paludosa), whereas when this plant was first found in Staffordshire, only a single specimen was discovered. The Wood Stitch- wort (Stellaria Nemorum) grows now in profusion not far from Alton. StaffordshireClose to the Stitchwort. and by the brookside, grows and flourishes the " Mimulus Luteus," or Monkey-plant, with bright yellow flowers spotted with reddish-brown in the centre. Though this plant is not a native of Europe, yet it has established itself in so many places in England that it deserves to be recognised as naturalized, though not to the manner born. This flower has a very extensive range, " from China to Peru," as the Poet says, thus it was found by Dr. Langsdorff in the Fox Islands belonging to China ; by Father Fuilee in Chili ; and by Mr. Menzies in California. In Curtis's Botanical Magazine of 1812 it is referred to as a beautiful species of Mimulus then introduced into an English garden for the first time. This date (1812) affords a useful indication of the time required to establish a plant in England as a wild plant, that is to say completely naturalized. It is not included in Mr. Garner's Natural History of Staffordshire, which was published in 1844, we may therefore conclude that the yellow Monkey-plant has become a wild denizen of our country in many places since that date. During the first week of this month (March) I have had an opportunity of seeing the Petasites Alba in full bloom ; it was gathered at Butterton. Mr. Audley has Samplesent me a long Countylist of interesting plant s which were found during the excursion of the Club into Yorkshire It includes such rare plants as Acta3a Spicata, Hippocrepis Comosa, Primula Farinosa, Plantago Media, etc., etc. I am afraid I cannot get the authority of our Club to include these in our local list. BOTANY.—Continued. Studies SECOND LIST OF NOETH STAFFOEDSHIEE FUNGI, OBSEEVED BY ALEXANDER MACINDOE, M.D., D.P.H.,Camb. AGARICINI. Agaricus alveolus. Lasch. Aston, 9th July, 1890. „ rubescens. P. Maer Woods, 11th July, 1890. ,, rutilans. Schceff Eld's Gorse, 2nd September, 1890. „ squarrosus. Miill. Whitmore Hall, 2nd November, J 890. „ geotrupus. Bull. Willoughbridge, 2nd November, 1890. „ stypticus. Bull. Willoughbridge, 8th November, 1890. 26 Staffordshire VI.—ARCHAEOLOGY. BY CHARLES LYNAM, F.R.I.B.A. If proof were needed of the strong and healthy vitality of what is known as the Archaeological side of this Society, I think one need only to point to the last excursion of the season just past, when, on a chill October morning, wet, cold, and stormy, a muster of more than thirty members was made, and they faced a long railway journey, an open drive, and a day of about twelve hours in length, for the purpose of visiting two old halls and two village churches in the neighbouring county of Cheshire. Yes. philosophers, scientists, naturalists, archaaologists and picnicers devoted a whole long day tSampleo the pleasure oCountyf seeing and examinin g a couple of English houses built in by-gone times, and two small village ''houses of prayer," founded in still earlier times. And who of those of the company does not vividly retain the strong impression which that famous moated old house at Tabley thrust upon the mind ? Its great hall, looking as though it were of some natural forest giant growth, rather than put together by the hands of the carpenter ; its broad and fantastic stairs, rambling galleries, quaint glass, and elaborate wainscot ; its oak furniture, strong now as when first put together some three hundred years ago ; its arms and armour, which tell of sterner days than these.