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THE ESSEX NATURALIST
have the Chase as their nearest stronghold but they are numeri-
cally many fewer. No doubt the occasional individual will con-
tinue to turn up as before but they are not likely to establish
themselves in any number.
Japanese sika are unlikely to be added to the list of deer living
in a feral state in Essex as, apart from those in zoos, there are
none in the county. The nearest feral colonies are in Kent and
Buckinghamshire.
The national distribution map for muntjac shows an area with
Woburn and Whipsnade Parks in Bedfordshire at the centre. They
are continually extending their distribution and it can be ex-
pected that they will establish themselves in Essex and in time
may well become the most widespread of the deer in the county.
A detailed report on the distribution of deer in Essex is being
prepared and it is hoped that this will be published in the next or
subsequent Essex Naturalist.
My thanks are gratefully recorded to all those who have given
up so much of their spare time to working on the survey and
without whose efforts this report could not have been written.
The survey was also supported by grants from the Carnegie
United Kingdom Trust, The Essex Field Club and the Essex
Naturalists' Trust to whom grateful thanks are expressed.