xxii Journal of Proceedings.
Mr. D'Oyley said that there, had been no importation of Deer, and
quoted the opinion of the late Mr. Grimston, a gentleman well acquainted
with the Forest, that these were the descendants of animals which had
inhabited the woods from time immemorial. In answer to a question
from Mr. Harting he stated that, for some time after birth, the fawns
were black, except at the neck, where some white appeared. This fact,
Mr. Harting pointed out, was quite abnormal in the Deer-tribes.
Luffman, the head keeper in the Forest, had told him that he had heard
his grandfather say that Deer had been brought into the Forest; but he
(Mr. Harting) did not place implicit reliance upon this, because he had
been similarly informed with respect to the Deer in Lord Leconfield's
park. These, he had been told, had been brought by Lord Leconfield's
father from Windsor; but, on writing to his lordship to enquire, he was
informed that the fact was the other way—that some of Lord Leconfield's
Deer had been sent to Windsor.
Mr. Meldola observed that the history and nature of the Forest Deer
were subjects well within their scope, and he hoped careful enquiries and
observations would be made in the matter.
A paper, "On the Formation of a Local Museum," was read by Mr.
Harting [Transactions, ii., 36].
The President, in proposing a vote of thanks to the author, said that he
agreed almost entirely with what Mr. Harting had said so well, and he
had already given expression to similar ideas on a former occasion. He
thought the Society could not be too decided in excluding the proverbial
stuffed crocodile and foreign objects of doubtful origin, nor too strongly
urge upon its members the advisability of giving a complete and accurate
record with every specimen which they might present to the Museum.
The best and most useful specimens would be those collected by them-
selves in their own districts. He thought the Society should restrict the
specimens to objects found in Essex, except perhaps objects which might
be called educational and which served to illustrate in various ways the
flora and fauna of the county. He would draw the line at what were
commonly called antiquities. The Essex Archaeological Society dealt
with these, and he would suggest that, if the Essex Field Club preserved
antiquities at all, they should be only such as came fairly within the class
called pre-historic. He thought their Museum should be as much as
possible educational. It should have two sides; the somewhat deeper
scientific aspect represented by having as complete a series as possible of
all local animals, plants, fossils, and minerals; but it should also have a
popular educational side. For the latter there should be diagrams showing
the typical structure of plants and animals, and examples of dissections
and other preparations to aid the real student. Great advance had
recently been made in the mode of conserving and exhibiting many objects,
and when they saw the progress Mr. English had made in preserving Fungi
and flowering plants, he thought that a collection of plants, &c., preserved
by those methods would be a valuable thing in the proposed Museum.