Journal of Proceedings. xxxiii
famous habitat for numerous lepidopterous insects, and an excellent
place of resort for the naturalist; but, at the time I am speaking of,
travelling was not so easy as now, and but few collectors found their
way to the woodland glades of Hainault. As regards the character of
the forest generally, I may give you a little sketch of the route I used to
take.
" Starting from the old ' Maypole Inn,' at Chigwell Bow, across the
green in a line parallel with, but on the left-hand side of, the Bamford
road, we used to reach the margin of the forest, a thicket studded with
blackthorns, and with oaks fringing the skirts of the hornbeam wood-
lands, giving much the appearance of some parts of Epping Forest.
This was a grand spot for numerous Tortrices, Tineina, Phycidae, &c.
We then entered a sort of semi-glade, that gradually widened for about
a furlong, and was bordered with tall oaks on either side. Here that
grand geometer Boarmia roboraria used to occur. The glade broadened
out until it was lost in a swampy open, and the features of the wood-
lands quite changed. We have nothing like it now in Epping Forest.
Standing there we could get a general view of the forest, the glades
branching off until lost in the distance. The rising grounds, especially
towards Hogg-hill, served to exhibit the grand old oaks to the best
advantage, while in the foreground we had a marshy flat, clothed with
long waving grasses in blossom (Aira caespitosa, Ac), with great thistles
towering above them, and animated with the flutterings of numerous
insects, some now, alas ! very rare in Essex; it was a July picture I
shall never forget. Here were the usual forest insect habitants, with
handsome butterflies; the 'Marbled-white' (Arge galathea) and the
'Dark-brown Fritillary' (Argynnis adippe) in quantity, with Zygaena
trifolii, also common, and a remarkable circumstance was that specimens
having a confluent red stripe on the wings were more numerous than the
typical five-spotted forms. Here also occurred Pyrausta purpuralis,
Cledeobia angustalis, Herbula cespitalis, Paraponyx stratiotalis, Crambus
perlellus, with a form very like C. warringtonellus, and which was
perhaps that species. While in the Wood we used to find Boarmia
cinctaria, Tephrosia extersaria and Ephyra porata, with Triphaena fimbria
commonly, and the beautiful Dicycla oo much less frequently. Also two
species of Phycis then very rare ; I do not know their modern names,
but we used to call them porphyrella and epelydella [possibly Rhodophaea
suavella and R. marmorella].
" We would then ascend the hill, keeping Hogg-hill House on the
right. There the funereal little moth, Tanagra chaerophyllata, was
common among the bracken, and on the other side of the hill we could
not but admire the great hawthorns (and the like were indeed inter-
spersed throughout the forest) such as we do not often see except in
ancient woodlands untouched by the hand of man. The only place I
know now for such old thorns is in Takeley Forest, Essex. These thorns
were attractive to the entomologist as the haunt of the famous Tortrix,
Peronea cristana, and nearly all the aberrations of that extremely
variable moth were to be obtained. As Romford came in sight we
could re-ascend the hill, and, strolling through the thickets on the
other side of the road, the swamp noticed above was approached
again, and a broad glade interspersed with Whitethorns, &c., led us in
the direction of Fairlop. The forest soon became less crowded with
bushes, and prettily studded with oaks and other trees. Soon we
would reach the wide open expanse, the site of the now vanished
Fairlop Oak, and the place where the fair was held. Around were
fine trees, and as far as the eye could reach majestic oaks met the
view, but, too tired to explore further, we would return to the ' May-
c