84 THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB.
country and to the farmer, and he sincerely hoped that an effort would be made
to prevent the re-appearance of the gamekeeping spirit in the management of
Epping Forest.
A paper entitled "Fifty Years ago in Essex," by Dr. Henry Laver, F.L.S.,
F.S.A., was then read by the author. It gave some most interesting reminis-
cences of the former state of things in remote parts of Essex within the author's
own recollection—the food, habits, and clothing of the peasantry, the modes of
farming, the abundance of many species of hawks and other birds at present kept
down by the gamekeeper, and in particular Dr. Laver entered into an examina-
tion of the causes of the disappearance of ague from Essex. In districts where
this disease was formerly endemic, but from which it had entirely disappeared, no
drainage of swamps had been attempted, sanitary science was still unknown, and,
in fact, in the author's opinion, there was no artificial cause that would account
for the eradication of ague. Dr. Laver inclined to the view that such diseases were
cyclical in their appearance, and although we were happily now at the zero range
of its action, there were no natural or artificial barriers in some parts of the county
to a recurrence of the maximum period of endemic ague at some future time.
Dr. Laver's paper will be published in extenso in the Essex Naturalist.
Prof. Meldola, in proposing a vote of thanks to the author, said that Dr. Laver
had adduced very strong arguments in favour of letting nature as much alone as
possible. There were very many unavoidable interferences with natural condi-
tions incident to the increase of population : they could not control the spread of
buildings and towns, but that was no reason why to these compulsory agencies
tending to the modification of animal and vegetable life, should be added the
wilful destruction of certain animals and birds, based upon mistaken views of the
economy of nature. Until the full knowledge of the interdependence of animals
and plants one on another was brought home to landlords and those having control
of large tracts of ground, we could not but expect to find trouble arising from the
undue increase of some garden, farm or woodland pests. He asked whether
Dr. Laver's experience as a medical man led him to coincide with the ordinary
notion of the deadly nature of the adder's bite, and referred to the well-known
character in New Forest, who gained a living by catching snakes to serve as food
for animals and birds in the Zoological Gardens and elsewhere. When he met
the snake-catcher a few weeks ago the man had about twenty snakes in his wallet,
which he considered a fair day's work, and he often killed half-a-dozen vipers in
the day.
Mr. Greatheed, Mr. White, Mr. Crouch, Mr. Ridley, and the President, in
continuing the discussion, referred to the various theories (some wild enough) that
had been devised to account for the decline of ague—the use of sugar, the felling
of woods, the increase of smoke of coals in the Thames neighbourhood owing to
the steamers, drainage, and the general improvement in the modes of life and
food, were alluded to—and it was pointed out that ague was generally most
prevalent in localities remote from civilizing influences.
The vote of thanks to the author was passed unanimously.
Dr. Laver, in reply to Prof. Meldola's question, said that so far as his experience
as a medical man went, the adder's bite was not fatal to human beings in
England—it might cause great inconvenience and suffering, but the effects almost
always passed off. To cattle the harm done was often very serious, and he had
known a cow in full milk to be so injured that she became useless for three
months so far as milk yielding went; sheep, and even horses, were also often