56 THE DEER OF EPPING FOREST.
This entry, in all probability, relates to one of the last red deer
killed in this forest, for I have not met with any later allusion to
their existence here.22
The fallow deer have held their own, in spite of all difficulties,
until the present time, and have strangely preserved their ancient
character in regard to size and colour. Locally, they are referred to
as "the old forest breed," and are comparatively small in size, of a
uniformly dark brown colour, and with very attenuated antlers,
peculiarities which have no doubt been brought about by continued
isolation, without the admixture of any fresh stock for very many
generations. It is remarkable that no individuals of the true fallow
colour (i.e., yellow dun) or spotted with white, are ever seen in this
forest. This in some measure proves the antiquity of the stock,
which would otherwise show in their progeny a reversion to one or
both of these varieties, which elsewhere are so common. The
keepers assert that not only are there no spotted or fallow varieties
here, but that they have never observed any spotted fawns, the latter
being dark like their parents.23 If this observation be correct, it is
very remarkable, for it is generally supposed that the fawns of all
fallow deer (and red deer also) are spotted at birth, and that except
in the permanently spotted variety the spots disappear with age.
The attenuation of the antlers is also very noticeable, the palma-
tion of the horn being reduced from a hand's breadth to about the
width of two fingers.
22 Since these lines were written Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to send a
few red deer to Epping Forest from Windsor Park. We have in our possession the antlers of a red
deer which were kindly given to us by Mr. Basham, of the King's Head Inn, Chigwell. They had
been attached for many years to one of the outhouses in the garden, and we were told that in all
probability they belonged, to one of the last red deer killed in the forest. It should be mentioned
that the "Verderor's" Court of Attachments of the Royal Forest of Waltham were held "Hospit :
vocat : le King's head in Chigwell" from at least the commencement of the 18th. century, as
appears by the "Rolls" of the Court printed by order of the Epping Forest Commissioners, and
therefore it is not unlikely that many such relics would he brought there. Mr. Buxton writes as
follows in his "Epping Forest:"—"The lord of the manor of Loughton has some heads of red
deer taken from the forest, which have, been in the possession, of his family for several generations,
and which adorned what would certainly be accounted grand stags in Scotland at the present
time. This was to be expected, as woodland red deer always attain a larger size. From a
statement made in 1871 by a very old inhabitant, and written down from his lips, it appears that
the herd was of considerable size within his recollection. 'There was a kennel at Loughton
Bridge, kept by a man named Dean, and the dogs and horses for the hunt were kept there. A
paddock was enclosed with high palings, and in this enclosure the deer, caught wild in the forest,
were kept, and hunted as required, but not killed. The black deer (fallow) were hunted two or
three times a week, killed, and used as required also. The method of taking the red deer was
by fixing a net (kept at Loughton Bridge for the purpose, and about a mile long) from the mile-
stone in the forest down to Monk Wood, The deer were driven up from Monk Wood into it.
Two or three were then selected, and the rest, with the young ones, set at liberty, A cart for the
purpose was in readiness, and the deer caught were placed in it and taken to Loughton Bridge,
where they were kept in the paddock till wanted.' ..... The staghounds came to an end in
1797 [this appears to be an error ; see quotation from Cary's Map in the text of Mr. Harting's
paper above], and early in the century the red deer were suffered, from the indifference of the
authorities to diminish, and the remainder of the herd were finally caught some twenty years later
and transported to Windsor."—Ed.
23 See Mr. D'Oyley's Observations, Proc. Essex Field Club, vol. ii., p. xxii.—Ed.