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THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
Field and Ordinary Meeting in Epping Forest,
Saturday, August 6th, 1887.
An assembly of the Club was called at about half-past three at Theydon Bois
station, and a pleasant ramble was taken thence through Genesis Slade to
Ambresbury Banks, by Monks Wood, and so to the Loughton Camp. Keeper
Butt very kindly proposed to devote a deserved half holiday to the task of leading
the party through the woods. In traversing the "slade" two fine fallow bucks
were put up. The temperature was almost tropical, albeit somewhat lowered in
the open by a refreshing breeze, and the forest everywhere exhibited signs of
suffering under the great drought which so markedly characterizes the present
summer. Many plants much dwarfed in habit were seen, and attention was
specially called to miniature specimens of Erythraea centaurium (Centaury) and
Achillea ptarmica (Sneeze-wort) in full bloom, but not one third of their usual
height; while in the opens the Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus) was flowering profusely,
although scarcely able to lift itself above the level of the parched sward. Lite-
rally nothing could be done in the collecting of mollusca to show at Mr. Harting's
demonstration later on—the ponds were dry, and the woodland snails had buried
themselves deep under the leaves and in the thickets, awaiting the wished for
showers before showing a tentacle. A good many of the commoner lepidopterous
insects were observed. On the heathy places the "Small Copper" (Polyom-
matus phlaeas), the "Common Blue" (Lycaena icarus), and the "Small Heath"
(Coenonympha pamphilus) butterflies were flitting around gaily, specimens of
Eubolia plumbaria often started up wildly from the disturbed ling, and at the
bramble blossoms dozens of worn individuals of the plebeian butterflies, Epinephele
ianira ("Meadow Brown") and tithonus ("Large Heath") held carnival. In
the open glades the "Peacock" (Vanessa io), the "Admiral" (V. atalanta) and
"Tortoiseshells" (V. urticae) were seen. In the changeful light of the thickets,
half shade, half sunshine, the pretty "Speckled Wood" butterfly (Pararge egeria)
floated through the air ; the sunlit outskirting holly bushes were enlivened with
the gambols of the well-named "Azure Blue" (Lycaena argiolus), and high over
the oaks soared the resplendent little "Purple Hair-streak" butterfly (Thecla
quercus) quite out of reach of the collectors' nets. As we tramped through the
fallen leaves in the beech woods great numbers of the bold and handsome '' Yel-
low Underwings" (Triphaena pronuba) were dislodged, and all over the forest
and the country generally one could not but be struck with the more than
usual profusion of the "White" butterflies (Pieris brassicae and rapae), while
specimens of Porthesia similis (auriflua), Eugonia quercinaria (angularia) and
Calymnia trapezina forced themselves on the attention of even the non-entomo-
logical.
The dryness of the season is rendering possible numerous and in some
instances disastrous forest fires. Just as we quitted Ambresbury Banks, smoke
was noticed in the direction of Theydon, and on hastening to the spot an
immense fire was discovered raging in the heathy birch coppice on the left-hand
side of the road leading from the "Wake Arms" to Theydon. Many of the
members aided the efforts of the keepers and others to beat out the fire, but the
number of willing hands available was too small; water of course there was none,