oppositifolium, Sanicula europæa, Cornus sanguinea, Viburnum opulus, Asperula odorata, Valeriana officinalis, Lysimachia nemorum, Lunaria vulgaris (not in bloom), Euphorbia Helioscopia, Moenchia erecla, Colchicum autumnale (in fruit), Ophioglossum vulgatum, Aspidium aculeatum, A. oreopteris, A. spinulosum, Asplenium trichomanes, A. ruta muraria, Ceterach officinarum, and Blechnum spicant.

It may be again recorded here that in the month of July, 1860, the Rev. Thos. Hutchinson found the very rare Crested Hair Grass, Koehleria cristata growing among the fern near the summit of the fence leading from Cock Gate and Croft Rectory to the top of the hill on the eastern side of Croft Ambrey. It is recorded in Herefordshire Flora, and any botanist interested in this rare find should refer to Transactions 1881, pages 51 and 52.

ENTOMOLOGY.

It was not a favourable day for the entomologists. Mr. T. Hutchinson, son of the Rev. T. Hutchinson, had issued a notice of what had been found chiefly by himself and his family in this locality at this period of the year :-Stauropus fagi, Demas coryli, D. hamula, D. unguicula, Melanippe hastata, Eupithecia pulchellata, E. irriguata, E. indigata, E. dodoncata, and many other good species. In addition it may be remarked that the only specimen of Hepialus velleda taken in the county was taken by himself at rest on a beech tree within the wood west of the Common.

TREES IN THE PARK.

Croft Park has been previously visited by our members. References may be found in Transactions 1870, page 306, 1878, (page 110), for measurement of the fine Spanish chestnut trees, and 1881, (page 51) opposite which page a plan of the camp is represented.

Although much timber has been felled within the last half century, yet a few fine trees remain. One mile north of the Castle, leading from the Keeper's Lodge at the top of Fishpool Valley, are six or eight, the largest of which has its trunk riven asunder. The girth of the largest oak tree in this particular locality measures 18 feet.

As regards the avenue of Spanish chestnut trees we read in Transactions, 1870, page 306, that they were said to have been planted by Dr. Herbert Croft, Bishop of Hereford, 1662-1691, after the Restoration": our local Directory says, "by Sir James Croft, M.P. for Herefordshire and Controller of Queen Elizabeth's household, with seeds which were taken from one of the ships of the Spanish Armada, which was wrecked on the coast of Wales, near a Welsh residence of Sir James Croft." We regret that we cannot reconcile the diverse statements, which give a difference of a century's growth, but consider the earlier date as more probably correct.

At the present time the largest has a girth of 24 feet at the height of 5 feet from the ground. It is nearly the last tree on the right hand side as you proceed along the western drive from the Castle to the Lodge near Mortimer's Cross.

Along the eastern drive, or approach from Cock Gate, an avenue of fine oak trees extends for nearly half a mile, succeeded by an avenue of about forty fine old beech trees on each side. Cock Gate is two miles distant from Berrington and Eye railway station, and four miles from Woofferton.

At the present period the largest oak tree in the park, known as 'the garden oak,' is within the private grounds, and is situated at the western end of the garden lawn. From a length of fifteen feet from the base its boughs project in a remarkably uniform manner, maintaining the same picturesque uniformity in their stag's horn stage of decay. This pollard tree girths 25 feet at 5 feet from the ground.

Mr. T. R. Groom, of Hereford, timber merchant, considers that one of the most finely-grown oak trees he has seen in Herefordshire was from Croft Castle grounds of which he gives the following details : "It was 76 feet in its first length, without a knot or offset, as upright as a pine tree, and when cut off was 101 feet in length, with a cubic content of 346 feet of timber." See Transactions 1893, page 129. For a general description of the trees in the park see Transactions 1870, page 306.

CROFT CHURCH.

Croft Church is close to the Castle. It is a small structure, consisting of a nave separated from the chancel by a pointed arch. Ancient roofs cover the nave and chancel. There are 14th century windows in the nave, and a wooden bell turret of the 18th century has been added on the West end.

There is a blocked up doorway presenting indications in the north wall of the chancel of a chapel now demolished.

In the chancel on the north side is a very fine altar tomb of the 15th century, with a raised canopy at the head, containing recumbent effigies of a knight in armour, and a lady at his side. A carved shield on the canopy contains the arms of Croft impaling Cornwall. This no doubt represents Sir Richard Croft who fought at Mortimer's Cross 1461, M.P. for Herefordshire 1477, made a Kt. Banneret 1487, died 29th July, 1509. His will is dated 19th June, and was proved at C.P.C. 11th Nov., 1509. He married Eleanor, daughter of Sir Richard Cornwall, Baron of Burford, co. Salop, widow of Sir Hugh Mortimer, of Kyre. Inq. P.M. 1520-1.

On the floor of the Church are many fine encaustic tiles, heraldic and foliated, similar to the tiles in Malvern Abbey Church. It is hoped that in some early future these will be illustrated by Mr. Robert Clarke, with other tiles found in the county of Hereford.

CROFT CASTLE.

Croft Castle forms the subject of a pretty sketch by Mrs. Stackhouse Acton, with Croft Church in close vicinity to it, in Robinson's Castles of Herefordshire.

The Castle is a quadrangular stone building enclosing a courtyard. It has circular battlemented towers at each angle, connected by curtains 30 to 34 yards in length, reminding one of the type of later Edwardian castles. Originally it contained only three sides, the fourth, facing the East, having been enclosed between the towers in the last century.

The old Tudor or Elizabethan square-headed windows with stone mullions, jambs, and label mouldings, remain in some places, intermixed with the modern insertions, or restorations in wood, of the old stone work. On the north side modern brick additions have been attached.

Leland in his Itinerary, 16th century, on his way from Eaton to Ludlow, writes:-"Croft, the manor of the Crofts, set on the brow of the hill, ditched and walled castle-like." It is said that he did not visit the castle, of which he gives no further particulars.

Symonds (Diary p. 203) writes:-"The Ludlow men (1645) thought it prudent to dismantle the Castle lest the enemy should seize on it for their own uses."

For the history of Croft Castle, from its record in Domesday Survey, its retention by the Crofts, a Saxon family, for seven hundred years, until it was sold by Sir Archer Croft in 1746, afterwards surrendered by the mortgagee to Mr. Richard Knight, iron-master, of Downton, and its subsequent changes, see Robinson's Castles of Herefordshire.

AYMESTREY CHURCH.

The Rev. J. S. Sidebotham, Vicar of Aymestrey, addressed the Members and explained the prominent features of the Church which is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and St. Alkmund. The early name of the village was Alkmundstre, changed into Aylmondistre, Aylmistre, and for several centuries known as Aymestrey.

The Church consists of a nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, chancel, and a fine tower at the west end of the nave. The principal entrance is at the west, under the tower, and groined with stone.

The Rood Screen has been restored by the careful substitutions of the mutilated and missing portions. It is a richly carved piece of oak work with moulded mullions, and carved tracery arches, the overhanging portion above is richly canopied over, and originally supported the rood-loft which is now gone.

There are four smaller and plainer old oak Screens of about the same period, enclosing the east ends of the north and south aisles, which enclosures were probably used in early days as side chapels. There is a walled up doorway in the south wall of the south aisle.

The Chancel, probably the oldest part of the Church, has two small early Norman lights, and some remains of herring-bone walling in the exterior of north wall.

On the Chancel floor within the altar rails has been laid an alabaster slab, inlaid with black, to the memory of Sir John Lingen, who died in 1522, and his wife Isabel, daughter and heir of Sir John de Burgh.

The Tower is a 15th century structure, added after the nave had been built.
During the restoration some remains of Fresco paintings were discovered

under the whitewash on the walls.

In the Churchyard are the remains of a Churchyard Cross.

There are six Bells in the Tower: five are dated 1732, and cast by Abraham Rudhall, of Gloucester; the sixth has no inscription.

Of the Parish Registers, the earliest is illegible; it is said to date from 1591, and is supposed to have been damaged by a flood in 1770.

A FEW REMARKS ON THE NATURAL HISTORY OF

AYMESTREY.

The natural history of this beautiful village affords study for a man's lifetime. Two of our members, who resided here for several years, found themselves in a happy paradise. The labours in the field of geology of Rev. T. T. Lewis, the President of our Club in 1853, commencing in the year 1827, are well known to every reader of Sir Roderick Murchison's "Siluria." Sir Roderick derived much information from his field work, and was liberally supplied by him with organic specimens. Mr. Lewis' address in January, 1854, forms the earliest printed pamphlet of our Transactions, and should be referred to. So also should Transactions, 1870, pages 25 to 30, which are occupied by "Notes on the Natural History of Aymestrey," by his friend, Rev. Thomas Woodhouse, in which he records the observation of 75 species of birds, 464 species of plants, and 22 species of ferns. During the last quarter of a century changes have taken place. Some of the finest trees have fallen a prey to gales, others have been felled. In the grounds of Aymestrey House, opposite the Church, grows a magnificent hedge of yew and box, and in the same grounds stands the finest cherry tree we have ever seen; jackdaws, however, are so numerous about the adjacent Church tower that they never allow its fruit to be gathered by man. A favourite habitat of the jackdaws is on the heights of the Rock Quarry. Mr. Woodhouse never heard the nightingale in the parish, but in his day the croak of the raven was often heard on Croft Ambrey.

The Parish of Aymestrey reaches as far west towards Deerfold Forest as Haven Farm, on the road to Lingen, formerly the residence of our member, Mr. Charles Fortey, on whose grounds grows the celebrated mistletoe oak (Transactions, 1870, page 8). The oak tree and the mistletoe are both still flourishing. For illustrations of the tree see Transactions, 1869, opposite page 15. About five and twenty years ago Dr. Bull assisted Mr. Fortey in planting an avenue of Spanish chestnut trees in the orchard at Haven leading to the Dingle, and thence to the very diminutive camp, 940 feet high, begirt with prominent Scotch flrs. The trees were about five feet high when planted. One of the best, recently measured by Mr. Fortey and Mr. Moore, had a girth of 5 feet 9 inches at 5 feet above the ground.

The angler who is fortunate enough to ply his pastime in this neighbourhood meets with many a pretty reach of scenery. The Kinsham valley above Deerfold bridge, immediately before entering the parish, the Shirley fishery, the Shobdon and Lyepool fisheries, the Garden-house fishery down to Aymestrey bridge, and the Aymestrey reaches below the bridge afford sport of both trout and grayling in their respective seasons, and cover an expanse of charming sylvan and meadow scenery in their valleys and hills,

Here it is not out of place to record an event in Natural History, witnessed in the Aymestrey reaches by Mr. C. W. B. Moore, of Aymestrey House, Aymestrey (brother of our President), and his angler companion.

A RABBIT ATTACKING A STOAT.

The attention of the two anglers, quietly sitting down on the bank of the river, was aroused by a commotion amongst some patches of bracken fern on the opposite side, accompanied by a squealing as of some animal in distress. The cause was shortly revealed by the appearance in the open meadow of a young rabbit pursued closely by a stoat. Some very pretty doubling backwards and forwards was witnessed, when suddenly a large rabbit appears upon the scene, which, rushing fiercely out of the fern patch, charges the pursuing stoat and bowls the enemy over and over, causing it much temporary bewilderment. The young and old rabbit both retire to their friendly shelter under the ferns. The stoat, upon recovery, returns to the same grounds, and again getting upon the scent of either the same or another young rabbit, the whole scene is again repeated, but it was observed that the old rabbit's coat bristled larger and if possible more fiercely than before, as it again charged straight at the stoat and again bowled it over. One of the anglers became so excited at the doubtless maternal instinct displayed that he jumped up, and waving his arms vehemently exclaimed "Bravo old 'un, go it old 'un," which had the effect of frightening the trio, of dispersing them in different directions, and bringing down the curtain all too soon upon the interesting scene. The large rabbit was probably a doe, prompted by maternal instinct to attack its great enemy in defence of its young. A somewhat similar case of a rabbit attacking a stoat is reported in the Field of May 7th, 1892.*

THE RIVER LUGG.

The river Lugg (Ancient British, Llag-bright) rises about eleven miles north-west by west, as the arrow flies, of Presteign. Its source is from the elevations nearly 1,600 feet high of the Pool Hill, about midway between Llanbister and Beguildy, in Radnorshire. On the track across Rhos Crag (the moor tump) near its source is an elevation 1,596, and an Ordnance Pkt. 1,576 5. Close to its source it receives upon its left bank a small feeder from the east, which flows between Cnwc Bank and Llan Lluest. At Crûg the Lugg is crossed by the Central Wales branch of the L. N. W. railway, one mile east of Llanbister Road Station, about midway between Knighton and Rhayader, and about 2 miles from its source.

The next tributary, after flowing through Ferley Dingle, enters the Lugg upon its left bank, about one mile south of Llangynllo Station, and at Llangynllo another enters upon its right bank.

Near Monaughty (Mynachdy) the aqueduct of the Birmingham Water Supply from the Elan Valley in Wales is carried over the river in two 42 inch steel pipes, in a span of 24 feet.

* Again a similar case is reported in the Field of August, 17th, 1897.-H. C. M.