188 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
We would also comment on the abundance of the Palmate Newt.
As has been previously mentioned, there were a number of isolated
records of this species from the Forest, and the general inference
was that it was rather rare. We have, however, found it is both the
most common and the most widely distributed of the newts in our area.
This is interesting, but we feel that it is largely a reflection on the
intensity of collecting during the present survey as compared with past
work.
It is also interesting to note that many of the craters caused by high
explosives during the 1939-45 war, have been colonised by newts. These
often small waters do not appear to attract the other amphibians in
the same way. This behaviour was also noticed when Chingford
Plain was "trenched" ea. 1941, as a war time defence, and the following
spring these ditches contained very large numbers of newts (A.C.W).
Finally, we would take this opportunity to record our appreciation of
all the help we received in the field from Roy Gordon and Peter Court.
Without their enthusiastic support the present work would not have
been accomplished. We offer them our grateful thanks.
REFERENCES
Boulenger, G. A. (1887). Palmated Newt in Epping Forest. Essex
Naturalist, 1, 8.
Buxton, E. N. (1923). Epping Forest (9th edition), London, 179pp.
Cole, W. (1900). Palmated Newt at Buckhurst Hill. Essex Naturalist,
11, 142-143.
Fitter, R. S. R. (1949). A Check-List of the Mammals, Reptiles ana
Amphibia of the London Area. 1900-1949. London Naturalist,
28, 98-115.
Laver, H. (1898). The Mammals. Reptiles and Fishes of Essex. Essex
Field Club Memoir, 3, 138pp.
Oldham, C. (1891). (In reports of meetings.) Essex Naturalist, 4, 225.
Smith, M. (1951). The British Amphibians and Reptiles. London, 318pp.
Stubbs, F. J. (1920). Some Field Observations on Essex Reptiles and
Amphibians. Essex Naturalist, 19, 145-152.