116
CONCERNING CERTAIN ESSEX RIVERS.
I am pretty confident, because one of its springs still keeps the name
of Pant's Well, and the monks of Coggeshall speaking of it use the
same appellation."
From this it appears that the river for a while was known as the
Froshwell or Freshwell, the name of the hundred in which it rises.
Moreover, it must have been so called before the river in its entirety
was called the Blackwater. For Camden, at p. 341 (third edition),
thus writes : "In Blackwater sinum, quern Borealem hujus centuriae
latus claudere dixi, et optimis ostreis scatet (quoe Wallfleot vocamus),
confluunt duo flumina quoe magnam agri partem alluunt Chelmer et
Froshwell." * * We glean, too, from this quotation that the name
of "Blackwater" was applied in the first instance to the estuary, and
afterwards to the whole river, the ancient name of Pant being thus
supplanted. But my note has already become unduly swollen and I
must pause. In substance it appeared in the "Essex County
Chronicle" a few years ago, and I had hoped that further light would
have been thrown on the subject by other correspondents. I was,
however, disappointed ; but at the request of Mr. Cole I have now
reproduced, and somewhat amended, my letters for insertion in the
Essex Naturalist.
Horses Poisoned by Eating Yew.—In the "Essex Standard" of July
I2th, 1890, is the following note under the heading of Coggeshall:—"On Friday
evening, July 4th, about eight o'clock, as some of Mr. R. Curzon's horses were
feeding in the park, Sweeting, the coachman, saw a valuable black mare, which
had a young foal at its side, suddenly fall down. He proceeded to the spot and
found her in a dying condition. Mr. Poulton, veterinary surgeon, was sent for,
but the mare died before his arrival. Mr. Poulton had only left the park a few
minutes, and while Sweeting was preparing to stable the foal, when a valuable
two-year-old filly fell down close to the mare, in the same way, and died in a few
seconds. Mr. Poulton made a post-mortem examination, and found both had been
poisoned by eating yew. Mr. Curzon's gardener had been mowing the lawns, on
which some yew trees were growing, and took the grass and dead leaves into the
park as usual, not being aware of the poisonous nature of the yew trees. The
other horses and foals were removed to the farm, and appear to be all right."
Red-throated Diver (Colymbus septentrionalis).—An immature specimen
of this bird was shot on Wanstead Basin about March 18th last, by Mr. J. W.
Simmonds, of Wellesley Road, and is now in his possession. It is in winter plum-
age ; the back and wings being more black than is usual. It is a rare bird in
this district, the only previous record being that of Mr. A. Lister, J.P., who
watched one—apparently a young bird—on the same sheet of water in January,
1877. (Vide Trans. E. F. C., vol. iv., page lxxvi.).—Walter Crouch, F.Z.S.,
May, 1890.