2 The Ancient Fauna of Essex.
Even among the members of a Naturalists' Field Club there
is at times no doubt a tendency to become the unintentional
extirpators of some rare plant or insect when the resort of
the one or the habitat of the other has been made public in
its Proceedings.
But there must always be a wide distinction drawn between
the true Naturalist and the ordinary collector. I earnestly
trust that you all belong to the former type, and, if you
collect, you will be careful not to exterminate a species for
the mere purpose of obtaining duplicates for exchange.
I wish now briefly to refer to the historical records of
Epping Forest and the neighbouring area, so far as I have
been enabled to gather them.
So lately as a.d. 1700 the entire tract between the rivers
Roding and Lea was forest-land, the greater part covered
with timber.
In the Notes to Bowen's Map of Essex (1743) it is stated,
"Epping Forest was formerly of very large extent, but its
limits were settled and restrained by Act of Parliament
(17 Car. I.), according to which regulation it is now about
fourteen miles long and ten broad. 'Tis full of game, and
well stocked with deer, said to be the largest and fattest in
the kingdom."
Epping Forest, with the neighbouring forest of Hainault,
which was disafforested about thirty years ago, was originally
called the Forest of Essex or the ancient Royal Forest of
Waltham. It is said to have extended at one time over a
very vast district, including in the reign of Henry III. (1228)
almost the entire county of Essex; while in the reign of
Edward I. (1298-1300) the perambulation, if correct, com-
prised lands running down to the townships of Havering,
Dagenham, Barking, and other places in the neighbourhood
of the Thames. In the reign of Henry II. (1154), the Forest
of Middlesex extended from Houndsditch to about twelve
miles north of London, and belonged to the Corporation of
the City of London. The Forest is described as abounding
in Wolves, Wild Boars, Stags, and Wild Bulls. So late
as the time of Henry VI. (1485), Wolves were met with