59
NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
ZOOLOGY.
MAMMALIA.
Number of the Deer in Epping Forest.—In the Report of the
Epping Forest Committee presented to the Common Council on 14th
January, 1897, the Committee state that "in the early part of last year we
resolved that a census should be taken of the Deer. The difficulties of such
an operation in a dense thicket are obvious, but out of four censuses, three
were practically identical. An opportunity was found on the 30th of April
last (1896). On the morning of that day there were counted 128 Fallow and
13 Roe Deer, and in the evening of the same day 131 Fallow and 9 Roe Deer.
" On the following day the experiment was repeated, when there were
counted on the morning 133 Fallow and 12 Roe Deer, and in the evening 105
Fallow and 13 Roe. This census shows a large increase in the number of
deer supposed to exist at the time of taking over the Forest."
The number of Fallow Deer above certified is satisfactory, and very
creditable to the keepers, but we hoped to have heard of a greater increase of
the Roe Deer. It will be remembered that the Roes were introduced into the
Forest in 1884, mainly by the liberality and exertions of Mr. E. N. Buxton
and Mr. J. E. Harting. The Deer were captured and brought from woods
belonging to Mr. Mansell Pleydell and Mr. C. Hambro, in the Vale of
Blackmoor in Dorsetshire, and on the morning of February 14th, 1884, two
bucks and four does were set free near Monk Woods, Epping Forest (see full
account by Mr. Harting in the Essex Naturalist, vol. i., pp. 58-61). Since
that date many taking quiet walks through the woods have been gladdened by
the sight of these graceful little animals ; we should have estimated the
number at more than 13—twelve years undisturbed (?) life in the woods should
have shown a greater increase—but then we must remember that there are
poachers!—Ed.
" Beating an Otter to death at Broxbourne on the Lea River."—
The following letter in the Standard, signed "W. B. Harrison, King's Weir,
Broxbourne," has formed the text of some vigorous outpourings on the
merciless and cruel destruction of our Ferae Naturae in the ignorantly
imagined interests of a comparative small body of sportsmen :—" It may
interest your fishing friends to know that on Tuesday [March 2nd, 1897] last
a dog otter was caught in a trap close by here weighing twenty-one pounds,
and measuring over four feet from head to tip of tail. It was only caught by
the toe, and flew at the keeper like a dog; he was only armed with a stick,
and it took him twenty minutes to kill it." [the italics are ours.] Comment is
perhaps needless, but we shall take an early opportunity of putting on record
the opinions of some of our best naturalist-sportsmen on the use of the steel-
trap, surely one of the most cruel engines ever invented by man.—Ed.